You know I love you so I'm TOTALLY gonna forgive you!!

Plus this is important information.. I'm gonna add another tip.. a quick search of this thread would have revealed the source of the issue.. Now I tell people to search all the time.. WHY.. Because I'VE learned a TONE from searching this forum or support threads.. Often times my question is already addressed..

You have to be CREATIVE when searching too.. I've learned through trial and error not to search for WHOLE error messages.. a well placed partial search will usually yield good results.. In this case I would have searched for "Cannot redeclare zen". Searching this support thread for this would have turned up the reason.. AND because people like to leave backup copies of files on their live stores this error has come up FREQUENTLY in this support thread..

ScriptJunkie is right, if you want to keep a "protective" copy of your store's files when installing modules, back the WHOLE store up locally.. It may sound like a hassle, but having a backup of the store files and the database LOCALLY will allow you to rollback to a previous state in relatively short order, and it is a better practice to do this versus leaving backup files all over your live (or test) store..

When working on a client site, I have three versions of the store

  1. Vanilla Version (Zen Cart with basic setup/configuration in place NO MODULES)
  2. Working copy this is the last WORKING version of my store + any new modules I plan to install.. Initially this copy and the vanilla copy will look alike.
  3. Backup copy - This is the is the last WORKING version of my store.


The way this works is as follows:
When I am getting ready to install a new module, I make a backup of the last working version of my store and put it in my backup folder..

I make a copy of the backup and put it in the working folder..

I make all the changes/merges/updates to the working store files and upload the changes back to my site.. If all tests out well, I make a new back up and put it in my backup folder.

If it goes wrong and I back myself into a corner or decide I no longer want the module, I can easily roll back to my backup copy..


Quote Originally Posted by ScriptJunkie View Post
Glad you figured it out! FYI, one thing I've learned here on the forum (I think even in this very thread), is that ZC gets a bit testy when there are files with duplicate or near duplicate names, such as filename.php and filename_backup.php or filename_copy.php, etc.

If you need to keep a copy for back up, simply open it, copy it, and paste it into a notepad file. Then save it on your PC with it's regular file name (instead of on the server).

What follows is an off topic discussion of file back up and storage, for which I know I'll be forgiven because it is so important:

I keep a clean copy of all of ZCs files from the zip file pack that I use to install the cart, as well as a clean copy of all files from all mods I have installed. This way, if I need them again, it's a simple upload.

I also keep copies of any file I've modified, using the same type of file renaming listed above - but again it's on my PC vs. on the server. This way, I have a clean copy of everything - original AND modified files for all ZC and Mod files.

Lastly, anything I have saved on my PC's hard drive I also have backed up on 2 separate pieces of removable storage (an external hard drive and a plug in pocket drive) - because I've learned the hard way that just one form of back up is NOT enough. When my OS blew up and wrecked my hard drive - I was thanking heaven for my external hard drive...until I tried to plug it in to a new computer only to find out that it too had failed.

Ever since then, I've kept two external copies in addition to my PC copy (this is in addition to the working original files on the server).

So you're definitely doing the right thing trying to save a copy for back up purposes, you just saved it in the wrong place (on your server instead of your own PC).

You might want to periodically go into your Cpanel and download a copy of all your databases (zen cart, word press, whatever you have, etc) PLUS have cpanel create a back up of your entire site. Most hosting companies will allow you to store one full back up of your site on your server.

It is crucially important to do this before installing or upgrading any mods or making any significant customizations to your store or website.