importing data base error and general question about zen

Hello. I'm finally getting around to upgrading from 1.57c to 1.58a and created test site and importing current data base into a test database, have done this before through the years without issue but this year an issue. Says SQL error "#1050 - Table 'address_book' already exists"
Lots of problems this time around, not the usual clear sailing. the PHP was upped on the site by the hosting company and had to move it back down for zc install to recreate the 1.57c test site so that i can upgrade to a test version...but have to move it back up for processing, then move it back down to use the zc_install. I think all these issues is that the hosting company is regulating everything to go to php 8 but the cart is not working optimally on 8 but 7.4.

Also, can someone better explain to me, or send me a link on how zen cart works.. as a company. I mean, are there volunteers? How do these people get paid, etc. Who are these people updating code on here, running tests, answering questions? Volunteers or paid? is it just goodwill?Been using this for years and years...figure i might as well ask.

Thanks

See the Zen Cart docs regarding upgrading: https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/upgrading/. It looks like you were trying to do a database-only upgrade, but via phpMyAdmin.

Performing the upgrade in that manner is discouraged, for the issues you've identified.

We're all *unpaid *volunteers on the forum, keeping the code updated via its GitHub repository: https://github.com/zencart/zencart.

How do these people get paid, etc. Who are these people updating code on here, running tests, answering questions?

The people who do most of the coding are also running businesses supporting and doing custom coding for Zen Cart installations.

In addition to the notes above about the many unpaid volunteers who generously offer support and help write code, there are still very real costs associated with getting Zen Cart into your hands for free.
When you donate to Zen Cart (see https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/about_us/donate/ or sponsor via Github), you help cover the costs of hosting services and developer resources that allow us to keep offering the Zen Cart application for free. There are several servers that we have to run in order to host this forum, manage submission and download of plugins, do quality-control, send email notifications, etc, and several 3rd party services we engage to provide layers of protection to deter hackers and spammers, and so on.
Every donation you make to Zen Cart, whether as a monthly contribution, or a single one-time donation, helps us keep the code free.

It's why i asked. I don't take things free without doing something. I don't know if it's appropriate to ask this question for not, so i'll ask it and you're free to ignore it. I'm aware the prices fluctuate year to year and surprises always come up but generally speaking, what does it cost to keep this project going for a year? All expenses included. Say for 2023?

I created a subfolder, installed the Zen i currently use on our live site, 1.57C. then through php admin i imported a copy of the live database into the test data base. that's where it failed. I'm basically recreated the current site in a test folder to attempt the upgrade to 1.58 so i can get the PHP issue out of my hair!

through php admin i imported a copy of the live database into the test data base.

You can import a copy of your current live database, but the db you import into must be empty - no tables, nothing.
It looked like you were trying to import an existing database into a database that already had tables.

Here are some notes that may help. These are the steps I take.

1. I create the database in PHPMyAdmin.
2. Use zc_install to create the tables.
3. Import the unzipped old database file using the command line or if you use Laragon on Windows instead of Xamp try HeidiSQL. ( I gave up importing with PHPMyadmin a long time ago as it is slow and problematic.) See below for the export settings required.
4. Run zc_install again to upgrade the database structure.

I export the databases using PHPMyadmin with the following settings:
Custom:
select all tables
save output to a file
filename template @DATABASE@%Y-%m-%d%T
file character set utf-8
compression gzipped
display comments
enclose export in a transaction
add drop table
auto increment value
add create procedure
add create trigger
enclose table and column names with backquotes
syntax to use = both
dump binary columns in hexadecimal
dump timestamp columns in UTC

These settings allow me to overwrite the tables on import each time.

muah:

It's why i asked. I don't take things free without doing something. I don't know if it's appropriate to ask this question for not, so i'll ask it and you're free to ignore it. I'm aware the prices fluctuate year to year and surprises always come up but generally speaking, what does it cost to keep this project going for a year? All expenses included. Say for 2023?

That being said, the site is not as helpful as it was years ago...

muah:

That being said, the site is not as helpful as it was years ago...

I'm going to ask if you can be a bit more specific here as you just got answers from three of the top contributors and directions to the docs which are MILES ahead of just a couple of years ago much less the original docs/wiki.

What specifically is it that would better help you?

No, this thread was helpful... I'm referring to the adds ons. I mentioned a criticism here because i also mentioned donating. Shouldn't the add ons be upgraded work in tandem with the new release? If the new release is foreign to the add ons, where is the continuity for people running businesses?

Where I am not getting answers: flat rate shipping clone the easy populate, the MAP pricing add ons... NONE YET CONFIGURED FOR 2.0. I cannot go live without the MAP and without the flat rate clone. Easy populate i can skip it until it's ready. Am I being unreasonable?

Perhaps misunderstanding versus unreasonable.

The Flate Rate Clone was updated on the 10th of May to include compliance with 2.0.0. If you are using any mod with a support thread, make sure you are subscribed to that thread. It's automatic if you reply to the thread but otherwise, you need to click on Forum Tools and subscribe to that thread in order to be notified of any news.

The MAP mod was taken over from the original presenter. This is not uncommon as folks come an go for many reasons. Job variances often preclude spending the extra time to troubleshoot and upgrade. Congrats should be given to those who take over an un-current mod at their own expense and time. I notice you have a post in the support thread. I have no idea if you have contacted the individual directly. Again, the currently listed author is a volunteer.

Easy Populate is from another volunteer who, like many these days, also lists a github repository for access to more up-to-the-minute information. Looking at the support thread suggests using the files from version 4.0.39.ZC at https://github.com/mc12345678/EasyPopulate-4.0/tree/v4.0.39.ZC

I'm sure you've seen many occasions in the forum where somone other than the current author will share their latest discovery/fix for thee mod. I like to think these folks are "learning to fish" rather than asking for a "fish handout."

You can learn to fish with a test site that allows you to drop in a mod and see if it works in your situation. It may work in everyone else's setup but not in yours. Asking the plain "does it work with 2.0.0?" is like asking "do I have to use premium in my car". Some might jump at the answer and say, "No, just use regular" only to find out later that your Volkswagen Passat is a diesel. That's why we have the Posting Tips.

Those posting tips are not there to delay your response time. Instead they are there as a way for you to shorten the time a volunteer needs to spend in providing an answer. If the volunteer knows all the mods you are using, they can immediately rule out (or in) a mod conflict. With a site URL (entered as your_siteDOTcom if you don't want it advertised to the world just yet), we can "see" the problem much better.

The Flate Rate Clone was updated on the 10th of May to include compliance with 2.0.0. If you are using any mod with a support thread, make sure you are subscribed to that thread. It's automatic if you reply to the thread but otherwise, you need to click on Forum Tools and subscribe to that thread in order to be notified of any news.

In fairness, I screwed up the upload so he was right. This has been fixed.

The MAP mod was taken over from the original presenter.

MAP is also just much less common than it once was. I don't have any clients who use it, and I doubt @lat9 does either, or it would have been updated.

Pobody's Nerfect!

And, that's why I mentioned subscribing to the support thread for any module you are using.

Well, that helps and thank you to swguy for updating the module. Amazingly, I’m only now understanding what is going on with Zen Cart. I imagined a small payment or reward for people to supply the modules. It’s all gratis? Wow. So, when Amazon gets done destroying what’s left of small business and the economy goes into the toilet… Zen dries up when the “talent” isn’t feeling so generous.
So who updates Zen each time? And it’s done for free?
Why was Zen started? No one tells us too much about the who what where why and when of Zen. I just guessed that DrByte is like the main dude, no clue if it’s true… but he seems the most prolific.
So DrByte started Zen part time, in his basement. But he is retiring soon with no effective plan of succession. It’s up to the younger group to keep it going…and the younger group is smoking weed while the nation is at the fall of Rome or Athens stage. Today’s American, you need two of ‘em to do the work of one.
Ideas:

1. Businesses sponsor the creation of a module for Zen. I may pop for this... we'll see.
2. Give Send Go, crowdfunding direct to the coder to create module to give it away freely.
3. Advertise that running your own cart saves you from the politically correct police shutting you down!
   I take it Zen doesn’t want to become a business where it accepts money other than donations. It gets paid nothing being “open source.” So how to attract people who will update a module in a timely fashion?

muah:

Well, that helps and thank you to swguy for updating the module. Amazingly, I’m only now understanding what is going on with Zen Cart. I imagined a small payment or reward for people to supply the modules. It’s all gratis? Wow. So, when Amazon gets done destroying what’s left of small business and the economy goes into the toilet… Zen dries up when the “talent” isn’t feeling so generous.
So who updates Zen each time? And it’s done for free?
Why was Zen started? No one tells us too much about the who what where why and when of Zen. I just guessed that DrByte is like the main dude, no clue if it’s true… but he seems the most prolific.
So DrByte started Zen part time, in his basement. But he is retiring soon with no effective plan of succession. It’s up to the younger group to keep it going…and the younger group is smoking weed while the nation is at the fall of Rome or Athens stage. Today’s American, you need two of ‘em to do the work of one.
Ideas:

1. Businesses sponsor the creation of a module for Zen. I may pop for this... we'll see.
2. Give Send Go, crowdfunding direct to the coder to create module to give it away freely.

3. Advertise that running your own cart saves you from the politically correct police shutting you down!
   

I take it Zen doesn’t want to become a business where it accepts money other than donations. It gets paid nothing being “open source.” So how to attract people who will update a module in a timely fashion?

As an FYI, there's this Github discussion of the future marketing of Zen Cart - https://github.com/zencart/zencart/discussions/5094

Being one of the oldest here, I'll give a little of the history as I know it.

If you go to https://www.zen-cart.com/memberlist.php?order=asc&sort=joindate&pp=100, you'll get a list of members that signed on at the start of Zen Cart.

Wilt, Kim, and Ajeh were originally involved with OsCommerce (you'll still see mention of them in the heading of many core files) and were concerned when OsC was contemplating going commercial. That never happened but Zen Cart was born out of the existing OsC code with extra features added into the core.

I was also a part of OsC and was about six months behind them in making the move. DrByte actually joined the forum a couple of weeks after me in January of 2004. I should point out that I am not a PHP guy. I was trying to use ColdFusion to create an e-commerce presence for a side product. Part way through my endeavors with ColdFusion, I found OsC.

Right away, I realized that there was something already existing that met enough of my needs to be worth dropping all the work it would have taken me with ColdFusion. When I noticed that some had left OsC, I investigated and felt I should do the same.

https://www.zen-cart.com/memberlist.php?order=desc&sort=posts&pp=100 is a list of posts made by a member. Two things should be taken from this list. One, the number of members on the page who still are "visitiing" in 2024. The other is how many on the list are not part of the development team but still contribute whenever they can and on their own time.

While OsC was virtually dormant from 2003 to 2022 with one release in 2010, Zen Cart has continued to grow. OsC is supposedly retooled and back in play but, if the ADA/WCAG results of their home page is any indication, they are way behind in that area alone. And, more important than that, Zen Cart has responded to PHP changes, Accessibility standards, and PCI compliance vitrtually as the changes were required. Were it not for the exorbitant fee required for PCI certification, Zen Cart would probably still be able to brag about it being compliant.

As far as hierarchy, their may be a pecking order but, with the github repositories, anyone can contribute and I believe one cannot merge one's own PR.

I don't share your cynicism with the youth of today. I think we are over-presented with the bad and the good goes unreported.

Many of the mods you see in the Plugins section were developed for a spcific site and then donated by the author or person who paid for the creation much like you suggest. You are welcome to do the same. It is also encouraged to share updates you come up with to make mods more current.

Admittedly, the majority of the forum's nearly 59,600 members are not currently active. However, that doesn't mean they aren't still using Zen Cart and willing to participate in the project's growth.

And, as to growth, take a look at https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/about_us/whats_new/. That's very encouraging to me. I'm always impressed with the advances made with each upgrade.

Other than current work on updating Zen Cart's marketing. My only hope is that all public mods be hosted on github so that anyone can provide content beneficial to the group.

Cooperate and graduate.

simon1066, very interesting. Especially the part about people with full time jobs not able to contribute.

dbltoe, thanks for the history. Truth is, this cart has given me complete control over my site and has saved me a ton of money... who knows the good this project has done over the years. Not trying to be pessimistic about the youth… it’s my experience. I’m speaking as an employer. Try that and get back to me… it’s an absolute nightmare. It’s no wonder everyone wants to automate. It’s no wonder everyone has India and China working on everything.

A few thoughts.

1. Can't AI help with updating things? Writing the code? Based on what I’ve seen, it can learn it in 20 minutes and write the code in 10 seconds.

2. Under each module, can't you have a DUE FOR UPDATE link where coders can bid on what they would charge to update it? Lowest qualified bid wins. Then Zen Users can givesendgo or gofundme until paid, escrowed until it works. This way, a guy with a full-time job can justify spending spare hours on upgrading something?

3. Bottom line folks, little things like this… interrupt business. I’m up writing this at 1:40 am. Why? No time during the day to tackle this. All my work on the site is done late and I’m still up early the next morning. That is why not having up to day apps hurts Zen cart. Everything should be updated and ready or it’s a hobby and tinkering cart where people who have the time, can tinker their way to a cart they will use. That’s the problem but also the solution. It was generosity that created this project. It will have to be philanthropy of its users to keep it up to date. But I have years invested in this. Someone else won’t stick around when there is a hiccup. I still say, find a way to monetarily incentivize coders to update modules.

Rather than trying to boil the ocean, just hire a developer for your site. The last person to update the MAP plugin is a working developer who would likely be happy to work for you if you were willing to pay him. You can ask him to fix MAP for you and then donate it back to the project.