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osCommerce

The e-commerce.

Integration into existing web page?


Janovetz

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Hello. I'm not sure exactly how I want to express what I'm thinking, but I'll give it a shot.

 

I have an existing web page that has company information, software downloads, a community forum, support info, etc. I also have product pages. Right now, they have icons for "Buy now" that are just placeholders. I'm just starting into the eCommerce stuff.

 

All of the osCommerce examples (live shops) that I've looked at have osCommerce as their -main- page -- that is, they are online storefronts. I want to integrate eCommerce into my page, but not make my whole site look like a storefront.

 

Can someone provide an example site that does this (and uses osCommerce)? As an example, consider www.apple.com. You can peruse their web site for information and downloads and it doesn't look like a storefront. However, purchasing capability is elegantly integrated into pages that require it. (when you click a Buy Now -- it directs you to the store web page) This functionality is what I'd like, I believe.

 

Can someone suggest how to do this? Should I jam my pages into osCommerce or should I (preferred) and tags into my pages that do things like add to cart, etc. ? My site is not currently PHP-based. I didn't find a wiki item that mentioned this, but I haven't been exhaustive either.

 

Overall, osCommerce looks like a fantastic package.

 

Cheers,

Jake

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Im doing exactly the same thing - not live yet, but almost.

 

The HTML pages, like yours have pay now or buy now buttons - I have then hyperlinked these to /catalog/index.php to start the store, and set up the hyperlink to open in a new frame - seems to work ok so far.

 

what Im finding though is that I am reproducing my entire original site on OSC - it seems to be taking over, so I may dispense with the original one day.

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I'll probably actually dispense with a good deal of osCommerce. For example, the 'product' page is not really useful in my context. Rather, the most important is the view cart and checkout process.

 

So, let's say I have a page with my product and a "Buy Now" button. Can I just link that to:

"store.jakesstore.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=2&sort=2a&action=buy_now&product_id=72

 

The above code is what appears as the link when I hover over a Buy Now link within osCommerce. Is there any harm in doing something like this? Is there a more generic way to do it that doesn't force me to figure out the link text? More importantly, are there any security concerns with this type of method?

 

Jake

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  • 2 weeks later...

just bumping this as I am wondering the same thing. I just dont need a database run shop just now, but I do want to have a cart.

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I'll probably actually dispense with a good deal of osCommerce. For example, the 'product' page is not really useful in my context. Rather, the most important is the view cart and checkout process.

 

So, let's say I have a page with my product and a "Buy Now" button. Can I just link that to:

"store.jakesstore.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=2&sort=2a&action=buy_now&product_id=72

 

The above code is what appears as the link when I hover over a Buy Now link within osCommerce. Is there any harm in doing something like this? Is there a more generic way to do it that doesn't force me to figure out the link text? More importantly, are there any security concerns with this type of method?

 

Jake

Well, I have done exactly this in newsletters.

 

I make up a mini page of selected products in a table and then add the buy now button with the link underneath so they can add products directly from the newsletter into the website.

 

As far as I know there are no security issues and it works fine. You could certainly integrate it into a static HTML page.

 

Basically the link text is the same for all products, except the product ID at the end. So you can cut and paste the same link for each product but just change the ID.

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If you don't want osCommerce as your storefront then simply install it into a higher directory e.g. catalog. That way your main website remains at root level, and osCommerce is just called as a link from the main site e.g. yourdomain.com/catalog/index.php Vger :)

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  • 1 year later...

I'm hoping to do the same thing. What puzzles me is how to eliminate the Catalog functionality. I have very shi shi hand made catalog pages for a fine chocolate site. I'd like to build the site with osC in such a way that individuals can purchase right off these pages, add them to the cart and then return to these pages. The problem I'm encountering is getting shoppers back to my pages once they've hit the cart.

 

I'll admit that I have tried several times to try to edit the basic look of an osC install and even though I'm pretty good with PHP It's just too hard for me to look at five broken up files and picture how my finished design if going to come out.

 

In general I think osC is great if you are a person who just wants to pick a color and open a store. If you need to tame the beast into your design it seems like it fights against you. BTS doesn't seem like a real answer to this situation.

 

With this said I haven't used STS yet but I don't think that is my magic bullet either.

 

I've also looked at a few of the forks out there and they seem to be geared toward bells and whistles but still not design.

 

Has anyone with more programming skill than I have put togther a stripped down osC that is really just a checkout engine? Has anyone put up a store that has significant modding for the sake of style change? I need some guidance as to whether I should be looking at a contribution, a fork or a method of altering the store or hiring an osC programmer to create a new fork for design integrated stores.

 

I'll take any and all advice. Thanks a great deal.

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I think you'll have to look into changing around the layout in product_info.php. You can get products to display just about any way you'd like. Start by knocking out the product page template in straight html then migrate it to your product display in osC.

 

Trial and error will be the rule for this so hunker down and dig in. You'll get it.

 

You'll find this to be the case with just about everything; osC, Mambo, Typo3, phpBB etc. To really get a custom layout going requires digging into it more than you may like and learning more than you may have wanted to. Figuring that out is kind of like going through the 5 stages of grief

 

DENIAL --- It can't be this hard. What stupid @$^% coded this thing?

ANGER --- I'll never get this going! I give up!

BARGAINING --- Maybe if I use a Loaded Distribution that'll work.

DEPRESSION --- Oh God, most of the Loaded's suck too.

ACCEPTANCE --- Ahhh, this is the way these things work. In fact they work this way by necessity. In fact, now that I know a little more, they've done a pretty spectacular job. Thanks opensource coders!

 

Iggy

Everything's funny but nothing's a joke...

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