Integration w/ Existing Product Display Solution

[ncoppola]

Hello,

We built a solution for a client that allows them to manage their products and categories. Each product has a unique id and could be associated with price etc.

Is it possible to use zen cart without using your solution to manage products, let's say by adding to the cart using an xml string or similar?

I'd like to have the user click to but an item, have the page post back and retrieve the detail from the database. Subsequently, I'd like to manually add to the cart and then proceed with checkout hopefully as designed.

Is this possible?

- Nick

[ncoppola]

BUMP-BUMP...

With all the folks on this forum, isn't there anyone who knows the product well enough to know if product info can be added to the cart from outside of the zen product display?

Thanks for any help,

- Nick

[msteudel]

Bump again, have same question.

Mark

[jammin320]

Yes, it is possible, and not very complicated. The solution lies in the database. I have a tool that I created for a client that allows their users to add a training seminar to the client's course list database. If the user selects a check box for 'Online Signup', the tool (not related to ZenCart or part of ZenCart) creates a new product, builds the description, adds the price and loads the course into the proper category and it becomes available for purchase immediatly.

The solution to this is to find all of the fields that you would like to manipulate and access the directy with SQL rather then going through the ZenCart UI. As your origional post is doesn't have any more details, I am afraid that is all that I can offer at this point.

One word of caution: The ZenCart team did an excellent job normalizing their database. Tables link to tables all over the place, when you are working directly with the DB, I strongly recommend testing your scripts on a non-production copy of your site to ensure that you didn't miss an UPDATE on a table somewhere that wasn't obviously linked.

[ncoppola]

OK, well it seems then that the cart relies entirely on the database and its relation to the product/category, etc tables.

The solution we have allows the user to manage products and categories offline along with other info. and then pipe the data to the server where it displays. This was designed like this out of customer "neccessity".

The ideal would be as I describe to take our product id and pull the information to be included in the cart and then to force the data via API into the cart.

Are you saying the cart functionality is bound to the database? I can see why it would be.

In our case, if we used your approach, we would need to verify/add a category, then verify/add a product, then proceed as you have described.

Would you be willing to share your approach? Can it be genericized or is it already?

Thanks for the response...

- Nick

[jammin320]

Ahh. . . I see what you are going for, I missed that during the first read. It would be a doable tool, though it would be a bit intensive. I am not a Zen Expert, but I don't know of a API that is already built to handle this sort of request. It wouldn't be too tough of a matter to build one though, holding your info in a CSV file until you are able to come online. However, I digress.

I had another thread that I took the opportunity to elaborate on my SQL code for adding products to ZenCart without going through the UI or Admin. You can see my SQL there (http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66776). The trick is, and I explain in a bit more detail on that thread, is that my code is very customized to what I am using it for, however it should provide you with some insight.

[ncoppola]

Hi Ben,

Thanks. Are we saying that the cart is counting on the product existing in the product table or can I jump the code to use my products and categories?

- Nick

[jammin320]

Thanks. Are we saying that the cart is counting on the product existing in the product table or can I jump the code to use my products and categories?

I am afriad that I am not sure what you mean by 'jump the code', however the SQL that I have assumes that the category already exists and it creates a brand new product. It places the product in a category that the user chooses from a dropdown list, which is then matched to the category ID. I wish I could show it to you working, but it is on a customer's site and that portion is password protected. If I keep getting questions on it though, I may turn it into a Mod.

Let me know if that answers your question.