Main Page Images and Secondary Pages won't load

I've set up Zen Cart on my local machine (MacPro, OS 10.6.8) for site development with no issues. I've also set up the site as mystore.domain.com (just an example here) by adding 127.0.0.1 mystore.domain.com to my hosts file and changing the main server name to mystore.domain.com:80 in the Apache httpd.conf file. I can successfully navigate my site from my local machine and all pages are served.

I want to begin testing the site, especially integration with payment modules (e.g. PayPal IPN Sandbox), using my local machine, so I have set up a static IP for my local machine, set up port forwarding in my router to forward traffic on port 80 to the local machine IP, and set up an external dynamic DNS with mystore.domain.com. This should allow an external computer (e.g., PayPal Sandbox) or a computer not on my network to communicate with my site using mystore.domain.com/zencart.

From the external machine I can get to my site's main page text only. Main page images are missing and I get a server can't be found error on pages below the main page. I've noticed the URL for these missing objects has localhost/... so obviously they can't be accessed externally. The URL is also localhost/... for pages below the main page when testing on my local machine.

How can I get full access to my developmental site from an external computer for testing without installing the site on a remote web hosting site? What setting in Apache am I missing?

Thanks in advance!

Dave
Zen Cart Newbie

What have you got your /includes/configure.php and YOUR_ADMIN/includes/configure.php files' HTTP_SERVER and HTTPS_SERVER variables set to (it sounds like you've got it set to 'http://localhost' and 'https://localhost')? Have you tried setting that to 'http://mystore.domain.com' and 'https://mystore.domain.com'?

Thanks! That was the problem.

I had followed the instructions in the "MAMP/XAMPP set up local host" thread by DrByte to change localhost to https://www.example.com but could never find the "same steps in the book" referenced in the thread in the newest version of the book. Unfortunately, the thread only discussed changing the hosts file and the httpd.conf file.

Thanks again!

Dave