Free Template "Future Zen"

SilverKop:

Firefox/IE

All sorted now:P

Sorry Stephen. Completely missed this question in the middle of a rather manic week. Glad you were able to sort it out for yourself.

Love the template. And I'm sure I'm missing something realllly obvious, but I can't get it to show up under Tools > Template Selection.

I installed the entire folder into the includes/templates directory, and everything looks fine when I look at it in my FTP program. I even tried with two different FTP programs. But when I login to Admin and go to Tools > Template Selection, it's not showing up as an option - only the Default Classic is there.

Can you help?

Thanks

The most likely reason for this would be because when you unpacked the zip file it created a folder called future_zen_v1_4 and you uploaded that to your server. The actual template is contained within this folder in one called simply future_zen and it's this folder which needs to sit inside the includes/templates directory.

If this is not the problem, please post a link to your site and I'll come give it a bit of a prod and poke and see if I can see what's going on.

The most likely reason for this would be because when you unpacked the zip file it created a folder called future_zen_v1_4 and you uploaded that to your server. The actual template is contained within this folder in one called simply future_zen and it's this folder which needs to sit inside the includes/templates directory.

If this is not the problem, please post a link to your site and I'll come give it a bit of a prod and poke and see if I can see what's going on.

Thanks so much for the quick response.

I do have the folder named future_zen.

BUT --
I imagine the problem is because I had a massive crash yesterday that required the database to be reinstalled by my hosting company. I can access ZenCart admin, but I'm waiting for someone (who knows more than newbie-me!) to come in and reinstall the missing ZenCart files so that my site can be properly functioning. Right now if you go to the site -- the files are at http://www.artellaland.com/shop_backup/ -- it just shows several errors. This is what she is -hopefully- going to be able to fix this evening.

In the meantime, since I can access admin, I was hoping to work with your template. But I imagine the fact that the fact that the aforementioned errors are related to templates, that's what is keeping it from loading properly.

Your analysis is spot on. Future Zen is built on top of the template_default and the error that you are getting is because on of the files upon which that relies is missing. In fact it's the very second file to be called, so there's a good chance that others are missing or corrupted too.

You can work on the template as you don't need these files to be able to start customizing future Zen, you just won't be able to see the results until your installation is repaired (a bit of a drawback I know). Good luck with the repair.

Thanks kuroi -- :D

Version New version of future Zen has been released. The updates are simply to ensure 100% compatibiluty with Zen Cart 1.3.6. There are no design changes.

thanks kuroi! your the best...

Hi Lala :blush:

I should have said that added above that if you are upgrading to 1.3.6 (and you should) and have done extensive customization on the future Zen template, so don't want to start again with a new version, then there are a few changes that you should make by hand. You can find them in this thread.

You can probably ignore the changes regarding breadcrumbs and "Kuroi's magic bullet, but the other two are moderately important.

haha you KNOW ive added a few things, ;)

im waiting a few days before upgrading... see where the bugs and work around are... hehe

but i still love that you are so quick to respond huggles

I've used Future Zen as is - thank you Kuroi! - except I've replaced with my own images (keeping code intact) and making some minor CSS modifications.

My site in progress is https://www.artellaland.com/shop/

I have two questions that I'm hoping you might be able to help with:

• On my main PC, the "New Products" and "Featured Products" title bars has been looking fine - but when I was working on a different computer I saw that there was a large gap between the title_cap_left image and the title_cap_right image. The bar didn't go all the way across. Any idea how I can fix this?

• As you'll see, I'm playing with my own image for a custom sidebox (which I've just rewritten over the exact same image names as the future_zen template). I have a couple of categories that have several sub-categories, and when those are expanded, the categories sideboxes has a break in it toward the top. See this page as an example:
  http://www.artellaland.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=19

Is there a way to fix this?

Thank you so much!

I've done a lot of customizing of Future Zen. How musch stuff actually cahnges in the updates and do I need to be rebuilding the entire template everytime we have an update?

On a related note what's the best way to comment and keep track of the changes we make to any given template to ensure an easy transition? Does anybody have experience with this?

lyricwings:

As you'll see, I'm playing with my own image for a custom sidebox (which I've just rewritten over the exact same image names as the future_zen template). I have a couple of categories that have several sub-categories, and when those are expanded, the categories sideboxes has a break in it toward the top. See this page as an example:
http://www.artellaland.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=19

Is there a way to fix this?
Increasing the length of the sidebox_content_bg.gif :smile:

Thanks Seethrough - that worked for fixing my 2nd question.

lyricwings:

I've used Future Zen as is ... except I've replaced with my own images (keeping code intact) and making some minor CSS modifications. ... and very nice images they are too :yes: though you may find it helpful to look at the file sizes of some of them (a tad large in some cases) > I have two questions that I'm hoping you might be able to help withIt looks ot me as though you have gotten this sorted following Seethrough's advice. Visitors would now need to set their browser windows to 1714px or greater to break your site and there's not many with screens big enough to do that! And even less who would want to!!

sonicparke:

I've done a lot of customizing of Future Zen. How musch stuff actually cahnges in the updates and do I need to be rebuilding the entire template everytime we have an update?

On a related note what's the best way to comment and keep track of the changes we make to any given template to ensure an easy transition? Does anybody have experience with this?Quite a lot, about 10% of the Zen Cart files this time. But that doesn't need to mean a lot of work for you. Back up a few posts in this thread and I give you a link to a thread with the four changes needed for most templates and since you've had the jolly good sense to use future Zen, you only have to do two of them.

The way I keep track of my changes is twofold

1. I keep files that I have changed separate from ones that I haven't
2. I add a php comment,> //kuroi:with or without explanation, at the end or immediately before lines that I change (except for stylesheets which usually end up completely different from that whith which I started).

These two steps make it very simple to compare my changed file list with those of each new delivery and then using Winmerge tell apart changes made by the Zen Cart team from those I did myself.

seethrou:

Increasing the length of the sidebox_content_bg.gif :smile:

Hi there, was searching for this same problem I was having. And is this a function of increasing the the actual pics that make up the side box, or is it a function of the code somewhere? (yes I'm a newbie)

Thanks...

Crzipilot:

Hi there, was searching for this same problem I was having. And is this a function of increasing the the actual pics that make up the side box, or is it a function of the code somewhere? (yes I'm a newbie)

Thanks...Newbies are very welcome here :yes:. This template was designed especially for you.

In this case Seethrou was referring not to code or parameter changes, but to breaking out your image editor and making the background image itself longer.

Great, I figured it was one or the other, was suspecting it had to do with the image itself. I d/l the files you have for them, and intend to play with them some more once we decide on the final colors for the site.

I'm taking an old website, that was inherieted by prev. designer, who taught herself, and while did good for what she needed, it's become a bear to update, and it's updated sometimes 3 or more times a week with new products. It also doesn't have a shopping cart. BUT we have about 3500 items, (We sell Stuffed bears, from 5.00 to a couple grand a piece.)

Another quick question, (friend who does webdesign full time) was commenting, that she prefers fixed width sites, Just curious on your opinion if this would look ok with the future zen, or do you prefer it full width/scaling ( I think you mentioned ealier in thread you did this for a particular purpose)

Thanks

I'll send up a link once we get more stuff on the site...