Zen Cart book 'e-Start Your Web Store with Zen Cart'

[robinstl]

I'd like to hear from others who have bought the 'e-Start Your Web Store with Zen Cart' book and tell me how comprehensive it really is.

I'm not a new developer but I'm new to Zen Cart and I need reliable reference to all the questions I have. I can find 90% of what I need to learn by scouring these boards and another 5% asking dumb questions in here. Everyone is very helpful but I'm working on 2 sites simultaneously and I hate having to cast out a line only hoping someone will bite, I need a solid reference/documentation.

I have no problem installing, editing .php, security issues, payment gateway, webtools, categories/products/attributes, etc but it always seems that both guys I'm working for have all these small, minute details they want tweaked/changed that sometimes takes hours to find out if at all.

[kuroi]

It won't tell you about changing code or mods, but when it comes to getting the most out of the built-in Zen Cart functionality, it's comprehensive!

It's also clearly written and well-organised. It's rarely off my desk when I'm working, and never out of reach.

If you're building Zen Carts professionally, it will pay back the outlay over and over in terms of the time it will save you. I also recommend it to my clients.

[earmsby]

I agree with Kuroi. I developed one site with Zen prior to this book's release and second site after purchasing the book. Work on the second site went much faster in part because I was able to save time searching for where something was in admin or how to change a particular thing. I have saved myself digging into code several times by looking something up in the book and finding it was editable through the admin.

The book is a bit pricey but if you plan to do much with zen, it is definitely worth it.

My $.02!

[robinstl]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like a good thing to own.

[sped1530]

Does the e-start book have anything like how to install easy populate or wamp5? What's in it?

[Merlinpa1969]

No its a start to finish no bones book about how to install and setup zen cart to do anything you want it to do,
its centered on core code,

[kuroi]

It does briefly skim through Xampp for creating a development environment, though that would be optional.

[stevesh]

The book is a very thorough step-by-step manual for installing and configuring the basic Zencart installation.

It's pricey, but well worth the money.

The only caveat I'd offer is the fact that it contains almost nothing about CSS or templating. There's a real need for a book which went into detail about those topics.

[swguy]

It's pricey, but well worth the money.

Pricey compared to what? Anyone who's any good at all can charge more than the price of this book for one hour's consulting. I thought it was an incredible bargain, and I tell people that unless they have money to burn and time to waste, they should buy this book and check it first.

[Stuff4Toys]

The existence of the book was the reason why I choose Zen Cart to develop my sites and the 4 additional sites that are not listed here. The book has all of the basic resources that one could want, and when it comes to setting up attributes, it is a necessity.

Laid out allot like the Dummies books, clean and concise. The only issue is that after 6 months of pouring through this book over and over again and carrying it back and forth from home to work, I broke the spine and a few pages are falling out.

Don't Ask, Just Buy it!
JOhn ><>