Zencart For Proffesional Frontend Development

[mamontk]

We have seen that the engine provided by zencart does everything we require on the backend, it's the front end we don't like, we don't want a simple 3 column shop site, at most a 2 column site with the menu's on the left but with professional finishing to the content, the menu sistem and the cart functionality - ie we want a zencart engine but not a zencart frontend.

I read the zencard FAQ and forums 3 days. I still didnot seen nothink relly helpfull for me to make what we need. I'm a proffesional web developer. I mean that i know exelent html css JS php and mysql. The progect price is low and the client want what is written with red text. I like the zen card and see how does it work. I simple still can't understand how to make proffesional frontend. For example:

On the home page i need the category of the products in the right part of the page and in the left-center part must be shown 3 last added products with medium description and links to this products. Ufter this in this section must be 2 boxes with products wich are most popular. Yes the product are server scripts. That mean that customers will download them. After this will be the news.

Also most sites pages will look not standart. Can i somehow make every page of my site and control the boxes. I mean where they will be and what will be in them. This mean that on one page the box will be in the left part and other place will take the products fotos and description and so on.

Yes one small remark. I need this info not for my site but for one of my company projects so it a pitty but i don't have one year to learn all the zencard core rewrite it and use.

So my quastions are.
1) Is it possible to make the frontend in the way i told before (if not we will try to find other solution to resolve this problem)
2) Does it exist the normal good help information for developers who make proffesional projects using zencar core,i mean tehnical suport wich will help the clever coder who can make the CMS like zencard fast and simple to undestand the zencard philosofy and functionality (FOR CLEVER PEOPLE WHO WILL GIVE ME THE LINK TO FAQ - PLEASE SAVE YOUR AND MY TIME,READ IT BY YOURSELF COUSE IT IS FOR STANDART USERS AND I DID NOT FOUND THERE AT LAST 1 MESSAGE WICH WILL HELP ME TO RESOLVE MY PROBLEM)
3) As i told before i need to answer my teamleader about this problem couse if this task is impossible for zencard we can't loose time and will try to find other solutions. So please for people who relly know this system or maybe even made it please answer is all this possible to make in zencard or not - i mean simple answer like YES or NO.

This is the example of site with frontend structure like i need to make in my project - http://www.pnltools.com/

[Merlinpa1969]

you can do whatever you want in ZC.

look at
www.moissaniteco.com
this will show you that you can do what ever you want

as for support,
each page is modified seperatly just look in the header and then go to the tpl page of the same name and have a ball re aranging.

[Carl]

We have seen that the engine provided by zencart does everything we require on the backend, it's the front end we don't like, we don't want a simple 3 column shop site,

Oh dear, you have not done much homework have you. I have to say that if you took the time to research properly you would have found that Zen rocks just as good on the front end as it does on the back end. The front end can be so versatile that many could be fooled into thinking some of these sites ran on something other.
In my humble opinion, you cant expect to just browse forum writings for a few hours , then come in, slag off the product (that is how I see it) then expect people here to do the work for you.
What you get from Zen and it's followers is second to none.

[mamontk]

Ok thanks to all i undestood what i need.
Now i begin to learn more about zencart. Couse i think it will be real to make what i need. Simple i need to undestand the main idea of what nad there to change.

Yes by the way simple things.
Is there any tmpl file there i can manualy make the main page i mean what and there will be. If you simple tell me this you will relly help me and i'll be great pleased to you. Today all the day i played with blocks files. Begin to undestand many things but still can't undestand how to make the main page view without the admin panel.

Many thanks to all who unswered.
Regards.

[laplatakid]

Read the FAQs, especially the ones oriented toward modifying templates, the over-ride system, and things every new ZC user needs to know. Be sure you follow the directions carefully.

I also find it most helpful to look at the html source code generated by your browser for clues on what controls what. This isn't particularly clear in the docs.

Jim