website builder vs store template

sorry I'm pretty new to this. What is the difference between using a website builder and the premade Zen Cart templates or custom templates?

What do you mean by a 'website builder' please? Is it a piece of software? Perhaps a link to it or them would help with answering your question.
p.s Welcome to Zen Cart :cheers:

unckle fester:

sorry I'm pretty new to this. What is the difference between using a website builder and the premade Zen Cart templates or custom templates?

I think custom templates also need to custom on the template :hug:
Welcome to this Amazing Forum, Be patient you will learn a lot

Alot of people talk about a web site builder to design there web sites. but as far as I know that doesn't include shopping cart functions. zen cart does shopping cart functions but from what I understand it doesn't design the website. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website_builder

A website builder will use special tools to create HTML code that makes a webpage look the way you want it, with whatever content you put in it. They generally work in isolation on a "blank slate". It may have tools that build certain functions like a "contact us" area or a slideshow.

Zen Cart uses a lot of PHP files to perform e-commerce functions, and also create the HTML page output for those functions to work within. It has many admin tools to do basic setup alterations (like turning on or off various columns and boxes), but to alter the look and feel of the site you need to edit your CSS stylesheet by hand, and sometimes edit PHP files to make more extensive changes to the layout or functions. Zen Cart does not work within a random HTML page built by something else; it does all the page building in itself.

There are many premade "templates" which you can install in Zen Cart to alter the look, feel and function in desired ways, so that you don't have to do much or any coding yourself. These templates can be further customized if you desire and are willing to learn a bit and experiment.

so the best way to alter the look of your website is to get a Zen Cart templates instead of something else?

Do you have a Zen Cart website? If so, yes, the only way to alter the look (without coding it yourself) is to install a Zen Cart template.

If you have an existing HTML website, you would replace it with a Zen Cart complete installation and a Zen Cart template of your choice. Don't blindly install Zen Cart on top of your existing website or you will have huge headaches; rather, read up on the process (in the FAQs here) and install ZC in a testing location, get it working the way you want and move it to replace the existing site.

I don't have zen cart right now but I'm trying to figure out how to put everything together.

The FAQs have several tutorials on installing Zen Cart and moving it from one location to another. If there is anything you don't understand after reading those, just ask us.

Thanks i really appriciate it.

unckle fester:

Thanks i really appriciate it.

If and when you do get to installing the template of your choice, may I recommend that you start with one of the Zen-Cart templates that are available for download from this site. While there are a lot of good looking templates out there, a template is more than just the icing on the cake. It does provide feedback and interaction, whichis typpically carried through in the templates provided on this site.

for one of my offline businesses I was wondering if I can use in cart for a web presence for my local business that I can eventually expand to selling t-shirts and business products? I was also considering developing a mobile app since it's going to be a mobile expresso stand and I want people to find out its newest location in a simple and easy manner.

You can easily use Zen Cart as an informational site, and later expand its functions to selling products of any kind.
A mobile app that would interface with Zen Cart would have to be custom designed; there may be something available that would give a starting point for this.

gjh42:

You can easily use Zen Cart as an informational site, and later expand its functions to selling products of any kind.
A mobile app that would interface with Zen Cart would have to be custom designed; there may be something available that would give a starting point for this.

thanks you!