[Contribution] STS v4

[xHellex]

HELP!

 

I need some serious help!

 

I´m totally a newbie on this. I have built many websites but never a webshop because I don´t know PHP but I will try to built this shop anyway.

So I´ve heard that STS is a good thing to work with BUT I don´t even understand how to install it! OsCommerce comes with my webhotel so it´s already installed on the server in a folder called public_html. If I upload the files to the same folder, the STS doesn´t exist when I log into admin, so in which folder do I upload the files?

 

And when I´m uploading the files, it says that some files already exists?

 

Would be very grateful for some guidance

[bkellum]

Hmm.. the link I posted above didnt go to exactly the right post, so it wont help anyone. Fortunately I saved a shortcut to it when I found it originally & here it is:

http://www.oscommerce.com/forums/index.php?sho...00#entry1086557

 

Strangely, if I use the "show link to this post" feature - top right of every post - then that gives the following URL:

http://www.oscommerce.com/forums/index.php?s=&...t&p=1086557

Which doesnt seem to relate to to the page that had the very helpful information.

 

Seems to be a different topic altogether to this one... I dont trust this forum ... so heres a pasting of the info:

 

Maybe your computer has some serious voo-doo going on but all of your links are working and are pointing to the same thread. :lol:

[bkellum]

HELP!

 

I need some serious help!

 

I´m totally a newbie on this. I have built many websites but never a webshop because I don´t know PHP but I will try to built this shop anyway.

So I´ve heard that STS is a good thing to work with BUT I don´t even understand how to install it! OsCommerce comes with my webhotel so it´s already installed on the server in a folder called public_html. If I upload the files to the same folder, the STS doesn´t exist when I log into admin, so in which folder do I upload the files?

 

And when I´m uploading the files, it says that some files already exists?

 

Would be very grateful for some guidance

Maybe some info on how osCommerce can be installed might help...

 

Catalog Directory

 

To all osC newbies: The term "catalog" actually refers to the collection of files that make up the entire osCommerce program. To make things more confusing, it also refers to the catalog side of the shopping cart, meaning the "frontend" where the admin is considered the "backend". Be careful not to confuse the way "catalog" is being used by the contribution author in the installation instructions for that particular contribution.

 

Some folks like to install osC into a folder called "catalog" just to keep things organized from other web content. The folder could actually be called anything you want it to be such as "my_shop" or "eshop" or "cheap_stuff_here"...you get the idea. Either way is useful and practical so it is really up to you.

 

Your shop may or may not have a "catalog" directory since osCommerce may have been installed in the "root" directory. This directory is called "public_html" on most Unix servers and is referrred to as the "Web Server Document Path".

 

Web Server Document Path

 

The web server document path is the directory where the web server has been configured to look for the HTML/PHP files to serve to the public. Example web server document paths are:

 

 

/home/hpdl/public_html/

/srv/www/htdocs/

/usr/local/htdocs/

 

 

If the catalog directory is kept and copied to, for example, /home/hpdl/public_html/catalog/, the web server public address would be http://www.my-server.com/catalog/.

 

If the osCommerce installation is to reside on the root path, for example http://www.my-server.com/, then the files within the catalog directory should be copied over and not the actual catalog directory itself.

 

So...to answer your STS install question, you should follow the directions that came with the contribution that says to copy over the new STS files and then merge in the differences of the other files that already exist in your shop.

 

Think of it this way:

Your current osC files have an includes/application_top.php file and there is also an includes/application_top.php file that came with the STS contribution. This would be one of the "existing" files that would need to be modified in your shop and not just "copied" over. Keep in mind that you can just copy over all of the files from the STS contribution if your osC store is new and you have not made any changes to it yet.

 

Hope this lengthly post helped you out,

[mutedgirl]

Hi,

This may have already been covered but I can't seem to find it through a search, and reading through all 114 pages of this thread is just not feasible! :)

 

I'm wondering how to edit the content of the boxes- for example, I want to get rid of the (ugly) table tags that display the categories in the sidebar and replace it with (much nicer) CSS... but I can't figure out how to do this with STS. Do I have to create a content file for this? Creating a boxes template for the categories doesn't do anything other than change the header and content placement, rather than the actual HTML surrounding it. HELP! :)

[bkellum]

Hi,

This may have already been covered but I can't seem to find it through a search, and reading through all 114 pages of this thread is just not feasible! :)

 

I'm wondering how to edit the content of the boxes- for example, I want to get rid of the (ugly) table tags that display the categories in the sidebar and replace it with (much nicer) CSS... but I can't figure out how to do this with STS. Do I have to create a content file for this? Creating a boxes template for the categories doesn't do anything other than change the header and content placement, rather than the actual HTML surrounding it. HELP! :)

 

I would suggest using STS in combination with Dynamenu: http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,4228

 

You may wish to preview the Dynamenu support site before doing so:http://www.oscommerce.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=209045

 

Here are some tips in getting Dynamenu to work with STSv4x:

 

(There are a couple ways of implementing this so pay close attention to the "TIPS" that follow various steps)

 

1. Upload all of the files from the contribution.

 

2. Add the css code from the "dynamenu_for_osc_styles.txt" to your "stylesheet.css" file for the menu type that you would like to use in your templates.

 

3. You must include the following line of code in your template where you would like the menu to appear:

 

<?php include(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'dm_categories.php'); ?>

 

TIP: You can create a STS variable for the above and then just add the variable into your template inplace of the code above. If you decide to go this route, you can use the sample code below and insert it into your includes/modules/sts_inc/sts_user_code.php file:

 

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

 

Now you can add the box into your STS Template pages by using the $dmbox tag (or $dmbox# depending on what you are using for your stop character).

 

4. You must include the following line of code in each of your templates that will be using the menu (The "footer" should be echoed *just before* the closing </BODY> tag.):

 

<?php echo $GLOBALS['dmfooter']; ?>

 

TIP 1: It may be easier to just create a file with the above code and then save this file to includes/modules/sts_inc/file_name and then add the file_name to the list of files to include in the STS admin.

TIP 2: It may be easier to just add the above line of code to your application_bottom.php file just before the last closing ?>.

 

If you do all of the above then STSv4x will work with Dynamenu (May 27, 2006 version). If you are modifying a new installation of STS, be sure you have STS installed and configured correctly before doing any of the above modifications.

 

STS and Dynamenu Demo:

http://www.soundsgoodpro.com/dynamenu/

 

Have fun,

Bill Kellum

Edited July 6, 2007 by bkellum

[chrisgeek]

Hello All,

 

I've installed the Affiliates mod, and I can't seem to get the pop-ups to work. I've read Bill and other weigh in, but I can't understand exactly what they did to fix it. For example, I don't know how to create a new module for sts_mypagename.php. Can anyone explain it to an idiot like me?

 

Best,

 

Chris

[masikuer]

I meet some problem again

 

I use sts to bulid my shop,There are two languanges be installed,but the main menu is created by image,not text link, so how can I change the image menu with another language had been selected, define a function ????but I don't konw PHP.

can some one help me??? or who find any topic about this problem ?tell me , I will appreciate you very much~~~

Edited July 6, 2007 by masikuer

[bkellum]

Hello All,

 

I've installed the Affiliates mod, and I can't seem to get the pop-ups to work. I've read Bill and other weigh in, but I can't understand exactly what they did to fix it. For example, I don't know how to create a new module for sts_mypagename.php. Can anyone explain it to an idiot like me?

 

Best,

 

Chris

 

Chris,

Which Affiliates contribution did you install?

[mmezo]

PLEASE HELP! is there any place that i can find a simple tutorial that explains how to set up a template from scratch? i know html and have the page design, i just dont know how to set up the code for the links, or how to modify the look of the boxes to fit the template style. i know this is supposed to be simple, but i'm totally lost.

 

please, any help you could provide that points me in the right direction would truly be very appreciated, ive been banging my head against this wall for too long.

[bkellum]

PLEASE HELP! is there any place that i can find a simple tutorial that explains how to set up a template from scratch? i know html and have the page design, i just dont know how to set up the code for the links, or how to modify the look of the boxes to fit the template style. i know this is supposed to be simple, but i'm totally lost.

 

please, any help you could provide that points me in the right direction would truly be very appreciated, ive been banging my head against this wall for too long.

 

Matthew, I currently writing a tutorial but have not finished it as of yet. :(

 

By the way, thanks for making it to the STS Forum.

Depending if you are using STS v4 and higher, you will find a folder called "test" located in yourshop/includes/sts_templates/test. Inside this folder is a blank template that should be used as an example of what code SHOULD be included in your custom HTML pages. Without this code, your STS tags will not work.

 

You should have also have the STS User Manual that came with the contribution download. The STS User Manual is very detailed on how templates should be named and how to bring in the STS Tags that represent osCommerce functionallity.

 

For example, if you want the catalog menu box to be in the left column, you would insert the STS Tag $catalog in your template in the left colunm. If you do not want the catalog menu box at all, then you would leave out the STS Tag $catalog from your template. Very Simple.

 

Do not be decieved by the term Simple Template System...STS can be quite advanced depending upon your skill level. If you want to keep things simple, start with the test folder and just use the sts_template.html for all of the pages in your shop. Very Simple. When you want more advanced options, either use the "full" template folder or create your own to have specific templates for individual pages in your store. Still quite simple.

 

You will need to know web technologies such as CSS, HTML, and other languages like Flash and JavaScript depending upon what you want to do in your design. STS just gives you the tools to make it work like a standard non-php template engine.

 

Hope this helps,

[bkellum]

I meet some problem again

 

I use sts to bulid my shop,There are two languanges be installed,but the main menu is created by image,not text link, so how can I change the image menu with another language had been selected, define a function ????but I don't konw PHP.

can some one help me??? or who find any topic about this problem ?tell me , I will appreciate you very much~~~

 

Baybay,

This may help...

 

How to have a different image per language in STS:

 

Add the following code to your includes/modules/sts_inc/general.php file:

 

 

$sts->template['langid'] = $languages_id;

 

The above will create a STS tag called: $langid

 

Now you can create your images as so:

 

myimage1.jpg, myimage2.jpg, myimage3.jpg, etc, depending on how many languages you have in your shop, and save them in your images folder (or any osC folder such as images/banners).

 

:thumbsup: You can name the image anything you want but just keep them the same, just change the number according to the ID of the language that it represents. In other words, you do not have to name them "myimage". You could name them "languagemenu1.gif" or languagemenu2.gif" and so on.

 

:thumbsup: The number for the LangID will come from your specific osCommerce settings. To find the language ID for each of your shop's languages, go to your Admin, Localization, then select each language and view the ID in the URL.

 

Now add the following into your STS Template where you want the dynamic language image to appear:

 

 

<img border="0" src="images/myimage$langid.jpg">

 

 

The STS tag "$langid" will be replaced dynamically by the correct language id number that the user selects when viewing your shop.

 

For example:

english is ID=1 in my shop so the URL would be dynamically changed to "images/myimage1.jpg" if the user select the language "english" in my shop.

 

Hope this helped,

[chrisgeek]

Chris,

Which Affiliates contribution did you install?

 

I installed 4.5.2... I believe it was philbar's Apr 9th version. I've also added HTC using your instructions.

[bkellum]

I installed 4.5.2... I believe it was philbar's Apr 9th version. I've also added HTC using your instructions.

That's good but which AFFILITATE contribution are you having trouble with?

 

If you just need the box for that contribution, then all you need to do is define something like so:

 

 

How to add a new infobox variable(tag) to STS:

Add this code to sts_user_code.php

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

 

In the above example, this would create a STS user tag called "$infobox_name"

 

You could also do this (depending upon what affiliate contribution you are using):

 

require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'afffiliate.php');
 $sts->restart_capture ('affiliatebox', 'box'); // Get affiliate box

Add the above code to the file sts_column_left.php in catalog/includes/modules/sts_inc

and add the place holder $affiliatebox wherever you want the box in the html template.

[mmezo]

Matthew, I currently writing a tutorial but have not finished it as of yet. :(

 

By the way, thanks for making it to the STS Forum.

Depending if you are using STS v4 and higher, you will find a folder called "test" located in yourshop/includes/sts_templates/test. Inside this folder is a blank template that should be used as an example of what code SHOULD be included in your custom HTML pages. Without this code, your STS tags will not work.

 

You should have also have the STS User Manual that came with the contribution download. The STS User Manual is very detailed on how templates should be named and how to bring in the STS Tags that represent osCommerce functionallity.

 

For example, if you want the catalog menu box to be in the left column, you would insert the STS Tag $catalog in your template in the left colunm. If you do not want the catalog menu box at all, then you would leave out the STS Tag $catalog from your template. Very Simple.

 

Do not be decieved by the term Simple Template System...STS can be quite advanced depending upon your skill level. If you want to keep things simple, start with the test folder and just use the sts_template.html for all of the pages in your shop. Very Simple. When you want more advanced options, either use the "full" template folder or create your own to have specific templates for individual pages in your store. Still quite simple.

 

You will need to know web technologies such as CSS, HTML, and other languages like Flash and JavaScript depending upon what you want to do in your design. STS just gives you the tools to make it work like a standard non-php template engine.

 

Hope this helps,

 

 

aha! thank you! now i get it, but i have 1 more question that i dont know if its related to sts or osc itself: how do i change the style sheet, where the headernavigation class is?

 

thank you again!

[chrisgeek]

That's good but which AFFILITATE contribution are you having trouble with?

 

If you just need the box for that contribution, then all you need to do is define something like so:

How to add a new infobox variable(tag) to STS:

Add this code to sts_user_code.php

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

 

In the above example, this would create a STS user tag called "$infobox_name"

 

You could also do this (depending upon what affiliate contribution you are using):

 

require(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'afffiliate.php');
 $sts->restart_capture ('affiliatebox', 'box'); // Get affiliate box

Add the above code to the file sts_column_left.php in catalog/includes/modules/sts_inc

and add the place holder $affiliatebox wherever you want the box in the html template.

 

 

Hey Bill,

 

I am using the osC Affiliate (http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,158/category,all/search,affiliate). And my problem isn't the box as far as I know, it's the pop-ups. Do you know how to get them to work?

Thank you in advance.

 

Best,

 

Chris

[bkellum]

Hey Bill,

 

I am using the osC Affiliate (http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,158/category,all/search,affiliate). And my problem isn't the box as far as I know, it's the pop-ups. Do you know how to get them to work?

Thank you in advance.

 

Best,

 

Chris

 

Chris,

I do not use that contribution but here are some suggestions:

 

If the contribution has some pages that are not working with STS or you would rather those pages (popups) not be templated by STS, you could easily instruct STS to ignore them.

 

:thumbsup: How to exclude a page from being templated in STSv4.4 and above:

 

In the sts_default.php file, find the following code:

if (strstr($scriptbasename, "popup") || strstr($scriptbasename, "info_shopping_cart"))
  return ''; // We don't use template for these scripts

Add your php file that you want STS to exclude and it will not template that file. Note: Add the script name as follows:

if (strstr($scriptbasename, "popup") || strstr($scriptbasename, "your_script_here")|| strstr($scriptbasename, "info_shopping_cart"))
  return ''; // We don't use template for these scripts

That should do the trick for you.

Hope this helped,

[Flame X]

Hey there I have a question...I am making my own custom template, and its going well, but but I was wondering how I can change the look of each individual item. For example, I would like to change the way the "categorybox" looks, so I can make it blend with my website more. I would like it to have its own custom background and look...is this possible? Which files do I need to edit to do this?

 

Thanks

[Flame X]

Sorry, just to clarify, all of the current things are set to the default look, ie the "cartbox" and "reviewbox" all look like the default oscommerce ones...how do I edit the look of all of these boxes? (sorry, I couldnt find an edit button on my previous post)

[mmezo]

where is the template for the product descriptions located? is there a blank one that can be viewed as an example of how to set up that template?

[bkellum]

Sorry, just to clarify, all of the current things are set to the default look, ie the "cartbox" and "reviewbox" all look like the default oscommerce ones...how do I edit the look of all of these boxes? (sorry, I couldnt find an edit button on my previous post)

In the STS Default Module in your store's Admin section, you will notice an option to enable "Infobox Templates". Set this to true.

 

Now, in your templates folder, you will need a folder called "boxes". There is a sample folder in the template folder called "full". Inside the "full" template folder, you will notice the infobox template folder called "boxes". There are several sample infobox templates within this folder, some with both header and content, some with just the content so that you can either create your own header or no header at all.

 

You will need to modify the osC stylesheet.css (if you use it) since it has styles that control the look of the infoboxes. If you do not use the stock stylesheet, then you can either use CSS to style your infobox templates or not, it's up to you.

[bkellum]

where is the template for the product descriptions located? is there a blank one that can be viewed as an example of how to set up that template?

 

Matthew,

I'm not sure I really understand your question but here it goes...

 

You will still add your product descriptions inside your store's Admin just as non-sts users do. If you are referring to the layout of the product page, then there are sample templates within the sts_templates folder. More Details on this in the STS User Manual.

 

You can use content templates to layout where items such as "add to cart", special price, product image, etc. would be placed. More details on this in the STS User Manual.

Edited July 8, 2007 by bkellum

[PJ2006]

Hi sorry for posting again, I'm not sure my original post got to the correct board by starting a new thread and I really need some help. If I'm asking questions in the wrong way so not getting a response then it's not intentional and I'm sorry.

 

I'm working on a second shop, having used STS +HTC on the first one - fantastic contributions.

 

However, I get an error when I try to do the database set up:

 

Not Found

The requested URL /database_setup.php was not found on this server.

 

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

 

Does anyone know what I did wrong as I can't get going until this is resolved.

 

Thanks

[nautika]

I just installed osc and sts. I have a style sheet I want to use for the template. However, the store is still displaying the default look instead of what I have defined in the style sheet. I uploaded the stylesheet into the "test" directory where I'm using the template from. Am I placing the stylesheet in the wrong place or what am I doing wrong for it to not bring up the stylesheet

[bkellum]

I just installed osc and sts. I have a style sheet I want to use for the template. However, the store is still displaying the default look instead of what I have defined in the style sheet. I uploaded the stylesheet into the "test" directory where I'm using the template from. Am I placing the stylesheet in the wrong place or what am I doing wrong for it to not bring up the stylesheet

 

Hello Nathan,

 

Good question regarding the stylesheet. Newbies seem to get lost on this one so I will try to explain it in simple terms (please do not take offense).

 

When designing for STS, you can use CSS as an external or internal stylesheet. By default, the sample templates have a link to the stock osCommerce stylesheet.css file (in the osC root directory). I have that link so that when you first fire up STS and take a look at the different sample templates your store will somewhat resemble what a non-sts osCommerce store would look like (maybe just to prove that STS can do that I guess).

 

However, you are not limited to sticking with that stock stylesheet.css file. Here is what you need to do to change the stylesheet:

• You could remove this link from each of the template pages that you use in your shop:
  

  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet.css">

  
  

• Or, you could modify that link to point to your custom stylesheet using any name syntax that you choose:
  

  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://mydomain.com/myshop/anyfolder/mystylesheet.css">

  
  

:thumbsup: I suggest that you either keep the stylesheet inside your default template folder or in your osCommerce root directory. If you keep it in your STS Default Template folder, you can use the $templatedir tag to create a dynamic link to your stylesheet:

• <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="$templatedir/mystylesheet.css">

  
  

Edited July 9, 2007 by bkellum

[TracyS]

Hi guys,

 

I realize this may be off-topic, but I'm at a loss as to where to find it (and I have Googled the forums).

 

When an email is sent from the site to an email account, all the code to change the font or force a carriage return, etc... is printing in the email rather than causing something to happen.

 

For example, anywhere I have "/n" it prints in the email as /n rather than causing a return.

 

Any ideas on how to correct this?

 

Thanks!