where is the html element generated?

I did't find the file which generate the html elements.

say http://localhost/ltb/index.php?main_page=checkout_shipping

I know the php loaded is in \ltb\includes\modules\pages\checkout_shipping

but I didn't find any html elements in the directory.

Thanks a lot~

What exactly were you looking for? The pages are 'built' by the PHP files and presented to the browser as HTML. There are very few static HTML pages in Zencart.

Just to expand a bit on what Steve has said.

Fundamentally, there is NO html as you may know it.

There are NO html "pages".

The pages that are displayed on the web-browser are composed of html, but they do not exist until they are needed - and are "created" on-the-fly by the PHP programming language.

A page is created by a user action or request. The php gathers up all the components for that page, from many resources - and there could be HUNDREDS of resources that are called upon for a page to be compiled.

The page is therefore BUILT UP depending on what the viewer has requested.

It is sent to the browser (yes, as html) and as soon as the viewer clicks a button, or another link, the page they are on "evaporates"... it disappears forever... and a NEW page is built up in its place.

Pages are therefore not edited. You edit the CONTENT... most of which is in the DATABASE, and some of which (like defined text) is in the php files.

But you now need to "un-learn" all you know about flat HTML pages... because there aren't any!