Recommended Plugins for v157?

[g2ktcf]

Hi Guys,

Its been a while since I have been around. I am finally working on migrating my wife's site from Big Cartel to ZC. I have gotten the flour template loaded and working and I am in the process of tweaking all the text, logos and such.

First off, what version of PHP do you reccomend for v157? Now using PHP 7.4.11.

Secondly, since the responsive format is being used, what plugins do you consider as must haves? In the past I have used Edit Orders, USPS, Colorbox/Lightbox, Easy Checkout, and a few others. The problem is, I do not know if any of these are compatiable with the newer responsive system.

Thanks in Advance!
Chris

[DrByte]

First off, what version of PHP do you reccomend for v157? Now using PHP 7.4.11.

Always use the latest PHP version that is compatible with your Zen Cart version and any plugins you have installed. See Zen Cart Server Requirements

Secondly, since the responsive format is being used, what plugins do you consider as must haves?

Short answer: Only use plugins that are relevant to your business.
Particularly only those are needed by the kind of customers your business attracts.
Don't add bells and whistles for a different generation of customers or a different "kind" of customer than what your store is focused on selling to.

[torvista]

In my opinion Image Handler is fundamental from day one to reduce your workload.
Don't add anything else unless you need to resolve a specific problem like stock control of attributes.
The more you modify, the more work you will have on the next upgrade...so don't fix what isn't broken.

[dbltoe]

The Texas answer. Some folks in Houston have 4WD Ram 2500s to drive to Starbucks and back. Some have a Prius and borrow their mother-in-law's Ram when they need it. Same way with the cart. You have to decide what bells and whistles you need and your like-to-haves.

We turn on the Display Logs first (in the Modules >> Plugin Manager), add Mod List, and Clone a Template as a basic operational setup. We clone the responsive_classic into something named more to our liking and have the original as a fall-back when testing.

Next either PayPal or Square for taking money. We add One Page Checkout for the customer's convenience.

From here, you can add products, descriptions, images (Image Handler as Torvista mentioned), add USPS since you're in Houston, and you have all you need to sell product.

If your hosting allows it, keep a /_test folder going at all times. Normally your site would be in something like /home/YOUR_ACCOUNT/public_html. Crating /home/YOUR_ACCOUNT/_test with a clone of your site and a different database allows for testing those wannabe mods before taking them to the public_html main site. You can make it a subdomain of test.YOURSITE.COM for ease of access. It also allows you to test different PHP versions. Can't do that if the _test is in the public_html folder. Being "Above the Root" and starting with an underscore eliminates the possibility of being accused of duplicate product.

After that, it's prioritized by your particular business' needs. Do you need to do regular changes to prices? Are there just a few products to change or a few hundred?

Do you have a lot of orders that are incorrect in some way? Maybe you would want something like Edit Orders. But, that's a complicated mod to maintain through upgrade and as Torvista said

The more you modify, the more work you will have on the next upgrade...so don't fix what isn't broken.

One of the extras we do add for the customer's benefit is Instant Search. It helps the customer get where they want to go quicker.

And, as far as your browser, make sure you bookmark the forum. We're here to help.

[g2ktcf]

Thank Guys,

Dr Byte, I was able to get PHP 7.4.11 up and running a few minutes after I posted this. Frankly, I was not aware that 7.4 was the latest version available . I would not have even asked the question if that had been the case as I noted 7.4 in the instructions. Please accept my sincerest apologies!

Torvista, IH was the one I figured as I have installed it on every site I have ever made. My concerns over it was how it reacts in a responsive environment which I am totally new to. I have gotten it installed and am going through my tests now. So far so good.

dbltoe, yes USPS is a given but I have not installed that one just yet. It is typically an easy install and I do not remember any major headaches with it. I will look into Mod List and Clone a Template as these are two I am not familiar with. I have used FEC previously and it was a bear to install. I already love One Page Checkout and I have not even tried it on a live site yet! Edit Orders is one I have used but I do not remember how much effort it takes to do the modifications. I typically only allow ONE major modification that requires me to go into core files and add/remove/modify lines of code. That is the upgrade nightmare that I do not need. As far as Instant Search, this particular business case should not require that modification. In fact, I have to disable both Manufacturers and Brands for this one. This new site is for my wife's jewelry business and everything she makes is custom artwork. But I may toss it in to see how it works anyway in the test environment.

I am open to any other suggestions btw. For this site, pictures are literally worth everything. High Res, rotating 360 views and such are some things that need to be considered. I will be doing videos as well and any input on how to host/link to those would be useful.

Best Regards
Chris

[carlwhat]

Thank Guys,

Dr Byte, I was able to get PHP 7.4.11 up and running a few minutes after I posted this. Frankly, I was not aware that 7.4 was the latest version available . I would not have even asked the question if that had been the case as I noted 7.4 in the instructions. Please accept my sincerest apologies!

Torvista, IH was the one I figured as I have installed it on every site I have ever made. My concerns over it was how it reacts in a responsive environment which I am totally new to. I have gotten it installed and am going through my tests now. So far so good.

dbltoe, yes USPS is a given but I have not installed that one just yet. It is typically an easy install and I do not remember any major headaches with it. I will look into Mod List and Clone a Template as these are two I am not familiar with. I have used FEC previously and it was a bear to install. I already love One Page Checkout and I have not even tried it on a live site yet! Edit Orders is one I have used but I do not remember how much effort it takes to do the modifications. I typically only allow ONE major modification that requires me to go into core files and add/remove/modify lines of code. That is the upgrade nightmare that I do not need. As far as Instant Search, this particular business case should not require that modification. In fact, I have to disable both Manufacturers and Brands for this one. This new site is for my wife's jewelry business and everything she makes is custom artwork. But I may toss it in to see how it works anyway in the test environment.

I am open to any other suggestions btw. For this site, pictures are literally worth everything. High Res, rotating 360 views and such are some things that need to be considered. I will be doing videos as well and any input on how to host/link to those would be useful.

Best Regards
Chris

• agree on IH
• agree w drByte. only install what you need.
• i use FEC on a couple of clients sites and i agree! it can be a bear to install. but it is also hard to get clients to switch to OPC. I have too much invested in FEC (perhaps i will look more); but if you decide to stay with FEC, there is some help available...
• templates and plugins are 2 completely different things, IMO. some templates will install additional plugins; and to me, choosing a template (or choosing to build your own) is a bigger decision than various plugins...
• without a lot of mods, and with you being a store owner, i would find mod list of little value. if your site is working the way you want it, and is not throwing lots of debug errors, i'm not sure its helpful. i use it sporadically, and specifically when updating an existing ZC site. at that time, it can definitely be of help.
  

best.

[g2ktcf]

I took a look a Mods list. To be honest, I have in the past just looked in the configuration table in the database. I am more comfortable working there than in PHP to be honest.

I have IH and OPC done now. I am considering Edit Orders as it appears to be a simple install but will talk to my wife about how her orders come in and if editing them is ever an issue.

Best Regards
Chris