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Book Description

A step-by-step developer's guide

  • Install, configure, and customize Zen Cart for your customers

  • Enhance and modify Zen Cart

  • Walk through the creation of a fully functional book store

  • Learn advanced features of Zen Cart with practical examples

  • Migrate products and customers from osCommerce to Zen Cart

  • Integrate Zen Cart shop with other CMSs like e107, xoops, gallery2, WordPress, phpBB, etc.

In Detail

Zen Cart is a popular open-source PHP/MySQL-based e-commerce solution available under GPL that is designed to put the merchants' and shoppers' requirements first. Not only does Zen Cart offer a very long list of features, but the system is designed with both store owners and web developers in mind. There's no sacrifice of usability or power.

This easy-to-follow book will teach you how to install, configure, and customize a Zen Cart shop and use its promotion and public-relations tools to attract customers to the shop. It will also teach you to customize the look and feel of the Zen Cart shop by localizing and customizing templates. With this excellent tutorial, you will be able to extend and tweak the Zen Cart store.

Table of Contents

  1. Zen Cart
  2. Credits
  3. About the Author
  4. About the Reviewer
  5. Preface
    1. What This Book Covers
    2. What You Need for This Book
    3. Who is This Book For
    4. Conventions
    5. Reader Feedback
    6. Customer Support
      1. Downloading the Example Code for the Book
      2. Errata
      3. Questions
  6. 1. Introduction to Zen Cart
    1. What is Zen Cart?
    2. The Main Features of Zen Cart
      1. Easy Installation and Upgradation
      2. Easy Localization
      3. Customer Management
      4. Categories and Products
      5. Customer Retention Tools
      6. Promotions, Sales, and Discounts
      7. Powerful Administration Tool
      8. Fully Customizable Catalog Templates
      9. Third-Party Modules
    3. Zen Cart versus osCommerce
      1. Feature Comparison
        1. Default and Contributed Modules
        2. Security
        3. Categories and Products Management
        4. Template Customization
        5. Promotion and Public Relations
      2. User and Developer Community
      3. Programmatic Differences
    4. Zen Cart and Other CMS/Shopping Carts
      1. Joomla-VirtueMart
      2. CubeCart
      3. AgoraCart
      4. x-Cart
    5. Summary
  7. 2. Installation and Basic Configuration
    1. Prerequisites
      1. Web Server
      2. PHP
      3. Database
    2. Step-by-Step Installation
      1. Through Fantastico
      2. By Uploading Files
    3. Upgrading from Previous Versions
      1. Preparation for Upgrading
      2. Replicating File Changes
      3. Testing and Upgrading
    4. Basic Configuration of the Store
      1. Removing the Installation Directory
      2. Setting Appropriate Directory and File Permissions
        1. Using FTP Programs
        2. Using cPanel
        3. Using SSH
        4. On a Windows Server
        5. On a Windows PC
      3. Changing Configuration File
      4. Using the Administration Panel
    5. Summary
  8. 3. Configuring the Store
    1. Shop Configuration
      1. Store Name and Address
      2. Customer Information
      3. Product Listing
      4. Email Options
      5. Logging
      6. Regulations
      7. EZ Pages
      8. Images
      9. GZip Compression
      10. Stock
      11. Shipping/Packaging
      12. Attribute Settings
      13. Credit Cards
      14. Product Info
      15. Layout Settings
    2. Zones, Currencies, and Taxes
    3. Catalog
      1. Product Types
      2. Manufacturers
      3. Categories/Products
        1. Managing Categories
        2. Managing Products
      4. Products by Options/Attributes
        1. Option Name Manager
        2. Option Value Manager
        3. Attributes Controller
        4. Attribute flags
        5. Attribute Images
        6. Downloadable Products as Attributes
        7. Copying Attributes to Other Products or Categories
        8. Option Name and Value Sorter
        9. Downloads Manager
      5. Prices
      6. Bulk Import/Export of Products
    4. Modules
      1. Installing/Uninstalling Modules
      2. Payment Modules
        1. Authorize.net
        2. Credit Card
        3. Cash on Delivery
        4. Zen Cart Free Charge Card
        5. LinkPoint/YourPay API
        6. Cheque/Money Order
        7. PayPal
          1. PayPal IPN Websites Payments Standard
          2. PayPal Express
          3. PayPal Website Payments Pro
        8. Other Payment Modules
          1. WorldPay
          2. Google Checkout
          3. 2CO Payment Module
          4. MoneyBooker Module
      3. Shipping Modules
        1. Flat Rate
        2. Free shipping
        3. Per Item and Per Unit
        4. Store Pickup
        5. Table Rate
        6. United Parcel Service
        7. United States Postal Service
        8. Zone Rates
      4. Order Total Modules
    5. Customers
      1. Registration/Authentication of Customers
      2. Managing Customers
      3. Communicating with Customers
    6. Order Fulfilment and Inventory
      1. Order Statistics
      2. Managing Inventory
      3. Group Pricing
      4. Order Status
    7. Summary
  9. 4. Customizing Look and Feel
    1. Configuring Look and Feel
      1. Applying a Template
      2. Controlling Layouts
        1. Layout Settings
        2. Showing/Hiding Sideboxes
    2. Understanding Zen Cart Templates
      1. Template Files Structure
      2. CSS in Zen Cart Template
    3. Understanding Overrides
      1. Overriding Language Files
      2. Overriding Module Files
      3. Overriding Template Files
      4. Using Your Own Definitions
      5. Using Extra Data Files
      6. Zen Cart Upgrades and Overrides
    4. Customizing Zen Cart Templates
      1. Changing Logos and Texts
        1. Changing Default Texts
        2. Changing the Header Image
        3. Adding a New Logo
      2. Changing Colors and Fonts
      3. Changing Buttons and Icons
      4. Changing Layout of a Template
      5. Modifying a Page Template
      6. Using EZ pages
    5. Creating A New Template
      1. Creating A File System
      2. Using Overrides
      3. Graphics
      4. Sideboxes
      5. Stylesheets
    6. Creating and Modifying Email Templates
      1. Text Email Template
      2. HTML Email Templates
        1. Stylesheet
        2. HTML with variables
    7. Summary
  10. 5. Localization of Zen Cart
    1. The Need for Localization
    2. Countries and Zones
      1. Countries
        1. Adding a New Country
        2. Editing a Country
        3. Deleting a Country
      2. Zones
        1. Creating a Zone
        2. Zone Definitions
    3. Taxes
      1. Creating a Tax Class
        1. Assigning Tax Classes
      2. Creating a Tax Rate
    4. Using Multiple Currencies
      1. Adding a New Currency
      2. Currency Conversion
      3. Editing a Currency
      4. Deleting an Existing Currency
      5. Hiding the Currencies box
    5. Languages
      1. Using Character Sets
      2. Creating a New Language
      3. Editing a Language
      4. Deleting a Language
      5. Translating Language Files
    6. Order Status
      1. Adding a New Order Status
      2. Editing an Existing Status
    7. Summary
  11. 6. Promotions and Public Relations
    1. Promotions
      1. Banner Ads
        1. Types of Banners
        2. Displaying Banner Groups
        3. Designing Banners
      2. Adding/Editing a Banner
      3. Promotional Discounts
      4. Cross-Selling and Up-Selling
        1. Cross-Selling
        2. Up-Selling
        3. Better-together
      5. SaleMaker
      6. Special, Featured, and New Products
        1. Special Products
        2. Featured Products
        3. New and Upcoming Products
    2. Gift Certificates & Discount Coupons
      1. Sending a Gift Certificate
      2. Creating Gift Certificate Products
      3. Selling and Using Gift Certificates
      4. Coupon Administration
    3. Newsletters/Product Notification
      1. Product Notification Subscription
      2. Creating Newsletters/Product Notifications
      3. Sending Newsletters
    4. Product Reviews
    5. Search Engine Optimization
      1. Using Meta-tags
        1. Site-Wide meta-tags
        2. Meta-tags for Categories
        3. Meta-tags for Products
      2. Using Search Engine Friendly URLs
    6. Summary
  12. 7. Migrating from osCommerce to Zen Cart
    1. The Need for Migrating to Zen Cart
    2. Points to Consider Before Migration
      1. Product Catalogue
      2. Database Structure
      3. Look and Feel
      4. Uninterrupted Service
    3. osCommerce versus Zen Cart Database Structure
      1. Tables for Categories
      2. Tables for Products and Attributes
    4. Migrating Databases
      1. Step 1: Backup Existing Data
      2. Step 2: Export osCommerce Data
      3. Step 3: Import osCommerce Data to Zen Cart
      4. Migrating to a Zen Cart Shop that does Not have Products
      5. Migrating to a Zen Cart Shop that has Products
    5. Adjusting the Look and Feel
    6. Converting osCommerce Modules
    7. Common Problems during Migration
    8. Summary
  13. 8. Integrating Zen Cart with Other CMS
    1. Why should you Integrate Zen Cart with CMS?
      1. A Well Established Site Starts a Shop
      2. Increase the Scope of Your Shop
      3. Single Sign-in Benefits
    2. How to Integrate with CMS?
      1. Joomla!/Mambo
      2. Drupal
      3. Gallery 2
      4. WordPress
        1. WordPress and Zen Cart Installed in Separate Directories
          1. Step1: Install WordPress
          2. Step 2: Configure WordPress
          3. Step 3: Upload WordPress on Zen Cart
          4. Step 4: Edit WordPress File
          5. Step 5: Edit Zen Cart File
          6. Step 6: Configure Sideboxes from Layout Boxes Controller
          7. Step 7: Test your Integration
        2. WordPress and Zen Cart Installed in the Same Directory
      5. XOOPS
      6. e107
      7. phpBB
    3. Summary
  14. 9. Maintenance and Troubleshooting
    1. Website Maintenance Settings
      1. Taking the Shop Down for Maintenance
      2. Customizing for Maintenance Messages
      3. Excluding the Admin from being Blocked
      4. Notice for Maintenance
      5. Showing Downtime
    2. Backing Up Files and Databases
      1. Why do you Need a Backup?
      2. Backing Up Database
      3. Backing up Files
      4. Restoring Database and Files
    3. Auditing and Hardening Security
      1. Common Security Settings
        1. Use SSL whenever Possible
        2. Delete/Rename Sensitive Folders
        3. Set Appropriate Permissions to Files and Directories
        4. Always Use Secure Passwords
      2. Securing Access to the Administration Panel
      3. User Authentication and Security
      4. Register Globals Setting
      5. Session Handling
        1. Session Save Path
        2. Session Referer Setting
        3. The session.use_trans_sid Setting
    4. Common Problems and Troubleshooting
      1. PHP Related Problems
      2. Login Related Problems
        1. Session Handling in Admin Area
        2. Security Error during Login as Customer
        3. Forgotten Admin Password
      3. Template Related Problems
      4. Image Related Problem
        1. Catalog Images Directory
        2. Image Distortion
      5. Trouble with E-mails
        1. Emails are not Arriving
        2. Email Transport Methods
        3. Bounce Handling
      6. Database Related Errors
    5. Summary
  15. A. Resources for Zen Cart
    1. Setting WAMP server
    2. Zen Cart Directory Structure
    3. Zen Cart Community
    4. Zen Cart Support
    5. Zen Cart Downloads
      1. Some Essential Downloads
    6. Zen Cart Integration
      1. Joomla!
      2. Drupal
      3. WordPress
      4. Gallery2 Integration
      5. Zen Cart XOOPS Integration Module
      6. e107 Plugins for Zen Cart Integration
    7. Templates
    8. Consulting
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