building a website

[sbusch]

Ok, Let me start out by saying I am totally new to any of this. Then let me ask a question that might sound funny for anyone that has been doing this.

 

1st- I bought a template and designed a web page using it on MS frontpage.

 

2nd- I spent many hours getting oscommerce to work, at least to the configure stage.

 

now- I am wondering if I should have started oscommerce and then design my website using it.

 

I can't imagine in my mind how my website that I designed and oscommerce work together.

 

I requested working websites with oscommerce and people responded. I looked at them and they all look like they all have the same contect from oscommerce catalog but then the designer must have altered oscommerce's catalog.

 

OK, now my question- When designing these websites, are you putting oscommerce's html into your website you designed or are altering oscommerce to be your website?

[beerman]

hi Steve,

I am also new! I activated the oscommerce on my hoste account and put some of the designs into the oscommerce module. I think it makes no sence to take out things from osc and put it in your page, but I think it makes sence to "feed" the osc with your things. The template you bought could be used for your homepage (like company-profile, history ... and so on) and than you also could make a link to your store, your osCommerce store!

and one you installed the osCommerce store, you can change the default design to your needs using the help of this support forum with surching the sites or asking or also look at the

 

http://wiki.oscommerce.com/docsCat

 

which can help you. Good luck and good sales!

Paul

 

java script:emoticon(':P')

PS: your question... I pasted my own table with the designs incl. links and so on, on the very top of the store. I did this by replacing the php icon withmy design. The tricky thing is to find the right php icon. In my case, it was the very first one on the following path:

 

yourfilenamemanypeoplecallitcatalog/ includes/ header.php

 

and there replace the first php-symbol with your design.

!!!!Before you doing so, make a copy of this page, just in case it doesnot work on your PC, I used macromedia, got the file on my PC and changed it and sent it pack!!!!

For the middle part I also wanted to change some things but you have to change the text on different files and also the design. It is hard (for me) to change this with own html things like I did with the above because it is difficult to tell, which php-symbol is what... so I just keep it with the os-designs and not my html BUT you can easyly find the pictures which are used on the osc by looking on your browsers screen, rightclick above the picture and find out about the property which tells you, where the picture is to find (in which file). Once you located it, you go there, copy it, change on it with your picture and put it back by replacing it. Do not change the original name of the pic!!!!!! And you also can configer the text and colours of most osc-things... where and how will tell you the above link, you do not need to "html" there.

[sbusch]

thank you beerman. That is helpful. Does anyone else have an suggestions.

 

Am I right to think that everyone is just modifying the OsCommerece page instead of actually building a website?

[wondernet]

I'm currently working on my second installation/client with OSC and both times I've installed the default settings and then made the HTML fit. I have not been as daring with the design as some, but am fairly happy (and being paid) for what I have done.

 

 

 

[*edit* - We have a 'My Store' forum channel to feature stores - please use this and link to your store through the forum page - Matti]

[Babysweet]

I have parcially intigrated the oscommerse with one of my sites and on the other made it the entire thing practially,

[*edit* - see notes in post above - Matti]

 

it all depends on what you are aiming to do,

for me, my 92engbn site the store is a second thought, hoping that sales will help fund the site,

for babysweet, the whole purpose is to sell.

both these sites are just my toys at this time as I learn webdesign,

but integrating the html into the oscommerce is not too hard, but it helps if you have a php notepad to make sure your html code does not mess with the php

plus the regular notepad doesn't have the numbered lines. the numbered is useful when you are confronted with an error and it happens to be on line 245

[wondernet]

but integrating the html into the oscommerce is not too hard, but it helps if you have a php notepad to make sure your html code does not mess with the php plus the regular notepad doesn't have the numbered lines. the numbered  is useful when you are confronted with an error and it happens to be on line 245

 

I use both Dreamweaver MX (nmubered AND coloured lines/code) as well as "Note Tab Lite" - http://www.notetab.com (not coloured, but numbered lines).

[beerman]

hi David, I am using dreamweaver mx 04, is it possible to see more than the php symmbols or sometimes text with dreamweaver? how do you know what the php actually looks like - for me it is still guessing and trying right now!

[wondernet]

unless you view in 'code' mode you wont see much; this is what I mean http://www.hopkins-online.co.uk/images/osc.gif

[beerman]

well, you dont see much of the php-symbol?s content in split-view as well. My question was if it is possible to see it somehow.

By the way, I looked to the pages you made and think they are great, I hope I will be able to be just 50% as good as you. I am right now working on the beer-store [*edit* - see notes in previous posts - Matti] and experimenting with the pictures, what sice is best and what format, Is there a practical way to have them in a folder somewere. When I loade them up through the osCommerce/admin (not Dreamwaver), they end up disorganized in the image folder.

[Avar]

I found this somewhere on the osCommerce forum and the more I use it the more I'm liking it.

 

http://www.editplus.com/

 

One of the nice feature is the Search feature from the menu. It will search contents of the files and display the results at the bottom panel of the page with line numbers and other stuff. When you double click on what you are looking for it takes you to the doc and line.

 

It also alows you to view the directory structure on the left had side of the screen.

 

I also tried phpedit but haven't worked with it much yet.

 

http://www.phpedit.com/