MultiSite Module Support Thread

Thanks for the replies everyone,

I'll try the EP basic later this week, if that works I'll be so glad!

I don't know if the EP advanced works in the background, it just freezes. I'll put the max_time real high and let it roll for a night, I'll see how it is tomorrow morning!
And using smaller data sets won't work.. I don't even get to the point where I would upload the file :( the freezing is before that point.
It works on an empty store though, so I know it shóuld work.

I'll keep you posted!
DMR

I have seen many users struggling with attributes with EP, myself included. This was a major requirement of a current project so I just had to get it working.

I read that uploading a "complete file" with basic info AND attributes was a problem, so I began with that.

My solution turned out to be quite simple and it works.

I created a new Excel sheet with only 1 set of attributes like this:

v_products_model v_attribute_options_id_1 v_attribute_options_name_1_1 v_attribute_values_id_1_1 v_attribute_values_price_1_1 v_attribute_values_name_1_1_1 v_attribute_values_price_prefix_1_1 v_attribute_default_1_1 v_attribute_sort_1_1 v_products_priced_by_attribute EOREOR

I then add each option and value on a separate line. A product with 3 options each having 4 values would be listed on 12 lines.

I removed all of these columns from my basic EP upload file.

This removed the confusion of going across dozens of columns.

Some of the columns I needed/wanted are not in EP, so I added them to the update.

I did need to modify the updates to "products" and "products_description" to not do updates if the attributes columns existed.

I am not sure if any other code changes were made for this change. If someone tries this and has an issue/error, post back and i will look through the code some more. Or I'll post my php file.

I am creating the file from a database containing my products so I have no need for the description, but it would not hurt anything to have it there. You count just begin with the basic file, remove the "basic" info and add the above columns.

I did try to just duplicate the complete product on multiple lines with a new option on each line. In theory that should have worked as EP should have thought of them as updates. This is where my limited php knowledge comes in. I suspect that an array is being built with a unique line for each model number, so prior lines were being overridden.

I hope this helps someone.

Jeff

I'm more or less up - an example is https://www.digitalenlarging.com - still adding product graphics.

I'll ask about ezpages again too - I'd like to include some, but I can't get the layout/banner/whatever it's called box to show up...

I just set up my Multi-Site Module and it went pretty well but here's my problems.

1-I'm not planning to use this on multiple domains. All three stores will be on the same domain. Which in this case will be jamwestfoods.com. There's going to be three stores. One is for retail customers, another for wholesale customers (grocers, specialty food stores, etc.) and another for the foodservice (restaurants, catering, etc.) business. Two of the stores need to be password protected so only the appropriate people can go into those stores. I know we're supposed to have three different templates but quite frankly, I could use the same template for each store since it's for the same domain. So how can I set up my configure.php for doing just this?

2-I notice that when I go here:
http://www.jamwestfoods.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=1

I get this message:

Page not found
The page you are looking for might have been removed,
had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.
Please try the following:

If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly.

• Click the Back button in your browser to try another link.
• Use a search engine like Google to look for information on the Internet.
  HTTP 404 - File not found

Why is that? Doesn't happen in other departments.

3-Finally I notice on the homepage:
http://www.jamwestfoods.com/store/

That the main image isn't showing up. Nor is the Featured products area. Is my store seeing the one item I've added so far? Should I delete it and try again?

What I'd do:

If you're using multisite, have the main domain as just an HTML page, asking people to hit a button depending on where they want to go. You can do the password there.

Then buy three more domains, and point them at the first one...

Jamcustomers.com
Jamwholesale.com
jamservice.com

The only time they'll see jamwestfoods.com is when they check out...

Or maybe you could get away with just buying the wholesale and the service domains...

Why not just use the wholesea pricing mod instead of multisite? It supports 4 levels of pricing. One template, 4 price levels. When a person registers you define their pricing level.

Actually, I can't use the Wholesale mod since the items sold in the retail vs. wholesale are completely different sizes, quantities and prices. For example, my client could sell a bottle of marinade to a customer for five bucks but in wholesale, they can only buy a case of 24 for say $100 and in foodservice they can only buy a big plastic bottle for $20. See the problem?

So what I did instead was set up subdomains like store.jamwestfoods.com and wholesale.jamwestfoods.com and they both point to the store folder and then go to the proper template set up in the config files. Only problem now is figuring out how to password protect a subdomain which my clients' host (iPower) hasn't told me how to do yet.

Gotcha... What's the point of using multisite though... Since the stores have completely seperate catalogs, why not just build 3 catalogs? Then you can use the standard functionality of "must login to browse and get prices" and only activate accounts for those wholesalers...

The point of multisite is to offer the same products across multiple sites.

Or to have everything funnel through one checkout system...

Linkpoint charges me $20/month.

Multiply that x 15, and things could start to get interesting.

Every month.

Add in things like SSL certs, and you're looking at real money for more than a couple of sites.

I know what you're saying. We'll have 100+ sites running on multisite within 12 months. Each site has it's own domain, IP, and SSL certificate. Perhaps you can look into an SSL wildcard certificate and use subdomains. My annual domain costs will run in the $20k+ range but it scales.

I have one site that is password protected. I just tweaked the system a tad on login... I also modified multisite to keep customer lists and baskets seperate for each site. Fairly simple with the componentized coding of zen-cart.

MotoDelta, the reason I did it this way was even though there are three catalogs, I want them to all go to the same database so the client receives all orders from one admin area instead of logging into three. Which obviously would be a drag.
Posted via Mobile Device

We'll have 100+ sites running on multisite within 12 months. Each site has it's own domain, IP, and SSL certificate.

Can't you just use one dedicated IP, with one SSL cert, to handle all the payment stuff? Or are you going to also be doing a bundle of different credit card processors? Ouch!

I just pointed the DNS or whatever it's called to the dedicated IP, set up the multiple-named-template system, and it's rockin'... Some stuff is standard across the system, like the products and the payment, but I'm changing the look/feel for each site as I go...

bogie:

Can't you just use one dedicated IP, with one SSL cert, to handle all the payment stuff? Or are you going to also be doing a bundle of different credit card processors? Ouch!

I just pointed the DNS or whatever it's called to the dedicated IP, set up the multiple-named-template system, and it's rockin'... Some stuff is standard across the system, like the products and the payment, but I'm changing the look/feel for each site as I go...

Well the problem with that for me is several fold:

1. If you use a common checkout page, within multisite you lose the template formatting because it looks at the server URL to serve up the template. I can't find a way around that. It could probably be done with a session variable and using a server SSL, but I cannot make it work. I cannot lose the templating. Each site represents a seperate business and they want to retain their identity during checkout.

2. With shared IP between all sites, there are potential search-engine issues. Similar content, same IP, 100 sites, it is likely that if search engines aren't doing it now, they will in the near-term and I don't want our customers sites blacklisted.

Those are both HUGE issues for me and untill I can find a way around them, they remain the cost of doing business. If there are holes in my thought process, I'd be happy to have the critical eye on them.

(Note that my costs quoted earlier included things like dedicated server, hosting, and tech support costs).

Hi Guys & Girls

I've had a pretty good go at reading through most of this thread without much joy for what I wanted.

I've had a Multisite store set up with 5 different stores/fronts included:

https://www.BuyHakko.com

You can move between the stores using the tabs across the top. I would like customers to be able to login into one store & then remain logged in as they move between the stores to shop - the shopping basket is carried across the stores at the moment but you have to login to each store individually. Can anyone advise on what I need to change/setup for the customers to be able to login once then remain logged in as they move between the stores ?

Thanks

Absey

Hi absey,
If you link the tabs with the session key it will do what you want it to do. Use the correct variable, which should be "zenid". You can use something like:

zen_session_name() . '=' . zen_session_id()

to output the session variable and value. Or you can just use zen_href_link and set the add_session_id parameter to true.

I also might try using POST and making each site a button to avoid people copying the links from the site tabs and accidentally emailing their session id. Could cause problems as it will log anyone in as that customer.

Oh thank you, I've been looking for this (so excited), but I don't understand what you are saying to do there:

Hi absey,
If you link the tabs with the session key it will do what you want it to do. Use the correct variable, which should be "zenid". You can use something like:
PHP Code:
zen_session_nameCOLOR=#007700 . '=' . zen_session_idCOLOR=#007700
[/COLOR] [/COLOR]

to output the session variable and value. Or you can just use zen_href_link and set the add_session_id parameter to true.

I also might try using POST and making each site a button to avoid people copying the links from the site tabs and accidentally emailing their session id. Could cause problems as it will log anyone in as that customer.

Ok, for example. When I visit transportation.actionforms.ca and turn off my cookies I will find links like this (notice the zenid):

http://transportation.actionforms.ca/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=183&zenid=12da6f0bc81eed0b419e4daa853bcf39
```If you were to login to any of your subdomains and then send the zenid variable to any other of your subdomains using a link with the zenid then it would keep you logged in.

so for example if I were logged in with the above zenid then doing this would keep me loggged in and take me to the humanresources subdomain:```php
http://humanresources.actionforms.ca/cart/index.php?main_page=index&zenid=12da6f0bc81eed0b419e4daa853bcf39

Ok that makes sense :-) Now for the dumb question of where do I put the zen_session_nameCOLOR=#007700 . '=' . zen_session_idCOLOR=#007700

I only know enough php to be dangerous, so please be patient and thanks for the help!!!
[/COLOR][/COLOR]

Is this the process I would use if I want to:

Set up 2 duplicate sites, one for USA and one for Canada, both working off the same host provider.

Both sites are basically the same but the shopping cart will be in the two seperate currency $$'s.

I have to do it that way because the price is much less in 1 country vs the other. More than what the general exchange rate is. IE 6$ in usa + shipping vs 10$ CAN + shipping

Any feedback would be appreciated.

You use it whenever your creating a link from one sub-domain to the next

echo 'a href="http://humanresources.actionforms.ca/cart/index.php?'. zen_session_name() . '=' . zen_session_id()   .'">Human resources</a>';