No Visitor's cart available

Many of you tried to help me regarding shopping carts (Visitor's Cart vs Members Cart... THANK YOU but but but but but, my earlier question(s) had a BASIC flaw. My site was not working the way you guys "crafted" it to work.
Bottom line is that I never had a Visitor's Cart! And, I screwed it up all by myself somehow...

So this evening, I took your advice and installed the Test Store... to determine how it was really supposed to work. Installing a test store is a great piece of advice, especially to those of us who already "know it all." I fell into my own trap by being a know it all.

This just ain't true confessions. I NEED HELP.
HERE IS MY PROBLEM:
I am missing my Visitor's Cart...
When I installed the Test store I found the visitors cart (actually it found me...) and I could put things into the visitor's shopping cart prior to logging in (duh! duh! duh!(log :lamo: in)

Somehow I have hosed that up and cannot fix it. In my store it says "Login to purchase." In the test store, it has the visitor's cart graphic located in precisely the same place as those words.

QUESTION:
HELP! Where is the place I turn on the visitor's cart? I want it, I need it.

Thanks to everyone for their patience... especially Merlin and Dr.Byte.

Respectfully,

John Underwood

John do you by chance have your admin settings set to force login in order to shop?

Look under Configuration/Customer Details :

Customer Shop Status - View Shop and Prices

Hope that helps !

There is no place to "turn on" the visitors cart. As soon as you hit "add to cart" on a product it is placed in the "visitors cart" and the shopping cart text/link will magically appear at the top of the page next to login and a checkout link. If the shopping cart side box is enabled it will also appear. When you are ready to purchase, if your not already on the cart page, then just click the checkout link. If you are not logged in then you be presented with the login page. You have to login to purchase, no visitor purchasing allowed at this time, maybe in future version. At this point the session ids' change and the "visitors cart" becomes your permanent cart, so that if you decide to logout or shut off the browser at this point the permanent cart is saved and will be there upon your next login.
If when you add to cart when not logged in and you are taken to the shopping cart page showing the item you placed in the cart is there, then it is functioning fine. If you don't login and leave the store the vistors cart is emptied as it has no way of tracking the cart because the session id will be different when you return. Am I making any sense? that long winded enough for now, any more questions?

Tina is right, that would do it to. Forgot about that one. Forcing login to shop would not let items be placed in "visitors"cart, therefore the cart wouldn't show up.

Thank you TinaS and barco57...

You two have once again proven that properly managed forums with well disciplined and self-respecting members can do so much for each other while they are helping ZEN-NEWBIES like me. It is a pleasure sharing issues here and indeed a greater pleasure having them solved by folks who obviously care.

Both of you and the others who stopped by have made my day. You have made it work the way it should... you nailed the problem shut with the correct solution and at the same time ensured the privacy and integrity of the customer's shopping links. I salute you and thank you.

Respectfully,

John Underwood

:D Glad you fnally got it working John !

That's exactly why those of us who have "been around the block" wth zen come back again and again (or at least this one of Us) - to help everyone who is in the position I once was in - looking at a cart that is featured packed - ready to serve me - and TOTALLY LOST as to what to do next with said cart :blink: