Things every New Zenner needs to know

clydejones:

you access your admin panel Your_site.com/shop/admin

the database files are installed when zen cart is installed.

check the wiki and the tutorials along with searching the forum. Lots of information in these areas.

do you mean for user access to the admin portion of your cart.

Thank you Clydejones for helping me. I really appreciated.
When I get to work with that I'll let you know how every thing is going.:D

Dear All,

I need to have a HTML Header instead of static images, Where do i put the HTML code?

Currently i just copy the TPL_Header from Templates_default to classic Further i delete all the php code in TPL_header.php and replace with pure HTML code. This works for me....BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT THIS IS THE WRONG WAY?? Can anybody guide on the correct way?

saurabhgautam:

Dear All,

I need to have a HTML Header instead of static images, Where do i put the HTML code?

Currently i just copy the TPL_Header from Templates_default to classic Further i delete all the php code in TPL_header.php and replace with pure HTML code. This works for me....BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT THIS IS THE WRONG WAY?? Can anybody guide on the correct way?This is the right place and way to do what you want to do, though I would recommend creating your own template directory based on classic rather than using classic itself as otherwise your stylesheet is at risk of being overwritten when you next upgrade.

If there's something that makes me slightly uncomfortable, it's the idea of replacing the dynamic PHP with static HTML, but only you can judge whether that's really necessary.

This Thread Is Sooooooooooooooooo Hijacked!

This is the right place and way to do what you want to do, though I would recommend creating your own template directory based on classic rather than using classic itself as otherwise your stylesheet is at risk of being overwritten when you next upgrade.

Thanks Kuroi for your comments: Yes i needed to have a HTML header as i wanted to give a unique look to the site. I'm developing this site on uniserver. The site is not a shopping cart, but i'm using Zen cart as a CMS (instead of joomla) as i find it more user friendly and easy.

Now, regarding creating own template directory: do i just copy classic folders wherever they appear and rename them to "custom" would this suffice?

If only stylesheet is expected to be overwritten during upgrade, then i can always copy the original stylesheet after upgrade?

[quote=Sermonzone;213340]

As a newbee, I'd like to see a small tutorial that steps one through setting up , say, a "wigit" company with two categories and three products ( a simple company that a newbee could understand and follow)

What you are doing is great! Thank you!!

ladysaat:

1. Basic skeleton of ZenCart. All those files/directories/subdirectories and extra folders look like a big pile of spaghetti to new people. And we're looking for the short noodle...

All your points very good, add to this skeleton some explanation of the key directories and files in this skeleton so you can learn what to do with them. And one area I am still learning to deal with are the file permissions needed for the program to run properly in local mode for me when testing/adding stuff. That is issue keep bumping into.

ladysaat:

(please don't think I am complaining or trying to bad bag ZenCart. I love this thing, but that's honestly as real newb what my issues are when I got onboard and installed)

Me either, once I got zen-cart installed correctly i find this is a great application and I know why you all like it so much. I hope to use it with the new business I am planning when I retire next summer -- so am learning it now.

Russ Jacobson

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Russell J. Jacobson
Geologist 217-244-2426
Coal Section Fax 217-333-2830
Specialties: Stratigraphy, Coal Geology
Coal Resources, Geoscience Outreach
and Vertebrate Paleontology
615 E Peabody Drive
Illinois Geological Survey
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: [email protected]

Keeper of DINO RUSS's LAIR:
http://www.dinoruss.com or http://www.dinoruss.org
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Forum5:

Bump.

Lets Start with a GOOD Table of Contents then everyone can just take a chapter that they know something about.

I like this app:cry: roach. May I suggest adding a section?

Since most of what is written about is about setting up a site and programming changes once a site is up, what about a section on

How it all works (Step by Step operating procedures - Using Zen-Cart))

a. Program generated e-mails
What activates them.What they mean. What to do with them. etc.
b. New Customers
What tells me someone is registered. How do I look at the
Customer data. Can the Customer data be transferred to a stand
alone data base. etc.
c. Processing Orders
How do I know I got an order. What do I do next. How and what
do I change in my ZC program to track order, inventory, etc.
d. Newsletters
How to generate a newsletter. How to send. etc.

I'm sure others have similar needs to these items.

Since I'm new to this.... If all this somewhere already, Please tell me where.

Thank you
Russssssss:cry:

What a brilliant idea! Has this project happened yet? Where do I find the link?

rastaker:

I like this app:cry: roach. May I suggest adding a section?

Since most of what is written about is about setting up a site and programming changes once a site is up, what about a section on

How it all works (Step by Step operating procedures - Using Zen-Cart))

a. Program generated e-mails
What activates them.What they mean. What to do with them. etc.
b. New Customers
What tells me someone is registered. How do I look at the
Customer data. Can the Customer data be transferred to a stand
alone data base. etc.
c. Processing Orders
How do I know I got an order. What do I do next. How and what
do I change in my ZC program to track order, inventory, etc.
d. Newsletters
How to generate a newsletter. How to send. etc.

I'm sure others have similar needs to these items.

Since I'm new to this.... If all this somewhere already, Please tell me where.

Thank you
Russssssss:cry:

===================================================

I totally agree with you Russssssss:cry:yuck:

There's a wealth of information in the tutorials/FAQ section as well as in the wiki.

Hi Bruce,

how's the project going? Can you please give us
an update?

I like Zen Cart a lot....amazing app. Forum's great, too!

There is a ton of very good documentation....it's
just difficult to distill it and figure where to start.

My only problem at present is understanding how the
css affects the layout....e.g. the css that came with
the template I'm using ("Custom", aka Aqua Shade)
doesn't seem to control the layout for that template.
(not asking for help here.....will post in the right place later)

I've used CSS before, but the css that comes with
the cart seems pretty complex and advanced.

I'm sure if I poke around long enough I'll figure it out.

As a new user, it would be good to have a simplified
set of instructions on how to set up a very basic cart
say with 3 categories, 10 items each. Then how to
expand the cart and change the layout with the CSS.

"Baby steps" (from "What about Bob")

Thanks for taking the time to help us!
Cal - an enthusiastic new Zenner :D

cmcgaugh:

...My only problem at present is understanding how the
css affects the layout....e.g. the css that came with
the template I'm using ("Custom", aka Aqua Shade)
doesn't seem to control the layout for that template.
(not asking for help here.....will post in the right place later)

Did you activate Aqua Shade in admin -> tools -> template selection?

clydejones:

Did you activate Aqua Shade in admin -> tools -> template selection?

Yes, I did. I've used the admin panel a little but the css readme
said I should alter the css to customize the layout.

I've been tweeking the css that is in the Aqua Shade folder.....changing a background color here,
re-naming a background image there....nothing seems to
make a difference. But I know the css has some function,
because if I re-name it, the cart layout and colors go to Hell! :shocking:

Another curiosity is that the logo has to be in the template_default/images
folder instead of the Aqua Shade/images folder. :dontgetit

There must be a common denominator here.....just haven't found it yet.
The main css seems a bit long and complex.....~620 lines worth. Is it all
necessary or just there if you activate part of the cart that needs it?

Thanks, Clyde

-Cal

ps- do you know what's going on with the TENZNTK-project?

I haven't used this particular template. I'll download it to my test site and check it out.

Check the Tutorial/FAQ and the wiki. I put a lot of things from the project there.

The template works perfectly, just like any other. However, a very common error made by people new to Zen Cart is to make a copy of the stylesheet before starting to edit it, but then leave the copy in the css directory with the original. As a result the changes made to the original file are over-ridden by the copy and it looks as though the css isn't working. The answer is to delete the copy or put it somewhere else.

That template has a folder called Custom.

copy that folder to includes/templates and upload to your server.

I'm guessing you have already done this.

in admin -> tools -> template selection click the edit button scroll down and find custom and click update.

Now go to admin -> tools -> layout boxes controller scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click reset.

Bring up your "shop" in your browser.

You should be able to edit the stylesheet.css in the Custom/css folder to control colors, fonts, etc. CSS controls styling and formating not the layout per se.

As far as "layout", depending on what you want to do, you may have to play around with the template files to get the structure you want.

Thanks Clyde & Kuroi,
I didn't mean to derail the thread for the project,
but appreciate your help very much.

I've been to the Wiki, and have downloaded a lot of the pages
which I will print out with the pdf to find the info I want at a glance.
I find a hard copy of the material easier to work with and assemilate.

Anyway, you got me over the bump in the road.

Cheers & Happy New Year!
Cal :D

Good luck and Happy New Year

clydejones:

Good luck and Happy New Year

Thank you very much and

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR YOU TOO!

God Bless Youuuuuu........ all the days of your life!

AngelT