images not showing in my test site

I have transferred my shop to a new server (not yet live) but the product images do not load. I've found elsewhere in the forum that v1.3.8a is not compatible with later versions of PHP so want to upgrade to the latest version.

The FAQ gives quick instructions (which I'd much rather use!) for sites with no customisation, but what counts as 'customisation' in this context? Does it include layout changes made through the admin control?

The existing shop is still on the old server at https://www.panachelace.com.au

All help much appreciated.

Kit

1. if all your customisations were done by the admin layout control thingie then those customisations should be safe.
2. Just make sure in your case you back up your custom template
3. Also any settings for your shipping and payment modules, will need to be backed up.

From what i can see of your site it is very basic so it should be fairly easy to be update, just make sure you save a backup copy of it and the database and you should be fine

Sounds like you might be trying to do all this without following Zen Cart instructions. There are tutorials for upgrading and for transferring.
Images will not come up with a new install if you don't copy them from the old site. That would be my quick guess at what's going on.

nigelt74,

Thanks for that. I'm glad that I can use the simpler instructions as the full upgrade instructions look very complex.

dbltoe,

I have followed the instructions on the ZC site to the letter as far as I can tell. The images are all present on the new server and the config files all look OK. I'm hoping it's the incompatibility between the old version of ZC and the newer version of PHP. Will upgrade ASAP with everything crossed.

Thanks for the prompt replies.

Kit

Its unlikely php version or anything will effect the images showing, can you access the images using your browser, and what is the generated link for the image, when you look at the source of the page where the image is missing?

When you say your new site isn't live yet, do you mean you are testing on your own computer, you are using a different domain, or you are using a testing directory on the current server, or you just don't want the link out there yet.
as a link to the site would really help

anyway

1. browse to yourtestsite
2. go to a page where the images aren't showing up
3. view the source of the page
4. Find where it links to the image, copy this link and paste it here, and also into your browser the link should look something like
   images/lace.jpg
   also try this
   yourtestdomain/theimagelink.jpg

does the image appear?

Nigel,

Thanks for taking the time to look at this.

I'd prefer not to let anybody else have the server link at the moment as I've got everything wide open with passwords for the existing main site available to be seen.

I can acces an image directly in the web browser with no problem.

Here is some code from a page in the working site:

<tr class="productListing-odd"> <td class="productListing-data" align="center"><a href="http://www.panachelace.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=94&products_id=315"><img src="images/categories/f sj light large" alt="Maple fansticks - large" title=" Maple fansticks - large " class="listingProductImage" /></a></td>

And the same from the new site (URL edited)

<tr class="productListing-odd"> <td class="productListing-data" align="center"><a href="http://*************.myweb.westnethosting.com.au/panachelace/www/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=94&products_id=315"><img src="images/categories/f sj light large" alt="Maple fansticks - large" title=" Maple fansticks - large " class="listingProductImage" /></a></td>

Absolutely identical bar the server address. The files on the new server are copied directly from the old one, as is the database. The new site was built as a fresh install followed by overwriting with the old files (bar the new configuration.php files) as described in the moving to a new server FAQ.

It has to be something very simple but I'm stumped as to what.

Thanks again

Kit

Panache:

<img src="**images/categories/f sj light large**" alt="Maple fansticks - large" title=" Maple fansticks - large " class="listingProductImage" />

Um ... that's not a valid image filename. I'm absolutely not surprised that the image isn't showing in that case.
It would be more likely to show if it were a .jpg or .gif or .png filename.

You'll need to fix the image filename which you've assigned to that product/category so that it points to the correct filename.

I was surprised not to see the file extensions in the 'view source' data but this is the same for the non-working new site on the new server and the fully functional site on our old server. Have a look at https://www.panachelace.com.au to confirm.

It's a Linux server and Linux doesn't use file extensions to identify file types so is this the answer? I'm looking at the site using Firefox on Windows 7 however.

Thankyou for taking the time to look at this.

Kit

Panache:

but this is the same for the non-working new site on the new server and the fully functional site on our old server.Yes, I realize that.

Panache:

It's a Linux server and Linux doesn't use file extensions to identify file types so is this the answer?Um, that's an extremely generous broad statement that's technically not really completely accurate.
You're giving Linux credit that it's not really entitled to. It would be more correct to say that the webserver engine could be configured to attempt to read the file's content and use its identification bits to guess what mime type is appropriate for the file. But there are many reasons why that auto-detection might not work properly.
It's very possible that the web engine on your "new server" doesn't know how to properly detect what mime type to assign for those files.

But, since you're not giving us URLs to your new server, we're left to let you tell us what it's doing, but so far you're not passing on useful information.

Nigel already asked you to get URL for the image and access that image in your browser.
I'm guessing you don't understand what he was asking, so I've done the work for you: substitute your new server's URL in place of this one:
http://www.panachelace.com.au/shop/images/categories/f%20sj%20light%20large
What happens when you try to visit that address, after substituting the domain name. What's the error message?

Apologies if I sound frustrated.

Found it!!!!!!!!!

It turns out that while the image files all have their extensions as they should, my wife has been entering the filenames into the admin area of the shop without the extensions since that always worked on the old server. A problem of the left and right hands not knowing what the other is doing.
I would never have found this without your prompting.

My profound appologies for having wasted your time and thankyou for being there in the first place. Where do I sent the crates of beer?

Regards

Kit

Panache:

Found it!!!!!!!!!

It turns out that while the image files all have their extensions as they should, my wife has been entering the filenames into the admin area of the shop without the extensions since that always worked on the old server. A problem of the left and right hands not knowing what the other is doing.
I would never have found this without your prompting.Oh, wow, THAT is a challenging scenario to track down! Good sleuthing!
And I'm glad it'll help you and your wife communicate more! :)

Panache:

My profound appologies for having wasted your time and thankyou for being there in the first place. Where do I sent the crates of beer?Glad it helped guide you in the right direction.

Donations can always be sent as shown at: www.zen-cart.com/donate