[Contribution] STS v4

[donnard]

Two errors on your part:

1. Your configure.php files are not setup correctly as this is what will determine the site locations.

 

2. You have misconfigured the STS Default module and possibly the STS Popup Image module as well. Set everything back to the default settings and then test from there.

 

Hello Bill,

 

Thank you for the continuing support for this contribution. As far as the popup, once I removed the boxes.html that was included with the STS contribution and used the original boxes.html, the popup started working correctly. As for the problem with someone elses website categories(and thus there catalog) showing up in my categories box, for the life of me, I still haven't successfully figured out. I have checked the configure.php file and it appears to be correct as everything points to my site, and there has been no modifications to it. This problem with the categories appears only to occur on the index.php and/or index.php/cPath/ files as when I click on a product link, the correct "categories" appear in the box 99.5% of the time.

 

If I may, I will take a step back. My site works fine without STS installed. I have the following contributions installed:

ckeditor, ez populate, first plus zones (shipping), and store pick-up shipping.

 

Any additional assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[donnard]

Hello Bill,

 

Thank you for the continuing support for this contribution. As far as the popup, once I removed the boxes.html that was included with the STS contribution and used the original boxes.html, the popup started working correctly. As for the problem with someone elses website categories(and thus there catalog) showing up in my categories box, for the life of me, I still haven't successfully figured out. I have checked the configure.php file and it appears to be correct as everything points to my site, and there has been no modifications to it. This problem with the categories appears only to occur on the index.php and/or index.php/cPath/ files as when I click on a product link, the correct "categories" appear in the box 99.5% of the time.

 

If I may, I will take a step back. My site works fine without STS installed. I have the following contributions installed:

ckeditor, ez populate, first plus zones (shipping), and store pick-up shipping.

 

Any additional assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

I have found the solution to the problem with the catalog changing to another's website. It has to do with shared cache.

 

"The reason you see some other sites categories is you and that site are on the same server and until you set your private cache you share the same one. What you experience is a side effect of sharing the same cache."

 

I found the solution under the oscommerce forum "Using Cache Features" #1, located Here.

 

As for the boxes.html, I don't think I will be able to use that still, but at least I got the site operable. Hopefully, someone will come through and tell me why the boxes.html supplied with the STS contribution won't work (P.S. when I did a file comparison with WinMerge I noticed that there is an extra } in there that isn't in the original boxes.html supplied with osCommerce).

[bkellum]

I have found the solution to the problem with the catalog changing to another's website. It has to do with shared cache.

 

"The reason you see some other sites categories is you and that site are on the same server and until you set your private cache you share the same one. What you experience is a side effect of sharing the same cache."

 

I found the solution under the oscommerce forum "Using Cache Features" #1, located Here.

 

As for the boxes.html, I don't think I will be able to use that still, but at least I got the site operable. Hopefully, someone will come through and tell me why the boxes.html supplied with the STS contribution won't work (P.S. when I did a file comparison with WinMerge I noticed that there is an extra } in there that isn't in the original boxes.html supplied with osCommerce).

 

 

There is no boxes.html in STS or osCommerce for that matter. Are you using a stock version of osCommerce?

[donnard]

There is no boxes.html in STS or osCommerce for that matter. Are you using a stock version of osCommerce?

I mistyped, boxes.php. My apologies. osCommerce 2.2-MS2, with the above mentioned contributions installed.

[Augus]

There is no boxes.html in STS or osCommerce for that matter. Are you using a stock version of osCommerce?

 

Could you also please look at my problem?

[bkellum]

I mistyped, boxes.php. My apologies. osCommerce 2.2-MS2, with the above mentioned contributions installed.

 

 

Do any of the other contributions that you installed prior to STS modify the includes/classes/boxes.php file? If so, then you most likely did not merge the STS boxes.php file correctly.

 

My thought to help you troubleshoot would be to upload the boxes.php file from the MS2 folder that came with STSv4.6.

[bkellum]

Hi there,

 

Im rlly getting nervous about my problem, so i hope you guys can help me out here. I got oscommerce implented to my website with STS, all is fine but i got 1 major problem and that is font-size.

 

On the index the font-size is good, without any problems. Even the cart is good here look:

http://www.augus.nl/...bshop/index.php

 

Its all font size 10px and thats what i want for all my content. But when put something in ur cart you go to:

http://www.augus.nl/...opping_cart.php

 

Then the fonts change for that page, and for the shopping cart the same. You can see with an webdeveloper tool that the .css would make it 10px but it doesnt.

 

So what can be the problem here? And how do i solve this?

 

I rlly appriciate ur time and efford!

 

This would have to do with one of your stylesheets. The class is productListing-heading and one of your stylesheets has a different setting other than font-size: 10px.

[bkellum]

Hi Bill,

 

first of all thank you for all your work and time you are spending supporting the contribution.

 

I have just one strange problem.

I have RC2a and I have installed an old contribution Cart in header with image

http://addons.oscommerce.com/info/1350

 

it adds one function to general.php

adds one file to boxes folder

and a code to header.php

 

I renamed image_in_cart.php to imageincart.php

 

I added

$sts->start_capture();
  require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'imageincart.php');
  $sts->stop_capture('imageincartbox', 'box'); 

to sts_user_code.php

 

and

<td align="middle" width="100" >$imageincartbox</td>

to sts_template.php

everything works.

 

But:

in sts_user_code.php I have:

 

$sts->start_capture();
  require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'manufacturers.php');
  $sts->stop_capture('manufacturers', 'box');


$sts->start_capture();
 require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'advsearch.php');
 $sts->stop_capture('advsearchbox', 'box');  


$sts->start_capture();
  require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'imageincart.php');
  $sts->stop_capture('imageincartbox', 'box');  

 

Even if I don´t put

$advsearchbox

in my sts_template, I still see it above my imageincart in header.

 

If I comment out the lines

$sts->start_capture();
 require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'advsearch.php');
 $sts->stop_capture('advsearchbox', 'box'); 

 

manufacturers box appears above my imageincart, even though I don´t mention $manufacturersbox in my sts_template.php at all

 

It only happens with imageincart, no other box tries to grab another box and put it above itself.

Could you please give me advice what to do?

Thank you very much

 

 

Try removing the 'box' from the code in the imageincartbox tag creation:

 

$sts->start_capture();
  require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'manufacturers.php');
  $sts->stop_capture ('manufacturers', 'box');


$sts->start_capture();
 require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'advsearch.php');
 $sts->stop_capture ('advsearchbox', 'box');  


$sts->start_capture();
  require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'imageincart.php');
  $sts->stop_capture ('imageincartbox');  

[Jitty25]

Try removing the 'box' from the code in the imageincartbox tag creation:

 

$sts->start_capture();
  require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'manufacturers.php');
  $sts->stop_capture ('manufacturers', 'box');


$sts->start_capture();
 require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'advsearch.php');
 $sts->stop_capture ('advsearchbox', 'box');  


$sts->start_capture();
  require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'imageincart.php');
  $sts->stop_capture ('imageincartbox');  

 

 

Hi Bill, thank you for thinking about my problem. Unfortunately, it is still there. I tried to clear my browser history just to be sure, but with no change. Could it be something in imageincart.php? I could post it here, it is really short.

[bkellum]

Hi Bill, thank you for thinking about my problem. Unfortunately, it is still there. I tried to clear my browser history just to be sure, but with no change. Could it be something in imageincart.php? I could post it here, it is really short.

 

 

Checkout the solution that I use quite often as I'm sure it will meet your needs:

 

Shopping Cart in Header (or anywhere for that matter). Post #4183

[dan_y]

Hi,

 

I am just starting with osCommerce and STS. This STS thing looks to be VERY promising as the only thing that was holding me from creating a webstore using osCommerce (or any other eCommerce solution - like ZenCart or others) was the inability (or at least that was what I was understanding) to make the website look the way I like.

 

Anyway, started playing with STS. Made up a simple template using Xara Web Designer software (http://www.xara.com/us/products/webdesigner/) and added to it the essential code from the blank STS template. Put a $cartbox$ tag and now going to the URL shows me the template I created with the shopping cart at the corner. Very nice :)

 

Now question is, clicking on the shopping cart does change the URL to /shopping_cart.php but the displayed page remains exactly the same. Where is shopping_cart.php located as well as any other pages like the checkout and such?? How do I make them load? Can't see these pages coming with the sample STS templates, like blue_hash, while they do show them....? What am I missing?

 

Thanks,

Dan

Edited October 9, 2010 by dan_y

[multimixer]

Hi,

 

I am just starting with osCommerce and STS. This STS thing looks to be VERY promising as the only thing that was holding me from creating a webstore using osCommerce (or any other eCommerce solution - like ZenCart or others) was the inability (or at least that was what I was understanding) to make the website look the way I like.

 

Anyway, started playing with STS. Made up a simple template using Xara Web Designer software (http://www.xara.com/us/products/webdesigner/) and added to it the essential code from the blank STS template. Put a $cartbox$ tag and now going to the URL shows me the template I created with the shopping cart at the corner. Very nice :)

 

Now question is, clicking on the shopping cart does change the URL to /shopping_cart.php but the displayed page remains exactly the same. Where is shopping_cart.php located as well as any other pages like the checkout and such?? How do I make them load? Can't see these pages coming with the sample STS templates, like blue_hash, while they do show them....? What am I missing?

 

Thanks,

Dan

 

The actual content of each page come via the $content$ tag. Do you have it in your template? If not, then all pages will look same, because no actual content loaded

[bkellum]

Hi,

 

I am just starting with osCommerce and STS. This STS thing looks to be VERY promising as the only thing that was holding me from creating a webstore using osCommerce (or any other eCommerce solution - like ZenCart or others) was the inability (or at least that was what I was understanding) to make the website look the way I like.

 

Anyway, started playing with STS. Made up a simple template using Xara Web Designer software (http://www.xara.com/us/products/webdesigner/) and added to it the essential code from the blank STS template. Put a $cartbox$ tag and now going to the URL shows me the template I created with the shopping cart at the corner. Very nice

 

Now question is, clicking on the shopping cart does change the URL to /shopping_cart.php but the displayed page remains exactly the same. Where is shopping_cart.php located as well as any other pages like the checkout and such?? How do I make them load? Can't see these pages coming with the sample STS templates, like blue_hash, while they do show them....? What am I missing?

 

Thanks,

Dan

 

Dan,

 

osCommerce pages are dynamic and the content is being pulled in from the database and/or scripts within the core code.

 

STS allows you to make a single template to be used for all pages in your site or several templates for specific pages in your site as well as infoboxes etc.

 

I would suggest that you take a look at the following link that has information for all new STS users:

 

Important Links for STS Newbies

[dan_y]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the responses. Putting the $content$ tag on the template seems to fix that. Now I can see the default content of osCommerce on the Homepage, and navigating to the "shopping cart" page or "checkout" page or "create an account" page etc. brings up the relevant default content :)

 

However, editing the content seems to be a pain. I have no clue in PHP or HTML. Can put there my own text in the define('TEXT_MAIN', '');, but certainly not make it look like I want and add the images I want. Is there a simple way for doing this for people like me - without PHP coding?

 

Thanks,

Dan

Edited October 10, 2010 by dan_y

[multimixer]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the responses. Putting the $content$ tag on the template seems to fix that. Now I can see the default content of osCommerce on the Homepage, and navigating to the "shopping cart" page or "checkout" page or "create an account" page etc. brings up the relevant default content :)

 

However, editing the content seems to be a pain. I have no clue in PHP or HTML. Can put there my own text in the define('TEXT_MAIN', '');, but certainly not make it look like I want and add the images I want. Is there a simple way for doing this for people like me - without PHP coding?

 

Thanks,

Dan

 

You have following ways to go, each can be combined with an other of course:

- change the content of the $content$ tag

1) You go and alter the original .php file, for example contact_us.php, to get the structure you want

2) You alter the .css file that controls the content

- make more templates

3) You create special template pages for every .php page you want to customize (ie contact_us.php.html) and add to the template any images, or whatever you want. You can virtually create a template page for every php page of the top level files that are getting displayed

- make tags

4) You create tags for different elements you want to control (ie $login$) and then you use this tags in your templates (in all, some, as you like). There are some posts about how to create tags, not long time ago. Specially for the CONTENT of product_info pages, there are already many tags created.

 

In general you have the total control of every aspect of your site.

 

Read the post as Bill suggested just above and also the STS manual. Invest some time to understand both STS and osCommerce it self, and you will see that it is not as horrible as it looks at the first sight :) If you really have to clue about php and html, then you need to invest some time to learn about.

Edited October 10, 2010 by multimixer

[Guest]

Hi all

 

I installed STS , but i still have to remove the "whats new" box from the center of the page manualy from "index.php", is this correct.

I use dreamweaver to edit the layout and all , but i only see a $content$ in the center there

I just ask so i am not working from one error into another error as i am a total noob at this and i need to know that i am doing it the correct way.

 

Many thanks in advance!

 

Rob

[dan_y]

Hi George,

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

You have following ways to go, each can be combined with an other of course:

- change the content of the $content$ tag

1) You go and alter the original .php file, for example contact_us.php, to get the structure you want

2) You alter the .css file that controls the content

- make more templates

Not really with my programming skills :( Don't even know what is a .css file...

 

 

3) You create special template pages for every .php page you want to customize (ie contact_us.php.html) and add to the template any images, or whatever you want. You can virtually create a template page for every php page of the top level files that are getting displayed

- make tags

I think this is too complicated. More complicated than a single template for all the pages I think.

 

 

4) You create tags for different elements you want to control (ie $login$) and then you use this tags in your templates (in all, some, as you like). There are some posts about how to create tags, not long time ago. Specially for the CONTENT of product_info pages, there are already many tags created.

Can't see how that makes life easy for me...

 

 

In general you have the total control of every aspect of your site.

 

Read the post as Bill suggested just above and also the STS manual. Invest some time to understand both STS and osCommerce it self, and you will see that it is not as horrible as it looks at the first sight :)

Checked the link Bill posted, but didn't see how it addressed my questions.

 

I read some about osCommerce and went through its documents as well as STS manual and it did look simple till I just understood I had to manually edit PHP code to have my own content on the pages.

 

 

If you really have to clue about php and html, then you need to invest some time to learn about.

This is what I was afraid of :( I really don't like the idea of messing with PHP or HTML to define objects' positions and sizes, fonts and colours, etc.

 

But tell me this please, can I somehow utilize the Xara Web Designer software I mentioned earlier, to make my entire page with all the content I like, position the images where I like and compose the text and then use its HTML code it produces to put into the index.php file?

 

Thanks,

Dan

[multimixer]

Hi all

 

I installed STS , but i still have to remove the "whats new" box from the center of the page manualy from "index.php", is this correct.

I use dreamweaver to edit the layout and all , but i only see a $content$ in the center there

I just ask so i am not working from one error into another error as i am a total noob at this and i need to know that i am doing it the correct way.

 

Many thanks in advance!

 

Rob

 

The "correct way" is

1) You read the sts documentation, most of your questions will be answered

2) You search this topic a bit, there is a link to "Important Links for STS Newbies" just few posts above yours

3) Dreamweaver or any other visual editor is not your tool, find a proper editor

[multimixer]

This is what I was afraid of :( I really don't like the idea of messing with PHP or HTML to define objects' positions and sizes, fonts and colours, etc.

 

But tell me this please, can I somehow utilize the Xara Web Designer software I mentioned earlier, to make my entire page with all the content I like, position the images where I like and compose the text and then use its HTML code it produces to put into the index.php file?

 

I have do idea what Xara Web Designer is. Like I said just before, a visual web editor is not really the best tool.

 

osCommerce, as easy to design it might get with STS, remains a "non drag and drop" program, there is no way than to learn what you don't know

 

Some links for you

 

HTML Tuition http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp

 

CSS Tuition http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/learning

 

PHP Tuition http://us.php.net/tut.php

 

SQL Tuition http://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp

[dan_y]

Thanks for the links, George. Will see how can I get along with these, though it looks to me a full time job trying to setup a webstore using osCommerce - so this is probably why the few osCommerce powered stores I've been buying from, never update their appearance.

 

Hmm... now that I think about it, if I saw some note on the osCommerce site the first time I went there, saying that PHP programming was required for creating even the simplest store, I wouldn't choose it. Funny thing is that STS makes it so simple to customize the look of the pages that I am still here, trying to figure PHP...

 

Thanks,

Dan

[Guest]

The "correct way" is

1) You read the sts documentation, most of your questions will be answered

2) You search this topic a bit, there is a link to "Important Links for STS Newbies" just few posts above yours

3) Dreamweaver or any other visual editor is not your tool, find a proper editor

 

 

Yep , that was realy helpfull

 

I have read the docs , i have read " most " of this topic ( about 200 pages of it)so , i will read a bit more then.

 

Thanks anyways.

 

Rob

[dan_y]

Thanks for the links, George. Will see how can I get along with these, though it looks to me a full time job trying to setup a webstore using osCommerce - so this is probably why the few osCommerce powered stores I've been buying from, never update their appearance.

 

Hmm... now that I think about it, if I saw some note on the osCommerce site the first time I went there, saying that PHP programming was required for creating even the simplest store, I wouldn't choose it. Funny thing is that STS makes it so simple to customize the look of the pages that I am still here, trying to figure PHP...

 

Thanks,

Dan

 

 

OK, did a bit reading through the links you gave, George. HTML and PHP don't look as bad, but trying to understand what's going on with the contents files of osCommerce really blows my head. The index.php file merely has several define() functions, but where are they actually being called and by whom? Where were the variables in the if() statement defined? Where was the $s variable defined?

 

Also, as Rob has just asked, I have no idea as to where does the "What's New Here?" title, that is displayed on my shop home, come from?

 

Thanks,

Dan

[bkellum]

Hi George,

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

 

Not really with my programming skills Don't even know what is a .css file...

 

 

 

I think this is too complicated. More complicated than a single template for all the pages I think.

 

 

 

Can't see how that makes life easy for me...

 

 

 

Checked the link Bill posted, but didn't see how it addressed my questions.

 

I read some about osCommerce and went through its documents as well as STS manual and it did look simple till I just understood I had to manually edit PHP code to have my own content on the pages.

 

 

 

This is what I was afraid of I really don't like the idea of messing with PHP or HTML to define objects' positions and sizes, fonts and colours, etc.

 

But tell me this please, can I somehow utilize the Xara Web Designer software I mentioned earlier, to make my entire page with all the content I like, position the images where I like and compose the text and then use its HTML code it produces to put into the index.php file?

 

Thanks,

Dan

 

Dan,

 

I don't know of any less harsh way of putting this so I apologize ahead of time...

 

I think osCommerce as well as STS is out of your league. If you do not know what a css file is or even HTML, then there is no one there that can help you. You need step by step instructions on the very basic of web master skills so developing and maintaining an osCommerce site would be too daunting for you.

 

STS is a great tool for shop owners who don't know PHP but want to maintain their site using the web skills that they are used to; considering these skills are up to par in maintaining a typical web site as well as an online ecommerce shop.

 

You are expected to know HTML and CSS Styles at the very least. Then, it would be a great bonus to understand JavaScript and other cut and paste type programming.

 

This forum is willing to answer your questions on how to use STS or assist in getting it installed on your shop but it is beyond the scope of this forum to teach you the necessary arts in web development.

 

The links I had suggested in my reply to your original post would have been suffice for a web developer who has the basic skills of web development and was just starting out with STS.

 

Good Luck and I wish you the best,

[bkellum]

Hi all

 

I installed STS , but i still have to remove the "whats new" box from the center of the page manualy from "index.php", is this correct.

I use dreamweaver to edit the layout and all , but i only see a $content$ in the center there

I just ask so i am not working from one error into another error as i am a total noob at this and i need to know that i am doing it the correct way.

 

Many thanks in advance!

 

Rob

 

 

Rob,

 

There is a section in the STS User Manual that specifically covers this topic; Section 6.3

It is under the Tips and Tricks as it doesn't really relate to STS but it is assumed most STS site owners would benefit from this information.

[dan_y]

Dan,

 

I don't know of any less harsh way of putting this so I apologize ahead of time...

 

I think osCommerce as well as STS is out of your league. If you do not know what a css file is or even HTML, then there is no one there that can help you. You need step by step instructions on the very basic of web master skills so developing and maintaining an osCommerce site would be too daunting for you.

 

STS is a great tool for shop owners who don't know PHP but want to maintain their site using the web skills that they are used to; considering these skills are up to par in maintaining a typical web site as well as an online ecommerce shop.

 

You are expected to know HTML and CSS Styles at the very least. Then, it would be a great bonus to understand JavaScript and other cut and paste type programming.

 

This forum is willing to answer your questions on how to use STS or assist in getting it installed on your shop but it is beyond the scope of this forum to teach you the necessary arts in web development.

 

The links I had suggested in my reply to your original post would have been suffice for a web developer who has the basic skills of web development and was just starting out with STS.

 

Good Luck and I wish you the best,

 

 

Hi Bill,

 

No offence. I am aware of my own limitations. I will look further into PHP and HTML and see what's a CSS. I am a fast learner and it's really not a problem acquiring the required knowledge. Question is if it's worth the time for me... and how much involved is it to add things or modify the appearance at later stages. If it's messing several hours with the scripts to do a little tweaking, then I am afraid it's not for me...

 

Regards,

Dan