need to edit php files

[dcswiftly]

i am a novice and i have got hosting with [my host] who have installed oscommerce on the site. the only info they have given me is edit the php files found in catalog and upload them to the site and then make the site live by editing configure.php file. how do i edit this file. when i open the php files to edit them in dreamweaver it displays only empty pages with boxes on them. i dont really know what each empty box does or where it links to. i have done basic web page creation on frontpage and i had hoped the oscommerce would have had content on it so i could have used it as a guide and replaced text to suit my needs. Please help. At the bottom of this post is the passage of text from the [my host] email.

 

Also i have been given two links with username and passsword on the same [my host] email; what do they mean?

CATALOG URL http://mydomain.com/catalog

 

ADMIN URL http://mydomain.com/catalog/admin

 

"osCommerce has been installed on your account. It is configured to work with your IP address. When your site is ready to go live, you will need to update osCommerce to use your domain name. You can do this yourself by editing the configure.php file, or have us do it by submitting a helpdesk ticket requesting "update oscommerce to use my domain name."

 

To modify osCommerce, edit the php files located in the /public_html/catalog directory. If you make a mistake, the original files are located in the /temp directory. They are in a zip file, so you will have to download the zip to your local computer.

 

Edited by DaemonJ to remove sensitive information,

[Daemonj]

If you are using any version of DreamWeaver prior to MX, then PHP code is not displayed. You have to switch the view to code view and then you will see the contents of the file. You could also use a text editor to edit the files.

 

The Catalog URL is used to access your store. The Admin URL is used to access the admin panel of osCommerce. This is where you establish the settings for your store.

 

I recommend you visit wiki.oscommerce.com for assistance with the admin panel and osCommerce in general.

[nwilcox]

So the only way to alter this is to know programming? IS there any way to be able to change it in the What you See is what you get Mode?

[Guest]

not necessarily know programming, as most are just adding from the contributions to their own site.

need a good 'windows grep' if using windows and a good code compare program, an editor which displays line #'s and a bit of patience

[thecodingmonkey]

Most people, if they can't make the changes themselves usually just pay a few hundred bucks for some of the brains in this forum to make the changes for them. It is completly worth the money considering the time you will lose otherwise.

[njgoldens]

Iknow this is an older post, but incase people are still reading......I just signed up for hostrocket, but before signing up I asked a million questions, and kept telling them I knew nothing about programing, and if this would be easy to use. Well, they said yes. And to my dismay, it is not! I wish that the host would have been more upfront about the skill level needed to use this. If you (oscommerce) could stress to them that people without this skill would not easily be able to put up there store. They told me I could do it in a fe minutes! It's been a few weeks, and I did find someone to help me, but that was not my plan! I would have gone with a paid program that I could easily do myself. JMO

 

Tonya

[Jack_mcs]

That's the standard line from most hosts, at least in my experience. I think their reasoning is that all you need to do is go to their admin panel, select Add osCommerce (or whatever it is called) and you are done. So from that viewpoint, the shop has been installed and is running in just a few minutes. Of course, it is not a usable shop. They never mention that. :( But you will find, if you stick with it, that it does get easier and you will be happier in the end knowing more about the workings of your shop. Good luck.

 

Jack