MultiSite Module Support Thread

Even though I am watching this thread, I actually gave up on this mod due to lack of support.

I am working on my own solution that is moving along well.

Here's what I have so far:
Visit the under developement project here http://www.munchieuniversity.com

The links to New York/Buffalo are the ones to look at. When a person registers at any restaurant in the Buffalo mall, they are registered for all Buffalo stores.

In my design, each store has it's own unique product list, with no need to add tags like the multisite mod. It might be fairly easy to share product amoung stores, but I do not need this so I haven't tried to make the mod.

Each order is unique to one store and cannot/will not be combined with others (by design). Again, I think a mod can be made to share orders also if needed.

If there is enough interest, I can write up how I got to this point.

Jeff

Jeff G:

Each order is unique to one store and cannot/will not be combined with others (by design).

Can you explain this a little further? Do you mean that a customer can't shop in one store, then migrate that cart to another before checking out?

wtashby,

That's correct. For my needs, each order needs to be unique to that store. The order will not combine with other stores.

Another thing I have not tried yet is a single session login. At this point you must login to each store when placing an order. (Go to store 1, login & place order. Go to store 2 and you are no longer logged in.) I need to test session stuff :blink: to get to that level.

However, all the orders go into a shared order file with a new field storing the site name where the order was placed.

My question to you: If you need multiple stores, why would you need to combine the orders? Wouldn't it be easier to just expand the categories in one store?

Jeff

I'm actually trying to cheap out on the SSL cert end... That, and I don't wanna do 15-20 different product sets... Even cutting/pasting, that gets old...

I'm still trying to figure out how get the ezpages to show... Probably have to read the whole thread - probably on page 49 or so...

Jeff G:

wtashby,

My question to you: If you need multiple stores, why would you need to combine the orders? Wouldn't it be easier to just expand the categories in one store?

Jeff

Actually, you wouldn't need to combine the orders, but, it would be nice to be able to offer your customer that option, and the option to be logged in to all the stores at once.

Now, my biggest concern where multiple sites, one admin, one database is involved is product uploads. I suppose the easiest workaround for that would be to use something like Easy Populate. Each store would be a Top level category, v_categories_name_1, and each category within the store would be a sub category, v_categories_name_2, and so on.

The mod would somehow have to be able to say, ok, v_categories_name_1 is Store A, Store B, and Store C and v_categories_name_2 is the Widgets category in Store A, Accessories in Store B, Giftware in Store C and so on.

Just a thought.

wtashby:

Actually, you wouldn't need to combine the orders, but, it would be nice to be able to offer your customer that option, and the option to be logged in to all the stores at once.

On my site, each store is a restaurant, so the order must be only for that restaurant. The ability to order from multiple restaurants without having to log in each one would be a plus. I will be trying to figure that one out soon.

Now, my biggest concern where multiple sites, one admin, one database is involved is product uploads. I suppose the easiest workaround for that would be to use something like Easy Populate.

I'm actually using one database with mostly separate tables (& prefixes) for each store. Each store is a ZC install in its own folder. I then changed some files on every site to use the same customer file (and a few others). I use Easy Populate with a separate product file for each store.

I weighed out the single admin on the multisite mod (MSM) vs. having an admin for each store. There are obviously pros and cons to each. I think it would get pretty confusing maintaining the products for each store (200-300 each) in a single table using MSM. It also got a little confusing with categories from one store to the other.

After the first store is completly setup, I just need to copy it to a new folder and modify the configure.php files. I then dump/backup the tables for store 1, clear the product data, change the prefix and restore to the same database.

Another thing to consider... This method might not be best for every situation, but I think it will work for most. On my site I will be hosting totally independent stores. The only connection to each other is my site. I do need the order history in one place for my uses.

I've been working on this for just a few weeks, but so far I have not run into any roadblocks.

Hello Jeff,

I stumbled across some of your posts and what you tell is very interesting. I'm trying to have multiple stores as well, with multiple admins. I've read in your post a while back how to combine the customers, so thanks for that.

The only question I have is: do you think it would be possible to combine everything Except the products?

The reason I ask is as following. I have a (large) store and one category which i regularly get .csv files for. Should work great with EasyPopulate you think? nope.. Easypopulate freezes up on a large store.

So What I want to do is create two stores, with one being just for that one category. The best thing for me would be to share everything else, so the customer won't notice it.
Do you think this is possible (considering I'm a Noob at php?:D)

Thanks for any advice you could give me!

Sincerely,
DMR

DMR,

How many items are in your file? I use EP for another site and have loaded over 3000 items in one file using the split mode. While a little tedious to click each of the split files, it did work fine.

But if you really need to make 2 sites, from what I've seen it should work. You would do sort of the opposite of what I did. In the 2 configure.php files for each store use the same database and the same prefix. In the database_tables.php for each site hard code the prefix for products, products_desc, etc to all use a different table for each store. You then copy those files within the same database to the new name.

You would then end up with something like: (prefix set for each store = "zen_")
zen_table1
zen_table2
zen_table3
store1_products
store1_products_description
store2_products
store2_products_description

You might have to have unique category files also or ZC might get confused. You would have to test thoroughly.

I think it might be a little tough to have a category open another site and return seemlessly.

Jeff

mani:

I have multisite module installed but when i click tools> Multisite Tools, i get this message

Sorry, your security clearance does not allow you to access this resource.
Please contact your site administrator if you believe this to be incorrect.
Sorry for any inconvenience.

Tell me how do i get rid of it and solve this problem?

You've obviously added the Admin profiles mod but have not enabled that add-on for your main user. Edit the profile of your primary admin, add multisite to it. Should be listed at the bottom.

Jeff G:

DMR,

How many items are in your file? I use EP for another site and have loaded over 3000 items in one file using the split mode. While a little tedious to click each of the split files, it did work fine.

But if you really need to make 2 sites, from what I've seen it should work. You would do sort of the opposite of what I did. In the 2 configure.php files for each store use the same database and the same prefix. In the database_tables.php for each site hard code the prefix for products, products_desc, etc to all use a different table for each store. You then copy those files within the same database to the new name.

You would then end up with something like: (prefix set for each store = "zen_")
zen_table1
zen_table2
zen_table3
store1_products
store1_products_description
store2_products
store2_products_description

You might have to have unique category files also or ZC might get confused. You would have to test thoroughly.

I think it might be a little tough to have a category open another site and return seemlessly.

Jeff

I believe there is about 5000 items in that store, the problem is that the items are already in the store; when I installed EP and tried to open it, it just times out or (when i set a greater execution_time) it just keeps loading.. did you experience the same problem or did you install EP on an empty store?

Anyway, thanks for this info, maybe i'll try it out!:P

Dimar I'd also check your php timeout settings in configuration. 5000 products is really not that many. I've successfully used Easypopulate for over product loads upwards of 30,000 at a time.

I'm unclear as to what you are trying to do though, you want to share everything including categories but not products? Obviously with multisites cat_filter functionality it is simpler to place segregated products in diffferent categories and then restrict those categories to certain sites.

However if you are only doing 1-2 sites I generally think it's better to just have seperate sites honestly. The work to setup and maintain multi-site will be more that just operating seperate stores. I'm only considering it because we will be running more than 100 template sites and obviously there will be economies of scale there.

Yes, I already changed that execution time, then it doesn't time out anymore, but just keeps on loading and doing nothing.
Did you install EP on a already full store or on an empty one? I'm thinking I should just install it on an empty store and redo al the products of which I don't have a xls file (75% :yuck:)

is there a way to take the "raw" database content and reshape it to be a file that EP can handle? In that case I could try that!

I'll have to take a look at that, but I'm at work now, so no time :P

Thanks for your response anyway!
DMR

Well you can export your current store to XL and then add in your new products to that and re-import it.. I've loaded both new and old stores using the tool. The only thing that doesn't work in EasyPopulate that I can see is attributes.

but i can only export a store when EP is installed on it right? or is there any other way? and do you use EP advanced or the free version? (i bought advanced...)

Correct. Perhaps you can step back and tell me what you are trying to do to give me some context?

Well, here's the story (you asked for it.. :D)

There is this one store for carparts (filled with about 5000 items). Now one of the suppliers is kind enough to supply a .csv file with their stock, so it's always up to date.

I bought easypopulate advanced to import it. Tried it on a testserver (empty store) and it worked fine.
I set up a test site filled with the store database, but then when i try to run EP it gives a maximum_execution_time error.
I found the execution_time thing in the zencart admin, but when i set it real high, it only loads and loads, but doesn't do anything.

My idea was now to create 2 stores and link them, so i could use the csv file in one store and the rest in the other. But seeing how much trouble it will cause me, I don't think that's the best idea.

I'm trying to install a 3d party store manager now, but that's gonna set me back another 149 dollar, so if i could get the EP to work it would be great.

I think I'm going download the database, import it to excel and just manually convert it to a EP file... and then upload it to a new store.

It's going to be a sh*tty job.. but someone's gotta do it! Maybe I'll write it into a macro-function, for future users of EP that have the same prob.. (let's see if i have enough time for that)

Thanks again!

ps: did you use the advanced or the free?

Hi There

Your easy pop adv errors are pretty common. We had serious problems with easy populate advanced, very similar to yours. Time outs, errors popping, bad bad bad data inserts, etc. We put ez pop adv on 1 site, and that store suffered greatly. The same file uploaded with basic ez pop and ez pop adv resulted in completely products and categories. Using a custom UL for advanced didn't help at all. No replies from ez pop adv support for weeks, then 2 emails, then nothing again. It's been a couple months now, and I still have heard nothing.

Finally we uninstalled advanced, went back to ez pop basic, and the performance improved dramatically. The command is YOUR_ADMIN/easypopulate.php?langer=remove (THAT works perfectly!). Then install the basic, and your ez pop errors should be fixed. It certainly worked for us.

I'm using EP advanced. My processes sometimes timeout on the screen, but the actual process continues to run in the background. You say it's doing nothing but what does that mean? Are you running on a shared server environment?

Have you tried loading a smaller subset of data on the new store to see if it's working at all?

Any of you guys run into problems pointing your domains at the dedicated IP site?

I've had no problems pointing the domains that I have sitting at Godaddy at it (hosted elsewhere), but tonzo problems with the provider, and I'm suspecting that I'm rapidly learning more than the provider... (I'm a geek syndrome kinda person)

He keeps asking why I don't just make them all dedicated IPs, and buy security certs for each...

Interface for provider #2 is some sort of H-Sphere Control Panel...

I've got a few started, working on more...

Also - Have any of you guys run into SEO problems with the mod? I'm just wondering what Google, et al, thinks about how it works?