Wordpress On ZC [Support Thread]

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For anyone searching on combining Zen Cart and WordPress this thread will be one of their first stops on the way. And if they don't take the time to read all 179 pages (for some silly reason), they might think "Well, this appears to be an in depth discussion, this might be a solid choice like one of the excellent contributions from Ceon.I'll install it and then hit the forum thread if I get hung up"

The problem with WOZ is that for some very limited purposes, it does work.

As long as you don't use any the other conflicting Zen mods (or maybe I should say ANY other mods) mentioned in the course of this thread, you can have a Zen Cart that displays content from your WordPress blog.

Visitors can add items to their cart, look at some posts, while they are at the same one site, same one navigation, same one template, and the checkout is displayed throughout. This is the experience that WOZ promised.

Unfortunately, for real world situations, where your Zen and WordPress are upgraded, you add other modules to your Zen installation as you need the additional function, the WOZ mod will drive you out of your mind and it will have to be dumped.

So, WOZ does not work.

It would be great if Zen store owners could download something from the Free Software Add Ons that does this. However, if they search on "wordpress" there, they will see two contributions - WordPress On ZenCart and WordPress On ZenCart - Sideboxes Only Edition v1.0. There are no other Add Ons that combine Zen And WordPress.

Some of us still have hope that this mod, or the concept behind it, will be taken on by a contributor that could benefit from all the feedback and discussion on this thread and 'fix WOZ' so to speak.

loosefast:

The problem with WOZ is that for some very limited purposes, it does work.Only if you consider "working" to mean a mod that doesn't APPEAR to be broken, but behind the scenes is written ALL WRONG. Then yes WOZ is fantastic.. For shop owners that buy into the "if it don't LOOK broken" theory, then great have at it and install WOZ..

I think that most small shop owners who are NOT code savvy and are NOT able to know good from bad mods need to know that even IF this mod looks like it's working, it's a BAD IDEA to install a module that is FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED..

loosefast:

As long as you don't use any the other conflicting Zen mods (or maybe I should say ANY other mods) mentioned in the course of this thread, you can have a Zen Cart that displays content from your WordPress blogAnd this is not a reality for shopowners.. Heck it's not even a reality that they won't use other WordPress plugins..

loosefast:

Visitors can add items to their cart, look at some posts, while they are at the same one site, same one navigation, same one template, and the checkout is displayed throughout. This is the experience that WOZ promised.

Unfortunately, for real world situations, where your Zen and WordPress are upgraded, you add other modules to your Zen installation as you need the additional function, the WOZ mod will drive you out of your mind and it will have to be dumped.

So, WOZ does not work.And having blog posts under ONE navigation can be achieved in so any other ways without WOZ. Starting with the most obvious, making an attempt to style the WordPress theme.. THIS would be easier for most shop owners to achieve than trying to get WOZ to work.. IMHO if they would just try to put in the SAME effort they do into styling their Zen Cart stores as they do in styling their blogs then WHY is an "embedding" solution needed??

NOT ONE PERSON advocating blog embedding has ever shared a REAL benefit to having an embedded blog other than NOT having to style the blog..

loosefast:

It would be great if Zen store owners could download something from the Free Software Add Ons that does this. However, if they search on "wordpress" there, they will see two contributions - WordPress On ZenCart and WordPress On ZenCart - Sideboxes Only Edition v1.0. There are no other Add Ons that combine Zen And WordPress.Not true.. search this forum for "WordPress" and there's a couple more contributions for WordPress.. (RSS feed contributions)

loosefast:

Some of us still have hope that this mod, or the concept behind it, will be taken on by a contributor that could benefit from all the feedback and discussion on this thread and 'fix WOZ' so to speak.Gonna say this again.. WOZ REALLY can't be "fixed" it needs a re-write. As Schoolboy aptly pointed out, the Numinix solution works. Why would any contributor take on writing something that's already written..

DivaVocals:

Only if you consider "working" to mean a mod that doesn't APPEAR to be broken, but behind the scenes is written ALL WRONG. Then yes WOZ is fantastic.. For shop owners that buy into the "if it don't LOOK broken" theory, then great have at it and install WOZ..

I wouldn't say WOZ is fantastic. I would just say what I said!

DivaVocals:

I think that most small shop owners who are NOT code savvy and are NOT able to know good from bad mods need to know that even IF this mod looks like it's working, it's a BAD IDEA to install a module that is FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED..

I agree that they should avoid it.

DivaVocals:

And this is not a reality for shopowners.. Heck it's not even a reality that they won't use other WordPress plugins..

Sure.

DivaVocals:

And having blog posts under ONE navigation can be achieved in so any other ways without WOZ. Starting with the most obvious, making an attempt to style the WordPress theme.. THIS would be easier for most shop owners to achieve than trying to get WOZ to work.. IMHO if they would just try to put in the SAME effort they do into styling their Zen Cart stores as they do in styling their blogs then WHY is an "embedding" solution needed??

My point is that, in concept, the WOZ model avoids the necessity of styling two separate templates. I'm not saying the average shopowner should or could get the current WOZ to work.

DivaVocals:

Not true.. search this forum for "WordPress" and there's a couple more contributions for WordPress.. (RSS feed contributions)

Not the same thing as embedding a blog inside of Zen.

DivaVocals:

Gonna say this again.. WOZ REALLY can't be "fixed" it needs a re-write. As Schoolboy aptly pointed out, the Numinix solution works. Why would any contributor take on writing something that's already written..

Again, I'm just in favor of the exact visitor experience that WOZ promised.

cheers!

I am also intrigued by any methods of integrating Zen inside of WordPress, but unsure it would be apropriate to discuss that here :unsure:

loosefast:

My point is that, in concept, the WOZ model avoids the necessity of styling two separate templates. I'm not saying the average shopowner should or could get the current WOZ to work.And you make my point.. There is NO OTHER BENEFIT to embedding the blog other than avoiding having to modify the blog template.. However, your statement is inot completely true. You can't avoid not styling the blog altogether simply by embedding it.. There are parts of the blog's own template (stylesheet) that will have to be modified in order to achieve a "seemless" embedded look. Otherwise you end up with the blogs default look/feel shoved into Zen Cart.. My point is that if that level of effort can be made to support this embedded model, why not go the extra step and simply style the blog to match the store and avoid flawed mods like WOZ altogether. The amount of time and level of effort shopowners have put into getting this mod to work could have been better spent on making the blog look like the store..

loosefast:

Not the same thing as embedding a blog inside of Zen.
Your statement was:
"There are no other Add Ons that combine Zen And WordPress."

A WordPress RSS feed certainly IS a way of combining WordPress and Zen Cart

loosefast:

Again, I'm just in favor of the exact visitor experience that WOZ promised.Which the Numinix solution certain provides.. So WHY should someone re-write WOZ???

loosefast:

I am also intrigued by any methods of integrating Zen inside of WordPress, but unsure it would be apropriate to discuss that here :unsure:Not the place for this discussion.. If you are really interested, suggest doing some research on how to display WordPress outside of the blog.. That's where I started my research.. Also there's a Zen Cart mod that allows you display Zen Cart sideboxes outside Zen Cart.. Looks like it could be promising as well..

Thanks for the tip on Sidebox Anywhere mod
http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=79

I think all visitors to this thread are looking for the best Zen/Wordpress integration to suit their particular needs.

WOZ was great conceptually, but fails in real world implementation.

For me, the ideal solution would include display the contents of the shopping cart on every page - Zen or WordPress.

An RSS feed solution is fine, but not ideal.

cheers!

loosefast:

For me, the ideal solution would include display the contents of the shopping cart on every page - Zen or WordPress.Quite doable and I KNOW first hand that it does NOT require WOZ or any other embedded solution to achieve this..

loosefast:

An RSS feed solution is fine, but not ideal.For YOU.. others may feel differently..

DivaVocals:

Quite doable and I KNOW first hand that it does NOT require WOZ or any other embedded solution to achieve this..

Is the solution you refer to available from the Free Software Add Ons or is this a custom coded solution?

cheers

loosefast:

Is the solution you refer to available from the Free Software Add Ons or is this a custom coded solution?

cheersLike many things you can do with Zen Cart, displaying "the contents of the shopping cart on every page - Zen or WordPress" doesn't necessarily require a Zen Cart add-on or even a WordPress plugin to achieve.. Getting "the contents of the shopping cart on every page - Zen or WordPress" only required me to roll up my sleeves, knock around this forum, and the WordPress forums, and even fire up Google to see how I could get it done..:smile: And if needed I am always willing to invest in the cost of custom coding (which is how I got help with my sideboxes two years ago)..

DivaVocals:

Like many things you can do with Zen Cart, displaying "the contents of the shopping cart on every page - Zen or WordPress" doesn't necessarily require a Zen Cart add-on or even a WordPress plugin to achieve.. Getting "the contents of the shopping cart on every page - Zen or WordPress" only required me to roll up my sleeves, knock around this forum, and the WordPress forums, and even fire up Google to see how I could get it done..:smile: And if needed I am always willing to invest in the cost of custom coding (which is how I got help with my sideboxes two years ago)..

Yes, and I have done that myself for other projects. I was speaking from the viewpoint of someone not as savvy in html, php etc who might come to this thread, hoping for an experience like they might encounter with Ceon URI Mapping http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=1269 - something that just works 'right out of the box' exactly as described. Something that is available in the Free Software Add Ons.

loosefast:

Yes, and I have done that myself for other projects. I was speaking from the viewpoint of someone not as savvy in html, php etc who might come to this thread, hoping for an experience like they might encounter with Ceon URI Mapping http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=1269 - something that just works 'right out of the box' exactly as described. Something that is available in the Free Software Add Ons.As it stands today, the Numinix solution is as CLOSE to that 'right out the box' experience as a shopowner is gonna get for FREE.. As it stands any shopowner who really wants some kind of WordPress integration is gonna have to either roll up their sleeves and do some hunting for answers or pay for development assistance.. And it appears that's it unlikely that anyone is going to do any further development on this front (for free) as there is a viable solution available..

Quite frankly shopowners who decide to put on a web developers hat and build their own sites, cannot realistically expect a plug-n-play kind of experience from a FREE plugin anyway. Especially one meant to integrate two VERY DIFFERENT open source products (developed to serve two VERY DISTINCT purposes). Heck Ceon URI Mapping is easy to install, but still daunts "someone not as savvy in html, php etc".. (as demonstrated by the support thread)

DivaVocals:

Heck Ceon URI Mapping is easy to install, but still daunts "someone not as savvy in html, php etc".. (as demonstrated by the support thread)
Yes, but there the difference is Conor's (and other helpful posters :wink:) involvement and that makes for a huge improvement!
cheers

loosefast:

Yes, but there the difference is Conor's (and other helpful posters :wink:) involvement and that makes for a huge improvement!
cheersWell I've found lots of helpful information posted for free on this front as well (WordPress integration).. and you're right makes a HUGE difference..:smile: The WordPress forums and Numinix's own site have been immensely helpful..:smile:

Sorry for not reading all 180 pages, so this may have been posted already.

I installed Wordpress according to the instructions at Numinix's site on two sites this week. The instructions are good, but involve a lot of 'if you're doing this, then do that' stuff that can make them seem confusing.

If you install Zencart in the root, and Wordpress in a folder named 'wordpress', the instructions work well.

Two tips involving styling:

Leave the Wordpress style.css file in your Zencart css folder, but remove all its contents, so that the file is empty.

Remove all mentions of body in blog.css, and let Zencart's stylesheet.css handle the body rules. You may have to do the same with input for search boxes, etc.

Thanks to Numinix for this handy mod.

stevesh:

Sorry for not reading all 180 pages, so this may have been posted already.

I installed Wordpress according to the instructions at Numinix's site on two sites this week. The instructions are good, but involve a lot of 'if you're doing this, then do that' stuff that can make them seem confusing.

If you install Zencart in the root, and Wordpress in a folder named 'wordpress', the instructions work well.

Two tips involving styling:

Leave the Wordpress style.css file in your Zencart css folder, but remove all its contents, so that the file is empty.

Remove all mentions of body in blog.css, and let Zencart's stylesheet.css handle the body rules. You may have to do the same with input for search boxes, etc.

Thanks to Numinix for this handy mod.

I think there is a new thread for Numinix, and this post would be helpful over there...

Numinix thread http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=184126

stevesh:

Sorry for not reading all 180 pages, so this may have been posted already.

I installed Wordpress according to the instructions at Numinix's site on two sites this week. The instructions are good, but involve a lot of 'if you're doing this, then do that' stuff that can make them seem confusing.

If you install Zencart in the root, and Wordpress in a folder named 'wordpress', the instructions work well.

Two tips involving styling:

Leave the Wordpress style.css file in your Zencart css folder, but remove all its contents, so that the file is empty.

Remove all mentions of body in blog.css, and let Zencart's stylesheet.css handle the body rules. You may have to do the same with input for search boxes, etc.

Thanks to Numinix for this handy mod.
I also suggested that folks asking for support on the Numinix blog embedding solution post those questions on a separate thread.. One community member has done just that.. (http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=184126) You might consider posting your tips there instead of here....

ETA: Gotta read the thread BEFORE I post on tiny mobile devices..:laugh::laugh:

Hey folks, I was about to install WoZ on a fresh WP install tonight when I ran into this problem in the Woz manager:

1146 Table '(DB).zen_woz' doesn't exist
in:
[select count(*) as total from zen_woz]

The only solution that I found that seemed remote to fix this problem is run mysql_zencart.sql from the zen cart install file, then restore the DB. Im hoping that is the case before I go through with it...

pippihippy:

Hey folks, I was about to install WoZ on a fresh WP install tonight when I ran into this problem in the Woz manager:

1146 Table '(DB).zen_woz' doesn't exist
in:
[select count(*) as total from zen_woz]

The only solution that I found that seemed remote to fix this problem is run mysql_zencart.sql from the zen cart install file, then restore the DB. Im hoping that is the case before I go through with it...Suggest reading through AT LEAST the last 4-5 pages of this support thread (yes all 4-5 pages) before installing this add-on..