Buy now button ... where's the beef?

Alright... searched the forums like crazy before deciding to post here. I wasn't able to find anything about this issue, so I apologize if it's been answered before.

For some unknown reason, I can't get the "buy now" buttons to display. Primarily, I need it in the "featured product" box (center column). In configuration->featured listing, the "buy now" buttons are enabled... I think.

When looking at the featured product template, there's nothing apparent in the template which would display a "buy now" button ... so what gives?

Any help and direction here will be greatly appreciated.

--csb

Are your products downloads or have attributes? If so, I don't think
you can use the Buy Now buttons.

These products are not downloads... there are no attributes.

Attributes require a choice to be made before adding to cart, so the listing cannot have a buy now button in that case - it's not just lack of setting options.
And the only way to have downloads is with an attribute, so they fall under that net even if there are no choices to be made.

Well ok, then your problem is something else...

It appears to me that the template doesn't have any provisions for a "buy now" button ... here's what I"m looking at:

includes/templates/template_default/sideboxes/tpl_featured.php

Should I be looking somewhere else? Why would the default zen-cart template be missing the "buy now" display? Is this something I need to add myself?

Finally found it! Maybe this thread will help:

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36975&highlight=buy+button

Some interesting info in there ... some of it has lead me to the conclusion that this may be a problem related to my test products being in the "root" category ... so here's the next mystery ... I'd like to move my products into a real category to see if it makes any difference... but the categories/products admin page has no button for adding categories. So how am I supposed to add categories if the button is missing?? Where is it? How do I add a category?

... and a follow-up question... if having products in the root category supposedly breaks stuff, why even allow products to be added in the root category? That doesn't make sense either.

Help please.

Ok... I just deleted my products from the root category ... and behold, miracles! The "new category" button appears magically. That's a weird screwed up bug ... why would a product in the root category prevent the "new category" button from appearing?

So far, I'm starting to get weary of Zen-Cart. Somehow I thought it might be better, but it's really turning out to be just as difficult and bug-ridden as any oscommerce based system.

That's not a bug - when there are products in a category, the "new category" button is off, and vice versa, to keep users from mixing categories and products. There probably should be functionality added to keep anyone from adding products in the top.

Alright ... no dice. Added a category, put a product in there... same thing. No "buy now" link.

Did you set "Display Multiple Products Qty Box Status and Set Button Location" to '0' in Configuration > Featured Listing?

I just tried that ... doesn't make any difference either.

Alright... the "buy now" button appears to be working in the category listing. I couldn't see the category listing before because I only had 1 product in the catalog. BUT, that's the only place it's appearing ... it's not appearing in the featured product box like I wanted it to.

Anyway... as I keep playing with this system, I'm realizing that I may not need a "buy now" feature. The regular "add to cart" button is probably going to do what I want. (My site is based on selling 1 product per day, woot.com style)

--csb

In that case, you will probably not have different categories, so you can turn off the categories box in Tools > Layout Boxes Controller, and just make sure you turn on Categories - Always Show on Main Page in Configuration > Layout Settings.