How do I make the rest of my site look like my Zen Cart site?

[blahblah4949]

Hi,

After installing ZC for the first time, I'm just having fun with the customization side of things. I am looking to style the site to the non ZC page I started last month. I have just come across EZ pages and see them as a good way of linking the two together. However, I'm not sure of the best way to do this as my original page has JQuery for the slider.

Here is the original site: Original

and the ZC site: Zencartsite

At the moment I have added a Home link using EZ pages, but only as an external link. Would it be best to find a way to bring the external site into ZC (so having all internal links)?

Sorry if I have made this long winded. Once I understand the best way to carry on I should be fine.

Thanks

[vito]

If you created an EZ page called Home so that you can add that link to your nav bar, you should not be using External Link. You should use Internal link, and the link code should simply read index.php.

Vito

[blahblah4949]

Hi vito,

Thanks for your help. I did as you said, but if I use internal link and use index.php, it points to the 'Home' page of the ZC site. I would like it to point to the original 'Home' site I had already designed, so I end up with the original page as the home page, then you can click on 'Store' and it will go to the ZC store part. Am I making sense?

I tried directing it to index.html but no luck.

Thanks

BTW. Thanks MODS for moving my post, wasn't sure where to put it :)

[vito]

I see. So your store is in a subfolder. I never tried this before, but perhaps make the internal link read

../index.html (or whatever you named your SITE home page?)

Vito

[blahblah4949]

It works

Thank you Vito. Sorry for not explaining it was in a sub folder in my first post.

So to me this looks like it should all work fine now. People can go to the original URL test, click on 'Store', then after that, if they decide to go back using the 'Home' link, they will still remain inside the Zen Cart site (which is what I wanted).

If I'm wrong please say, otherwise thanks again for your help, much appreciated.

[blahblah4949]

I hope I'm just being paranoid, but could someone confirm that how I have set this up is going to work with no problems? I'm just concerned as I read a similar topic here just now that if you leave your ZC site you can mess up the cart. As I have ZC as a sub folder and used internal linking, am I OK with this aspect?

My site : Only the Store' button is linked up (to the ZC site) so far. But once on the ZC part you can go back using the 'Home' button link.

Just don't want to get so far down the road and realize I have to turn back!

Cheers

[stevesh]

You must be working on it now. What you've done is fine - works OK here.

Most sites identify the Home button as such, though, like 'Main Site Home'. Less possible confusion.

[blahblah4949]

Thanks Steve, yeah not much there right now I've really stripped it down so the content (hopefully) will take center stage.

Point taken on the 'Home' button. Will sort that in due course.

I think I got confused with reading a thread about how you shouldn't link your store with an external site which could lead to the user flipping between the two and clearing the cart. I guess as the ZC is a sub folder and all links are internal this won't be a problem.

Really impressed with the EZ pages system so far.

Cheers

[stevesh]

Thanks Steve, yeah not much there right now I've really stripped it down so the content (hopefully) will take center stage.


I think I got confused with reading a thread about how you shouldn't link your store with an external site which could lead to the user flipping between the two and clearing the cart. I guess as the ZC is a sub folder and all links are internal this won't be a problem.

Actually, it can, but most of those threads deal with people wanting to know how to put links to Zencart products on their non-Zencart sites, which isn't what you're doing.

Still, if someone comes to your Zencart site, adds stuff to her cart, then travels to your main site and stays there for >24 minutes, her session will be lost and her cart emptied. Probably not a big worry for you, but that's one reason why many here recommend using Zencart as the whole site. As you note, the EZ pages really help with that.

[blahblah4949]

Oh I see now, thanks for explaining.

The reason I didn't put the original home page html straight into an EZ page was all the JQuery stuff I would have to move over as well. Didn't want to get too involved with all that yet and preferred to get stuck into customizing.

Is it quite simple throw my original homepage with the JQuery into an EZ page so it's not an issue in the future? Like you say, I'm not too worried in this instance, but for future sites I imagine it would be best practice.

Thanks