quick help on main page customizations

[chickenwings]

hey guys-

i do a decent amount of web work and am working on my first basic store using zencart....after trying the default zen template just to get a feel for what i was dealing with - it looked like it just relies on css and php page jumps - the only part of my store that would be any different from a basic zen page is my main page which will use some flash and use custom graphics that have already been made and laid out in css - so im just to the point now where all i need to do is throw my main page code in somewhere....does zen cart just have a main page file that will make this easy? also - where would i put the logo/menu div that i have designed so it shows on every page of the website? basically i just want the home page to come up the way i designed this page, and then if someone clicks products it just takes that main page div content away and continues on like a normal zen site

thanks

[kobra]

Don't know what your flash looks like but try admin > tools > defines page editor > select from drop - main_page.php - - - add code at will

Header & site can be built to match your design and for the header/top find and make a copy for your own template the file tpl_header.php and insert in appropriate place what you might have

[chickenwings]

thanks for the quick response - glad to see its relatively simple to add content - ill try that out...

[chickenwings]

another question about this - i see what you are saying about inserting html using the define pages editor....i guess all the content i insert goes straight to that div on the main page? heres my question though because im wondering the best way for me to go about this insertion - it seems like it could be real easy but might have a few issues to work out - since i basically built a site from scratch (but sticking to the zencart style/theme), i have my own css file, and basically 2 main divs on my page...one contains the logo header that should be on every page of my site, and the other is the content of the main page that first loads - inside my main page content div i have arranged categories, featured products, specials, and a flash banner with css - is there any way i can just completely blank the main page content and then call the categories/products/specials from my code? im not really interested in controlling the sections that appear on my page from the admin section, id rather just customize each page if i knew how to call those sections when i want them......so for example if i could totally wipe out everything on my main content page so i see the zen cart header and then below that there is nothing but white space - how could i add the categories section with html/css? i apologize if this is a wild idea - but its just kind of frustrating because i have the page ready to go and am not sure how to link it in....appreciate the help...

[kobra]

since i basically built a site from scratch (but sticking to the zencart style/theme), i have my own css file, and basically 2 main divs on my page...one contains the logo header that should be on every page of my site, and the other is the content of the main page that first loads - inside my main page content div i have arranged categories, featured products, specials, and a flash banner with css - is there any way i can just completely blank the main page content and then call the categories/products/specials from my code? im not really interested in controlling the sections that appear on my page from the admin section, id rather just customize each page if i knew how to call those sections when i want them.

ZenCart is not designed to be used piece meal - It must become your site. The appraoch you outlined below is the correct way

so for example if i could totally wipe out everything on my main content page so i see the zen cart header and then below that there is nothing but white space - how could i add the categories section with html/css? i apologize if this is a wild idea

Select the code that displays the categories and paste it into the main_page.php file and do this through the
admin > tools > defines pages editor

You wil also have the footer present but can address this later

[chickenwings]

thanks man...you are really helping me out.....so basically i am thinking too hard..i just need to turn on and position the sections i want using admin and then any extra content (flash) i can throw in the editor and position with css.....so i only need to know a couple more things....1)can i & where do i drop the custom header i designed which contains the logo/graphics/menu...so it will take the place of the zencart top and appear on all pages of my site...2)how can i customize the look of the banner for categories/products/etc.? because i used graphics in the banners...3) you said to 'Select the code that displays the categories and paste it into the main_page.php file and do this through the
admin > tools > defines pages editor'....do you mean the zen code or something from my code?
thanks