Zen Cart Quick Start Guide

From the manual Zen Cart: Building an Online Store the Zen Way, by Kerry Watson & Matthew Therrien

Before you begin, fill out this Pre-Installation Checklist completely. This will allow you to have all the information you will need during installation and configuration in one place. This will save you many, many hours of back-and-forth figuring out little, just-one-more things.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program to upload files, create directories and set file permissions. CuteFTP www.globalscape.com has a free 30 day trial.

WinZip (PC) or Windows XP (WinZip pre-installed)

(Recommended) A code comparison program such as Beyond Compare www.scootersoftware.com – Free Trial.

(Optional) Site management/HTML editor program like Dreamweaver to synchronize [create a mirror website on your PC] and perform quick Searches [CTRL-F] to locate the code you wish to edit)

(Optional) If you don’t use Dreamweaver, a PHP editor/debugger like PHPEdit which highlight various sections of code in different colors, making it easy to see coding errors

What version of PHP and MySQL does your web host use/support?

What kind of servers does your web host use? (Apache, etc.)

What tools (i.e. cPanel) does your web host for database creation and account administration?

Does your web host support phpMyAdmin for administering your database? If not, what do they use or recommend for database creation and administration?

Does your web host back up your website files? How often? Your database? How often? How do you have files restored?

What is the internal path to your secure server?

What is the internal path to your secure images directory?

Does your web host offer a shared SSL certificate, or will you purchase your own SSL certificate? (Note, you may not need your own—check with your payment processor first)

What is the Hostname or IP address of your database server?

What is your exact database username? What full-rights password does your

database use? What is the name of your database (not

database username)? Have the database and username been

linked? Is there a secondary database username

and password with more restrictions which offers more security?

http://www.globalscape.com/

http://www.scootersoftware.com/

Do you have your domain name registered? What is the exact www address? Did you register it at least 24-72 hours ago?

Type the address in your browser to be sure it is live.

Have you notified your web host about your new domain name so they can “point” your files to it?

What is the full path to your Web Server Root Directory? (Ask your web host, it will be like /usr/www/users/yourname/html/ )

Is there a secondary database username and password with more restrictions which offers more security?

What payment gateway will you use? What is their URL, Username, account number, and password?

What shipping company will you use? What is their URL, Username, account number, and password?

Are you required to charge tax? On what products, what rate, and in what regions? Get help from your attorney.

TIP: To help you select credit card payment and shippers, a 40-page special report “Payment & Shipping Comparisons” is available from oscommercemanuals.com. Includes a free bonus chapter on disaster prevention and recovery.

Check off each item as you complete it.

1. Get your free copy of Zen Cart

Go to http://www.zen-cart.com/modules/mydownloads/ and click the name of the Zen Cart file. This link will take you to SourceForge.net, a popular website which is the home of many Open Source programs. From here you can download the Zen Cart program by clicking on the zip file. Download Zen-Cart-v1.25d.zip or higher release number.

2. Unzip the files onto your PC To unzip your Zen Cart files onto your computer in Windows XP, double-click your My Documents icon on your desktop, find the zip file you saved, and double-click the filename (if you don't have Windows XP, you will also have to select WinZip from the program list) .

3. Upload the files to your web host If you don’t have an FTP program, get a free or trial version such as CuteFTP or similar FTP program. There will be an easy “Wizard” to walk you through setting it up for your website. Use the settings from your Pre-Installation Checklist.

CuteFTP www.cuteftp.com

CoffeecupFTP www.coffeecup.com

Using your FTP program, make a directory called “store” (File – New Folder and name it store), change to the new directory, and upload all the files into it (CTRL-A to select all files, then click the UPLOAD button).

TIP: Make sure ALL your files get uploaded! If all the files do not upload completely, your install may not be successful and/or the program may not

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http://oscommerceguides.com/product_info.php?cPath=4&products_id=12

http://www.zen-cart.com/modules/mydownloads/

http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/zencart/Zen-Cart-v1.25d.zip?download

http://www.cuteftp.com/

http://www.cuteftp.com/

http://www.coffeecup.com/

function normally. It is difficult to track down this problem, so it is best to be certain to prevent it. Either “synchronize ” using a site manager like Dreamweaver or FrontPage, or upload twice using your FTP program.

IMPORTANT: DOUBLE-CHECK to make sure all the files uploaded completely. Your installation will not succeed if any file is missing. This is one of the MOST COMMON INSTALLATION PROBLEMS.

TIP: Some helpful information is included with your Zen Cart files in folder 'Docs', such as README-INSTALLATION.html. 'ReadMe' documents always contain important last-minute information and instructions. View these files by opening your Windows Explorer and double-clicking the file name.

4. Temporarily Set File Permissions to 706**Using your Pre-Installation Checklist and your FTP PROGRAM or your web host’s web-based administration tool (not osCommerce’s), you are now going to change the file permissions on the two following configuration files.

In CuteFTP, enter your ftp website address (usually ftp.yourdomain.com ), start by entering your FTP username and password that your web host gave you, and the path to your domain’s folder.

An FTP Program with permissions set to 706.

1. Change the file name of admin/includes/dist-configure.php to configure.php. To rename this file using CuteFTP, RIGHT- click on the file. From the menu that appears select 'Rename' and type in 'configure.php'.

2. Change the permissions on configure.php to 777. To change the permissions of this file using CuteFTP, RIGHT-click on the file configure.php and from the menu that appears select 'Properties/CHMOD' and type in 777.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the file /includes/dist-configure.php (not admin/includes/dist-configure.php).

4. Change permissions to 777 on the following list of store files and folders:

_____ public_html/store/cache _____ public_html/store/images _____ public_html/store/media _____ public_html/store/pub

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ftp://ftp.yourdomain.com/

_____ public_html/store/images/attributes _____ public_html/store/images/dvd _____ public_html/store/images/large _____ public_html/store/images/medium _____ public_html/store/images/uploads _____ public_html/store/images/large/dvd

_____ public_html/store/includes/languages/english/html_includes _____ public_html/store/includes/languages/english/html_includes/classic

_____ public_html/store/admin/backups _____ public_html/store/admin/images/graphs

TIP: Some hosts may have a security policy that does not allow you to set permissions to 777, but only 666. Start with 777 first, and switch to 666 if required.

SECURITY WARNING: **Set permissions initially to 706. Change it to 777 ONLY if the program gives an error message telling you that the permissions need to be changed. You MUST change the permissions again after installation for security reasons.

TIP: Leave your FTP program open while you move on to the Installation section in case you need to change some additional permissions.

5. Create your databaseUse phpMyAdmin, cPanel, or your web host’s web-based database administration tool to:

• Create an empty database • Create a user, and • Assign a user to the database.

Each web host will use a different or even custom database administration tool, so check out their support section or contact them for specific directions on how to use it.

TIP: Using phpMyAdmin with Zen Cart? Get the 42-page Special Report, "Using phpMyAdmin with osCommerce"

TIP: Using cPanel with Zen Cart? Get the manual "Zen Cart; Building an Online Store the Zen Way"

After Database Setup:

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Once you have created your empty database, you will receive an information screen or email with the exact database name, server location, and your username and password. SAVE AND PRINT THIS DATABASE INFORMATION and keep it in a safe place – you will need it for the next step.

6. Begin installing the Zen Cart program Using your web browser, go to the following address: http://www.yourdomainname.com/zc_install/

Please refer to your Pre-Installation Checklist for each item on the following Installation screens.

TIP: If your domain name is new, it may not be active yet – it can take up to 72 hours. Instead, you will have to use your “IP Address” to install the program. Ask your web host for your site’s exact IP address.

If you are copying and pasting information into your install screens, and have trouble, check to be sure you are not pasting extra SPACES at the beginning or end of the words. This the most frequent cause of installation error messages!

This brings you to Screen 1, the “Welcome” screen:

After you have read the overview, click on the 'Continue' button.

Screen 2 - License Agreement

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http://www.yourservername.com/catalog/install/

This brings you to the License Agreement screen. This is your copy of the GNU General Public License (GPL) license agreement. After you have read it, check the radio button 'I have read and agree…' and click the CONTINUE button .

Screen 3 - Zen Cart System Inspection

This brings you to the Zen Cart Setup System Inspection Screen. If you have followed all the steps in this chapter, you will see all green checkmarks or yellow notices, and you can move on to the next step.

TIP: The yellow exclamation points contain valuable information about choices you can make - click the 'Click here for more info' links to learn about those items.

If you see any errors, denoted by a large, red 'X' - then simply turn back to that section in this Chapter 3, and correct as needed.

TIP: Don't close this Installer browser window, simply open your FTP program and flip back and forth between the two.

Then return to this screen, scroll to the bottom and click on the 'Re-Check' button. Repeat if necessary until you have all green checkmarks.

Once your Zen Cart 'prerequisites', as they are called, have been successfully validated, go to the bottom of this screen again and click on the 'Install' button.

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Screen 4 - Zen Cart System Setup

Here you will tell Zen Cart the physical and virtual locations of the Zen Cart files you uploaded, as shown below:

The Zen Cart installer actually finds and recommends the relevant paths and locations of your files, so while this looks daunting, it is actually pretty easy. Simply click the 'Save System Settings' button to continue.

Screen 5 - phpBB Setup (optional)

The next Zen Cart setup screen is the optional 'phpBB Setup' screen. (phpBB is a discussion forum program popular free and open source system. It means 'php Bulletin Board' and is a free and open source program using the PHP scripting language). Leave the settings set to 'No' and at the bottom of the screen click on the 'Save phpBB Settings' button.

Screen 6 - Database Setup Screen 7


Next is the 'Database Setup' Screen, where you provide Zen Cart with the three pieces of database information you created in cPanel about your database name, user name and password. Get out the file where you stored this information for this step and enter it in the boxes numbered 1-3 in red text below:

The rest of the items on this page have been selected for you by Zen Cart, and there is no need to change them unless your web host has told you to or if the store would not install with them. So to start with these 'default' settings, after entering your three items, click the 'Save Database Settings' button.

Tip: Some of these settings can be changed at a later date, though it is unlikely you will need to.

Screen 7 - Zen Cart Store Setup

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We are now on the Zen Cart 'Store Setup' screen, where you input basic store and owner details which will be displayed throughout your store. Simply fill in your details, choose your default language and default currency.

TIP: Click 'more info' after any item for detailed help.

TIP: Say 'Yes' to Store Demo - so that you can see how categories and products are set up in your Zen Cart Store. You can easily delete these 'demo' products later using the Admin's Catalog->Category/Products menu.

Click the 'SAVE STORE SETTINGS' button to continue.

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Screen 8 - Zen Cart Administrator Account Setup

This is where you create your initial username and password so you can log onto the Administration part of your Zen Cart Store and specify the email address you want the system to identify as the Administrator. For example, if you lose your Admin password, you can click 'Resend Password' to have the store send a new one to you at this email address.

TIP: Type whatever name and password you want - but be sure to remember it! Write it down and file it safely with your other store account information, your web host Welcome message and cPanel information.

You will need this username and password in the next chapter to access the Zen Cart Admin, to customize your store.

Click on the 'Save Admin Settings' button.

Screen 9 - Setup Finished

Click the text link 'Go to my Store' to see how it looks.

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7. Set Security and PermissionsUsing your FTP program for all items in this section, you MUST do the following:

SECURITY WARNING: You MUST delete the Install folder AND change the permissions on your configuration files as instructed, or your store will be a security risk.

Do this: To the following folder:A For security, DELETE the Install folder. If you ever need it

again you can re-upload it from your personal computer: (RIGHT-click it, then select DELETE from the drop-down menu):

zcinstall

B For security, change configuration file permissions to 444, read-only:

/includes/configure.php admin/includes/configure.php

Installation Problem-Solving If you’ve had any difficulty with your installation, check again to be sure that you have set the appropriate file permissions for each folder or directory that requires it. That usually fixes 99% of installation problems.

If you still have difficulty, the osCommerce Technical Manual contains solutions to the top 25 osCommerce errors. See the back of this Quick Install Guide for more information.

Technical Help Procedure: 1. Read your Manual. 2. Ask your email group for more help, such as osCommerce-

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mailto:[email protected]

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[email protected] or [email protected] 3. Go to the technical forums and search for a similar problem (www.zen-cart.com) 4. When all else fails, pay for technical support or use a web host that supports Zen Cart.

If you continue to receive permissions warnings, try setting configure.php to read-only, 444. This warning is due to the security settings on some web hosts’ servers. Check with your web host for more information.



http://www.zen-cart.com/

Log onto your private Zen Cart Admin for the First Time: Using your web browser, go to the following address: http://www.yourdomainname.com/admin

BOOKMARK your new Admin page or add it to your “FAVORITES” List NOW! You will be going there every day from now on.

This brings you to your private Admin Login Panel:

This brings you to the Zen Cart Main Administration Menu:

Admin Home | Online catalog | Support Site | Logoff

Configuration Catalog Modules Customers Locations/Taxes Localization Reports Tools Gift Certificates/Coupons Extras

Initial Setup Summary: Detailed instructions for each step follow this summary. You will use the menu items highlighted in yellow in the menu above.

1. Remove the Demo User for security reasons in TOOLS - Admin Settings. 2. Set Your Configuration – My Store Settings. 3. Enter Products into your store in CATALOG– Contents. 4. Set up Payment & Shipping Info in MODULES– Payment & Shipping.5. Set up Taxes in LOCATIONS/ TAXES. Uses settings on several menus, so follow this

carefully.6. Enter your Welcome or “MainPage” Text in TOOLS - File Manager. 7. Edit your Information Pages - Privacy and Shipping in TOOLS - File Manager. 8. Upload your company's logo or header using your FTP Program.9. Upload new button sets to match your new store using your FTP Program.

RULE #1: ALWAYS back up before making any changes, and always work on a copy, not the original. You MUST develop a disaster prevention procedure and back up regularly. Draft pages in your email program or other editor, save copies in a safe place.

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http://www.yourdomainname.com/admin/

If you have any difficulty, get technical help or get detailed instructions in the Zen Cart manual at osCommerceManuals.com.

1. Remove the Demo User in TOOLS - Admin Settings.

From the top navigation bar, click Tools, then Admin settings. This bring up the 'Admin Settings ' screen:

Click on the Admin account 'Demo' to highlight it, click on the RED 'delete' button, and confirm that you want to delete this account. You have now removed the 'demo Admin' account.

2. Set Your CONFIGURATION – My Store Settings.

This is where you tell your store where things are and how you want it to look. The “My Store” menu tells your store its new name, your (store owner's) name, email address, and other details that will be displayed throughout many areas of the program.

From the Main Administration Menu, click My Store. Look at ALL menus in Configuration, but for now change only items that you KNOW need to be changed. Be sure to edit the following:

Store Name Your Store's Name Store Owner Your Owner Name - printed on store documents and emails

Country What country your company is located- necessary for taxes & shipping to calculate correctly

Zone Your State or Province - necessary for taxes & shipping to calculate correctly Store Address and Phone

Your Store Address and Phone- printed on store documents and emails including the Contact Us page and invoices/packing slips.

3. Enter your Product Information in CATALOG - Contents:

First you must set up your product categories – like store departments- then you can enter the product information.

A. To enter product information, from the top Administration navigation bar , under CATALOG, click Categories/Products. Look at the Demo products to see how they have been set up. Delete the Demo stuff before you launch your store.

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B. Then create your own CATEGORY : Remember, like a department in a store, or a chapter in a paper catalog. Click the NEW CATEGORY button, enter the category name and any other details you wish, and click SAVE. Now move into your category by clicking the FILE FOLDER picture. You are now in your new Category.

C. Enter a new PRODUCT: Click the NEW PRODUCT button, fill in at least the product NAME, MODEL, and WEIGHT.

You can add details later. Click the PREVIEW button, then SAVE. Repeat for all your products.

TIP: Enter ONE category and ONE product to test your site, THEN enter the remaining products when you know you have done it properly. You can easily MOVE, EDIT or DELETE products if necessary.

4. Set up Payment & Shipping:

Specify methods that customers will be allowed to use to pay, shipping companies you will use, and the screens that will appear during checkout.

From the main Admin menu, select MODULES – Payment. Choose a payment method including checks, PayPal, or manual credit cards if you are currently a retailer who processes credit cards. Click INSTALL or EDIT for each method and follow the instructions.

MODULES – Shipping. Choose a shipping method including flat rate, per item, UPS and more. Click INSTALL or EDIT for each method and follow the instructions.

5. Set up Taxes:

This is a 4-step process for most stores, but some will need additional setup to work correctly. You MUST do some test purchases to be sure your taxes are working as intended. If you have any difficulty, seek technical assistance.

1. Check to be sure you have specified the My Store Zone for your store

CONFIGURATION - My Store - Zone

2. Check to be sure your Country is listed.

239 countries are already listed. Get your country's code at www.iso.org Click LOCATIONS/TAXES, then select 'Countries'.

3. Check to be sure your Country's Zone is listed.

Countries -Zones -Most countries are already divided into zones. If your zone is not listed, you may add it here. Click LOCATIONS/TAXES, then select ' Zones'.

4. Create Zones Definitions Create your store's custom zones definitions which appear on store documents. Click LOCATIONS/TAXES, then click 'Zone Definitions'.

5. Create Tax Class(es) The name of the tax. Click LOCATIONS/TAXES, then select 'Classes'.

6. Create Tax Rate(s) How much is the tax. Click LOCATIONS/TAXES, then select 'Tax Rates'.

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http://www.iso.org/

5. Enter your Welcome Text in TOOLS - Define Pages Editor:

From the Main Administration Menu, click TOOLS, then Define Pages editor. Open file define_main_page.php and type the text you want.

6. Edit Your Information Pages:

This includes your Shipping, Privacy Policy, and Conditions of Use pages.

Edit exactly as welcome page text above, but instead of define_main_page.php the file names are:

Page Title Explanation

define_checkout_success.php

Customize your 'Checkout Success' page - a page to which your customer returns after completing payment for their order, typically saying something like 'Thank You For Your Order - You Will Shortly Receive Your Order Confirmation e-Mail'.

define_conditions.php Customize your 'Terms of Use' page - typically a legal liability disclaimer.

define_contact_us.php Customize your 'Contact Us' page - a page where you explain how customers can contact you and also displaying an email form.

define_page_2.php This is a 'spare' page, which can be customized for any purpose and is displayed in the 'Information' sidebox.

define_ page_3.php This is a 'spare' page, which can be customized for any purpose and is displayed in the 'Information' sidebox.

define_ page_3.php This is a 'spare' page, which can be customized for any purpose and is displayed in the 'Information' sidebox.

define_privacy.php Customize your 'Privacy' page with your Privacy Policies.

define_shippinginfo.php Customize your 'Shipping & Returns' page with your Shipping and Returns Policies.

7. Upload Your Company's Logo:

This “sneaky trick” works for logos in GIF format only. If not, get technical help. Get more "Sneaky Tricks" for free in "10 Sneaky Tips & Tricks" from osCommerceManuals.com. Rename your logo logo.gif and when you upload it, it will "over-write" the existing logo!

Follow the FTP instructions in Part I of this Quick Install Guide to upload your logo to the folder ‘/includes/classic/images/logo.gif’.

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8. Upload new Button Sets to match your new store:

Select a set of FREE buttons from our Button Library to match the new look you want in your store!

Follow the FTP instructions in Part I of this Quick Install Guide to upload your new buttons to catalog/includes/languages/english/images/buttons/.

There are dozens more ways to jazz up your store using our manuals. See osCommerceManuals.com for more information on customizing your Zen Cart store.

“User-Friendly Spoken Here.”

These directions in this Quick Install Guide are greatly abridged excerpts from user-friendly books at osCommerceManuals.com. There is not room in this Quick Install Guide to explain why, or deal with possible exceptions, or to help you with many of the other changes you wish to make to your store.

The osCommerce Manuals Series contains detailed, illustrated help on harnessing ALL the features of this powerful program. Fully illustrated with screenshots of EVERY step, and a wealth of other resources to help you! Contains Cheatsheets, Checklists, and cheap or free resources to make running your store easy.

Books are available for immediate download, or in paperback, from www.oscommercemanuals.com

osCommerceManuals.com is a

real osCommerce-based store like Zen Cart, with lots of free stuff so you can “buy” stuff as you try the

program risk-free.

This FREE Zen Cart Quick Start Guide for Installation & Initial Setup contains instructions from Zen Cart: Building an Online Store the Zen Way, copyright 2005 by Kerry Watson & Matthew Therrien. May be distributed freely as long as this copyright statement remains intact.

WARNING AND DISCLAIMER This publication is NOT a substitute for professional advice for your particular situation. Every effort has been made to make this information as complete and accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information is provided on an AS-IS basis. The author and the publisher have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this publication.

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