several things - IE 7 and column layout for starters

This is just a list of things (not complaints by any means) that I have tried to fix and can't find the answers to.

1. IE7 has destroyed the product column grid layout module on the template I was using. is this happening for anyone else.

2. i am unable to change the meta title for my categories. i get the following error even when everything is filled in

1062 Duplicate entry '7-1' for key 1
in:
[insert into zen_meta_tags_categories_description (metatags_title, metatags_keywords, metatags_description, categories_id, language_id) values ('hello baby', 'leaving no fields', 'i am leaving no fields blan at all am i', '7', '1')]
If you were entering information, press the BACK button in your browser and re-check the information you had entered to be sure you left no blank fields.

3. is upgrading as tedious as it seems or am I just being chicken? i come from the joomla and drupal family and its a little easier.

4. what is the best way for me to show my support. i am working on some templates (free) and a module !!! sort of ghetto but like a tag cloud for my category links but..... I am guessing DrByte is a major developer....what do you suggest i do to support the community!

thanks!!!!

1. IE7 has destroyed the product column grid layout module on the template I was using. is this happening for anyone else.

First set your body widht

body {
    margin: 0;
    font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
    font-size: 70%;
    color: #000000;
    background-color: #006600;
    width: 1024px;
    align: center;

Now you need to specify a width for your sidebars. to do this you have to seperate the nested classes in stylesheet.css because the center is nested with the right and left columns.

Search for .leftBoxContainer and you'll find something like this.

.leftBoxContainer, .rightBoxContainer , .centerBoxWrapper {
    margin: 0.7em 0em 0.7em 0em;
    background-color: #006600;
    background-image: url(../images/tile_back2.jpg);
    background-repeat: repeat-x;
    border: 1px solid #9a9a9a;
  
    }

Change it to something like this. Notice I put the width under the left and right containers, but left it off of the center container. I simply copied the code from the three nested classes starting at the centerBoxWrapper and pasted the code below. Then cut out the centerBoxWrapper class from the original code. Now I have more control over the size of my side boxes and the center container seperatly.

.leftBoxContainer, .rightBoxContainer {
    margin: 0.7em 0em 0.7em 0em;
    background-color: #006600;
    background-image: url(../images/tile_back.jpg);
    background-repeat: repeat-x;
    border: 1px solid #9a9a9a;
    width: 150px;
    }

.centerBoxWrapper {
    margin: 0.7em 0em 0.7em 0em;
    background-color: #006600;
    background-image: url(../images/tile_back.jpg);
    background-repeat: repeat-x;
    border: 1px solid #9a9a9a;
    width: 390px;
    align: center
  }

2. i am unable to change the meta title for my categories. i get the following error even when everything is filled in

1062 Duplicate entry '7-1' for key 1
in:
[insert into zen_meta_tags_categories_description (metatags_title, metatags_keywords, metatags_description, categories_id, language_id) values ('hello baby', 'leaving no fields', 'i am leaving no fields blan at all am i', '7', '1')]
If you were entering information, press the BACK button in your browser and re-check the information you had entered to be sure you left no blank fields.

3. is upgrading as tedious as it seems or am I just being chicken? i come from the joomla and drupal family and its a little easier.

4. what is the best way for me to show my support. i am working on some templates (free) and a module !!! sort of ghetto but like a tag cloud for my category links but..... I am guessing DrByte is a major developer....what do you suggest i do to support the community!

Look in the wiki to find out how to support.

Read the developers section.

Yes Zen Cart is harder to get your head around it, but that's because of it's vastness and the fact that we don't have to use the installer as in joomla where the apache server takes over the permissions. I tried using virtuemart for quite a while but found that it just didn't have the features that Zen cart does.

As for helping out. Get your cart working first. Load modules, figure out how they all work. Then talk to one of the designers and ask them what they can use help with.

Of course the two easiest ways of helping is answering forum questions, and of course donating funds to the design team.