Things every New Zenner needs to know

[djhall]

hello to all....This is my very first reply, due to I can't find out how to post a question. I am very new to ZenCart and totally confused. We have a website that we had to change the host for due to the shopping cart. So we ended up with ZenCart and this has caused me more stress and headaches that I care to mention. This is not user friendly at all for new people.
There are freak times that I am able to view what my store looks like but the next time I try to work on it, I can't find or remember where to go for that. I did manage to get rid of some of the sideboxes the last time I worked on this, but like I said, I can't find where to view my store at now.
I also want to get rid of the welcome message, but where is the incudes/languages/english/indes.php file that they tell you to open????

totally lost and confused in Albany Oregon.........Donna

[kelvyn]

I also want to get rid of the welcome message, but where is the incudes/languages/english/index.php file that they tell you to open????

I'd start here, and if you're still confused, try here.

Remember, the ultimate goal of Zen is that any business owner can drive it. However, right now, it's strictly for the techie types! If you don't know what php is, you're probably off to a losing start.

[Ryk]

However, right now, it's strictly for the techie types! If you don't know what php is, you're probably off to a losing start.

What a load of crap! The truth is that as long as you understand the basics of uploading and downloading files from the 'net, either via FTP or your host's control panel, and can read and follow instructions, anyone can set up and make minor changes to a Zen cart store.

However, should you want to make a completely unique template and massive customisations, then yes, you need more knowledge, but even then, you don't need to be a fully qualified programmer. As long as you have a decent understanding of css you can make a considerable difference to the appearance, and obviously, the more changes/additions you wish to make, the greater the level of skill needed in the various aspects... html, css, php and javascript. But I believe I've built some pdg stores with ZenCart without being a programmer!

Not only that, I have quite a few clients who could just about send an email when we started and who now have complete control of their sites with minimal assistance from me.

[kelvyn]

What a load of crap! The truth is that as long as you understand the basics of uploading and downloading files from the 'net, either via FTP or your host's control panel, and can read and follow instructions, anyone can set up and make minor changes to a Zen cart store.

And there's the problem - "read and follow instructions". How long to learn php, and about not putting spaces after a closing tag, and about matching quotes and about uploading in binary (even though it says ascii for text files) and about permissions??!

To even change the default text on the front page requires at least all of the above.

Anyone who has any business of any success isn't going to have time for that.

Now, take something like Wordpress or Gallery or Joomla etc etc etc etc, and to install it requires a blank db, a upload and running a web-based installer.

I cannot think of a single other "end user" project which REQUIRES, as a matter of course, the user to know about editing PHP code before he even makes the first move.

Do you realise, I've spent almost all of this morning (7 hours so far) JUST updating FIVE plugins? There are THREE different copies of one particular plugin available, all having the same file version info, but all differing fundamentally, and all needing different changes to core code.

Do you know how long it took to check for updates for the 32 Wordpress plugins I have and update the 4 that needed it over the weekend? 25 minutes.

And as for Gallery plugins (48), it took less than 2 minutes to check and update.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing Zen for what it is, but (and the admin team have said this many times) it's based on extremely poor Osc code. The idea of the fork was to work away from that towards something user-friendly. And it IS getting there, but is is NOWHERE NEAR a product that I'd recommend to anyone that didn't know what a php.ini was or what chmod meant.

When all of the language files are in the DB, it'll be 90% there.
When the over-ride system is complete, it'll be 95%.
And when the checkout stage is re-written, it'll be pretty much perfect. But right now, unless you install a complicated script like COWA, more customers abandon carts in frustration at the longwinded procedure than complete checkout! And what coding newbie is going to know where to even start with a mod like that??

[paulm]

it's based on extremely poor Osc code

I think it's not that bad, it's just *very very* old. And has never been updated (except from some bug and security fixes).

It was written when (PHP) templating systems where not very common. When CSS was great, but only in theory.... When layout tables where the only way to go (or at leats far better than using frames for layout, which are even still used today, even by some big companies...).

It sounds to me like using stoneage tools, and then blame those who invented it at the stoneage ;-)

[fabienne]

Could someone tell me how to change the background images on the EZ Pages? I want a different on on each of the pages I have created (like my old XHTML website) but I cannot figure out how to do that. The test cart is here: http://www.possets.com/zen-cart/

The original website is here: http://www.posets.com

I know now how to change the background images on the "main" part of my Zen Cart website (make up a CSS for each page I want to change like when a page ends in Path=2, I make up a CSS with only the thing I want to change and save it as c_2.css in the proper place and it automatically effects the proper page. Is there some way to accomplish this with the EZ Pages?

Thanks for any help on this.

[Ryk]

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?ma...roducts_id=393

[fabienne]

I tried to make a new background image on the EZ Pages but I failed and hope you can shed a bit of light on my error.

I downloaded the module you mentioned. I read it carefully and figured that I should upload the html_header.php file to my Zen-cart on the internet, in case I did not have the proper html_header in there. I do not have a folder includes\templates\MYTEMPLATE\common but I uploaded html_header.php into templates\templates_default\common (which was the only place close I could find a folder called "common"). I also uploaded html_header.php into a new folder I made under includes\templates\YOURTEMPLATE\ and called that "common" and uploaded html_header.php there figuring that that could not do any harm and if it was looking for a call out there, it would find it.

I made up my EZ Page background in css and uploaded it to my css file. I had checked the page number of the ezpage and I named the file ezpage_5.css which is the right name for it. I loaded that up. I loaded up the image I wanted to put on the page background and send it to includes\templates\YOURTEMPLATE\images. All I put on the css page was what I wanted to change.

I loaded it all to the proper (I hope) place but the background has not changed. I am using Zen Cart 1.3.7. My cart is here. The background image should be the three graces, but it is still Venus Reclining. Can you help me get the hang of this.

Sorry if I gave you too much or not enough information. Please let me know if you need anything else. The ezpage_5.css is loaded correctly and so is the image 3graces.jpg. The image is not appearing as it should, that's all.

[fabienne]

I had a small problem. I had an X in the Header Main Bar. I went into index.php in the main and top portion of my Zen Cart and made this:

<!--bof-branding display-->
<div id="logoWrapper">
<div id="logo"></div>
</div>
<br class="clearBoth" />
<!--eof-branding display-->

Into a comment so it would not show. I then loaded index.php up to my website and now all of my code is gone! It reverted to the original and stock Zen Cart welcome page. I don't get it.

I realized that the stylesheet which was called out was the classic one, so I changed it to magic. I got the right background but now I have a bunch of sideboxes littering the left hand side and all of the formatting is gone from the center box.

Can't you directly effect the coding in the index.php page? You can't get at it with the Define Pages Editor or the CSS. What happened? How can I get back all of the coding I did? How can I edit the info on my lead page without wiping out all of the coding I have done?

This is the second time it has happened to me and I really don't want to go for a 3rd. Should we never ever go in and code a page directly?

[fabienne]

I got the page back and will tell you how it was done later. Maybe there is someone else out there who had a similar problem and I would like to put the fix in here so it could be found by others.