Newbie - Any First step tips?

[moonbeamsoycandles]

Is there any advice you can give me for setting up a Zen Cart on a GoDaddy hosting server? I would like to know any issues or problems that people have come across. And if there are any things that are important that I need to know.

I dont really have a lot of knowledge in programming or editing, and know basic HTML. Is there a lot involved with XHTML and MySQL. I honestly have no idea what that is. Any tips on where to go to learn?

Sorry for all the questions, but I need some help/guidance.

Thanks!

I have 2 sites I need to switch over.
http://www.moonbeamsoycandles.com

http://www.woodyswellington.com

[misty]

SEARCH forums here for GoDaddy..
all will be revealed...

[canopy]

Many forum users have registered their disapproval with running Zen Cart on GoDaddy's servers. Follow misty's advice and read what others have to say and decide for yourself.

To find good hosts for your Zen Cart stores, click the "Certified Hosts" link found at the top of this page.

Besides basic HTML, you would need to know how to transfer files to a server (e.g. via FTP). That should usually be good enough but your mileage will vary depending on how much time and effort you can invest.

Having CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) knowledge will allow you to style your site better. MySQL is a database software similar to Microsoft Access. MySQL is used to keep your store's data and settings.

To learn more about HTML, CSS, and other scripting languages, visit www.w3schools.com and start working on the tutorials.

To learn more about Zen Cart, you can use the Tutorials/FAQs and the Wiki besides posting questions in the forums.

[stevesh]

It wouldn't be all that difficult to recreate your current sites in Zencart.

One tip - install the Image Handler 2 mod first thing. Your product pages on the candle site take a long time to load, because the images are way too big (file size, not dimensions).

[stitchnkitty]

Everyone on this forum is fantastic!
Most of your Q? will be answered in the tutorials and the thread -

I am a total newbie so I have been reading and when I come across something that I think will be good down the road I will hardcopy it for later reference. there is so much vast information on this board a tip may not be found again.

there has be some conversion on the boards about godaddy - we just went with one of the certified hosts advicated by this forum - it has not been long but so far they have been extremely helpful in getting things correct and will answer Q? via phone or live chat.

Just a different view!