Getting Started - New user - just don't get it

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New user - just don't get it

Printed From: ProductCart E-Commerce Solutions
Category: ProductCart
Forum Name: Getting Started
Forum Description: Installing, activating, and getting started with ProductCart
URL: https://forum.productcart.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1656
Printed Date: 22-November-2024 at 4:56pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: New user - just don't get it

Posted By: DonnaT
Subject: New user - just don't get it
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 1:28pm

I just had ProductCart installed yesterday. Although I've read the user manual, I'm just not sure how the store is supposed to be set up. Should all pages in the site be asp, or are there normally a combo of html, asp etc? What is best practise? If I have both html and asp pages, am I therefore supposed to maintain header and footer files for the asp portions of the site and corresponding .dwt template files for the html pages? If all pages are asp, will I lose any functionality? Can someone please let me know how this is supposed to work? Totally confused.

Replies:

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 1:38pm

Well, you can have any combination of ASP and HTML pages. That's not uncommon at all.

You could certainly manage the header/footer of the static pages as you are accustomed to, but the header/footer in ProductCart must contain the ASP includes and other such logic that you will observe in the stock files. The HTML representing your layout must be placed into those files.

So yes, you will likely have dual points of maintenance if you have a mix of ASP and HTML pages.

-------------
GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: Hamish
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 2:13pm

You can have as many HTML pages as you wish - they are the "static" part of the site.

The header and footer files are used by the dynamic customer facing pages.
They make up the top & bottom part of the pages, as their names imply to give a consistant look to your sites dynamic pages. The bit in the middle, which changes, can be styled via CSS and also various options you set in the admin panels can change the way that part of the page is desplayed / layed out.

The WIKI (see link at the top of the forum pages) contains additional information.
HTH - Please let us know if you need further clarification.

Hamish

Posted By: DonnaT
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 2:34pm

The initial index page of my site is my primary point of confusion. From looking at the sample ProductCart websites, the initial index pages that first load when you access the sites would appear to be asp shopping cart pages?? Not sure. If that is the standard, I'd like to have this as well. However, I assume this means that you would have to place the home.asp page in the root directory of your site, or do you just reference it with a link from a static html page? When reading an article in your knowledgebase entitled "Moving the home page to the root directory" this appears to be very complicated and results in decreased functionality (eg. not able to use AJAX base product preview features). What do most people do with the index page? I don't know how to get started. Thanks.

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 2:55pm

In this article I point out that there is really no need to lose the AJAX functionality when moving the home page to the room:

http://wiki.earlyimpact.com/how_to/move_home_page_retain_ajax - http://wiki.earlyimpact.com/how_to/move_home_page_retain_ajax

And the entire process is not that difficult, particularly with a stock/unaltered store (which is also a great time to drop in the SEO mod: http://www.earlyimpact.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=69 - http://www.earlyimpact.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=69

If you are uncomfortable with the above procedure, any developer should be able to do it for you in a brief time.

And if you don't want to use the ProductCart home page, don't. There are many PC stores that use something other than the stock home page.

Do you have an existing site into which PC is being added? May we see it?

-------------
GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: DonnaT
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 4:14pm

Thanks for your information. it will be very helpful. I do not have an existing web site that you can see. I am asking these questions before I start since I don't want to create an asp based home page if it is not advisable to do so. I'm looking for a recommended way of approaching the index page/trying to find out the "standard procedure"/trying to determine which is the best route to go for the index page. Do you have a recommendation?

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 4:33pm

There's really not a standard Donna, so it would help to better understand the subject matter of your store.

http://www.home-distilling.com - http://www.home-distilling.com is a fairly stock implementation of PC with a bit of modification to the left nav, and relocating the standard home page to the root.

http://www.buygolfshirts.net - http://www.buygolfshirts.net is another example, using a revised implementation of the stock home page.

OTOH, http://www.sierratoysoldier.com - http://www.sierratoysoldier.com uses a totally custom home page, and the links take you to category pages, eventually making it to product pages. The stock home page is not used at all.

And finally, these sites don't use much of ProductCart at all. They principally use PC for the power of the checkout process. http://www.bumperbully.com - http://www.bumperbully.com & http://www.opakallc.com - http://www.opakallc.com

More examples could be presented, but the key is that you need to have a sense of your goals with your site, and what content you want where. Since you don't have an existing site to show us, could you at least tell us about what the product line is? Do you want to use the stock home page, or do you have a different idea for what the home page will consist of?

There are no rigid standards that you are obligated to follow, but there are strategies that some feel are more effective than others. Some merchants want product right out front where the items may be purchased. Other merchants feel the need to educate the potential customer prior to trying to secure the sale. Make sense?

-------------
GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: Hamish
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 4:39pm

Hi Donna,
IMHO there is no "right" way. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve with your site.
If you believe the potential customers landing on your sites home page will want to go straight into selecting items to purchase, or finding out information, then your home page should probably be an ASP page that's part of your store.

If you want the home page to be an intro to what you do, informational, etc etc and THEN have customers go to your store pages then a "pure" HTML home page is fine as well.

It really depends on your view of what your customers will want on how you arrange things.
For (a very simple) example - If you are running a remote control model CLUB which has a store attached then you would have the club pages as the home page and then link to the store. If you were running a remote control model SHOP then you would probably have the home page as an ASP store page. Don't forget that on the stores home page you can have any text/ links etc to introduce your store that you like anyway.

Posted By: Hamish
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 4:40pm

Hi Greg,
You put that so much more eloquently :-)

Posted By: DonnaT
Date Posted: 24-May-2008 at 7:37pm

Thank you so much! The information from both of you has been very helpful (and yes, eloquent). Your examples have been great in guiding my decision. I believe that I will try to use the stock home page for now, familiarize myself with it, get the site up and running and then make the cosmetic changes via the header and footer. Your assistance has been much appreciated.