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

[shags38]

1) read through the thread, that error message has been discussed many times, 99% of the time it means you are using invalid characters in image file names, which cause image handler to choke. The image handler documentation and zencart documentation both explain what the invalid characters are, but basically stick with alphanumerics and dashes and underscores and you ahouldn't get that problem.

2) What size are the images you are trying to upload, some servers may timeout if the image takes to long to upload

Thanks Kiwi,
images are only small (20-50kb .gif files) and server time out is not an issue and no special characters are being used - images were all loading fine before I installed IH3 - not even sure what advantage IH3 is given that 1.3.9h resizes images in any case? Having said that I do not think it is an IH3 problem - something is preventing the loading of ONLY DEFAULT image to the product page period. As a stop gap I have been inserting the default image by using EXAMPLE <img src="XYZ.gif" alt="ABC" /> but even that now will not produce an image on the product page - it will show however the "alt" description.

Does Google Merchant "use IH to resize images" true / false have any effect - seems the issue started when I loaded Goggle Merchant Feeder. Do any other Image Configs conflict with IH3. I no longer name images with suffixes (_MED, _LRG). Bit of a head scratcher.

cheers,
Mike

[nigelt74]

Umm 1.3.9h doesn't resize images, by default it sends the fullsized image through to the browser with instructions to display it at a small size, image handler reizes the image then sends it to the browser at the specified size.

without looking at your site we can't tell you, have you

a) checked your /cache folder for debug files
b) made sure that you have installed all the imagehandler files, and renamed the "your template" folders in bothe the templates and modules directories to match your template name, (honestly the number of people who believe that putting up only half the files will have no effect is a bit suprising),
c) tried installing imagehandler by itself, without lightbox and seeing if it works correctly
d) Is the problem in the front end(shop) or backend(admin) of the site
e) Are you sure imagehandler is handling the images, right click on an image in the store and see what its name is.

Thanks Kiwi,
images are only small (20-50kb .gif files) and server time out is not an issue and no special characters are being used - images were all loading fine before I installed IH3 - not even sure what advantage IH3 is given that 1.3.9h resizes images in any case? Having said that I do not think it is an IH3 problem - something is preventing the loading of ONLY DEFAULT image to the product page period. As a stop gap I have been inserting the default image by using EXAMPLE <img src="XYZ.gif" alt="ABC" /> but even that now will not produce an image on the product page - it will show however the "alt" description.

Does Google Merchant "use IH to resize images" true / false have any effect - seems the issue started when I loaded Goggle Merchant Feeder. Do any other Image Configs conflict with IH3. I no longer name images with suffixes (_MED, _LRG). Bit of a head scratcher.

cheers,
Mike

[FukienMan]

I am still in the learning process of Zen so be kind!!

In the install instructions it says to:

Upload the files from "1_Install_Files" to your store. (DO NOT upload the "1_Install_Files" folder, just the CONTENTS of this folder -
copy ALL of the add-on files to your store!! Most issues are caused by store owners who decide to NOT load ALL of the module files)
Upload the files from "2_Required_Core_Edits" to your store. (DO NOT upload the "2_Required_Core_Edits" folder, just the CONTENTS of this folder - copy ALL of the add-on files to your store!! Most issues are caused by store owners who decide to NOT load ALL of the module files)

If any of the files in the "2_Required_Core_Edits" folder have been modified by other module installs, you will need to use a file merging program like Beyond Compare or Winmerge to incorporate the Image Handler3 changes

My question is this:


1. What keeps these folders from completely overwriting the original folders in my server?

2. Am I uploading to the /directory of my store?

3. How do I know if files in the "2_Required_Core_Edits" folder have been modified by other module installed?

Thanks for your help

[DarkAngel]

I am still in the learning process of Zen so be kind!!


My question is this:


1. What keeps these folders from completely overwriting the original folders in my server?

2. Am I uploading to the /directory of my store?

3. How do I know if files in the "2_Required_Core_Edits" folder have been modified by other module installed?

Thanks for your help

We were all in the same boat at one time too...unknowing and I am still learning so no worries.

1. you are not uploading the folder to the server so no overwriting will occur. you open the folder on your desktop and only transfer the files from each nestled folder to the matching folder on your server---for instance includes/languages/english files on your desktop will go into that exact same path on the server.

if you are not using the classic default theme then in some area you may have a folder with your templates name (this is an override folder) and your desktop files will go there...still following the path.

most creators will place a folder called your_template then files inside it...that is your clue to create a folder in that area with the templates name to place the contents into it.

2. yes you are

3. what other mods do you have...and most likely if you installed the mod you would have had to edit the files manually. with this mod -- fortunately-- the majority of the files are labled with bmz_ but there are files that are named exactly as the ones on the server. with some of those files I can usually disable the original ones by placing a ~ at the end of the file name--like header.php gets changed to header.php~ then the new file can be uploaded without fear of overwriting...thus if something doesn't work right you just remove it with its other related files you uploaded from whichever mod you used.

Just in case I always keep a copy of the files from the server on my computer so that if for some reason they should get corrupted I just need to replace the file...and always have them current each month since there are usually a lot of changes I do to something or another...lol

hope that helps and I did not confuse you more.

[SethF]

Hi

Could someone please help me urgently with a problem that Image Handler 3 has?

Image hander is assigning random images to products without me doing a thing. It puts random additional images in - which are a mission to change since I am going to have a large product database.

Please see this page to understand what I am talking about:

pcselect.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=62_192_194&products_id=548

Your help is appreciated.

Thanks
S

[ScriptJunkie]

Firstly, I don't see any additional images (random or otherwise) on the page that loads using the link you provided.

Secondly, the product image displayed on the page that loads using the link you provided seems to match the product description.

Therefore, I don't see the problem you are describing.

However, it sounds like what you are describing is a problem that is caused by improper image file naming. The IH3 READ_ME has an entire section dedicated to helping you avoid this problem.

Look at the Troubleshooting tab, under the section "Prepare Your Site For Growth" for an in depth tutorial on image file naming.

Hi

Could someone please help me urgently with a problem that Image Handler 3 has?

Image hander is assigning random images to products without me doing a thing. It puts random additional images in - which are a mission to change since I am going to have a large product database.

Please see this page to understand what I am talking about:

pcselect.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=62_192_194&products_id=548

Your help is appreciated.

Thanks
S

[FukienMan]

We were all in the same boat at one time too...unknowing and I am still learning so no worries.

1. you are not uploading the folder to the server so no overwriting will occur. you open the folder on your desktop and only transfer the files from each nestled folder to the matching folder on your server---for instance includes/languages/english files on your desktop will go into that exact same path on the server.

if you are not using the classic default theme then in some area you may have a folder with your templates name (this is an override folder) and your desktop files will go there...still following the path.

most creators will place a folder called your_template then files inside it...that is your clue to create a folder in that area with the templates name to place the contents into it.

2. yes you are

3. what other mods do you have...and most likely if you installed the mod you would have had to edit the files manually. with this mod -- fortunately-- the majority of the files are labled with bmz_ but there are files that are named exactly as the ones on the server. with some of those files I can usually disable the original ones by placing a ~ at the end of the file name--like header.php gets changed to header.php~ then the new file can be uploaded without fear of overwriting...thus if something doesn't work right you just remove it with its other related files you uploaded from whichever mod you used.

Just in case I always keep a copy of the files from the server on my computer so that if for some reason they should get corrupted I just need to replace the file...and always have them current each month since there are usually a lot of changes I do to something or another...lol

hope that helps and I did not confuse you more.

Thanks DarkAngel,

Most of what you said makes perfect since. I have not installed any Mods yet myself. This is my first attempt. I am using Clyde Jones' Desert Noon Template. It has these features:
Features:
* Fixed width 3 column display
* Colors: Styled in Sage Green, Yellow, Tan and Blue.
* Customized button set included.
* Per-page CSS stylesheets to style individual pages.
* Better Categories Sidebox installed.
* Order Steps (tableless) installed.
* Date in Header.
* Tested using Firefox, IE7, Opera, Safari.

I would think that the three I bolded above could have problems with files that might want to be overwritten. My plan is to make 2 backups of my site to a portable hardrive (dedicated to web stuff). I will open one of them and add all the files as you said from IH3 and then go back to my web server and delete the test folder I have that contains my site and upload the new test site (backup) I worked on above.

My question is this. When I am copying files from IH3 to my backup site, as mentioned above, when I attempt to copy a file that already exists, it will want to overwrite this file. Is it at this time that I say "No" and then put the two files into WinMerge and compare and merge the files? Right? How do I know where in the file the merge is to take place? Does the merged part of the file just go at the end of the file or do I have to know exactly where it is to be placed?? I hope that wasn't too confusing, it sure was for me I have not used WinMerge yet, this will be my first attempt. Hopefully not my last.

It is late so I will look for an answer tomorrow. Thanks for all your help, greatly appreciated.

[DarkAngel]

Thanks DarkAngel,

Most of what you said makes perfect since. I have not installed any Mods yet myself. This is my first attempt. I am using Clyde Jones' Desert Noon Template. It has these features:
Features:
* Fixed width 3 column display
* Colors: Styled in Sage Green, Yellow, Tan and Blue.
* Customized button set included.
* Per-page CSS stylesheets to style individual pages.
* Better Categories Sidebox installed.
* Order Steps (tableless) installed.
* Date in Header.
* Tested using Firefox, IE7, Opera, Safari.

I would think that the three I bolded above could have problems with files that might want to be overwritten. My plan is to make 2 backups of my site to a portable hardrive (dedicated to web stuff). I will open one of them and add all the files as you said from IH3 and then go back to my web server and delete the test folder I have that contains my site and upload the new test site (backup) I worked on above.

My question is this. When I am copying files from IH3 to my backup site, as mentioned above, when I attempt to copy a file that already exists, it will want to overwrite this file. Is it at this time that I say "No" and then put the two files into WinMerge and compare and merge the files? Right? How do I know where in the file the merge is to take place? Does the merged part of the file just go at the end of the file or do I have to know exactly where it is to be placed?? I hope that wasn't too confusing, it sure was for me I have not used WinMerge yet, this will be my first attempt. Hopefully not my last.

It is late so I will look for an answer tomorrow. Thanks for all your help, greatly appreciated.

Of the 3 you have bolded I am not sure that they will have anything to do with this mod.
Without any mods installed and IF this is not a paid for theme (many change the coding so much that it makes installing mods a real problem....you might not have troubles with just overwriting the originals...but put them aside for safe keeping, just in case

these will be the ones to look out for :

From required edit folder
your admin folder/includes/modules/category_product_listing.php

includes/modules/pages/pop_image (if you have it if not then just upload this folder otherwise the header_php.php file

and the popup_image additional/header_php.php

your template/popup_images_additional (if you have none then upload entire folder

the items from the Install file folder should be alright to upload each to its respective folders

as for the editing of files...I use my macintosh to manually edit anything for the servers I work on...I tried winmerge and it and notepad++ totally confused the heck out of me. I use text wrangle for macintosh to edit...it and bbedit

[DivaVocals]

My question is this. When I am copying files from IH3 to my backup site, as mentioned above, when I attempt to copy a file that already exists, it will want to overwrite this file. Is it at this time that I say "No" and then put the two files into WinMerge and compare and merge the files? Right? How do I know where in the file the merge is to take place? Does the merged part of the file just go at the end of the file or do I have to know exactly where it is to be placed?? I hope that wasn't too confusing, it sure was for me I have not used WinMerge yet, this will be my first attempt. Hopefully not my last.

It is late so I will look for an answer tomorrow. Thanks for all your help, greatly appreciated.

The quick answer to your question is this, ANY FILES in the "2_Required_Core_Edits" folder modify files that MAY have been modified by other add-ons you may have installed.. If this is the case you will need to use a file comparison program to determine what those differences are and merge the files.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but this support thread is not the right place for providing instructions on how to use a file merging program.. If you need specific help on how to merge files, you should either consult the help file for the file merging program of your choice or post you file merging questions in a more appropriate place in this forum.. You may also want to consider hiring someone to help you with this task if you are still unsure how to go about doing the file merges..

[FukienMan]

Of the 3 you have bolded I am not sure that they will have anything to do with this mod.
Without any mods installed and IF this is not a paid for theme (many change the coding so much that it makes installing mods a real problem....you might not have troubles with just overwriting the originals...but put them aside for safe keeping, just in case

these will be the ones to look out for :

From required edit folder
your admin folder/includes/modules/category_product_listing.php

includes/modules/pages/pop_image (if you have it if not then just upload this folder otherwise the header_php.php file

and the popup_image additional/header_php.php

your template/popup_images_additional (if you have none then upload entire folder

the items from the Install file folder should be alright to upload each to its respective folders

as for the editing of files...I use my macintosh to manually edit anything for the servers I work on...I tried winmerge and it and notepad++ totally confused the heck out of me. I use text wrangle for macintosh to edit...it and bbedit

The quick answer to your question is this, ANY FILES in the "2_Required_Core_Edits" folder modify files that MAY have been modified by other add-ons you may have installed.. If this is the case you will need to use a file comparison program to determine what those differences are and merge the files.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but this support thread is not the right place for providing instructions on how to use a file merging program.. If you need specific help on how to merge files, you should either consult the help file for the file merging program of your choice or post you file merging questions in a more appropriate place in this forum.. You may also want to consider hiring someone to help you with this task if you are still unsure how to go about doing the file merges..

Thanks again DarkAngel, getting closer to a good understanding. One other question. When I come across a folder (bmz_cache for instance), this folder is not on my system, of course, do I add it manually and does it go in the /store or does it go in one of the folders that contains template override (desert_noon)?

Diva, I hope you don't take this the wrong way. I have been spending the last 2 weeks reading enough threads to keep me up at night. I fully understand and appreciate the need for subject matter to be related to the thread at hand, but from the view point of a newbie, it's all related in some way. There are many threads, including this one, that have had unrelated subjects mentioned that, I for one, greatly appreciate because even though it was unrelated, it answered a valuable question and prevented me from having to do 3 more days of thread reading. One that comes to mind is the subject of file naming. Good stuff to know. If I had not read it in this thread, I may never have come across it and made the same mistake a lot have (not that I won't anyway ). That being said, are you the site monitor that you take it upon yourself to harass us poor newbies by constantly reminding of this? It just seems to me that if you personally would put as much energy into answering a simple question as you do in repeating the same message over and over; this is not the appropriate place speach, this thread would be much more informative, which, if I am not mistaken, is the purpose of a forum, is it not??
Again, please don't take this the wrong way. I am not trying to start an argument over this and neither am I being a Bit... But if you go back and look at all your posts about "Please Read the ReadMe File, please, no unrelated posts, etc, etc. This posts amount to at least 5 pages of wasted valuable space that could have been used in answering simple questions.