Basics for design

[♥toyicebear]

seems i've found the right place...

 

how do i change the "Let's See What We Have Here" bit to a different heading for each category?

 

 

You can start by reading this...

[perfectj]

You can start by reading this...

 

thanks :)

[uncommonhound]

pulling my hair out for 4 days in a row now...

 

I am having one problem with the font style of the top categories. I am using the dynamenu contribution and asked for help but there was no response... I think it is more of a design issue anyway.

 

Here is my front page (not live yet!) -

 

http://uncommonhound.com/catalog/index.php

 

...you can see my menu along the bottom. I would like each top category title to look the way it looks in the product pages, which uses the 'categories.php' from a template as seen here -

 

http://uncommonhound.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=82

 

orange, larger (but still horizontal)... and NOT a link because I don't want a duplicate menu of sub-categories displayed horizontally as seen here - http://uncommonhound.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40

 

The code that generates that look in categories.php is this (I'm not sure if all of it is needed or just the last 1 or 2 lines) -

 

 

while ($cat = tep_db_fetch_array($cat_query)) {

 

$catid = $cat['categories_id'];

 

$catname = $cat['categories_name'];

 

echo "<br><font color=FF9900 size=2><b>$catname </b></font><br>";

 

 

However, I can't get it to work in dm_categories.php at all. I realize that $catname is defined in the previous line.. but I seem to be unable to define it in dm_categories.php

 

btw, my site is still very much a work in progress so many links don't work yet...

 

Thank you in advance for assistance!

[♥toyicebear]

pulling my hair out for 4 days in a row now...

 

I am having one problem with the font style of the top categories. I am using the dynamenu contribution and asked for help but there was no response... I think it is more of a design issue anyway.

 

 

Such questions are better asked in the contributions forum tread...If that gives no response make a new support topic with a good descriptive title.

[Guest]

The look of osCommerce is fairly easy to change...it usually only requires the change of no more than 5 files..

 

 

1. includes/header.php

2. includes/footer.php

3. includes/left_column.php

4. includes/right_column.php

5. Stylesheet.css

 

Have fun... B)

 

So how do you change these files?

Is there a wysiwyg editor?

[♥toyicebear]

So how do you change these files?

Is there a wysiwyg editor?

 

 

You download them to your pc and edit them in a text editor program like: notepad, notepad++, crimson editor, phpdesigner and so on...

[trainwatcher]

Hi I use TextEdit on my Mac with no problems (although for some reason it opens php files with Opera?)

 

When I look at the stylesheet files I see there are numbers used to define the colour of text etc etc. What do these codes mean. How do I get the colour I want and also font wise how can I find out which fonts are ubiquitous around the web/how does osC know what font I'm on about. Apologies for the newbie FAQ. Best wishes

[♥toyicebear]

Hi I use TextEdit on my Mac with no problems (although for some reason it opens php files with Opera?)

 

When I look at the stylesheet files I see there are numbers used to define the colour of text etc etc. What do these codes mean. How do I get the colour I want and also font wise how can I find out which fonts are ubiquitous around the web/how does osC know what font I'm on about. Apologies for the newbie FAQ. Best wishes

 

 

The colors are hex codes, you can search in google to find out more...

[lindsayanng]

basically you only have a FEW options for fonts.. if you want any other text to show up in a special font, it has to be an image first.. If you search for web deisgn colors, you will get a bunch of tables with lots of colors with their corresponding number.. the fonts you basically have the sans serif ,ect.

[kellymenges]

Please can someone tell me how you install the basic pack. I have downloaded it but I dont know what to do with the files.

[♥toyicebear]

Please can someone tell me how you install the basic pack. I have downloaded it but I dont know what to do with the files.

 

 

Read the included instructions .... you upload the files to your server/hosting overwriting the files with the same name which are already there.

[p2409]

Good site design depends on the look you are going for, and some sites are well-pitched with the default layout. In my opinion though, the default layouts are good for showing off what oscommerce can do 'out of the box' but look totally lame when used for business purposes.

 

These are my little tips to help you get your site looking good.

 

1. Get STS (Simple Templating System) and LEARN how to use it. The documentation is lengthy, but not very good, so you'll have to experiment.

 

2. Remove as many of the boxes and functions as you can off the default layout site. A page cluttered with 'What's new', Customer Reviews etc. looks amateurish IMHO.

 

3. Go to your includes/languages files and remove/reduce the wordage in there. 'Hi xxx and welcome back to out store. We hope you enjoy shopping'...blah blah looks very home made. Again, if that's how you want to convey your site, great, but it's certainly not the way those super-expensive high-design web sites work.

 

3. Really ramp up your CSS stylesheet. Utilise nested DIVs especially - these are THE key to getting nice looking rounded edges, colour gradients in boxes etc. etc. Note this is not easy to do - you can end up mucking about with CSS files for hours, never quite sure what's going on. If you want to get really clever, use something like Dreamweaver to layout your template.

 

I was skeptical at first that oscommerce could get a professional look and feel about it as every site I came across had that cluttered, 1990s look about it - but after getting some assistance from a pro-web designer who was forced to use oscommerce for a client (he hates it), I found you can get fabulous looking sites with a bit of work. Lastly, SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE looks work best!

[Guest]

Hi, I'm a newbie to OSC and have managed to upload and install it onto my server ok. I have purchased some other OSC templates and wondered how I include these into my original installation or, if I have to do a completely new installation. Some of them have catalogue files with an install folder but the majority don't.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[♥toyicebear]

Hi, I'm a newbie to OSC and have managed to upload and install it onto my server ok. I have purchased some other OSC templates and wondered how I include these into my original installation or, if I have to do a completely new installation. Some of them have catalogue files with an install folder but the majority don't.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

It depends on the template , but you basically have 3 choices..

 

1. do a complete new install with the new template.

 

or

 

2. Modify your existing shop to use the template looks.

 

or

 

3. Install the STS template system and transfer over the html looks from your template.

[Guest]

It depends on the template , but you basically have 3 choices..

 

1. do a complete new install with the new template.

 

or

 

2. Modify your existing shop to use the template looks.

 

or

 

3. Install the STS template system and transfer over the html looks from your template.

 

Thanks for that but, being a newbie how would I modify my existing shop and what is an STS template? Sorry for being so uninformed but we all have to start from the beginning.

[♥toyicebear]

Thanks for that but, being a newbie how would I modify my existing shop and what is an STS template? Sorry for being so uninformed but we all have to start from the beginning.

 

 

For modding your existing shop...read this tread from page 1

 

For STS info, click here...

[Guest]

For modding your existing shop...read this tread from page 1

 

For STS info, click here...

 

Thanks again but as hard as I look there does not seem to be a download link anywhere for this program

[♥toyicebear]

Thanks again but as hard as I look there does not seem to be a download link anywhere for this program

 

This is the download location for STS

[simon20]

Hi im new to running my own site, i had my site designed for me, i only have access to the admin area, could someone tell me if i can add the following updates cDynamic Meta Tags v1.0, change description text font, change standard buttons, add international postage setting, im using v2.2, could some one send me a private message to let know if this can be done or walk me through it?? i would be soo grateful!!

 

My website is www.classic-sports.co.uk if anyone wants to talk a look and give me some pointers on what could be improved

 

Thank you simon

[♥toyicebear]

Hi im new to running my own site, i had my site designed for me, i only have access to the admin area, could someone tell me if i can add the following updates cDynamic Meta Tags v1.0, change description text font, change standard buttons, add international postage setting, im using v2.2, could some one send me a private message to let know if this can be done or walk me through it?? i would be soo grateful!!

 

My website is www.classic-sports.co.uk if anyone wants to talk a look and give me some pointers on what could be improved

 

Thank you simon

 

To install mods you should also have access to your hostings controlpanel and/or access to loginto ftp and phpmyadmin.

 

 

Besides that just read the install instructions which is included with the wanted add-on/contribution.

[wilsonsway]

Hi,

 

I'm trying to locate the correct .php file to edit so that a visitor to my customer's store can click the logo at the top and be taken back to the main site. The source code for the link I need to edit is shown below as it appears on the site:

 

<a href="http://customermainsite.net/store/catalog/index.php"><img src="images/store_logo.png" border="0" alt="Customer's Online Store" title=" Customer's Online Store " width="227" height="50"></a>

 

The part where it says: <a href="http://customermainsite.net/store/catalog/index.php"> I need to edit and haven't had much luck in locating it. I'd appreciate a little guidance from the experts. :)

[♥toyicebear]

Hi,

 

I'm trying to locate the correct .php file to edit so that a visitor to my customer's store can click the logo at the top and be taken back to the main site. The source code for the link I need to edit is shown below as it appears on the site:

 

<a href="http://customermainsite.net/store/catalog/index.php"><img src="images/store_logo.png" border="0" alt="Customer's Online Store" title=" Customer's Online Store " width="227" height="50"></a>

 

The part where it says: <a href="http://customermainsite.net/store/catalog/index.php"> I need to edit and haven't had much luck in locating it. I'd appreciate a little guidance from the experts. :)

 

Usually that would be in includes/header.php

[wilsonsway]

Yes Nick...I saw that also but as pasted below, I'm a bit unsure as to what part to edit.

 

<?php echo '<a href="' . tep_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT) . '">' . tep_image(DIR_WS_IMAGES . 'store_logo.png', STORE_NAME) . '</a>'; ?>

 

Would it be this part? . tep_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT) and if so would the following work? '<a href="new url here'">'

[♥toyicebear]

Yes Nick...I saw that also but as pasted below, I'm a bit unsure as to what part to edit.

 

<?php echo '<a href="' . tep_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT) . '">' . tep_image(DIR_WS_IMAGES . 'store_logo.png', STORE_NAME) . '</a>'; ?>

 

Would it be this part? . tep_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT) and if so would the following work? '<a href="new url here'">'

 

you can do it like this

 

<?php echo '<a href="' . tep_href_link('whatever_file_name.php') . '">' . tep_image(DIR_WS_IMAGES . 'store_logo.png', STORE_NAME) . '</a>'; ?>

 

or

 

Just change the whole line with a html link

[wilsonsway]

Ahh, OK. That helps Nick. I'm still getting used to osCommerce so I appreciate the help. Thanks again!