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  1. #1
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    Default Confused.... HOME page?

    I found "HOME" page on my website from a Google Search (link), but when I click "home" in the bread crumbs it takes me to my Index page... hmmm.. the page title and meta tags are there from somewhere... how do I edit this page, and what exactly is it? the address is... /index.php?main_page=index&cPath=26 .. there is a chance that I am an idiot and just forgot about something.. it wouldn't surprise me if I set the page title and meta tags..... but if I didn't,,, how do I get to this page? Where (normally) the category page listing (title) would be, it just says Home.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Confused.... HOME page?

    A link to your site would help. In general, "home page" and "index page" mean the same thing.
    Mary Ellen
    I came; I saw; I Zenned
    Taking over the world... one website at a time
    Make sure brain is engaged before putting mouth in gear... or fingers to keyboard.

    Holzheimer
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  3. #3
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    Default Re: Confused.... HOME page?

    oh, sorry.. I am using V1.5.0 with aBagon Red template.. My website is www.stageandtheaterlighting.com .. the link I found from Google is http://www.stageandtheaterlighting.c...index&cPath=26 .. in the breadcrumbs on THAT "home" page, it says "home", but it's not a hyperlink... The "quick links" HOME at the bottom of the page takes you to what I call the Index page ( I guess in Zen Cart it would be called define_main_page.php )?? I looked at my categories, my EZ pages, and at the Multiple Categories Link Manager to see if perhaps I created a page called Home when I was trying to figure Zen Cart out, but I didn't see anything in either place.. I can't edit this page if I don't know how to get to it,, any help would be greatly appreciated, as usual.... see my above post to get the exact url to mystery home page, it doesn't seem to be showing up in this reply.... Thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FYI,, the "reply" on this thread doesn't seem to be working properly.. when I hit "reply with quote" I get the Hour Glass thing, and it seems that my only option is to "quick reply"... I'm not sure what that is in reference to the "regular" reply.....
    Last edited by Johnnycopilot; 24 Apr 2012 at 04:37 AM.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Confused.... HOME page?

    Heres whats happening:
    When you first created your site you created a category and called 'home' (for reference, this category is/was ID#26). You also went to your admin/configure/layout settings, and set the option 'Main Page - Opens with Category' to this same ID#26'.
    With this setting in place, if/when someone goes to the 'main' page of your store ( www.stageandtheaterlighting.com ) zencart will 'serve' the page http://www.stageandtheaterlighting.c...index&cPath=26 as per this Opens in Category setting.

    Google has indexed http://www.stageandtheaterlighting.c...index&cPath=26 so needless to say, by clicking this link you'll be directed to the category that you called 'home'.

    You no longer have any products in the 'home' category, so all people see are the new products listing. The 'home' text isn't a hyperlink because it is nothing more than the name of the category that you are looking at.

    The 'home' in the 'quicklinks' bypasses the 'Opens in Category setting' setting and takes you to the *front page* of your store.

    Solution.
    Reset the 'Opens in Category setting' back to '0' , which will then take visitors using www.stageandtheaterlighting.com to the front page of your store (which now also the 'home' page).

    Next, is the 'hard' bit.... you need to get Google to remove its link to http://www.stageandtheaterlighting.c...index&cPath=26 because although you don't have any products in category#26, the page itself is still valid as far as google is concerned. There are several ways this can be done, BUT, since this 'category' is already in Googles index, what *I* would do is 'resurrect' category#26 (change it so that it is no longer called 'home', then add a few products, and just let google re-index it with the new products :)

    Hopefully this explanation has helped removed the confusion (which was quite understandable, given the circumstances)

    Cheers
    Rod

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Confused.... HOME page?

    Thanks.. 'Main Page - Opens With Category' already set to 0. I don't know when I put it back to 0, but it's already been done,,, a while back I suppose .. To be honest with you, I'm almost positive I never changed that setting anyway, because I didn't even realize I could do that until I just looked at that setting,,, but I could have I suppose.. but nevertheless, it's back to 0.

    Using category #26 for products sounds like a great idea and the best way to use the (already indexed) Google indexing, but the problem is, I can't find category #26. I even tried the 'Copy ALL Products in a Category as LINKED Products to another Category.. ' function under the 'Multiple Categories Link Manager', because I learned that categories with NO products DON'T show up in the 'Multiple Categories Link Manager', and as soon as products are added, the category 'shows up'. When I copied category #47 (Video Floor) to #26, I got a red (pink) message at the top that says 'WARNING: Valid Category to link Products From: 47 WARNING: Copy completed to Invalid Category to Link: 26' (Sounds like something from Lost In Space, and I am Will Robinson). haha.. How do I resurrect category 26 to add products to it? or how do find it? it seems to be gone.. and IF I deleted it, and it's still showing up, is every category that I ever deleted still 'there'??? it seems like 'dead' pages would not be a good thing to have, as far as Google and SEO stuff.... ?? Thanks!!!

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Confused.... HOME page?

    Quote Originally Posted by Johnnycopilot View Post
    Thanks.. 'Main Page - Opens With Category' already set to 0. I don't know when I put it back to 0, but it's already been done,,, a while back I suppose .. To be honest with you, I'm almost positive I never changed that setting anyway, because I didn't even realize I could do that until I just looked at that setting,,, but I could have I suppose.. but nevertheless, it's back to 0.
    <cough><cough>. When I went to your site this morning, using just your domain name, I found myself looking at Category#26, which you had called 'home'.
    There is only one way for this to occur (two ways actually, but the other leaves tell tale evidence).
    I've just tested/checked again, only to find myself on the front page of your site, which is what I'd expect if you hadn't messed with that setting, so one of us is telling porkies, and it isn't me. :)

    In other words, you have already fixed one of the two problems.

    The next bit is taking care of Google. I've kinda followed your attempted resurrection of Category#26 aka 'home' (as indexed by google) but have decided that this is going to be more trouble (for you) than its probably worth.
    There isn't going to be any 'harm' done by this google link, after all, it does still take people to your store, which ultimately is what you want anyway, and my suggestion to 'resurrect' the category was to make the most out of the link. Since you can't do this (for whatever reason) the next best thing is to get it delisted (assuming you really don't want people going to a category with no products via Google). This is where URL redirects come in handy... You can/should create a temporary redirect form
    www.stageandtheaterlighting.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=26 to just www.stageandtheaterlighting.com (recommended), or, if you prefer, even another category completely, such as http://www.stageandtheaterlighting.c...ndex&cPath=999 (assuming Cat999 is valid).

    Anyway, regardless of what you choose to do from here is of no further interest to me.. Solving the puzzle/mystery of what was going on (and why) was of interest, and since giving my explanation things are no longer doing what they were doing there is no longer a mystery to solve. Well, other than the fact that apparently you had nothing to change, but it is now mysteriously fixed, but I don't consider this a real mystery. As Dr House says. People lie :)

    Cheers
    Rod

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Confused.... HOME page?

    problem solved
    Last edited by Johnnycopilot; 24 Apr 2012 at 05:37 PM.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Confused.... HOME page?

    I am adding this reply in case someone else runs across this issue, and this same thing also confuses them. On my website www.stageandtheaterlighting.com , and I can't speak for other Zen Cart websites, other versions of Zen Cart, templates, etc.. but on my website here's what's going on, and what happened.

    I once had a category #26. I deleted the products from that category and deleted that category completely. At some point back when I had the category active, Google Cached that page. The other day I was poking around on Google, (AFTER my category #26 had been deleted) and ran across a link to my website. The link took me to category 26, which doesn't exist anymore.. so instead of making it a dead link, my Zen Cart apparently displays all non-existent category numbers that are called upon in the browser address bar, on a page that is identical to a regular category page, but with no products. On my particular website/template the page has default text that says 'Home' ...

    For example, if you click on one of my categories, let's say 'Architectural Lights',,, website goes to /index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2 (Architectural Lights Category) ,,,, and then, if you replace the number '2' with ANY number,, it can be 5299 , it can be 777, whatever ,,, and hit refresh in your browser, and if there is not a legitimate category set up with that number, Zen Cart will take you to a page that says 'Home', which is a great thing I believe. That way, search engines that go to 'old categories' that don't exist anymore, still get you to a working website.

    And one (or two) more thing(s) that I learned trying to figure this out,,, if you go to the Multiple Categories Link Manager, and 'Copy ALL Products in a Category as LINKED Products to another Category ..' and copy products into a category number that's not set up as a category already,,, the products will show up in that category number anyway. you can view by typing the category number in your browser..... I'm not sure why it does that, and I don't want to tell any porkies trying to make something up, that's for sure.

    I'm sure this reply is mostly for Greenhorn's like me, but it may help someone.... This information may be somewhere else, but there is so much to learn, and so much to do, and I haven't read this anywhere else yet.. so that's why I am telling what I found out here. Thanks for the Zen Cart community for always, and QUICKLY, trying to help me with every single issue I have had in setting up my website. You all are making Zen Cart a very useful tool in my business, as well as helping me to learn how all of this works,, it's very complicated if you are a beginner like myself, so without all of the help, I would be LOST!!!! I really appreciate it!!!! You guys (and girls) are awesome.. :)
    Last edited by Johnnycopilot; 24 Apr 2012 at 09:34 PM.

 

 

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