Gift Cert purchase over free-shipping level triggers free shipping for other products

When testing my soon to be completed ZC shopping cart (using Simply Kerrin template, version 1.3.8 of ZC), this problem arises: If I do a mock transaction of a gift certificate of $50 or more, along with some physical/shippable product, the customer will receive free shipping on the physical product. Free shipping is set to go in effect when the purchase total hits $50. Since this might result in free shipping again, when the same gift certificate is used/redeemed, I want to make it to where the free shipping is available only for purchases of physical/shippable products of $50 or more. (I do not charge for shipping of gift certificates, as they are virtual). PLEASE ADVISE ON A REMEDY. :D

You would need to customize the Shipping ot_shipping Order Total module to not take into account the amount of the Order that is Gift Certificates ...

If you look at the Low Order Free ot_loworderfee you can see how to calculate the Gift Certificate amount of the order to work it into the calculation for the Free Shipping in the Shipping ot_shipping module ...

NOTE: you do need to check all of the code for where the:
MODULE_ORDER_TOTAL_SHIPPING_FREE_SHIPPING_OVER

is used to include this adjustment as well ...

Using the Tools ... Developers Tool Kit ... and entering in the bottom input box:
MODULE_ORDER_TOTAL_SHIPPING_FREE_SHIPPING_OVER

you can find where you need to address this in the code ...

Hi. Is it possible for you to list the steps by sequence. Also, could you please note which control/admin panel to be used for each step (ZC vs GoDaddy... my host). Thanks.

I would have to sit down and actually write all of the code for this customization ...

You might try a search for:
MODULE_ORDER_TOTAL_SHIPPING_FREE_SHIPPING_OVER

on the forum and see if anything has been written for this before ...

I may have broken it all down some time ago ... but I cannot recall ...

In your opinion, is it more common than not for estores to allow gift certificate purchases to activate free shipping for other/physical products? If so, I will probably just do that. I am not a coder (html, xhtml, mysql, php, etc.). By the way, which of these coding languages would be useful to know for this? Thanks.

php is what you need to customize ...

You have a setting for the:
MODULE_ORDER_TOTAL_SHIPPING_FREE_SHIPPING_OVER

and you do not want this to happen on orders that contain a Gift Certificate to give the Free Shipping because it takes the Order over the amount set by the:
MODULE_ORDER_TOTAL_SHIPPING_FREE_SHIPPING_OVER

so, you need to customize all of the code where the constant:
MODULE_ORDER_TOTAL_SHIPPING_FREE_SHIPPING_OVER

is used and take out the amount of the Gift Certificate from this amount so that it is not triggered ...