Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona, United States
    Posts
    31
    Plugin Contributions
    0

    Default Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    Hey, sorry for being completely uneducated in Zen and CSS and all that. I have been trying to get a store online (haven't gotten very far at all). I started working with a designer, but, then I lost part of the template that she set up (the slideshow disappeared when I was trying to program it to my images). Now I'm just trying to go back to the Classic Contemporary Green and start over and I don't have a full page showing. Is there a way to upload another copy of the Classic Contemporary Green (or even just a Classic of any sort?) All I am showing in the Classic template I have is the header, as you can see here: http://www.5-and-dime-scraps.net/ :

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    16,718
    Plugin Contributions
    17

    Default Re: Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    Quote Originally Posted by 5andDime View Post
    Hey, sorry for being completely uneducated in Zen and CSS and all that. I have been trying to get a store online (haven't gotten very far at all). I started working with a designer, but, then I lost part of the template that she set up (the slideshow disappeared when I was trying to program it to my images). Now I'm just trying to go back to the Classic Contemporary Green and start over and I don't have a full page showing. Is there a way to upload another copy of the Classic Contemporary Green (or even just a Classic of any sort?) All I am showing in the Classic template I have is the header, as you can see here: http://www.5-and-dime-scraps.net/ :
    So the classic template is basically an unedited version of the default template... Further, when things do not appear properly (ie blank pages or partial blank pages), there is actually a FAQ on this issue. http://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?124

    As for restoring back to the classic template, basically need to compare the files of your store against a default version of the files and anything different in a classic directory is a change to the classic template... Anything changed in the template_default directory (or say the includes/modules directory) changes the base function of the store for the files that are not overridden by the current template. (let that one sink in a little...)
    ZC Installation/Maintenance Support <- Site
    Contribution for contributions welcome...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona, United States
    Posts
    31
    Plugin Contributions
    0

    Default Re: Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    I have nothing on this store at all (I haven't gotten far enough to add any products yet). Would it be better to just do a complete reinstall of Zen Cart? I've already spent a month just trying to figure out how to get a template online (hired a designer, paid money, it didn't work out, I've trashed the template I paid for) and I am about to scream. Why is this so hard? It shouldn't be this hard. I'm out a month's worth of time, and $60 and now I have to compare my server files to the classic template files to figure out how to restore it myself? I'm sorry, there's got to be another way. I am NEW to this, I don't understand what I'm doing. I am NOT the person who should be trusted to do this, obviously.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona, United States
    Posts
    31
    Plugin Contributions
    0

    Default Re: Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    This is my default template. My default is corrupted.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    16,718
    Plugin Contributions
    17

    Default Re: Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    Quote Originally Posted by 5andDime View Post
    This is my default template. My default is corrupted.
    So, yes a reinstall (upload of the ZC default files) would restore all of the other files back to normal... So...

    I would suggest, just for the sake of never know... Backup your files that you have...

    Upload the ZC files as they are provided for the version of the store you are using...

    Do not need to replace or recreate the configure.php files at this time.

    The store should function again... Whatever product/database changes you have made will be unchanged... Just the look of your store will be back to basics... I would like to provide links to several FAQs, but do not have easy access to them at the moment. I understand the frustration, and you are not alone... There are also other very helpful individuals that will come along and provide similar or additional assistance whether technical or emotional...
    ZC Installation/Maintenance Support <- Site
    Contribution for contributions welcome...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona, United States
    Posts
    31
    Plugin Contributions
    0

    Default Re: Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    Thank you. I had my host do it and it's done. I have my classic page back now. :) Much appreciated.

    Emotional... yes, I might need that. I think this store is going to kill me. Thanks again.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    16,718
    Plugin Contributions
    17

    Default Re: Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    Quote Originally Posted by 5andDime View Post
    Thank you. I had my host do it and it's done. I have my classic page back now. :) Much appreciated.

    Emotional... yes, I might need that. I think this store is going to kill me. Thanks again.
    Congrats... Now you may have already started tearing through things, but if I may suggest creating a new template possibly called custom.. Everywhere there is a classic folder, copy it to an adjacent folder called custom...

    There are several such locations. Perhaps downloading the plugin called template overrides written/updated by lat9 will help with a little understanding....

    The purpose of this "exercise" is so that if something doesn't work right/look right, you can always fall back on the custom templaate to help eliminate the cause...

    As for your host "helping", notice how much help they were when the initial problem was identified... Not sure how your store was installed (one click or the like), but if it was not installed with the software available from this site, then a few things: 1) have lost out on the learning experience of doing it on your own so when an issue comes up in the future, you may not understand what is being discussed, because of lack of experience, 2) there may be changes to the store that cause it to not function as designed or could be insecure...

    I understand still the "aggrivations" we all were there in one way or another, we didn't all have the understanding, knowledge, and experience that we now do... Ask questions (though please do try to search for the answers either directly in the forum or by use of an internet search engine) and expect that sometimes answers take time to come as we all offer support in the forum for free on our own available time.
    ZC Installation/Maintenance Support <- Site
    Contribution for contributions welcome...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Lansing, Michigan USA
    Posts
    20,024
    Plugin Contributions
    3

    Default Re: Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    Also, far too many Zencart newbies begin by worrying about how their site looks rather than how it works, which can lead to the template issues you had (or worse - you might have spent more for less at Template Monster). My advice is always to get the store up and running using a custom template you created based on the Classic template, get your products set up and your shipping and payment modules installed and thoroughly tested, and then, and only then, start thinking about your store's appearance.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona, United States
    Posts
    31
    Plugin Contributions
    0

    Default Re: Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    stevesh, thank you for your advice. As a person who wrote HTML back in the early days and never graduated to CSS, I was not familiar with all that was involved with CSS and didn't realize that there were other steps to take first. There is a wealth of information on this forum, but, as a person who never worked with Zen Cart previously, or CSS, or PHP, I was under the impression that I had to build the template first (as a person working in HTML would). I know better now. Still, saying "a newbie should build their own template" would have gone completely over my head a month ago. I have since built my template (with some help from a tech person) but, I would not have understood that statement at all a month ago. It would be far more helpful to say "go into your Zen Cart Admin configurations and set up the parameters of the site first and then worry about the template" and even then, I made some changes a month ago that I realized recently needed to be tweaked. Just offering a bit of advice because us newbies need to have things explained in a way where we understand what "build your own template" means. A month ago a statement like that would have sent me running for the hills.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    16,718
    Plugin Contributions
    17

    Default Re: Newbie trying to get a store online and tearing my hair out

    And everyone is different. A year and a half ago or so, all I knew about templates was that others had been kind enough to share their work in the form of a template downloadable from this site... Come a long way since then. :)

    Made several mistakes on my development server, but learned from them all and without effecting the live site (significantly :) ). Sure the first few days of setup were rough, but passable.

    As for what words would trigger one to run to the hills, I try to provide enough information to understand and to take action. There are those that say "enough already", one sentence answer is all that is needed. Others: I still do not understand, need more... Whatever the case, the message from stevesh is similar advice to what he has provided to others in the past and rings true with many other ZC users/installers... It has been said many times over and in different ways. Important thing is that you have decided to stick through it and in your own way helped others help themselves. :)
    ZC Installation/Maintenance Support <- Site
    Contribution for contributions welcome...

 

 
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Tearing my hair out over shipping
    By cuddlingwolf in forum Built-in Shipping and Payment Modules
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 21 Oct 2010, 06:37 PM
  2. Newbie Store Owner Trying to Lauch PLEASE HELP!
    By SimoasTreats in forum Templates, Stylesheets, Page Layout
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 12 May 2010, 02:30 PM
  3. Zone Shipping Set Up - I'm tearing my hair out
    By oakweb in forum Built-in Shipping and Payment Modules
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 21 Oct 2008, 01:54 AM
  4. Tearing my hair out... IE7 problem...
    By rustybadge in forum Templates, Stylesheets, Page Layout
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 2 May 2008, 02:25 PM
  5. Pulling my hair out over secure and nonsecure items...
    By bobguindon in forum General Questions
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 3 Jul 2007, 12:11 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
disjunctive-egg
Zen-Cart, Internet Selling Services, Klamath Falls, OR