New shop owner needs help editing SQL files

[hifissb]

Hello everyone,

 

I need to upload a header logo ( I think it's 1000 x 200 pixels in size). I have a couple of books telling me how to do this, but I need some advice how to edit my downloades SQL file. When I open it it only shows as a long list of normal text. Is there some basic program available that allows me to make basic changes to the look of my shop?

 

I hope my question is not to stupid, I only want to run my shop and cannot get into programming a big deal.

Many thanks1

Reinhard

[jigga1234]

Hello everyone,

 

I need to upload a header logo ( I think it's 1000 x 200 pixels in size). I have a couple of books telling me how to do this, but I need some advice how to edit my downloades SQL file. When I open it it only shows as a long list of normal text. Is there some basic program available that allows me to make basic changes to the look of my shop?

 

I hope my question is not to stupid, I only want to run my shop and cannot get into programming a big deal.

Many thanks1

Reinhard

 

What are you wanting to do exactly are you asking 3 questions?

1. How do I upload an image (in your case header)?

2. How do I edit my downloads sql file?

3. Is there a basic programme out there to make basic changes to the look of my shop?

 

If so I suggest the following

1. OSC FAQ

2. Still not entirely sure of what you want to do.

3. OSC FAQ

 

Hope this helps?

[Guest]

Reinhard,

 

 

BACK UP! BACK UP! BACK UP! BEFORE DOING ANYTHING:

 

 

You can upload the new banner to the catalog>images folder. Then change the catalog>includes>header.php file to replace the file name store_logo.png with the file name of the new banner you just uploaded. That's it for the banner.

 

 

Use myphpadmin to make changes to your SQL database. You will find this in your cpanel provided by your hosting account.

 

Basic changes to you shop (like colors and borders) can be made by editing the stylesheet.css file located in the root directory or catalog folder depending how your shop is configured.

 

 

Chris

[MrPhil]

Uh, from the nature of your questions and your statement "I only want to run my shop and cannot get into programming a big deal I think you're headed for big trouble trying to use osCommerce. I would suggest either hiring someone who knows their way around PHP/MySQL websites, or signing up with a vendor who hosts, installs, and customizes a store for you (at a fee).

 

Anyway, to address your specific questions:

I need to upload a header logo ( I think it's 1000 x 200 pixels in size).

Using an FTP client or your hosting service's File Manager to upload a file is beyond the scope of this forum. You may be able to simply replace a stock image with yours, or you may have to tweak the .php and .css files to make it work just right -- it all depends. Be careful to upload image files in 'binary' mode, not 'ASCII'.

 

I have a couple of books telling me how to do this, but I need some advice how to edit my downloades SQL file. When I open it it only shows as a long list of normal text.

It's not clear if "how to do this" refers to the previous question (image upload/replace) or the following question (SQL). When you say "downloaded SQL file", are you referring to an .sql file full of commands like "CREATE TABLE" and "INSERT INTO"? Frankly, you have no business editing that file (which is used to create the tables in your database and fill them with data) unless you're quite proficient in SQL, and the PHP coding changes needed to make use of your altered database. What are you trying to accomplish? Most of the data loaded into the database is accessible and editable in the admin side of the store, which would be safer than trying to edit the .sql code before loading up the database. Besides, very little of the store's layout and appearance is controlled from the database.

 

Is there some basic program available that allows me to make basic changes to the look of my shop?

The look and feel of the shop is controlled by the template PHP files and some CSS coding. It's not hard to tweak colors and fonts in the CSS files, but beyond that you'll need to modify PHP code. You could look at installing "add-ons" such as Simple Template System (STS), which might help you achieve your goals.

[hifissb]

Thanks all, problem solved. As it turns out it's not really rocket science.

Great forum!!