Must the tile_back.gif file be deleted?

I'm using the Classic Green template to start with. I've removed all references to tile_back.gif in my stylesheet.css -- but tile_back.gif **still **shows up on my pages -- **unless **I actually physically delete the tile_back.gif from my /images directory. If I delete the .gif file, then of course it no longer displays. But this seems drastic. Shouldn't I be able to turn off the display of tile_back.gif from my stylesheet?

Am I crazy or what? It seems if all reference to tile_back.gif is gone from my stylesheet.css that it should no longer display even if there still is a file by that name in my /images directory Is there a reference to displaying tile_back.gif hard-coded into a template .php file somewhere in a brand new default installation?

There is no hard-coding of this in the standard files. All instances of tile_back.gif are controlled in the stylesheet.

Are you editing the correct stylesheet?

schoolboy:

There is no hard-coding of this in the standard files. All instances of tile_back.gif are controlled in the stylesheet.

Are you editing the correct stylesheet?
This is a new default installation of the lasted version and the "Classic Green" template is the only one in the system (besides "default" of course). I checked the admin panel and Classic Green is selected as the template to use. I have been editing the stylesheet.css in

/includes/templates/classic/css/

After I posted, I checked further and none of the changes I make to the stylesheet seem to be taking effect -- even though I am not using a browser-based FTP program to upload to the server, but a standalone FTP program. I have been working with PHP and CSS for years and have other programs running on the same server -- I can change the stylesheet for these programs, upload it with FTP and get the changes I expect, so I can't see that it is a problem with my server (hostmonster.com) unless there are some special requirement that only apply to Zen Cart.

Thanks for letting me know for sure that there isn't anything hard-coded in the Classic templates that calls the tile_back.gif file -- that let's me concentrate on what else it might be. I will be contacting support at hostmonster.com about this. But if anyone has any ideas at all I would greatly appreciate even the most unlikely suggestions.

Your URL?

There is a background-color as well sometimes... Maybe you removed the tile_back, now look for background colors.

OK... the excellent tech support guy named Josh at hostmonster.com figured it out (although it took us about 30 minutes). Here's what was happening:

Zen Cart's ultra-flexible method of allowing you to customize almost every element individually using .css style sheets that load up one after the other has a gotcha that you have to be aware of. If there is more than one .css file with the first part of the name being the same as another .css file, it will load up *any and all * of those style sheets in alpabetical order. I didn't realize that and so I did what I usually do -- made a backup of the original file before I made any changes to it. I used the same naming format I use for all of my backups, so here's what I had in my /includes/templates/classic/css/ directory:

stylesheet.css
stylesheet_orig.css

... the second one was the backup of the original, and then I started modifying stylesheet.css. So what happened was the system would load up stylesheet.css and then immediately go on to the next file that started with "stylesheet (called "stylesheet_orig.css") and load that as well, thus wiping out any changes the first stylesheet.css had done. Since the second one was all of the original settings from the initial installation, it looked like no matter what I did to stylesheet.css that nothing was changing. Actually, it was changing, but the changes were immediately being over-written becasue stylesheet_orig.css was loading up right behind it and resetting everything back to the original look.

Lesson learned... I won't be creating my backup files using that naming format any longer. To avoid this in the future, I will now use the format:

stylesheet.css
orig_stylesheet.css

That way only there is only one file beginning with "stylesheet" to load in the /includes/templates/classic/css/ directory. Ya learn something new every day... :)

Surprised that you took so long to discover this... There are so many posts about the stylesheets and how they load, as well as FAQ and tutorials, etc...

Anyway - not a criticism - just an observation... we all have to learn one way or the other.

Creating backup stylesheets is quite OK... I just rename mine from

stylesheet_xxx.css
to
stylesheet_xxx.txt

Yeah, well, it was a real "Duh!" moment when the realization hit. I know that .css stands for "cascading style sheets" but I had never run into this particular wrinkle of the cascade before, although I've been working with PHP and CSS for many years. I guess that thinking back on it now, that I usually don't put the "_orig" at the end of the name like I did here. I usually put it in front, thus making it a different name (like "orig_stylesheet.css"). I Don't know quite what possessed me to do the way I did this time but it just goes to show ya gotta pay attention all the time and not get sloppy :)

This is also a good reminder to share a link to your site, if possible, in your first post. One of us wouold have noticed the extra stylesheet first thing.

stevesh:

This is also a good reminder to share a link to your site, if possible, in your first post. One of us wouold have noticed the extra stylesheet first thing.
Steve,

Good point, and something I would normally do, but in this case I could not because I am creating this site for a new business and my client is adamant that no one should see it until it is ready for public display. However, you make me wonder:

If I had posted the URL how could you or anyone have noticed the extra stylesheet? Having the URL doesn't give someone access to a display of the sub-directory structure and what files are in what sub-directories... does it? Without such a display, how would anyone have noticed that in addition to "stylesheet.css" there was also a "stylesheet_orig.css" in the my /includes/templates/classic/css/ directory?

The FireFox Developers Tool Bar has all kinds of neat features, one of which allows you to look directly at a site's CSS files. So, yes, it would have been spotted by an experienced zenner very quickly.

Kim:

The FireFox Developers Tool Bar has all kinds of neat features, one of which allows you to look directly at a site's CSS files. So, yes, it would have been spotted by an experienced zenner very quickly.
Kim,

Wow. Now... see... this is what comes of being too busy to keep up with every new development. I had heard a few references to the FireFox Developer's Toolbar but never found time to take a look at it (there are over 700 items listed on the Mozilla Add-ons site under the "Toolbar" category alone (!). But this is very nice, and would have saved me a lot of work over the last year. From a strict security standpoint, I'm not 100% sure I like anyone being able to see even a small part of my server file structure, but from a personal and support viewpoint, the functionality this toolbar provides is marvelous.

Thanks for mentioning it -- and I must say "Thank You" to everyone who so quickly responded to my initial question. This seems to be one of the best support forums I've run across. I promise not to abuse your good will by asking too many dumb questions as I ramp up my Zenability.

By the way, for others like me who are lagging behind the curve a bit, the official name for this add-on toolbar to Firefox seems to be "Web Developer" and it can be found at:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60

J_R_S:

OK... the excellent tech support guy named Josh at hostmonster.com figured it out (although it took us about 30 minutes). Here's what was happening:

Zen Cart's ultra-flexible method of allowing you to customize almost every element individually using .css style sheets that load up one after the other has a gotcha that you have to be aware of. If there is more than one .css file with the first part of the name being the same as another .css file, it will load up *any and all * of those style sheets in alpabetical order. I didn't realize that and so I did what I usually do -- made a backup of the original file before I made any changes to it. I used the same naming format I use for all of my backups, so here's what I had in my /includes/templates/classic/css/ directory:

stylesheet.css
stylesheet_orig.css

... the second one was the backup of the original, and then I started modifying stylesheet.css. So what happened was the system would load up stylesheet.css and then immediately go on to the next file that started with "stylesheet (called "stylesheet_orig.css") and load that as well, thus wiping out any changes the first stylesheet.css had done. Since the second one was all of the original settings from the initial installation, it looked like no matter what I did to stylesheet.css that nothing was changing. Actually, it was changing, but the changes were immediately being over-written becasue stylesheet_orig.css was loading up right behind it and resetting everything back to the original look.

Lesson learned... I won't be creating my backup files using that naming format any longer. To avoid this in the future, I will now use the format:

stylesheet.css
orig_stylesheet.css

That way only there is only one file beginning with "stylesheet" to load in the /includes/templates/classic/css/ directory. Ya learn something new every day... :)
J_R_S:

Thanks so much for posting this! I knew about the way ZenCart loads multiple stylesheets, but totally forgot to prefix my backup stylesheets with something to prevent them from loading.

This is exactly the answer I needed!

Laura