Download Zen cart on computer only...no server yet

I am very new to web site and shopping cart creation. I am trying to understand the best that I can. Here is what I want to do:

First off, I have downloaded a website template into my web building/editing software on my computer.

1. I do not have a server or host setup yet.

2. I want to download ZC to my computer and not to a server just yet.

3. I want to create, edit, and input my products for my website pages with an editor on my computer first.

4. Once I have finished getting the site somewhat setup how I want it, then I would like to send it to a server.

Can this process be done with ZC without using a server in the beginning.

BTW, the server I eventually be using is Linux-VServer.

Thanks

You need a server to install Zen Cart on in order to add products and tweak the template; but you can install a server software package on your home computer to do this. Look in the tutorials for information, and also check the wiki for the "Making a Local Copy of Your Web Site" article.

Web page creation software will not be helpful in altering your Zen Cart template, as it is not a static HTML page but dynamically assembled at runtime.

Again, I am not technical at all. So, I do not understand as it is not a static HTML page but dynamically assembled at runtime.

How then would I edit colors, graphics, sizes, etc in the ZC. I see Zen Cart templates for sale...so how are the designers creating the templates?

Before buying any templates, you might want to read this thread first.

Although things can get rather complicated because of the power of how Zen Cart templating works, I'll try to give a very simplified view below.**

Dynamically assembled at run-time** means that the each part of your store's page (e.g. side-boxes, header navigation, breadcrumbs) is dynamically generated from different PHP files.

The PHP files retrieve the necessary data from the database and apply the relevant processing logic before outputting a chunk of information. These chunks of information are done assembled together to form the web page that you see.

The look-and-feel of your store is mainly controlled by the relevant stylesheets and images that are located in specific directories of your Zen Cart store's directory structure. Settings in the Admin Console can affect how things appear on a web page too.

Hence, to understand how you can change the look of your store, you will need to know:

• which files (PHP, CSS) affect the look of your store.
• the Template Override System.
• settings in the Admin Console that affect the look of your store.
  For help on such topics, you can refer to the Template Customization/Building Overrides area of the Tutorials/FAQs which Glenn has already pointed out.

To set up your PC as an offline web server (Intranet) you can download and install XAMPP from: http://www.apachefriends.org/en - XAMPP is an all-in-one web server package and is truly a 1-click install. It contains all you need to set up and run Zen Cart on your PC as you would do with an online web server (Internet).

Vger