How scalable is Zen-Cart?

Greetings!

I am evaluating shopping cart packages for the small company I work for. I installed ZenCart and started experimenting with it. Nice package!

However, I noticed the following point which may render ZenCart unsuitable for us - unless of course I am missing something and you could point out solutions for them:

There is no separation between Store Owner ("Admin") and Web Host Administrator: If, for reasons of compartmentalization, we want the store owner to be different from the person who maintains the web host/site, we can't because adding a product in ZenCart requires access to both Admin console and web host. ZenCart, for some reason, lets uploading the small image version only of a product, while the other ones (.e.g image_MED.jpg) must be uploaded manually (via FTP/cPanel). This is inconvenient, too, but the compartmentalization is the most important issue for us right now.

Is there a way to upload, via the Admin console, ALL product images? Or is ZenCart intended for small shop owners only who do both web hosting maintenance and store maintenance?

Thanks!
Tanya

If you use the Image Handler contribution, you only need to upload one large image via admin and the other smaller images are created automatically from that.

And there is an admin profiles add on too!

Tina

Im a little confused by this

adding a product in ZenCart requires access to both Admin console and web host

as a webhost we dont mess with anyones site unless they ask us to.

the image handler allows you to upload a large image only and then it dynamically creates the med and small images and stores them in a cache

If you are wanting different people to do different things in the zc admin then yes as Tina said admin profiles,
it allows you to limit access that each account has,
this will let you basically lock out what you dont want people touching

Ah! I knew I was missing something -- the Add-Ons! :flex:

OK - I will be trying the Image Handler and the Admin Profiles and see if that addresses our concerns.

Merlinpa1969, sorry for the confusion: with "access to the web host" I meant to cPanel, FTP, SSH, etc. We just don't want the Store Manager have access to these.

Thanks everyone!

bunyip:

If you use the Image Handler contribution, you only need to upload one large image via admin and the other smaller images are created automatically from that.
What a big disappointment. I was counting on this Image Handler when I "sold" zencart to my peers in my company but now I discover that it handles only a situation in which ALL 3 images (SML, MED, LRG) are the same image.

In our case the LRG image is a totally different image than the MED.

Do you have a suggestion? Is there another add-on that addresses this problem?

Tanya

tanya3:

Do you have a suggestion? Is there another add-on that addresses this problem?I wouldn't characterise it as a problem. More a new requirement.

It makes sense, but in three plus years of working professionally with Zen Cart I've never heard of it before and not seen any mods that would deliver it.

However, this is most likely because most stores can already achieve what you want to do simply by uploading the large images via FTP. So the impediment here is your reluctance to allow the store manager FTP access. Have you considered setting up an FTP account that only has access to the images directory?

You can also have multiple images for an item which may solve the issue for you.

afo:

You can also have multiple images for an item which may solve the issue for you.
How? Using the Image Handler add-on? or using a different add-on?

Notice (just as kuroi did) that the requirement is that all image uploads are to be done from the Admin console and not via FTP.

Thanks - Tanya.

in my opinion is not wise to give Write permission to image folder as this is needed if you are going to upload images via admin interface.

recent hacks seems to be initiated using image folder . FTP is the best option.

tony_sar:

give Write permission to image folder as this is needed if you are going to upload images via admin interface.
This is incorrect. The product's small image is always uploaded via the the Admin interface and its directory permission is 755.

What OS are you running on your web host?

Do you truly not want to allow the store manager to use FTP for the images, or do you just not want to allow complete FTP access?

gjh42:

Do you truly not want to allow the store manager to use FTP for the images, or do you just not want to allow complete FTP access?
I don't want the person who uploads the product descriptions (along with their images) deal with two different interfaces (Admin and FTP). Zen Cart is already inconvenient & confusing enough by spreading the necessary product information over different menu items and pages (for example, description and attributes).

I like the Admin profiles add-on and it seems to be doing what I need (different rights to different "admins").

I just don't want to:

1. Require the product descriptions uploader deal with FTP.
2. Bother with creating and managing FTP accounts, passwords, etc (which could be another point from which hackers can break in).
   If generic zen-cart supports 3 different image sizes, why doesn't it support uploading all 3 of them via the Admin console? This is beyond me...

tanya3:

How? Using the Image Handler add-on? or using a different add-on?

Notice (just as kuroi did) that the requirement is that all image uploads are to be done from the Admin console and not via FTP.

Thanks - Tanya.

https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/index.php?article=58

afo, your link talks about Additional Images (uploaded through FTP) which is not the desired method.

tana3, you bring up a good point and a somewhat odd one. Most scripts provide for different image sizes of a Product but I don't know of one that allows you to click on an image and then see a large image of something different. People want to see a large image of the image they are already looking at.

If you want to use different images then you would need to use Additional Images and the link provided by afo would explain how; but FTP usage is required. If you want to show the same image in 3 different sizes but only use the Admin section to upload the image, then ImageHandler 2 will allow one to do that.

afo:

https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/index.php?article=58
From the tutorial you just brought:
How do I add multiple images to a product?:

Now you use your FTP program to upload additional images to...
For the large image (used in popups) I use FTP and upload...
For the medium image ... I upload via FTP
This is useless to me. My entire post was about not using FTP.

Do you know of an add-on that allows me to upload all 3 images sizes via the Admin console?

Thanks!
Tanya

Website Rob:

If you want to use different images then you would need to use Additional Images and the link provided by afo would explain how; but FTP usage is required.

How about this add-on. Will this do the trick? Will this allow me to use Additional Images without requiring FTP?

Thanks!
Tanya

Admin interface for Additional Product Images

This Contribute will allow admin to easily upload additional images for products, rather than uploading them through ftp program.

From the Addon description I would say Yes. Not having used that module though, I have no experience on exactly what it does or how.

You actually can add all of the product images via admin, though it requires a disciplined approach and can be time-consuming for large numbers of images per product.

Say you want a small thumbnail, a different size for the medium and a different image for the large.
In the product editing page, browse to the large image; in "Upload to directory: []" select large and preview and update.
Edit again and browse to the medium image, select the medium directory, preview and update.
Finally, edit, browse to the small image, select Main Directory, preview and update.

The important thing to remember here is that the last image you upload this way will become the product's base image, and must be the thumbnail.

If you change the large image or add additional images, you will need to reconfirm the base by selecting the thumbnail on the server.

Glenn, your approach will not work in conjunction with IH2; since it uses its own 'bmz_cache' dir. for all images.