Blue Stripe Basic v1.0 Template for Zen Cart

Blue Stripe Basic v1.0 is designed to display a very clean and professional look. It comes with Single Listing Template, CSS Javascript Loader and Footer Menu pre-installed. It also contains two modified versions of CSS Horizontal Dropdown Menu and CSS Buttons. As a bonus it is also pre-installed with an About Us page.

Features:

1. Single Listing Template
2. CSS Javascript Loader
3. Footer Menu
4. CSS Modified Horizontal Dropdown Menu
5. Modified CSS Buttons

Blue Stripe Basic v1.0 is now in the Free Software Add Ons section. **Click here** to download.

Very nice template! Some pros & cons:

PROS:

• Looks very nice. I like it's header and default colors a little better than Apple Zen (which I am also testing.)

• Choice of two drop down menus is very cool. You can have regular drop down as in Apple Zen, or Top Category Drop Down (without the "home", "information", etc as shown here:
  http://www.pageant-mart.com/

CONS

• Anytime I try a header1 top banner is messes-up site. One one of my sites it enlarges and pushes text out of customer service footer. On another site it interferes with the prev/next buttons, pushing them up into the nav bar.

• Testing on my site below, after adding product to cart, checkout does not work from shopping cart page. Rather, it tries to refresh. The checkout does work if you go there from the nav bar.

• On site below, my 8 Featured Products set for homepage do not show. Do not know why.
  http://www.prom-mart.com/
  (NOTE: I may change this site back to Apple Zen or another template at any time.)

CSS/JS Loader: your instructions should explain little more detail how to take it out of sql patch if this mod is already installed. This may be problem with my second site just above, as it already had CSS/JS Loader. (Although it lacks the "max url" line of the first site, which was a new install.

Oh, one more VERY COOL thing: This template is only the second (TM's free testing template 12541 was the first) that properly aligns the customer view order status admin comments across from the proper date if more than one line or paragraph. The Classic and all other templates I've used/seen do not properly align/justify the admin comments across from the date from the customer's view.

This new Blue Stripe template has some features that Apple Zen lacks, and vice versa.

SPH

PS: Although set/designed for a single column, it also looks very nice when one or both cols are turned on for homepage.

PPSS: My above links are being constantly tested and re-tested for templates. May change at any time.

Just noticed that on my "problem" site ( https://www.prom-mart.com ) that the minifer is not minifying, looking at "View Source" code.

Speed test on this new template is very good out-of-the-box with minifyer. That, and my "special" tweak, produced these results:

Blue Stripe Basic left two results / Apple Zen test right two results:

http://gtmetrix.com/compare/B2CyvjTh/Y4Q5eTzI/eINmhJh8/Wv6LGugf

I did obtain the minifyer from Rubik site and added it to Apple Zen. (I played with AppleZen to obtain similar color scheme.)

On this result AppleZen is about a second faster (about ten car lengths in a drag race.) But I think Blue Stripe can get faster.

We're in the market for a drop-down template and these are the only real contenders.

Clear up a few problems and this new Blue Stripe Basic will be a real winner.

204 downloads of this template now. Up quite a bit since I tested it.

Is anyone having some of the problems I experienced above? (I now have different templates on my testing domains).

I see no support from the author; I even sent an email from his site awhile ago with no response. So how is everyone doing with it?

On another site it interferes with the prev/next buttons, pushing them up into the nav bar.

In the product.info.css file (located in the blue_stripe/css/mycss directory) about lines 49-52

to fix the next/previous page display problem you want to edit the wrapper position from absolute to float and change the top margin height.

.navNextPrevWrapper {
position: float;
top: 255px;
margin-left: 710px;

:yuck:

Thanks, that stylesheet fix seems to have worked re the banners & prev/next buttons.

Now, the MOST IMPORTANT issue with this template:

http://www.wedding-mart.com/

After adding to cart, if customer goes to shopping cart page and tries to checkout from its button, it simply updates the product instead of going to checkout.

Anyone know the fix?

Otherwise, this nice template is ready to go. Thanks.

SPH
https://www.prommart.com

I found the bug with the checkout from the cart page. :clap:

(template folder....default) blue_stripe/templates
In the tpl_shopping_cart_default.php file, at about line 131 look for this code:

Replace with:

However weird that looks the extra </div> tag at the end fixed the problem for me. :D

Good Luck...

Yes! Worked for me also. Thanks!

This nice template is now ready to go and I'll stick it on one of my domains.

One thing I really like: when a customer logs in to view their order, update notices are properly aligned across from their entry date (when they go to second lines and paragraphs with lengthy update). Not so in the vast majority of templates I've seen.

Ezpage links work, just above horizontal nav bar on right.

All horizontal banners work, although I'll probably try dropping the header2 banner out of the logo area to below the horizontal nav bar, for a potential nice, site-wide banner possibly set for homepage only.

Thanks again.

sph

PS: one more minor thing. The main product image. Has to be set fairly small for such a wide, one column display. Otherwise, it drops down into the additional images/attribute area. Hopefully merely a style sheet fix....

If I happen to come across the code for the image size I will let you know where I found it. I like this template.... I just don't care for the product info display when combined with tabbed products pro. All a part of building a site your happy with I guess (if you can ever be happy with design and layout)...

Thanks.

I know what you mean about a template/site one can be happy with. I've tested or looked at pretty much all free ones. And even a couple of commercial ones my sister bought for her sites which I maintain (she's only using one commercial template on a minor domain; other one didn't work out.)

My wife, sister and pretty much everyone in our biz thinks I'm due for a template intervention, and they may be right. But I think that the template/site look is almost 100%, from the customer's view point. Looks and navigation.

I'm presently re-testing on my main site the Estorenow template I looked at a long time ago. It has real potential, but also a few concerns.

I cannot resist putting this Blue Stripe template on my main domain (prommart) tonight to see what it looks like, if this lightening storm permits. A drop-down menu on a major domain would be a little new for me; and possibly risky?

sph
https://www.prommart.com (Estorenow template as of posting this...good potential with nice touches)
https://www.fashion-mart.biz (new domain I just brought live and building; the dramatic new S-e-x-y template in downloads area.)

Tested this template on my main site last night and today. The product photo issue seems to have worked itself out, as I was able to make it bigger with no problems.

Discovered that the header3 banner is already set for a site-wide display just below the nav bar.

Only new issue: the paypal express checkout button does not float right under checkout button, although stylesheet code appears correct:

.forward, #shoppingCartDefault #PPECbutton {
float: right;
}

It is on the left, up against the left-side buttons. Not a deal breaker.

Not sure what domain I'll use this on, but it's very nice.

sph