Help About New Template Install Please Help

[mboley370]

Just a few questions here about a template install. I am kinda stumped about the fact that we need to copy over some files from the template_default, but not all of them. Wouldn't it be better just to copy template_default change out the css file and rename it are custom template name?

What is the correct way to do this. I am in desperate need of help doing this the correct way. For some reason my last install really messed my whole zen-cart up when I installed other mods, things were all over the place, which lead me never to be able to edit my index.php ever again.

On my last install I just upload the css images and the custom template I didn't add any other folders, so when I started to use mods they were calling from my template, but old files where still from the template default and I think it messed it up some how.

Please help anyone. I am doing a complet new install and would like to have my store up and running in 1 hour with all mods templates installed so this is a must to me.

Matt

[afo]

To create a very basic custom template (you can build from there), you need:

• includes/languages/YOUR_TEMPLATE/english.php
• includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/index.php
• includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/header.php (to change the logo)
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/template_info.php
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/tpl_header.php
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/tpl_footer.php
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/images/logo.gif
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/css/stylesheet.css

Anywhere you see a /classic/ folder, you can create a folder for your custom template. You can copy the necessary files from either the /classic/ folder, the /template_default/ folder or the parent folder.

Edit includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/template_info.php to give your template identifying information so you'll recognize it in the admin under tools->template selection.

If you simply copy everything from /template_default/, you'll have a difficult time singling out the files you changed when you do an upgrade/update which will make the procedure much more complicated and take a very long time.

[mboley370]

To create a very basic custom template (you can build from there), you need:

• includes/languages/YOUR_TEMPLATE/english.php
• includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/index.php
• includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/header.php (to change the logo)
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/template_info.php
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/tpl_header.php
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/tpl_footer.php
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/images/logo.gif
• includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/css/stylesheet.css

Anywhere you see a /classic/ folder, you can create a folder for your custom template. You can copy the necessary files from either the /classic/ folder, the /template_default/ folder or the parent folder.

Edit includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/template_info.php to give your template identifying information so you'll recognize it in the admin under tools->template selection.

If you simply copy everything from /template_default/, you'll have a difficult time singling out the files you changed when you do an upgrade/update which will make the procedure much more complicated and take a very long time.

Ok, so your saying to use only those files in my template and then when i want to edit anything else either use the template default or the classic files to edit the rest of my site?

What could I have possibley edited/messed up that wouldn't allow me to have anything show from my index.php for instance it use to say a brief inclusion of how my site was under construction and then it said welcome guest would you like to log your self in and now thats all it says, it dosn't matter what I do i can't get anything but that phrase to come up. What could possibley overiding the index.php file?

[afo]

Ok, so your saying to use only those files in my template and then when i want to edit anything else either use the template default or the classic files to edit the rest of my site?

What could I have possibley edited/messed up that wouldn't allow me to have anything show from my index.php for instance it use to say a brief inclusion of how my site was under construction and then it said welcome guest would you like to log your self in and now thats all it says, it dosn't matter what I do i can't get anything but that phrase to come up. What could possibley overiding the index.php file?

My list is a starting point. Any other files you want/need to change should be copied from their original folder (/classic/ or /template_default/) into the YOUR_TEMPLATE folder and edited there. The originals should never be changed. If they are, the changes will be overwritten by future upgrades/updates and you'll lose the work you did.

[mboley370]

My list is a starting point. Any other files you want/need to change should be copied from their original folder (/classic/ or /template_default/) into the YOUR_TEMPLATE folder and edited there. The originals should never be changed. If they are, the changes will be overwritten by future upgrades/updates and you'll lose the work you did.

Ok great thanks for your help. Could you also point me in the correct direction to find which file holds all of the catagories and subcatagories that i have typed out. Which file can I backup and then reinstall on my new install and have all of my catagories and subcatagories come back up.

Thanks for all of your help and thanks in advance for anyone who anwsers this question.

Matt

[afo]

Your categories and subcategories are in the database which you should be able to backup from your webmaster panel.

What version of Zen Cart are you currently running?