A couple of questions

Hi all again,

I have tried finding the answer for these through the search and i'm sure they are there i think i'm just not searching the right terms so sorry if i missed something i have a couple of questions and any help would be great.

Also i am currently redoing the home page define file to a CSS layout instead of tables, shouldn't effect most of the questions though.

my friends site i'm working on is http://www.ozresort.com.au/

1. Search box on home page
I would like to have a search box like on http://www.impressionslast.com/ in a div but i don't know how to do the code, and the look i'm not sure about either.

2. Top Sellers
THere is a link to top sellers but it never has any items in it, is this something that can be done automatically. Is it possible to have it as a separate page and/or in a div on the home page?

3. Sales Page
I would like to display the prices on the sales page http://www.ozresort.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5 so that it is like the monthly specials on this page http://www.ozresort.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_7 at the bottom

4. Is it possible to export all my newsletter and customer email addresses
It is so that i can use an external program to manage my newsletter, i think i have a module called "Newsletter Subscriber" but maybe it's not a module and just part of the site.

5. Is there a test site?
Is there are a better way of testing my new define_main_page.php div layout other than on the live site. I seem to be having massive problems with giving my divs widths and it working when i test the code but when i change the file it doesn't float and the widths are all as if they are %100

Thank you for all and any help

Cheers, Asher

1. There is a search box that exists in the header section. You can enable it through ( admin - tools - layout boxes controller) Yes, it is dealt with as a sidebox even though it is somewhere else. have a play with that and see how close to what you want you get. It is no big deal to move it around if you don't like where it is so just let us know...

2. Top sellers. At the moment this looks as if it is just a normal category. So, you would have to add products to it manually. Or better you can copy and link products into it. I may be wrong and you may have a mod that is meant to do this automagically, I don't know. There might be a mod out there that does this - again I am not sure.

3. Sales page. The products on this page are displayed as per your standard product listing style. This can be adjusted in (admin - configuration - product listing) So, you can select that you want the product price displayed as part of your standard product listing. If you don't want it on certain pages then it can be removed by using css.

4. Addresses - not sure but I am sure it is. There is probably a mod out there that will do this. The addresses are simply entries in a database so it is not a difficult bit of coding - someone must have done it!

5. Probably the best way of working on it is via a local server. Depending on what operating system you are using it isn't hard to set up. What that means is that a web server is running on your computer which you use to test the shop. Then when you are happy with what you have done you upload it to the real site. I think that the windows local server that is easiest to get up and running is XAMPP but I am not a windows user so others may have better advice.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp/

Hope that helps....

niccol:

...

Cheers for that will go through and give it a shot.

As for the search box, will i be able to just grab the code and move it to where i want, will give it a shot, thanks again mate

redpanda:

Cheers for that will go through and give it a shot.

As for the search box, will i be able to just grab the code and move it to where i want, will give it a shot, thanks again mate

With the search box you may be able to put it where you want with the power of css (~~~appropriate sound-effect~~~) but you may not. As I am not 100% sure about where you want it I can't say.

If you need to move it in the html then you need to edit a php file called tpl_header.php which can be found in (includes/templates/yourtemplate/common). It is pretty straight forward. You are looking to copy and paste a line that reads:

<div id="navMainSearch">
<?php require(DIR_WS_MODULES . 'sideboxes/search_header.php'); ?>
</div>

And put it somewhere that you like.

niccol:

With the search box you may be able to put it where you want with the power of css (~~~appropriate sound-effect~~~) but you may not. As I am not 100% sure about where you want it I can't say.

If you need to move it in the html then you need to edit a php file called tpl_header.php which can be found in (includes/templates/yourtemplate/common). It is pretty straight forward. You are looking to copy and paste a line that reads:

Awesome thank you so much, massive help.

Bear in mind that the centre column has been designed chiefly to display the really "dynamic" content - stuff that changes a lot...

This is why the SIDE columns, HEADER and FOOTER are best used for content that remains fairly constant.

If you want to put the search facility into the centre column, you will have to re-code a large number of files. In addition, getting the search function to display in the same place will be a real challenge!

As you will want the search feature to always display - and to display in the same position - having it in the header or as a sidebox is usually the best option. Your visitors will see where it is, and will expect to find it in the same position, regardless of what content vis being shown in the centre column.

If you want the distinctions between the header, footer, side columns and centre columns to be "seamless" (in other words, they all look part of a common "page", then you must edit the CSS to remove borders, colour-bars, and other elements that make these divisions distinct.

Everything that fairestcape says is true, but if you are just moving the search to a different place in the header, as has been done in the example you provided, then you should have no problems. (ie if you copy and paste within tpl_header.php you will be ok. if you get creative and decide to paste it elsewhere heed what fairestcape says)

As far as the top sellers goes you may want to have a look at the mod:

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=620

Don't know if it will suit you as I have not used it.

... Top Sellers...

This is a standard sidebox in ZC. It will feature your top sellers once you start selling products...

Dr Byte wrote an "email address exporter" module some years ago which still works just fine.

Yes, the sidebox is a standard feature, but if you want it to be in the center column, as it is at the moment on your site (although not automatically updating and hence empty), then the sidebox isn't for you.

In other words if you want to list the best sellers as a sidebox then that exists as a standard feature. If you want to list them in the center column then perhaps the mod is the easiest way to go.

fairestcape:

Bear in mind that the centre column has been designed chiefly to display the really "dynamic" content - stuff that changes a lot....

WOW, now that you say that it makes so much sense and i feel like an idiot for not realising that, so thank you heaps for pointing it out to me.

niccol:

Everything that fairestcape says is true, but if you are just moving the search to a different place in the header, as has been done in the example you provided, then you should have no problems.

I think i will adjust my header to fit the search in there, thanks heaps.

fairestcape:

... Top Sellers...

This is a standard sidebox in ZC. It will feature your top sellers once you start selling products....

Will try and find out how to enable that, didn't realise or think to do it that way

niccol:

In other words if you want to list the best sellers as a sidebox then that exists as a standard feature. If you want to list them in the center column then perhaps the mod is the easiest way to go.

Think i will go for the side box, makes more sense at least while i'm learning

THANKS HEAPS YOU TWO, MASSIVE HELP