How to add html to header and footer

I am getting so frustrated that the template system built so poorly. Very hard to customise things. :censored:

I'd like to add HTML codes to header and footer how do I do that????

HEADER

<table style="width: 90%; height: 100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" class="style1">
	<tr>
		<td valign="top" style="text-align: center">
		<table style="width: 801px; height: 100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" class="style2">
			<tr>
				<td style="height: 367px">
				<img alt="" src="images/header_top1.jpg" width="801" height="77"><br>
				<img alt="" src="images/header_top2.jpg" width="801" height="89"><br>
				<img alt="" src="images/header_top3.jpg" width="801" height="102"><br>
				<img alt="" src="images/header_top4.jpg" width="801" height="99"></td>
			</tr>
			<tr>
				<td style="height: 53px">
				<table style="width: 100%; height: 53px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="style3">
					<tr>
						<td style="width: 24px">
						<img alt="" src="images/menu_left.gif" width="24" height="53"></td>
						<td style="background-image: url('images/menu_bg.gif')" valign="top">
						<table style="width: 100%; height: 30px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
							<tr>
								<td valign="bottom" style="text-align: center">k</td>
							</tr>
						</table>
						</td>
						<td style="width: 24px">
						<img alt="" src="images/menu_right.gif" width="24" height="53"></td>
					</tr>
				</table>
				</td>
			</tr>
			<tr>
				<td style="height: 100%">

FOOTER

</td>
			</tr>
			<tr>
				<td style="height: 85px; text-align: center">
				<table style="width: 98%; height: 76px; text-align: center" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
					<tr>
						<td style="width: 11px">
						<img alt="" src="images/footer_nav_left.gif" width="11" height="76"></td>
						<td style="background-image: url('images/footer_nav_bg.gif')">
						<table style="width: 100%; height: 100%">
							<tr>
								<td style="width: 511px"> </td>
								<td> </td>
							</tr>
						</table>
						 </td>
						<td style="width: 11px">
						<img alt="" src="images/footer_nav_right.gif" width="11" height="76"></td>
					</tr>
				</table>
				</td>
			</tr>
		</table>
		</td>
	</tr>
</table>

Just not so sure anymore what to do :unsure:

As you're using old-fashioned, static, table-based. code-heavy html with presentational attributes, inline styles and chopped up images, I can understand why you would find the Zen Cart template system frustrating.

However that doesn't mean it's built poorly. It means that it's intended for people using modern, standards-based, accessible, lightweight, CSS-based approaches to web design and development. Using these techniques, Zen Cart is very quick and easy to work with.

kuroi:

As you're using old-fashioned, static, table-based. code-heavy html with presentational attributes, inline styles and chopped up images, I can understand why you would find the Zen Cart template system frustrating.

However that doesn't mean it's built poorly. It means that it's intended for people using modern, standards-based, accessible, lightweight, CSS-based approaches to web design and development. Using these techniques, Zen Cart is very quick and easy to work with.

Thank you for your reply..... I'm sorry if I sounded rude, but I was just so mad, because after two days I still haven't able to accomplish anything.... This is the first time I ever had such problem like this when it comes to customizing templates.

Where can I find a really good tutorial to build my own template? A good explanation of the the template system would be great to have ....

There's information in the FAQ about how to change some of the components that are typically found in templates, but I think that you're trying to do something more radical than is covered by those materials.

Here's where we run into a bit of a problem as Zen Cart is so flexible in what you can do, that it's not really possible to have a tutorial or even series of them that could cover even a small part of the possibilities. This would take a substantial book.

And since your tables-based markup looks quite competent I suspect what you need is an insight into a better way, rather than a specific tutorial. You might want to take a look at this seminal blog post from 2004 or this tutorial.