What is better to start? Demo or empty

Hello

I have version 1.3.9a.

I selected demo version to start learning but is a little confusing, Is it better to start with demo for a beginner? or just touching an empty database.

Thanks

Demo is the way to go - you can play around with the demo products as long as you like without messing up any real products (and wasting time).

It may also be worth looking at purchasing the book:

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=16

Thanks a lot frank for the quick answer, thats what i will do, demo :)

About the book, I would and I really want but I had a previews bad experience with purchasing a manual, before zencart I tried oscmax, all great in appearance and I purchased their book but it truly was a piece of crap, not actualised and confusing, and then I learned that if you want something cool from oscmax you have to be a total crack or pay.

I want to give this zencart manual a chance, and will definitely pay for it but first I need to know if with zencart is possible to do the two things I need to get on my web page:

1. This is from some weeks ago, I haven’t found time to get in the matter again until now, in this post I ask about automatically image change of product, truly necessary for me: QUESTION: Imagen variable

2. Is it possible to make my actual shop (now with the demo version) My home page converted to something like this A nice looking template?

I don’t care if it takes time of learning and studying but if this two things are possible, then I am buying that manual right now, but please I need to know for sure if zencart is that flexible changing templates and all this is free and not like oscmax that it was a little tricky with “all free” but it really wasn’t.

Thanks again

I can't speak to the oscmax thing, but there aren't any hidden costs involved with Zencart.

The Book is excellent for understanding, installing and configuring Zencart, but be aware it contains almost nothing about styling and templates.

1. Search the Free Software Add Ons for 'attributes image' - there are a couple that seem to do what you want. Test them on a non-live test site first.

2. That particular look would be pretty easy to create in Zencart. An experienced Zenner could have it looking close to that in a few hours.

I bought the book, using the download as I wanted it "Right Now".

Printed it and put the pages in plastic sleeves.

It never leaves my desk.

Worth it?? YEAH!!!

BigAl

Creating a "sophisticated" template is a challenge for most novices, regardless of what platform they are using.

As has been said often on this forum: "You are limited only by your expertise, skill and dedication".

There are many excellent "free" templates available, and I often use them for what we call "skeletal" development.... we install them because we like the way they POSITION key elements, and then we apply our own changes. Most people (on low budgets particularly) use this approach.

Treat some of the more "popular" purveyors of templates with caution. TemplateMonster and Algozone should be used only if you have 20,000 years to fathom out just what they did to the core code to get it to render a page the way it does. And they also create many nightmares when you want to add more modules.

"The Book" is a must-have... It covers a large number of issues relating to the Admin Panel's controls and I still refer to my copy on occasion.

Thanks a lot to all of you for the nice answers, now I am ready for purchasing it.

School boy, since I am Spanish I didn’t get some of what you said, What is “purveyors” and “TemplateMonster “and “Algozone”?, this whole sentence I didn’t get “TemplateMonster and Algozone should be used only if you have 20,000 years to fathom out just what they did to the core code to get it to render a page the way it does.”

Thanks again

One last question about the users manual, does it keep updated to last version? what is the actual version of the book?

Thanks

Are you from Barcelona... the BEST city in the universe!

purveyors = sellers

templatemonster - a big money-grabbing beast on the internet.

algozone - a zone where you must never go.

:D

The e-book I believe, is kept updated on the fly. The print book is produced by a company called LULU and they only start printing YOUR copy when you order it. (Yes they print one copy at a time... and I believe this is done in Spain). Send a PM to canopy, the guy who wrote it.

schoolboy:

The e-book I believe, is kept updated on the fly. The print book is produced by a company called LULU and they only start printing YOUR copy when you order it. (Yes they print one copy at a time... and I believe this is done in Spain). Send a PM to canopy, the guy who wrote it.
Hello Schoolboy, sorry for the delay answering I still don’t have enough free time for this, thanks a lot for the information, it was very helpful and I finally have the e-book :)

schoolboy:

purveyors = sellers
templatemonster - a big money-grabbing beast on the internet.
algozone - a zone where you must never go.
Perfect, now did I understand all of your last post.

schoolboy:

Are you from Barcelona... the BEST city in the universe!
Hahaha, I am from Seville but right now I wish I were there, its really hot in here hehe. I have never been in Barcelona but a lot of people says it really cool. I'll probably move there when I get enough money with my store :P

Again, thanks a lot for your answer ;)