Things every New Zenner needs to know

[Raquel]

I am not computer illiterate,but I am dumping this system and going to another. I am unable to modify the "header sales" option. define..I think I am going to dump this and go to oz

Don't people look around in the menus and try things? For instance, everyone who's looking for a roadmap to this or to that, how about "Tools -> Developer's Tool Kit"? Geez people. A silver platter and it's still not good enough.

[Sandhya]

actually, if you read the date on this post and my other posts, you will see I got to the point where I did try everything, and ended up finding out you are not able to do everything from the tools, that you do have to go into the html edit (ftp),

so the pull down does not do the most important thing and that is change the main page title...which is pretty significant in starting a webpage when you have never done so. The main page spot where it says "sale message goes here" is a very large portion of the standard page, and if I was going to do things the easy way, you still have to go into ftp to do so.

so it ends up not being as simple as looking around and feeling things out, which is what I have been doing for 32 hours now.
Frustrated by the fact the most simple and obvious altering of the main page cannot be done from the tools "define" menu.

I dont consider myself a beginner, but I truely am. So if you can tell me how to change the "sales message goes here" without switching into the ftp mode, please let me know. Or change the template..it cannot be done from the admin standard mode.....

[Sandhya]

Don't people look around in the menus and try things? For instance, everyone who's looking for a roadmap to this or to that, how about "Tools -> Developer's Tool Kit"? Geez people. A silver platter and it's still not good enough.

tools- developers tool kit does not provide an editing mode, a roadmap telling me that "this is where it is", is not the same as saying..."this is how you get there"
kind of like looking at a town map in Turkey...but not telling you how to get to that town...makes the map kind of worthless to me, I think you can see where I am coming from now, I am not advanced enough that the roadmap is going to help me...

[Website Rob]

Sandhya, I doubt there are many who will disagree with statements made in your last 2 posts and, if wanting a Shopping Cart where everything can be done from the Admin section then Zen Cart is not for you. Mind you, most any other Shopping Cart will not be for you either as with most Carts, many things have to be manually changed and/or FTP'd to your hosting account.

[Char Jack]

Hi I am so happy you asked!!!!

I have a problem with everything! I don’t understand the jargon to even understand the answer!

With that being said…is there a new zenner book (jargon explained) for dummies. This is extremely frustrating,

I have a website that should be launched in a few weeks and I can not upload the product! So I came here to learn. I can read well enough to understand the questions that relate to what I need to know, however the answers leave me completely exhausted! I need an interpreter.

I have decided to pay someone to tutor me and my husband. I have read just about every question and answer, went to sites referred by writers and I still don’t know anything, except my eyes hurt…LOL

HELP!!!!!!!!!
Char Jack

[Char Jack]

Hi I am so happy you asked!!!!

I have a problem with everything! I don’t understand the jargon to even understand the answer!

With that being said…is there a new zenner book (jargon explained) for dummies. This is extremely frustrating,

I have a website that should be launched in a few weeks and I can not upload the product! So I came here to learn. I can read well enough to understand the questions that relate to what I need to know, however the answers leave me completely exhausted! I need an interpreter.

I have decided to pay someone to tutor me and my husband. I have read just about every question and answer, went to sites referred by writers and I still don’t know anything, except my eyes hurt…LOL

HELP!!!!!!!!!
Char Jack

[Website Rob]

Hello Char and Welcome to the Forum.

I used 'Char' as your name presuming 'Jack' is Husband. Please correct if wrong.

A major drawback to things Internet or Web site related is that people seem to think, or believe, that everything should be easy to understand and operate. This is not true most anyplace on the Internet and especially with scripts (like Zen Cart) that offer a lot of built-in features. By definition; "The more features there are the more complicated it will be."

Think of the first time driving a car or just getting into one now. Sit in the Driver's seat and just look at all the options/features one has within arm's reach. Remember the first time driving a car? Trying to stay inside your lane, watching the rear view Mirror, watching what's coming at you, checking your speed and heaven forbid if you wanted to turn on the radio. And now, driving a car is mostly routine and pretty easy to do.

So it is with scripts, control panels, Registering at a Web site, etc. Most times we are viewing a setup for the first time and must figure things out -- on the spot. Else we leave and go somewhere else. This is why, scripts try to make it easy to setup & customize the Frontend (what your Visitors see) so you can get many Visitors. Unfortunately, this means learning the Backend (the Admin section) from Step one.

We can usually teach ourselves how to use something or, with enough time & patience, use trial & error to figure things out. You have definitely taken a smart approach if you are willing to pay someone to teach you as that is always the faster route. For most of us though, we muddle along and learn a few things here 'n there.

We all start out knowing nothing and go from there.

[Char Jack]

She is Char, I'm Jack ,Thank You for the encouragement,

[meknownowt]

Don't people look around in the menus and try things? For instance, everyone who's looking for a roadmap to this or to that, how about "Tools -> Developer's Tool Kit"? Geez people. A silver platter and it's still not good enough.

Developer's Tool Kit

You mean things like "Look-up CONSTANT or Language File defines" are going to mean a lot to people who are searching for answers.
How many people who are just starting out on working with a shopping cart would have a clue what that means?

And the explanation to what it does is: "NOTE: CONSTANTS are written in uppercase.
Language file, functions, classes, etc. lookups are performed when nothing has been found in the database tables, if selected in dropdown"

And I just looked for a helpfile for the options on the developer toolkit but can't find it

and if you are still not sure how complicated this is for a new user consider this I was looking for an answer to one thing and ended up reading the answer to something else, as seems to be the way with this. To change one thing that on a normal css xhtml website would be a simple change, but on here you have to find and change five different files that are in three different file systems and then you have to save them in two new files. EASY?

Hats off to the person who came up with the question and realising there is a problem.

[Ryk]

On the other hand, if, as is often suggested to noobies but we oldies just as often get berated for suggesting it, you could try reading the tutorials/FAQs where you would have found the cunningly named How do I use the Developers Toolkit?