Ultimate SEO v3 (and v2.200) [Support Thread]

[shags38]

lhungil,

many thanks indeed for your detailed response - very much appreciated.

Firstly I loaded 2.110 because I had it in my hard drive from previous installations, I now have SEO urls on seven sites - have learned a lesson, always check to see if newer versions are available. Where I have loaded the plugin from scratch I have had no problems at all - it is only with 2 sites where I have loaded it after using normal Zencart dynamic urls - this situation happened a number of times in the past with another site but I didn't do anything about it other than click 'fixed' in WMT.

I have downloaded 2.212 and read the readme.txt So where do I turn off Zencart SQL Cache to be able to run this new version on 1.3.9h replacing the old version? and how would I recognize the files in the database to delete? what files would they be?
If you are running a version of this plugin prior to version 2.150 it is recommended you uninstall the old
version of the plugin

including all database entries

prior to installing this version.

I haven't yet upgraded to v1.5 as when I read the instructions just after it was released I found it too complicated - I must try it again I know but I heed to keep the site working efficiently until I do

cheers,
Mike

[lhungil]

Firstly I loaded 2.110 because I had it in my hard drive from previous installations

*smiles* Glad it was not because of a broken / missing feature or installation problems :)

Less than 30% of the code from legacy versions is still present and the legacy code has some known issues with newer versions of MySQL and PHP. For the most part I am only providing support for the updated versions.

If you install version 2.212, make sure you look at this patch and the first post in this thread.

I have downloaded 2.212 and read the readme.txt So where do I turn off Zencart SQL Cache.

By default the SQL Cache is not enabled. You can check the setting of "SQL_CACHE_METHOD" in your "configure.php" files.

The main reason I do not recommend using "Ultimate SEO URLs" with the SQL Cache enabled under Zen Cart 1.3 is the plugin will utilize the SQL Cache (if enabled). Doesn't sound like a bad thing.... But there were some minor issues (the last time I tested) with the results returned by the database abstraction layer (when the SQL Cache is enabled) in the Zen Cart 1.3 & 1.5 branches. These minor issues become major when the cache was used for every URI generated on a page ;)

I've included a pre-release of the database abstraction layer (including fixes) from the Zen Cart 1.6 branch which can be used on Zen Cart 1.5 branch and takes care of the issues. I have not tested the changes merged into the Zen Cart 1.3 branch (they might work, or they might break things).

The query_cache add-on (compared to the Zen Cart SQL Cache) typically provides a greater performance enhancement in most situations (but not all). If you were using the Zen Cart SQL Cache, I would highly recommend the query_cache add-on by data-diggers. This awesome add-on is included with Zen Cart 1.5.1 out-of-box.

replacing the old version? and how would I recognize the files in the database to delete? what files would they be?

Three parts of the legacy versions of "Ultimate SEO URLs" you should remove.

1. The configuration. There was a function included in the old version to remove any configuration settings in the database and also the seo_cache table. This should be run first. I cannot remember how to call the function, but you can take a look in the seo.url.install.php... and then run those SQL Queries in the uninstall function against the database.
2. The files. Any files you added or changed to install the old version.

On versions newer than 2.150 you should always use the included uninstall instructions! Do not use the above instructions!

I haven't yet upgraded to v1.5 as when I read the instructions just after it was released I found it too complicated - I must try it again I know but I heed to keep the site working efficiently until I do

Completely understandable. Best wishes when you get time to undertake the adventure!

I found it less intimidating once I understood you could skip all the overwrite and merge. When I do an upgrade now I just install a new clean copy (setup script)... Then copy the old db over the new db... then run the setup script again ONLY updating the database... After that it's just pick a template, add necessary plugins, and make any needed changes. Plus this process allows you to retain your old working installation - just to be on the safe side.

[d030433]

I have download the 2.212 and install successfully. all page run perfect. but the the Categories have some errors.
when I set the Categories as directories to short or full. the categories url rewrite to http://www.site.com/categories-c-1/, not http://www.site.com/categories-c-1.html. and then my site can't load the template. becaue the base url become to http://www.site.com/categories-c-1/ not the default url: http://www.site.com/
who can help me?

[lhungil]

The behavior you describe is how the option "Categories as directories" works. It turns all categories into "directories".

When you say "can't load the template", do you mean "external resources (such as css, js, and image files) are not loading"? If so, there is a very good chance your template is using "page relative" links instead of "site relative" links.

So basically you have three main options: A) fix your template, B) use a template which can handle "directories" in the URL, C) turn off "Categories as directories".


There are a number of different ways to fix your template to work correctly with "directories" in the URL. Here are two:
1) Do what the default template shipped with Zen Cart does. Include the following snippet on every page in the HTML head: <base href="http://mysite.com/">. This tells browsers to pre-pend the "base href" to all relative links. While this will fix the problem, some website scrapers (such as those used by Facebook) do not currently read this HTML element.

2) Correct the behavior of your template to use "site relative" links instead of "page relative" links. This can be done by pre-pending every link to external resources with the website root. Zen Cart stores the website root in two constants: DIR_WS_CATALOG and DIR_WS_HTTPS_CATALOG.

[d030433]

The behavior you describe is how the option "Categories as directories" works. It turns all categories into "directories".

When you say "can't load the template", do you mean "external resources (such as css, js, and image files) are not loading"? If so, there is a very good chance your template is using "page relative" links instead of "site relative" links.

So basically you have three main options: A) fix your template, B) use a template which can handle "directories" in the URL, C) turn off "Categories as directories".


There are a number of different ways to fix your template to work correctly with "directories" in the URL. Here are two:
1) Do what the default template shipped with Zen Cart does. Include the following snippet on every page in the HTML head: <base href="http://mysite.com/">. This tells browsers to pre-pend the "base href" to all relative links. While this will fix the problem, some website scrapers (such as those used by Facebook) do not currently read this HTML element.

2) Correct the behavior of your template to use "site relative" links instead of "page relative" links. This can be done by pre-pending every link to external resources with the website root. Zen Cart stores the website root in two constants: DIR_WS_CATALOG and DIR_WS_HTTPS_CATALOG.

thank you very much, now the template is loaded ok, but the categories url rewrite to http://www.site.com/categories-c-1/, not http://www.site.com/categories-c-1.html. there are no ".html". the product info page is ok, it can rewrite to http://www.site.com/categories-c-1/products-p-1.html.
and if I turn off the Categories as directories, then the categories url can be rewrite to http://www.site.com/categories-c-1.html, but the products info url rewrite to http://www.site.com/products-p-1.html?cPath=1. how can I rewrite the categories url to http://www.site.com/categories-c-1.html, products url to http://www.site.com/categories-c-1/products-p-1.html

[lhungil]

That is not a currently supported option for many valid reasons (including performance, end user accessibility, and usability considerations). I suppose you could "modify" the code to do what you want... But I will not support the changes.

What business goal are you trying to accomplish by changing the behavior of "Categories as directories"?

[christospur]

Hello,

i'm currently using 1.3.9h and trying to upload the Ultimate SEO module.

i've added the SagePay module only, and I host using United Hosting.

However, i'm having a little problem with Ultimate SEO module upload, namely that:

a) I can't seem to get the .htaccess to successful run after i've changed the RewriteBase line - coming up with a Server 500 Error.

b) I also don't fully understand what the next steps are to configuring it through the admin panel afterwards. Do you have to change http://www.mywebsite.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=936 inoto http://www.mywebsite.com/flowers/roses

Or will it automatically detect and change?

Your help is appreciated, as i've hit a brick wall...

[lhungil]

a) I can't seem to get the .htaccess to successful run after i've changed the RewriteBase line - coming up with a Server 500 Error.

Check your server's error logs. They should show the source of the internal server error (HTTP 500).

Assuming you have installed the latest version from this website (2.212) and your hosting provider is running Apache2... The most common causes I have seen of "500" errors after adding the .htaccess rules are:

1) Server not supporting enabling of symbolic link following in a .htaccess file "Options +FollowSymLinks". Most servers who disable changing this option will have it enabled. If the server error log shows this as the issue, try removing this line.

2) An incorrect RewriteBase (or .htaccess file in the wrong location). The .htaccess file should be in Zen Cart's root installation folder. So if you installed Zen Cart at /var/www/zencart then the .htaccess file should be at /var/www/zencart/.htaccess.

The RewriteBase needs to be the web path to your Zen Cart installation. So if your Zen Cart web root is "http://somedomain.com/zen_cart/1.5.1" then the rewrite base would be "/zen_cart/1.5.1". If it is "http://somedomain.com/" then the rewrite base should be either removed (it is not needed) or set to "/".

3) Server not supporting mod_rewrite. This is very rare and you would need to talk with your hosting provider to have then enable the use of mod_rewrite.

I also don't fully understand what the next steps are to configuring it through the admin panel afterwards.

The configuration in the admin interface allows you to enable/disable features, choose which Zen Cart pages to rewrite, and "customize" (chose the format of) the automatically generated URIs.

[ka1ber]

Thank you so much for the update however when I uploaded all of the necessary files I am coming up with this error message. I have looked on the forum and cant find anything that pertains to my situation. This is the fatal error message that I am receiving when logging into Admin

Fatal error: Call to undefined function zen_draw_admin_box() in /home/kiefer/public_html/admin/includes/boxes/catalog_dhtml.php on line 44

Thanks in advance!

[lhungil]

... Fatal error: Call to undefined function zen_draw_admin_box() in /home/kiefer/public_html/admin/includes/boxes/catalog_dhtml.php on line 44...

If you are running Zen Cart 1.3.9h, I am going to venture you copied / merged files from "1_affected_files_150" and / or "1_affected_files_151" into your Zen Cart 1.3.9h installation. As per the step #1 in the readme, you use the files in "1_affected_files_139h" and "1_affected_files_139h\your_admin_folder" for Zen Cart 1.3.9h. You should not use the files in "1_affected_files_150" or "1_affected_files_151" for Zen Cart 1.3.9h. If this is the case you will need to replace "/admin/functions/general.php" and "/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php" with the originals from 1.3.9h.

If you are running Zen Cart 1.5, I am going to venture you updated from Zen Cart 1.3 and missed some things during the update. The "zen_draw_admin_box" function is not a part of Zen Cart 1.5. If this is the case you will need to redo the Zen Cart upgrade and fix any changes which were missed.

If you are running a different version of Zen Cart... I would recommend you upgrade to a newer version as soon as possible. The current version of "Ultimate SEO URLs" is not supported on older versions of Zen Cart.

note: "zen_draw_admin_box" is a Zen Cart 1.3.x function defined in "/admin/functions/general.php". Ultimate SEO URLs does not update or replace "/admin/functions/general.php" for Zen Cart 1.3.9h.