Move template to new domain without admin information

Hey guys I have an issue here that I've not seen anywhere in the forum. I've had health issues for a long time but now I am well so I would like to completely change my business/products but use my old existing website. So I would like to keep the template as it looks but reset/delete all admin information (Category ID's, Customers) basically I would like a fresh/clean admin side.

I will be getting a new domain name, new logo, but the template looks good enough to keep plus it contains many mods, so help in maintaining the website with a fresh/clean admin side would be much much much appreciated.

Zen cart dudes are the best in the world in my view.

The site is https://www.fashionfavourites.com

What version is your existing site? If it's the current version, then you can simply do a new clean install of Zen Cart in your new domain and copy over all your template files and mods, etc. This is easiest when your old site is 1.3.9h since that's the current version, but it's not hard if you have any version of 1.3.9.

If your current site is 1.3.8 or earlier, you'll still want to do a new install of the latest version, for all sorts of good reasons. Then you rebuild your template over that. Harder but not very much.

To give more specific instructions we'd need to know the details: what version do you have now, what mods, what template, and mostly a link to your existing site.

Rob

rstevenson:

What version is your existing site? If it's the current version, then you can simply do a new clean install of Zen Cart in your new domain and copy over all your template files and mods, etc. This is easiest when your old site is 1.3.9h since that's the current version, but it's not hard if you have any version of 1.3.9.

If your current site is 1.3.8 or earlier, you'll still want to do a new install of the latest version, for all sorts of good reasons. Then you rebuild your template over that. Harder but not very much.

To give more specific instructions we'd need to know the details: what version do you have now, what mods, what template, and mostly a link to your existing site.

Rob

Thanks for the reply buddy!
Ok under version in the admin side it says 1.3.8a, I have several mods including: export e-mail addresses, easy populate, wishlist, image handler,site backup (unsure if its a mod), database backup MYSQL (not sure if this is a mod either),recovered sales result...........

(Not sure where to look for mods so I just looked under Tools and Reports tab in the admin side)

So how would I copy over the template files, mods, etc? :blush:

p.s. As long as I get the template copied under new install I don't mind the mods - I can always re-add them if copying all at once creates a problem..

The link is https://www.fashionfavourites.com and I would copy it over to http://beautycarediscounts.com/test/

Any more information I'll be thrilled to provide it.

P.S.S. I am not a clever programmer like the Zen cart folks but I can follow instructions so if this is achievable I am hoping I can contribute the template to the FREE zen cart templates.

the way I would do it:shocking:

The template you are using is a modified version of "Comstock"
so first download a fresh copy of it to your pc (as far as i'm aware it has been updated for 139) this will show you where all the comstock files are located on your old store.

Install the lastest version of Zen on your new store
install a fresh copy of Comstock to your new store

Using the fresh copy of comstock as a guide to the location of the files, compare the new comstock with the old version to locate your modifications.
I would guess the main ones will be in the css stylesheets and in the images folder.
you will need to upload the mods as new anyway to check they work with the lastest version.

any help?

And, of course, it has to be said... follow the directions. :smile:

Both Zen Cart and the template come with instructions, and there's a Turtorials/FAQ link (top-right on this page) for articles about particular issues. It all seems a bit daunting when you start to read it, but just take it one step at a time and it will be fine.

Rob

Remember too that SOME layout settings are controlled by "switches" in the admin panel - which of course are stored in the database (side-column width, image sizes for example).

Donal:

the way I would do it:shocking:

The template you are using is a modified version of "Comstock"
so first download a fresh copy of it to your pc (as far as i'm aware it has been updated for 139) this will show you where all the comstock files are located on your old store.

Install the lastest version of Zen on your new store
install a fresh copy of Comstock to your new store

Using the fresh copy of comstock as a guide to the location of the files, compare the new comstock with the old version to locate your modifications.
I would guess the main ones will be in the css stylesheets and in the images folder.
you will need to upload the mods as new anyway to check they work with the lastest version.

any help?

Hey thanks guys. For a new Zenner I believe this is a bit too complex for me. I cannot compare files when I don't even understand the content of the files (It's all Greek to me) Isn't there a simpler method.

What I've done is download a temporary template and installed it in a test directory and as I was FTP'ing I noticed the folder structures mainly three (Languages, Modules, and Templates).

Then I went into the directory of the Template I want to move/copy downloaded these folders into my pc. Finally I uploaded (via FTP) into the test directory the same way I uploaded (via FTP) the temporary template.

Then when I choose the Comstock template all I get is a blank(White) page in the test directory.

How would one copy the look of the site without carrying the admin side along. This way you can run a fresh (zero information) admin side - In the case you want to run a completely different business?

I appreciate all the help guys and it doesn't hear to learn a thing or two along the way...

Blank pages are almost always a result of broken PHP or missing files.

Make sure you collect ALL the files relating to your template, and that they are all 100% ok.

We often "grab" templates off existing sites, because (as you know) it saves a LOT of time if you want to use that template in another webshop.

schoolboy:

Blank pages are almost always a result of broken PHP or missing files.

Make sure you collect ALL the files relating to your template, and that they are all 100% ok.

We often "grab" templates off existing sites, because (as you know) it saves a LOT of time if you want to use that template in another webshop.

template "grab" is exactly what I am looking for but don't know how. Please view the link to see what could be wrong .. why blank page..

http://beautycarediscounts.com/test/

Which folders do I need to copy over? in order to "grab" the template.:frusty:

hardwiredtemplates:

Which folders do I need to copy over? in order to "grab" the template.

Generally, custom templates will comprise modified files in the LANGUAGES directory, the TEMPLATES directory and the MODULES directory.

HOWEVER... there are times when additional files may be added into other areas and directories. This usually occurs when an ADD-ON MODULE is added to a template - for example, an image ZOOM feature.

Sometimes, when adding such modules, they not only MODIFY files in the custom template schema, but also ADD files to directories OUTSIDE the general custom template schema - suc as a JS file which may be added into a folder in the MODULES/PAGES section.

So... you could have an array of files all over the place... who knows but you...

Remember too that some add-ons MODIFY the database, so you have the additional considerating of your custom template containing files that require certain configurations in the database.

If you then just clone the FILES, you could have a problem... because some of those files may require the DATABASE to have a certain configuration...

Sorry to make this sound complicated, but the above is an overview of what you need to consider when cloning a template...

schoolboy:

Generally, custom templates will comprise modified files in the LANGUAGES directory, the TEMPLATES directory and the MODULES directory.

HOWEVER... there are times when additional files may be added into other areas and directories. This usually occurs when an ADD-ON MODULE is added to a template - for example, an image ZOOM feature.

Sometimes, when adding such modules, they not only MODIFY files in the custom template schema, but also ADD files to directories OUTSIDE the general custom template schema - suc as a JS file which may be added into a folder in the MODULES/PAGES section.

So... you could have an array of files all over the place... who knows but you...

Remember too that some add-ons MODIFY the database, so you have the additional considerating of your custom template containing files that require certain configurations in the database.

If you then just clone the FILES, you could have a problem... because some of those files may require the DATABASE to have a certain configuration...

Sorry to make this sound complicated, but the above is an overview of what you need to consider when cloning a template...

Thanks for the clear explanation schoolboy. I see how this can be difficult task so I have decided to just rebuild the template and learn along the way. I do have a number of Mods and I do remember expanding files from the mod to other directories.

So for future I guess I'll have to "grab" the template before I add any mods, or also copy the folders where those mods have been expanded in, would that be a fair statement?

Man I was hoping to contribute something to Zencart in the form of a template..:no: