Image Handler 3 Support Thread (for ZC v1.3.9)

[ScriptJunkie]

There is also code appearing on the page that shouldn't be there. I'm wondering if all these issues chaiavi is having is in any way related to the fact that she/he is using a template designed for OSCommerce rather than Zen Cart.

I visited the site that sells the template she is using, and searched for "Zen Cart". Although one article was found that used Zen Cart in the title, it clearly states to ensure that you are using a specific version of OSCommerce otherwise the template won't be compatible.

In any case, none of these issues are Image Handler 3 issues - or cannot be diagnosed as such until the core problems with the template are resolved.

Suggest chaiavi speak with the template designer to get assistance and/or more information, as well as posting a list of all her issues in a general area of the forum.

Until it can be determined that her problems like with IH3, this is not the appropriate thread to hold these discussions on.

The additional images may be working, but with the site breaking somewhere on the page you will not know for sure until you find the problems causing the break.

You should have error debug running (if you are using version 1.3.9h). Take a look in the cache folder on your server to see what the error logs may be telling you.

If there is no error log - visit your images. I've had several clients
who uploaded huge images (600dpi !) and that breaks the cart sometimes too.

Tina

[ScriptJunkie]

I read it thoroughly.

I think that my problem is that my images aren't transparent to start with, they have white background.

I think that I need to convert all of my hundreds of images to be transparent ones.

Ok, you read it. But you didn't say if you actually tried configuring the settings to make your images appear transparent (either configure IH3 to change the background color of your images from white to whatever your page is, or set it to render them as .png files - which are transparent).

Using either of these configuration settings should solve your problem regardless of the background color of your images. As a matter of fact, one of the main functions of IH3 is to handle your images - meaning manage their sizes and how they render - so that you don't have to go change them all manually. This is in the READ_ME - first tab.

When you don't indicate what you've tried so far, but instead argue about how the advice you are given can't solve your problem, it leaves very little room to assist you - because one can only guess at the problem.

Your subsequent posts indicate there are multiple problems with your template affecting a variety of areas on the page you provided a link for.

Until these issues are resolved, it's impossible to troubleshoot for IH3 - or to know if IH3 is even giving you problems to begin with.

As suggested in my previous posts, I recommend you speak with your template designer to get assistance with your core template issues (code showing on the page, additional images not showing up on page, footer disappearing on pages other than main page, and apparent incompatibility with Zen Cart addons).

Also, you need to confirm that your template is indeed compatible with Zen Cart, because from what I read on their website, it is only compatible with a specific version of osCommerce.

Once the aforementioned issues are resolved, if you're still struggling with IH3, we can better assist you. But it would help if you would read the first page of this thread to see what information to provide when requesting support. (That same information is also in the READ_ME that you indicate having read thoroughly).

You're much more likely to get help that is useful to you when you provide the needed information in your support requests.

Good luck and happy zenning

[chaiavi]

Ok, you read it. But you didn't say if you actually tried configuring the settings to make your images appear transparent (either configure IH3 to change the background color of your images from white to whatever your page is, or set it to render them as .png files - which are transparent).

Using either of these configuration settings should solve your problem regardless of the background color of your images. As a matter of fact, one of the main functions of IH3 is to handle your images - meaning manage their sizes and how they render - so that you don't have to go change them all manually. This is in the READ_ME - first tab.

When you don't indicate what you've tried so far, but instead argue about how the advice you are given can't solve your problem, it leaves very little room to assist you - because one can only guess at the problem.

I have tried both ways.

I am attaching an image of my settings - first attachment.


Are my settings wrong?
How can I tell IH3 to render the white color in all of my images as transparent?

Your subsequent posts indicate there are multiple problems with your template affecting a variety of areas on the page you provided a link for.

Until these issues are resolved, it's impossible to troubleshoot for IH3 - or to know if IH3 is even giving you problems to begin with.

As suggested in my previous posts, I recommend you speak with your template designer to get assistance with your core template issues (code showing on the page, additional images not showing up on page, footer disappearing on pages other than main page, and apparent incompatibility with Zen Cart addons).

I agree that the issue with not seeing multiple images, might be a much deeper problem, I will solve the other issues prior to solving the multiple images issue.

None the less, I don't think that these problems affect the image rendering of IH3.

In fact I never said there is a bug in IH3, just asked how to configure it to to have transparent instead of white, if it is possible altogether.

Also, you need to confirm that your template is indeed compatible with Zen Cart, because from what I read on their website, it is only compatible with a specific version of osCommerce.

Once the aforementioned issues are resolved, if you're still struggling with IH3, we can better assist you. But it would help if you would read the first page of this thread to see what information to provide when requesting support. (That same information is also in the READ_ME that you indicate having read thoroughly).

You're much more likely to get help that is useful to you when you provide the needed information in your support requests.

Good luck and happy zenning

Thanks,

But just for your information, the template seller company is called Algozone and I bought this template because it stated explicitly that this specific template is compatible with ZenCart V1.39b-h (I have 1.39h):
http://www.algozone.com/zencart-temp...37-p-2236.html


They have lots of other zencart templates.

[ScriptJunkie]

Ok, taking a look at the settings you posted (thank you for that!), try removing the word "transparent" and changing the color codes from 255:255:255 to the correct code for the color that matches the color of the page background so they will blend in. Leave the image type settings to .png (as you currently have them set) and then see what happens.

This may not resolve the issue as I'm thinking the issue may be caused by the core code issues. By this I mean that even the smallest issue with the template coding can cause a mod/addon to malfunction or function improperly - as they rely on the pages being coded correctly (per standard ZC functionality) in order to function themselves.

So - all that other stuff must be resolved first before we can further troubleshoot your issues with IH3.

It's interesting to see the site that you posted as where you bought your template from is very different from the one I looked at. I used the URL for the site in your source code which is credited as the template author:

<meta name="generator" content="Template by http://www.template-faq.com for Zencart shopping cart program" /> 

So I went to that site listed and saw that it only referenced osCommerce. So I did a search for the terms Zen Cart. What came up was this page.

On that page, it states:

Installation Instructions

What will I need in order to use an osCommerce, CRE Loaded, Zencart template.

To use an osCommerce template, you will need the following:

1. Hosting with PHP4X and MYSQL4X.

2. A fully functional osCommerce online store. Please make sure that you select a template designed to run with osCommerce ms2.2; otherwise, the template will not be compatible.

3. Knowledge of photoshop CS, if you are planning to modify the template graphics.

4. Knowledge of PHP programming, if you plan to modify the source code.

5. Knowledge of SQL, if you would like to make changes to your store database.

It doesn't make any mention of a site called Algozone. I would be questioning Algozone about the mention of this other site in its source code.

Lastly, I can't speak to the site you purchased your template from because I'm not familiar with them, but you need to be made aware that many "for purchase" template sites serve up templates that are so focused on design, that they hack up the code responsible for functionality - causing the ZC to break when mods/addons are installed. Again, I can't say this is the case from the site you bought yours from, but it is something to keep in mind going forward.

The ZC free templates is the best place to look. If you don't find what you're looking for there, then the second best place to look is in the section of the forum where people who know ZC inside out and backwards are available for hire.

Good luck and happy zenning

I have tried both ways.

I am attaching an image of my settings - first attachment.


Are my settings wrong?
How can I tell IH3 to render the white color in all of my images as transparent?



I agree that the issue with not seeing multiple images, might be a much deeper problem, I will solve the other issues prior to solving the multiple images issue.

None the less, I don't think that these problems affect the image rendering of IH3.

In fact I never said there is a bug in IH3, just asked how to configure it to to have transparent instead of white, if it is possible altogether.




Thanks,

But just for your information, the template seller company is called Algozone and I bought this template because it stated explicitly that this specific template is compatible with ZenCart V1.39b-h (I have 1.39h):
http://www.algozone.com/zencart-temp...37-p-2236.html


They have lots of other zencart templates.

[ScriptJunkie]

One more thing about your additional images. What IH3 will do with these images is the same thing it does to your other images: it optimizes them and displays them in the size and format you set in the configuration settings.

It won't make them appear or help them appear (or even stop them from appearing) - that is default zen cart functionality. In order for additional images to appear, they must be properly named and filed.

Here's a tutorial on the subject

good luck and happy zenning

[DivaVocals]

I read it thoroughly.

I think that my problem is that my images aren't transparent to start with, they have white background.

I think that I need to convert all of my hundreds of images to be transparent ones.

and this is the heart of the issue.. IH3 will convert images from one filetype to another (based on your image settings). The readme explains how this works.. The filetype conversion function will not make the background of your current images transparent however. So while it will convert JPGs to PNGs -- and yes PNGs support transparent backgrounds -- the IH3 conversion function by itself will not make the background of the image being converted transparent.

Another question - Is the IH supposed to help in having multiple pictures for one product?

From the troubleshooting section of the readme

Image Handler3 is meant to ease the work required to setup images for your store.. It works WITH default Zen Cart functionality, it does not replace it.. Here's some additional FAQs which discuss how product images work in Zen Cart.

Suggest reading the links in the "Troubleshooting" section of the readme which provides information about how additional images work with Zen Cart (& by extension IH3)

So if I add multiple images to a product I should see some sort of gallery (I'm using also Zen-Lightbox)?

Because I add images using Tools-->Image Handler 3

But the product still has only one images instead of multiple ones.

What did I do wrong?

The additional images may be working, but with the site breaking somewhere on the page you will not know for sure until you find the problems causing the break.

You should have error debug running (if you are using version 1.3.9h). Take a look in the cache folder on your server to see what the error logs may be telling you.

If there is no error log - visit your images. I've had several clients
who uploaded huge images (600dpi !) and that breaks the cart sometimes too.

Tina

As others have pointed out, I'm inclined to believe that your template's setup or other issues is a part of the additional images issue.. It may be missing default Zen Cart code needed for additional images to show. The other issue could be that when installing IH3 you've not properly merged common files between your store and IH3.

There is also code appearing on the page that shouldn't be there. I'm wondering if all these issues chaiavi is having is in any way related to the fact that she/he is using a template designed for OSCommerce rather than Zen Cart.

I visited the site that sells the template she is using, and searched for "Zen Cart". Although one article was found that used Zen Cart in the title, it clearly states to ensure that you are using a specific version of OSCommerce otherwise the template won't be compatible.

In any case, none of these issues are Image Handler 3 issues - or cannot be diagnosed as such until the core problems with the template are resolved.

Suggest chaiavi speak with the template designer to get assistance and/or more information, as well as posting a list of all her issues in a general area of the forum.

Until it can be determined that her problems like with IH3, this is not the appropriate thread to hold these discussions on.

**nods in agreement** Template specific issues (if this is indeed the issue) should be resolved outside this support thread..

[chaiavi]

Thank you everyone.

I think I understand IH3 more thoroughly and know what my next steps should be (Fixing my damned template and making my pictures transparent).


Just let me ask 2 minor questions, and I will appreciate if you could just point me to the right direction (if these questions aren't enough IH3 related).

1. IH3 presents some nice hover functionality, can I add some attributes to the hovering image?

2. IH3's readme uses a really nice and clear html-readme-engine - which one is it? (I have a plugin I created and will want to upgrade my readme to use this engine).


Thanks,
Chaiavi

[DivaVocals]

1. IH3 presents some nice hover functionality, can I add some attributes to the hovering image?

Explain what you mean by "attributes"

2. IH3's readme uses a really nice and clear html-readme-engine - which one is it? (I have a plugin I created and will want to upgrade my readme to use this engine).

Dunno what you mean by "html-readme-engine". The readme is simply an HTML page/file.. I used Programmers Notepad (a text editor software for programming/HTML development) to edit/create the readme..

[chaiavi]

Explain what you mean by "attributes"

Maybe "attributes" wasn't accurate, but I meant the "shipping weight", or even more important - the description of the product.
Can they appear on the hover box?

Dunno what you mean by "html-readme-engine". The readme is simply an HTML page/file.. I used Programmers Notepad (a text editor software for programming/HTML development) to edit/create the readme..

But how did you create a tabbed html with those tabs at the top, and each tab is sectioned to its internal sub sections?

[DivaVocals]

Maybe "attributes" wasn't accurate, but I meant the "shipping weight", or even more important - the description of the product.
Can they appear on the hover box?

I'm sure it is possible.. Hopefully someone who knows how this might be achieved can chime in..

But how did you create a tabbed html with those tabs at the top, and each tab is sectioned to its internal sub sections?

This support thread isn't the right place to cover this.. The tabs and sections are driven by a combination of javascript and CSS. If you are know how to create webpages, the readme file and all of it's source files (CSS, javascript, etc) are included in the IH3 fileset. You can use them as a guide/source for creating a similar style of readme file for your module.