Will a 1.3.7 template work in 1.3.8?

[Griff1324]

I found a free template from Template Monster that I am customizing. I have read the horror stories about TM on here; however, I cannot find any good looking and professional templates for Zen Cart anywhere.

The template states that it is designed for 1.3.7. Will this work with zen cart 1.3.8? What problems should I expect? I just don't want to go through all the hassle of tweaking this template to my liking and not have it work.

I am not sure if this makes a difference in if it will work or not but the template didn't require any modification to the database or any existing files that were part of Zen Cart.

Thanks,

Chris

[afo]

Because Template Monster disables many of the features that make Zen Cart so flexible, it's doubtful that the template works with 1.3.7 and even less likely it'll work with 1.3.8.

[misty]

Even if TM template for 1.3.7.1 did work,
which as afo has stated is exteremly unlikely,
there are additions required
for it to work correctly with zencart 1.3.8/1.3.8.a

[Griff1324]

Because Template Monster disables many of the features that make Zen Cart so flexible, it's doubtful that the template works with 1.3.7 and even less likely it'll work with 1.3.8.

What are some of the features that are disabled? I am really starting to get this template to look like I want it to and would prefer to test this out before I go any further.

Since the template did not make any changes to the database or any of the other files that came with Zen Cart is it still possible for features to be disabled?

Thanks,

Chris

[gjh42]

Lots of things can be disabled without touching the database.

I have no idea which ones your template affects, but TM frequently makes files that replace huge chunks of standard ZC code with TM code, and many of these don't include the ability to deal with some admin-set constants or variables.

They also use completely different classs/id tags for many parts of the page, so standard styling will not work, and sometimes no styling at all can work.

[Griff1324]

I hate to be a pain but is it possible for someone to take a look at the template and see what problems I should expect? I downloaded the template from this page:

http://www.templatemonster.com/free-templates.php

I haven't really got into it much but so far EZPages and left / right columns all seem to be working fine.

BTW, Zen Cart seems to be a great piece of software. I was so close to going live with my store using OSCommerce but installing modules was a huge pain.

While I had no problems going in and making the necessary changes to the core code, it just seemed like a bad way of doing things. So far, my experience with modules and templates with Zen Cart seems to be similar with content management systems I have used in the past.

I just wish I had the design and coding knowledge to develop some professional looking templates for Zen Cart that I could share with others.

Later,

Chris

[tinypack]

It is interesting that TM is now offering a free template. I looked at the source code, and while I am no expert, it appears that the template is coded in the same old TM way. In other words there is a lot of hard coded styling, out-dated table structure and other manipulation of core code.

You will have better and more satisfying results by starting with one of the free templates as your base. If that free template is the look you want, it is easier to achieve by starting with cleaner code in a free template. There probably are designers in the commercial section that could do it if you didn't want to attempt it.

[Griff1324]

tinypack,

Thank you for taking a look at it! It is a shame that TM cannot do things the "Zen Cart Way." I believe that there is a big market for these types of templates (for ZC, OSC, etc.). Unfortunately, people such as myself who do their homework find that they are not worth the expense or trouble because they are poorly coded. I know that I would easily spend the money if the template just worked.

FYI, I posted in the commercial section last night and I have already received a couple of PMs from people in the commercial section in regard to building me a template.

Thanks again!

Chris