My 'Ideal' checkout module would require atleast 5 addons. Addon merging?

Hello all,

I have yet to spend a great deal of time working with Zen-Cart but I feel confident that I have the basics down. And on that note....

I just wanted to send a "thank you, I appreciate it" out to the veteran Zenners whose posts I've been eating up over the last week, it's invigorating to see such a knowledgeable and helpful user base. Furthermore, it's nice not having to worry about being attacked for asking the "wrong" question. Speaking of which...

What I've been trying to determine is what a nice smooth workflow looks like in Zen-Cart. This is my first endeavor with open source software so I'm not familiar with working with addons. I don't know if it's gotten excessive but I currently have 22 functioning addons in the code.

I need (a bare minimum of) 5 more and I fear I've left the 'worst' for last, they all have a strong footing in the checkout process and I'm really starting to lose all perspective. Every file I upload lately seems to conflict with one that's already been modified.

• usps auto fill in
• fedex shipping module
• no account needed to checkout
• one page checkout
• easy signup and login
• CAPTCHA
• cart with product images

Currently, I've stopped developing the cart for fear of losing my place in all the modified code. I have my own personal changelog, Text Wrangler, and a multitude of backup points but it doesn't seem to make up for the fact (I can only conclude) that my order of operations was a bit off...

I'm a little stuck, I've even debated starting over (kind of) and configuring this part of the cart first. In fact, I already know that I'll want to start fresh pretty soon anyways.

Keep in mind, this is the first site I'll be building out of 3 (maybe 4), and I will need to add 20 to 25 addons for the future builds (I'm planning on fully configuring one cart and simply copying it and using it a number of times).

So.... when I am sitting in front of a newly downloaded cart (and of course by then I would have already drawn up a roadmap and a wireframe, yeah right) what do you think the most efficient work flow would look like? Is there a method to quickly and efficiently merge a multitude of addons that all re-write the same files (more or less)?

This is my first time using open source software, the last e-cart I bought was nowhere near as stable, it was lacking full functionality in core features and had a file structure 5 times as complex as Zen-Cart's (and very very slow tech support to top it off). So I've actuallly been enjoying working with Zen-Cart very much, it's been so relaxing in comparison.

Thank you for any advice on the subject you may have.

Mark K.
Portland

I had a similar dilema when I wanted to use COWOA, EasySignup and OnePageCheckout all merged into one.

It took a while, but basically, just install them one at a time, merging the files as you go. Being careful to backup all files before changing and you'll get there. If I can do it, anyone can :-)

Also make sure you don't get caught up in the 'Gee, that looks cool.' method of choosing mods.

My method is to get the store up and running with a minimum of mods, (but a lot of styling), then add mods as you find a legitimate need for them, rather than trying to anticipate before the fact. Most of the mods I install automatically are admin-related.

You may find, for example, that customers aren't as resistant as you expect them to be to creating an account, depending on what you're selling, and to whom. Not installing that one should save you a lot of merging.