Zen cart templates & services blog
Before any template (or skin) installation a Zen Cart installation is required. Many users just starting building their own 1st store can even do not know what physically template is. This is normal situation and zen-cart-power will try to explain what thing called ‘zen cart template’ is provided by our site and its installation. You'll also need to activate your payment processing module. Your payment credit card processor modules connect Zen Cart to the merchant account networks. If you need a merchant account compatible with zen-cart, please click this website.
Our templates being distributed as an archive containing several main folders (these are mostly 3 folders – ‘admin’, ‘includes’, ‘images’) with secondary files like installation instructions. Simply, template is a replacement of standard ‘Classic Contemporary Green’ Zen Cart template. Template (or skin) is a storefront look. This means that after installing the skin the look of the storefront will change and additional features like specific banner or popup, or hovered button and etc… will take place instead of classic view and behavior:
Classic Contemporary Green – store look (currently one item in cart):
Zen-cart-power template – store look (the same item in cart):
But let us return to beginning – Zen Cart installation. Actually, there is 1 issue we are focusing on that should be accurately taken into account while Zen Cart installation (do not confuse it with the template installation – template is just an add-on for existing store). Zen Cart versions starting from 1.3.9g and higher require rename of initial ‘admin’ folder:
Complete instruction regarding renaming is listed on Zen Cart turorial page.
Thus, ‘admin’ folder is renamed and, let us say, called ‘new_admin’. It is does not matter what Zen Cart version is installed (we refer to 1.3.8 and higher), files from ‘admin’ folder of zen-cart-power template archive should be copied to admin (any folder that initially was called ‘admin’, in our case it is ‘new_admin) folder created after Zen Cart store installation completion . Our files are unique therefore will not rewrite existing files in existing admin folder. If the copy procedure asks for rewrite – it means something is wrong (sometimes template sellers provide skins with files that rewrite already existing files – it means the store owner will never be able to return to previous store condition unless back up restore is done). Once, admin files are copied folders ‘images’ and ‘includes’ and secondary files should be copied to root directory where your Zen Cart store is installed. These files are also template specific and should not rewrite the existing files.
Why it is required unique template files – this allows keeping the availability to switch the templates with no problems using standard admin (in store backend) methods Tools-> Template selection. Moreover, template will not affect (conflict) existing store files and can be always turned off without any problems.
Finally, in order to make it easier to look the store like on our templates DEMO page (except product images) we have built the option called ‘one-click configuration’ that allows resetting the store layout settings (sideboxes, sort order, image or text buttons…) by clicking only 1 button from Extras menu in store backend.
Great post it is without doubt. I have been awaiting for this tips.
Fantastic information over again. Thanks a lot=)