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  1. #1
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    Default Updating zen cart images for products, other updates on a single home server

    Hi:

    I have spent last couple hours looking at FAQ's, support forum links (searching same). While I found some information I am trying to find more info on some basics because of how I have my site setup. Here is what I have done.

    My test site resides on my home iMac (system 10.4.8). I have a dynamic DNS service (dynDNS) because I have a basic broadband host at this time (I am testing zen cart over next few months until we have enough inventory in our buisiness to go live). So to get this working I have one database in MySQL, and two zen cart folders (zen-cart and zen-cart-live). I have two folders because to edit data in my DB for this test I have to have zen-cart locally with the ip address of my machine assigned by my LAN router in my house and zen-cart-live to be able to remotely work with and have zen cart live via my dynamic DNS server setup.

    So I have already experimented with new product updates and found that in order to make the graphics appear on both I need to get the graphics in the images directory of my zen-cart (local directory) and zen-cart-live (live directory for remote work and live display). After reading documentation that the rest of the new products update goes into my common database that made updates in this regard much simpler for me since I am serving and updating/testing on the same home server.

    My first question is then if I do product updates do I need to hand copy the images all the time to both my local (zen-cart) and live (zen-cart-live) images folder, or can I just drag the images folder from either cart depending on whether I did the new products additions -- with images remotely or locally. Or are there things specific to the images folder that would mess with my local and live zen cart folders? It would make for easier updating if I could drag the entire images directory.

    Second question: When I do adminstrative updates with my adminstrative login besides new products (and respective images) are there other files that get changed in the particular zen cart directory I am accessing (depending up on if I am logged in locally to my zen-cart or live/remotely to my zen-cart-live dir)? For example I just changed the text in my main page header here at my remote site earlier this morning. Did this text go to the MySQL database or is it on one of my .PHP files in my zen-cart-live dir that I am accessing right now live and remotely from my home server?

    Ultimately in regards to my second question, if there are things getting changed in various php files when I am local or remote I know I can ultimately just have copies of the live and local configure.php files handy and just overwrite the entire zen cart dirs by the one that was updated and then reinstall the appropriate configure.php files for local vs live zen-cart directory. But it would be easier for me if I knew in general which folders in the zen cart directories are getting updated by any other adminstrative updates and if it were safe to just copy the folders that get updated rather than having to keep copies of the configure.php available after copying the updated zen cart dir to the non updated dir. Hope this makes sense, but it would be nicer to have a general list of what files in the zen cart dir get modified by what general menu items of the administrative program.

    Now to my third and final question (this is enough for now ) which does not have to do with local versus live changes and such! I need documention on the section that allows you to add products image? And how can you (if you can) add photos to a 3rd level subdirectory in the images directory?

    Here is what I have tried:

    I have been trying to figure out when I add a new product I can put the image I choose for it in a subdirectory of the images folder rather than the main images folder. Playing with the various buttons I thought the Upload to directory pulldown menu would allow some of that, but first it only shows the first main category below the overall general category and no futher (I need a third leve dir to appear). Second even when I selected below main (which is the images dir I suspect?) the image did not seem to get put in the first secondary folder but it went to the main images dir. I also tried to have images the sub/sub directory already in images and then use the browse to it but of course it again posted to the main images dir even if I had uploaded it from this sub/sub dir?

    Thats it for now, I keep learning more about this great product, thanks to those who have helped and the online material I have been able to find (even though it takes a bit of searching ).

    Russ Jacobson

    [FONT=&quot]=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=[/FONT]
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  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Updating zen cart images for products, other updates on a single home server

    Russ,

    As you appear already aware, you can have 2 Zen Cart installations that share a common database and the SAME data. However, doing so does involve more careful accounting of what files are where plus which is the newer one for publication.

    I know nothing of Mac's, but I'm certain that you can find a software for file and directory comparison. Try searching the forum, it definitely has been discussed. using such a software, you'll easily be able to compare specific files and directories. (winmerge is often recommended for Windows, Mac - no clue)

    The other thing that surprises me is that you need to maintain 2 separate locations. (That's a networking issue that you could study further if desired.) If you're doing it so that you have a development and published site then that's fine, but you probably should not share the same data. Settings in the admin of either will affect both. It doesn't give you a playground to really try things out. Consider a completely separate installation for play and test (database separate as well or unique table prefixes for each installation).

    As long as file names are identical, then your drag drop of images and other site files can simply be copied. Again a comparison software will greatly simplify this for you.

    Regarding admin changes, most are database settings and again will affect both of your sites instantaneously when sharing the same data. Changes within the admin to text, in particular Define Pages (under tools) will edit PHP files and not the database. Those files would then need to be copied as needed. I don't ever use the admin for editing text, it's much easier to simply edit the desired files. Finding which files to edit can very easily be done via Tools>Developer Tool Kit - see FAQ's for more info. EZ Pages is database driven and will instantly affect both sites.

    You can only set one image per product entry from the admin. After that you simply will copy additional related images to the appropriate directory. The names of the image files are important. Zen Cart will automatically pick up the additional like file names of images. I strongly suggest you read and understand FAQ :: How do I add multiple images to a product?

    There is also a Image Handler add-on contribution that could be useful. I'm not very familiar with it, but many like it a lot. Support can be found here Image Handler 2 Support and you can probably find it in the downloads section or via that support thread.

    Good Luck!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Updating zen cart images for products, other updates on a single home server

    Quote Originally Posted by lib99 View Post
    Russ,

    As you appear already aware, you can have 2 Zen Cart installations that share a common database and the SAME data. However, doing so does involve more careful accounting of what files are where plus which is the newer one for publication.
    Thanks, I have been discovering even as I post my questions, i was sorta already on that one, but was not sure exactly. Yes I already have a directory of my config files for each set so If i decide to do a bulk copy at some point (since they are both tests really, but the live one ultimately will be what world sees). Really they are just one test over next few months before we have inventory (if all goes as planned) and are ready to sell on web.

    Quote Originally Posted by lib99 View Post
    I know nothing of Mac's, but I'm certain that you can find a software for file and directory comparison. Try searching the forum, it definitely has been discussed. using such a software, you'll easily be able to compare specific files and directories. (winmerge is often recommended for Windows, Mac - no clue)
    I do believe there is something I have run across, that will be good to find. I notice that his is a need too with zen-cart upgrades to have this from what I have been reading.


    Quote Originally Posted by lib99 View Post
    The other thing that surprises me is that you need to maintain 2 separate locations. (That's a networking issue that you could study further if desired.) If you're doing it so that you have a development and published site then that's fine, but you probably should not share the same data. Settings in the admin of either will affect both. It doesn't give you a playground to really try things out. Consider a completely separate installation for play and test (database separate as well or unique table prefixes for each installation).
    Well at the moment it is more that I am testing overall because we are not going to be ready to even use this for a few moths. I wanted to be able to test remotely as well as locally on my machine hence I needed two databases as I could not solve what the networking issue was even though I tried all kinds of things to see if I could get one copy for both. It probably is getting two deep for me as I am not really a programmer or network guy, but just along time mac user who is tinkering under the hood to run this. For me it was an accomplishment to get as far as I did!

    Quote Originally Posted by lib99 View Post
    As long as file names are identical, then your drag drop of images and other site files can simply be copied. Again a comparison software will greatly simplify this for you.
    Well so far I am just testing and wanted to be able to do some dummy product updates and play with features from work when I have a moment as well as evening. And this setup at least has allowed that.

    Quote Originally Posted by lib99 View Post
    Regarding admin changes, most are database settings and again will affect both of your sites instantaneously when sharing the same data. Changes within the admin to text, in particular Define Pages (under tools) will edit PHP files and not the database. Those files would then need to be copied as needed. I don't ever use the admin for editing text, it's much easier to simply edit the desired files. Finding which files to edit can very easily be done via Tools>Developer Tool Kit - see FAQ's for more info. EZ Pages is database driven and will instantly affect both sites.
    It sure would be nice to know more of what files do what, and have a directory tree structure of what they do. I find pieces and bits as I experiment. For example, I am looking for the email php files, as I just learned how (with help from the devloper of the script extender for Dreamweaver that I bought in coding details) to put a Captcha feature in my form mail for my website www.dinoruss.com. The darn spambots have been hitting that email form alot last few weeks. Anyway would love to find out where the php file is that has the form so I could try to add this code to it so we do not deal with that when store really is open! Also need to learn how to put the GD library in my php server (apparently not installed by default on our version of unix on Mac OS 10?).

    Quote Originally Posted by lib99 View Post
    You can only set one image per product entry from the admin. After that you simply will copy additional related images to the appropriate directory. The names of the image files are important. Zen Cart will automatically pick up the additional like file names of images. I strongly suggest you read and understand FAQ :: How do I add multiple images to a product?
    Yes I have been tinkering with tha as well, but have not quite yet figured out or mastered what it says.

    Quote Originally Posted by lib99 View Post
    There is also a Image Handler add-on contribution that could be useful. I'm not very familiar with it, but many like it a lot. Support can be found here Image Handler 2 Support and you can probably find it in the downloads section or via that support thread.
    I have been looking at it but have not decided yet if we will need it or not.

    Good Luck!! [/QUOTE]

    Thanks much!

    Russ

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Updating zen cart images for products, other updates on a single home server

    Here is how I do some of the things you ask. I also have a development site and a live store site. This allows me to make the changes I want to try and then when I get it fixed copy those files to the over rides directories in. This allows my customers to only see the new look after it has been tested and known to work.

    I made a back up of my database and put it in a new database. I keep the test database updated every week so it reflects my live site. That way I have everything the same but don't screw with the original during development.

    I use Yummy FTP (Mac Program) to compare folders remotely. If I make a change locally it adds that change to the server automatically. Good for keeping the pictures updated as my wife adds product everyday or so.

    Learn to use the over ride system. Here is a good chart.

    http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?ma...roducts_id=298

    I use it and can keep track of changes I make much easier. Less searching for files I changed. This structure can also be tied to yummy ftp to update your server when changes are made. I don't allow this to be automatic because I don't want anything ot be uploaded that hasn't been tested fully.

 

 

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