Override Issue (beginner)

[Steven300]

Hi everyone. I'm totally new to Zen Cart (as I'm sure you'll be able to tell from my question). I've just had Zen Cart installed and am currently trying to remove/change the text "Congratulations! You have successfully installed your Zen Cart™ E-Commerce Solution". I know where the code is located but I'm having some problems with the override system, as this is the first time I'm using it. In the \includes\languages\english directory, there is the index.php file. This is where the text I want to change is located. What I have done is create a folder called 'custom' in the \includes\languages\english directory. I copied the index file into this 'custom' folder and made my changes to this copied file. (so it's now \includes\languages\english\custom\index.php). I then uploaded it all. When I refresh my site, it's exactly the same! I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong because I had followed all the instructions from the Zen Cart tutorials. Curious, I changed the text in the core file and uploaded that and it successfully made the change. For some reason, my override isn't working at all. Is there anything I need to do before using an override system, any settings I need to change, or am I doing everything right? Any ideas please? (I'm using version 1.3.8a)

[jammin320]

Hi Steven,

You will have to go into Admin and change the store to use your new template. You can have several templates loaded at once, so the store needs to know which one you are wanting to use. The setting is under tools - template selections.

Going forward, I would strongly recommend getting your hands on a copy of the ZenCart book. It has great step by step instructions (and nice screen captures) of dozens of these sort of things that will make the learning curve with ZenCart much more plesant.

[gjh42]

You don't say whether you have created your custom template structure yet. (See the FAQs.)

Until you do that, making a /custom/ folder in one place isn't going to do anything.

[afo]

In addition to the information in the tutorials/FAQ, you can use this as a guideline.

To create a very basic custom template (you can build from there), you need:

• includes/languages/YOUR_TEMPLATE/english.php
• includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/index.php
• includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/meta_tags.php
• includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/header.php (to change the logo)
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/template_info.php
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/tpl_header.php
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/tpl_footer.php
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/images/logo.gif
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/css/stylesheet.css

Anywhere you see a /classic/ folder, you can create a folder for your custom template. You can copy the necessary files from either the /classic/ folder, the /template_default/ folder or the parent folder.

Edit includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/template_info.php to give your template identifying information so you'll recognize it in the admin under tools->template selection.

[Steven300]

thanks for all your responses. I have now created my own custom template by following all of the instructions at https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/i...hp?article=142. My override system seems to be working correctly now. However, all the colours on my site have now changed to a more multi-coloured theme, also the site occupies the entire screen instead of there being blank columns on both sides. Can I revert back to the standard green theme, whilst still keeping my new override system?

[jammin320]

I seem to run into that same issue everytime that I build a new template. It means that you missed the primary CSS file. Off the top of my head, I can't remember where it lives - one of the others may have the path, I'll go look for it and get back to you if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

[gjh42]

You can copy the stylesheet and some images from the /classic/ template, if you want your custom template to resemble that.

/includes/templates/classic/css/stylesheet.css and /classic/images/tile_back.gif
to
/includes/templates/your_template/css/stylesheet.css and /your_template/images/tile_back.gif

[jammin320]

Copy the CSS directory from templates/classic to your templates/custom directory. Because you left the classic template, you left behind its CSS files and the site reverted to the defaults - however the classic has a nice layout that you can then modify to meet your needs.

[jammin320]

You can copy the stylesheet and some images from the /classic/ template, if you want your custom template to resemble that.

/includes/templates/classic/css/stylesheet.css and /classic/images/tile_back.gif
to
/includes/templates/your_template/css/stylesheet.css and /your_template/images/tile_back.gif

Ahh -beat out!

[Steven300]

Thanks everyone! Everything's working great now!

P.S I'll look into getting that book.. at least then I probably won't bother you very much in the future :)