Customizing OSCommerce

[Guest]

How customizable is this software?

 

Here's my current site:

 

www.ppshealthcare.com

 

I would like to keep everything intact and utilize the shopping cart and checkout. Is it a matter of just opening the various PHP files and making my changes?

 

Thanks!

Allie

[Chris Dunning]

osCommerce is 100% customizable - it all depends on how much knowledge of PHP you have.

[Guest]

If you looked at my website, you will see I have quite a bit of knowledge, which I have taught myself. I am just looking for some tutorials and or help merging OSCommerce and my current site together.

 

Any help is much appreciated!

 

Thanks!!

Allie

[Chris Dunning]

With all that knowledge you've built up it shouldn't be hard for you to manipulate the php files to do what you want. You didn't ask for any tutorials or help in your first post, you just asked if it's possible - yes, just about anything is possible.

 

If you want a tutorial, read the forums. Then read the documentation (top far right of this page is the link). Then read the forums again. Then hack at the code some. When you break it, come search through the forums and find out what you did wrong and maybe how to fix it. There are plenty of experts here who will answer your intelligent questions and ignore (or quite possibly mock) the questions that have been asked and answered hundreds of times already.

[Guest]

Has anyone ever told you how incredibly nice and sexy you are? I bet you picked on the new kid in class too.

[Guest]

Though it's not worded daintily, Chris is reacting somewhat from the deluge of questions on these forums that are answered by the documentation.

 

Unfortunately, the links to the documentation are veiled somewhat for some reason. Either see the link "Collarborative Documentation Effort" or just go to wiki.oscommerce.com.

 

-jared

[Chris Dunning]

Allison, I appreciate the compliment. :)

 

If the new kid in class came in and said something like this:

If you looked at my website, you will see I have quite a bit of knowledge, which I have taught myself.

Then yup, I would've picked on him.

 

Seriously, there isn't really much of a tutorial. There is the documentation, but it's sparse at best. The forums have a wealth of information if you can sort through it all. The contributions are full of great stuff. Trial and error is your friend - you'll gain some more of that knowledge while you're doing it.

 

Jared is exactly right - most of the questions you'll have in the first few months of working with osC have been answered in the forums repeatedly.

[agiftcodotcom]

The contributions I've used are listed in my signature. You're welcome to browse those and see if they might help you at all. That could be a good starting point :(

[Guest]

If the new kid in class came in and said something like this:

 

QUOTE 

If you looked at my website, you will see I have quite a bit of knowledge, which I have taught myself. 

 

 

Then yup, I would've picked on him.

 

Seriously, there isn't really much of a tutorial. There is the documentation, but it's sparse at best. The forums have a wealth of information if you can sort through it all. The contributions are full of great stuff. Trial and error is your friend - you'll gain some more of that knowledge while you're doing it.

 

Jared is exactly right - most of the questions you'll have in the first few months of working with osC have been answered in the forums repeatedly.

 

I appreciate the futile attempt at redeeming your actions. There is no excuse, however, to be rude to a total stranger. There was nothing "lame" about my comment you quoted, nor did it warrant me to be picked on. No question is a stupid question, questions are usually asked by very intelligent people.

 

Here's a piece of advice. If someone's question is something you find redundant and annoying... don't reply to it. :)

 

OSCommerce is software that was created by people who wanted to help other people... they volunteered their time to do it. You obviously don't share those beliefs. Oddly enough, I asked the same question on a Sitepoint Forum. Someone with over 11,000+ posts, versus your mere 400+, was much more helpful. I am sure glad not everyone takes your attitude.

 

Have a WONDERFUL day Chris.

[Chris Dunning]

If you take a look at my other posts, I think you'll find that I've spent plenty of time helping other folks out with their osCommerce stores. I wouldn't be insulting someone's 400+ posts when yours are still in the double digits, by the way.

Here's a piece of advice. If someone's question is something you find redundant and annoying... don't reply to it.

If someone's question is redundant and annoying, I try to point them to where the answer could be found...and show them how to find the answers to similiar questions in the future.

 

I haven't called any of your questions in here stupid. In fact, you have yet to ask a specific question on how to modify your store. I'm sure if you would do that, there would be plenty of helpful people out there who will help you. As I stated above, however, there will be plenty out there who will ignore you or worse if you ask questions that have been asked and answered 100 times already. That was a warning, not an insult.

 

You can hold the opinion that no question is a stupid question...but I will have to disagree with you. Even if no question is stupid in and of itself, it becomes stupid when it's asked again an hour later.

 

If you want to continue the flaming...er...debating you can find a half-dozen ways to contact me directly at the bottom of this post. I invite you to use any one of them.

[Guest]

I wouldn't be insulting someone's 400+ posts when yours are still in the double digits, by the way.

 

Um, read my post again. I compared you to someone else with 11,000 posts in a different forum with a much better attitude, not myself. I am NEW to OSCommerce, doh, of course my posts are low.

 

Two:

 

If you want to continue the flaming...er...debating you can find a half-dozen ways to contact me directly at the bottom of this post. I invite you to use any one of them.

 

Flaming? Yet another derogatory innuendo. Contact you directly? Um, no thanks... you are NOT worth my time. Why don't you take up one of your so-called debates with some other poor unsuspecting person.

 

I hope the job of "Idiot Question Forum Monitor" pays well.

[facswife]

I really do not want to get in the middle of this, BUT Allison I truly think you have taken what is being said the wrong way. I am new to OSC myself and this forum and including Chris have been very helpful.

 

Your first post asked 2 questions, both were answered by Chris on the second post. Then you Allison (IMHO), you came back with a start of cocky response. Now granted, we are reading typed words. It is hard to interpret someones tone when reading. Which led Chris to come back with a response that could have been interpretted of being cocky.

 

So, anyway....please do not respond with a nasty post. I am just saying it sounds like a miscommunication due to the fact everyone is reading type messages.

 

This is all my opinion and I am in titled to that. I just want everyone to get along. This software is awesome and the people here are great !

 

Thanks for listening,

Shar :)