Include my sample installed products in the Product Description?

[CoolCarPartsOnline]

I have certain products on my site that I have installed samples of. I have found lots of free gallery software. Is there a way to display the images from those scripts onto the product description. One software I found is simpleviewer. Which works fine on a new page but I am not sure how to display it only inside the product description.
Another way is by additional images. But the thing is I have 950 products that I need to display the same additional images to, Is there a way to do that using the myphpadmin. What do kind of command will give me that.

[fairestcape]

Do you use Easy Populate?

There may be a solution there, so if you use EP I'll elaborate later...

Unfortunately, references to additional images are not a database function, so there's nothing you can do via phpMyAdmin.

[CoolCarPartsOnline]

Yes I use Easy Populate 3.0.1

[fairestcape]

Then I think the easiest way to do this is to add an <img src> url universally to the bottom of all your product description text.

You will have a couple of images of these "additional images", so let's assume you've got 3 such images and they are called:

additional_image1.jpg
additional_image2.jpg
additional_image3.jpg

... and they are stored in your main images folder

You will need to create an HTML line that at least reads:

<p><img src="images/additional_image1.jpg" /><img src="images/additional_image2.jpg" /><img src="images/additional_image3.jpg" />

(Naturally, you can also include any alt text data and image size variables in this HTML)

Now... how do you get this line of code to appear on EVERY product description ???

Do an EP dump, where the dump includes at least the MODEL NUMBER, PRODUCT NAME and PRODUCT DESCRIPTION data.

Then, get this dump up in MS Excel as a spreadsheet as you normally do.

Add in 3 extra columns AFTER the PRODUCT DESCRIPTION column. (for the purpose of my explanation, let's assume this is column "D")

In the FIRST extra column, second cell (let's say it's column "E"), put in the HTML line described above.

Then, (lets say this is in cell E2) COPY that cell, and PASTE it in every cell underneath (E3, E4, E5... all the way down across all 900 products... to E900 (for example).)

So now you have the HTML in the next column of cells against every cell containing the product descriptions

In the second extra column (column "F") put this FORMULA - (into cell F2):

=CONCATENATE(D2, "<br>",E2)

Where D2 is the FIRST CELL showing a product description, and E2 is the FIRST cell where the HTML sits.

When you "TAB" out of that cell, it will show the contents of D2 JOINED with the contents of E2. It has CONCATENATED(joined) the two cells' contents.

Now, copy that forumla (highlight Cell F2) and PASTE it right down the column.

Now, the whole column F will be a CONCATENATION of your product descriptions and the HTML line.

(We're not done just yet!!!)

In the THIRD extra column (Column "G"), you will now need to do a "Paste Special" of the previous column.

Highlight the entire Column F (by clicking on the column header).

Press CTRL+C (copy)

Place cursor in G1.

Right click mouse, select PASTE SPECIAL, then click radio button "Values" and paste.

You will now have the full TEXT of the cell formula results from column F.

(If you don't do this, when you save as "txt", all you will get is the formula - not the results of the formula - in the xxxx.txt file . That's why you have to do the "paste special".

Now, you can delete your original PRODUCT DESCRIPTION column, as well as columns E and F.

Make sure "v_products_description" is the title in the new descriptions column.

Proceed as normal with EP management.

(I advise doing a test of two or three products first, so if you ######## it up, you don't have a huge mission to undo it!)

PM me for further advice if necessary.

[CoolCarPartsOnline]

This can work. I am pretty good with excel. I have to work with data feed from supplier and altering it to work with EP templates.

I haven't thought of that yet. It makes sense to me.

I was looking at other versions of easy populate for CRE Loaded for example there are columns for additional images I was going to look into altering the zen-cart EP to do that as well but I will just use your method for now.

Thanks.

[fairestcape]

I was looking at other versions of easy populate for CRE Loaded for example there are columns for additional images I was going to look into altering the zen-cart EP to do that as well but I will just use your method for now.

Not sure this will have any effect...

The technique that ZC uses to display additional images is entirely software driven...

includes/modules/additional_images.php

This module looks at the product being called, its main image name, and then seeks out relevant image names in the images folder.

There is nothing you can do in the database that will influence the display of additional images.

[CoolCarPartsOnline]

You seem knowledgeable about the whole EP software. I am not sure if you are one of the developer of the software or just been through a lot. But I have been trying to get a hold of the zencartbuilder because I have a question.

I have added an additional mod to my database that will allow customers to browse the products by the car make and model. Which was done by creating database tables (maker_name, model_name and model_year) this mod will associate the car model and year to the make. I have not used this mod yet because I am using database from supplier and EP to create the product. As you know this saves tons of time rather than do it one by one.

I was trying to play with the easypopulate_export.php to try to extract the make model and year from the database but with no luck.

Do you have any idea how to do this, or would you like to elaborate more about that???

if you do please email me at: [email protected]

Thanks in advance!!!

[fairestcape]

A user called Delights has a solution here:

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63202

If you need more info, send a PM to Delights

[CoolCarPartsOnline]

I am using Advanced EP which means everything is different than the free one.