VERYCART™ HELP FILES

Frequently Asked Questions for VeryCart™

Included on this page are answers to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) received since the release of VeryCart™, We will add to them as our question base grows. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you cannot figure out a feature on VeryCart™ or find the answers here. We want to help you better utilize the VeryCart™ shopping cart and build a strong technical support FAQ section for our clients.

 Click the following questions to find the answers below:

• How do I add extra link pages?
  
  
• How do I change the 'Category Index' titles and the other headers in the side bar? Can I use images there?
  
  
• Does VeryCart offer or integrate with any affiliate tracking software?
  
  
• I don't want to offer an affiliate program, how do I remove it from the face of my website?
  
  
• I don't need the currency converter, can I turn it off?
  
  
• Can I move Very Cart to another domain?
  
  
• Can I use graphics instead of text links for my categories?
  
  
• I'd like to change the default images already in the cart such as: the logo, the category
  images, and the submit and add to cart buttons, how do I do this? Can I remove some of
  them altogether?
  
  
• I don't know how to read a URL bar, how do I know where to find a file or image from a URL bar?
  
  
• I don't want to have an "enter" page or "splash" page, how can I make it so my customers go right to the shop?
  
  
• I'd like to use a background image instead of just a color, how do I do this?
  
  
• I need my customers to be able to order in fractional quantities. How do I implement this?
  
  

  Question: How do I add extra link pages?

Answer: First log into your shop admin area and click on 'Manage Templates' under the General Settings area in the side bar.

    

At the top of the 'Manage Templates' table, you will find a link 'Add New', click this link to add a new template to your website.

    

Next, add your new page name and the content you want to appear on that page.

    

Editing Template: When you need to edit the content you have entered in your new template, go back to the 'Manage Templates' area and scroll down to find the name you assigned to your template in the list. Click the small "paper and pen" image to 'edit' your template page. Make your changes and 'save' by clicking the 'Submit Query' button at the bottom. If you made a mistake and want to start over, click the 'Reset' button at the bottom.

    

Linking to the Template: You need to link to the new template so your customers can find it to read. Go back to the 'Manage Template' area and scroll down until you find the 'information_table' template. Click the small "paper and pen" image to open the template. You will see the following code:

<table class="column">
<tr>
<td>
<h4 style="padding: 0; margin: 0;">$lang_index[info_table]</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="$settings[shopurl]index.php?action=store_policies">Store Policies</a></li>
<li><a href="$settings[shopurl]index.php?action=privacy_notice">Privacy Notice</a></li>
<li><a href="$settings[shopurl]index.php?action=affiliate_welcome">Affiliates</a></li>
<li><a href="$settings[shopurl]index.php?action=contact_us">Contact Us</a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

Copy and paste one of the links to the bottom of the list (or wherever you want it) like so:

<li><a href="$settings[shopurl]index.php?action=contact_us">Contact Us</a></li>

Change the bolded areas to reflect your new page:

<li><a href="$settings[shopurl]index.php?action=your_template">New Page</a></li>

Save your changes and click on 'View Your Website' from the top navigation bar to test if your new link in the side bar shows up the way you want. You can create as many new pages as you desire; there is no limit.

  Question: How do I change the 'Category Index' titles and the other headers in the side bar? Can I use images there?

The 'headers' are highlighted in a rose color in the graphic below:

    

Answer: The headers are easily changed in the 'Manage Templates' area. First click on 'Manage Templates' in your admin area under the category 'General Settings.'

    

We will modify the 'Category Index' first.  Click the small "paper and pen" image to the left of the 'categories_table' template to edit this template. Find and delete this line of text in the template: $lang_header[cats].

    

Replace $lang_header[cats] with your own choice of words such as "Shopping" or "Shop our Categories." Below you will see we replaced it with "Enter Text Here."

    

You can also enter an image tag to use a graphic in this area instead. If you want to use a graphic, you will need to upload your images to the www/shop/images folder and format your image tags like this: <img src="$settings[shopurl]images/imagename.gif"> so you do not receive errors during check-out regarding the SSL (secure) checkout. Place this image tag in the same place you would place the text. You will paste in the full tag, including the < and the >.

Next, modify the 'information_table' and replace the similar line: $lang_index[info_table] with your choice of words such as "Customer Service" or "Resources." Just as in the 'Category Index' explanation above, you can use your own image tag if you desire a graphic in place of text.

Finally, you will do the same with the 'search_table' replacing the line: $lang_header[ssearch] with your own text or graphic. Then, in the 'currency_table' you will replace this: <--$lang_index[curr]-->Select Currency with your desired text or graphic image.

  Question: Does VeryCart offer or integrate with any affiliate tracking software?

Answer: VeryCart is phasing-out its built-in affiliate system as it simply did not offer the full scope that an affiliate program should have. However, VeryCart does offer a seamless integration for iDevAffiliate, the #1 self-managed Affiliate Tracking Software.

  Question: I don't want to offer an affiliate program, how do I remove it from the face of my website?

Answer: Inside the 'Manage Templates' area locate the 'information_table' and remove this line:

<li><a href="$settings[shopurl]index.php?action=affiliate_welcome">Affiliates</a></li>

Next, locate the 'footer' template and remove this line:

<a href="$settings[shopurl]index.php/action/affiliate_welcome/">Affiliates</a>

  Question: I don't need the currency converter, can I turn it off?

Answer: Yes, you can. Locate the 'currency_table' in the 'Manage Templates' area and delete ALL of the content inside.

TIP: Any time you delete information from a template file, consider that you may want to use it again at a later date. To not lose the scripting information, you can cut and paste it into a .txt file using a text editor and save it to your hard drive. Then, if you ever do decide it would be useful to have, you can paste it back into the template. Name the .txt file something you will remember (an efficient name would be the name of the template you cut it from) and even give yourself more information - like the date of removal, what template it was removed from (unless you named the file after the template), and why you chose to remove it.

If you want to see a link/graphic image appear below the search box in your store's left navbar, you can paste content into this template that would be useful to your site visitors. Some suggestions are: valuable resource links, shared links, or list membership symbols, for example.

  Question: Can I move Very Cart to another domain?

Answer: It depends. If you are requesting to move Very Cart to another Business or Business Plus account hosted with Very Commerce, yes we can move it for a fee. If you have already uploaded information to your shopping cart (graphics, product information, etc...) and you need that database moved over, as well as any images/text/products, the fee is $40.00. If you do not need any information saved from the databases, and simply want a fresh upload at the new Business or Business Plus hosting account, the fee is $25.00. Very Cart cannot be moved to any hosting account that does not rest on the Very Commerce server. Very Cart cannot be moved to an Economy Hosting account.

  Question: Can I use graphics instead of text links for my categories?

Answer: Yes, you can. First we want to make it clear that leaving your categories as text links makes it easier for search engines to index your website, but we do understand the appeal of using cute graphic buttons instead of text links. If you choose to use graphics, be sure to assign a 'title' tag to name the graphic with text. Then, it isn't a hole in your code with the search engine comes crawling.

First you will want all your categories added through the admin area. Go to your website in your browser and and click on each category in the order you want them to appear. Cut and paste the category URL into a .txt file using a text editor and save it to your desktop or to a file you can easily access to use again in a bit.

    

It is helpful to label the URLs as a reference. For example:

http://www.yourdomain.com/shop/index.php/action/category/id/1/ - diapers category.

Once you have gathered and saved your URLs to a .txt file, go into 'Manage Templates' and click on your 'categories_table' template.

Cut and paste ALL of the code in the 'categories_table' template into a text or HTML editor. IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT paste your code into FrontPage. FrontPage will assign characters and attributes automatically if you are not familiar with how to properly save a .txt file within their program. In addition, Microsoft Word is NOT a text editor, and will mess up your code too. We recommend the EditPlus Text Editor and they offer a FREE trial download for their Internet Ready Text Editor.

NOTE: Once again, we recommend that you name your .txt file as categories_table.txt (the name of the template) and SAVE it somewhere safe on your hard drive or on disc in case you ever need it again.

This code looks like this:

<!--side column-->
<table class="column">
<tr>
<td>
<h4 style="margin: 0; padding: 0; margin-top: 10px;">$lang_header[cats]</h4>
<ul>
$show_categories
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

You will want to change the above code to look similar to the code below (without the bolded commentary in brackets, of course):

<!--side column-->
<table class="column">
<tr>
<td>
<h4 style="margin: 0; padding: 0; margin-top: 10px;"><img src="$settings[shopurl]images/imagename.gif"></h4> [this is an image you might use for the Category Index heading]
<ul>
<a href="categorylinkhere"><img src="$settings[shopurl]images/category1.gif"></a><br />[here is where you'll enter the category urls you saved earlier. Replace the "category link here" with the correct url and replace the category1.gif with the appropriate image name.]
<a href="categorylinkhere"><img src="$settings[shopurl]images/category2.gif"></a><br />
<a href="categorylinkhere"><img src="$settings[shopurl]images/category3.gif"></a><br />
<a href="categorylinkhere"><img src="$settings[shopurl]images/category4.gif"></a><br />
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

DON'T FORGET: Upload your images to the www/shop/images folder.

  Question: I'd like to change the default images already in the cart such as: the logo, the category images, and the submit button and add to cart buttons, how do I do this? Can I remove some of them altogether?

Answer: To change any image in the cart, right click on the image with your mouse and select "view image." A box will pop-up (as below), scroll down and click on 'Properties. The cursor is pointing to the highlighted 'Properties' below.

    

After you click on 'Properties' the 'Element Properties' box will pop-up. The first text (highlighted below above the cursor), will be be the 'Location' of the image you right-clicked on. If the location URL is longer than the 'Element Properties' box it will look as though it is cut-off on the right side. It can be retrieved. Starting left to right, begin highlighting the URL; your cursor will continue to scroll to the right and allow you to highlight the full URL location.

If you want to be certain the location is correct, paste it into your browser's URL bar and hit 'Enter' or click 'Go' on your browser. If the URL is correct, just that image will appear in your browser window. Simply put, the 'Element Properties' box will show you where the image is uploaded and what it is named within that file.

    

TIP: The easiest way to replace a default image with your own image, is to name your image the same thing and upload your 'same name' image to overwrite the old image on the server.

To change the default category images  category.gif and catopen.gif:

• First, create your own images (about 15 x 15 pixels square works well)
• Then, to make it easy on yourself, name your newly created category images 'category.gif'
  and 'catopen.gif'
• Finally, upload them into the following directory: www/shop/images/classic - overwriting the original images.

NOTE: One common mistake is to name the newly created category images 'category.jpg' and 'catopen.jpg' instead of making them .gif images. It does not make a difference as far as the image created is concerned, but if they are not in .gif format they will NOT overwrite the current images on the server. Then, when you upload them and refresh your store's screen you will still see the original images. So, make sure you select to save them as .gif images.

To change the default VeryCart™ logo, (logo.gif) below:


Logo shown above is not the actual size.

• First, create your own logo (if you don't want to change the image size, the default is
  750 pixels wide by 116 pixels tall).
• Then, name your newly created logo the same as the default, which is 'logo.jpg'.
• Next, upload your new logo to the www/shop/images folder overwriting the original 'logo.jpg' file.

IMPORTANT: If your new logo is a different size than the default (750x116) you must change the 'header' template. To change the 'header' template, do the following:

• Click on 'Manage Templates' in the 'General Settings' Category of your Admin Area.
• When you find the 'header' template, click the small "paper and pen" image to open the template and find this line of code:
  <!--Logo--><img src="$settings[curl]images/logo.jpg" width="750" height="116" alt="$settings[title]" /><!--End Logo-->
• Remove the width and height numbers, or add your own if you know the dimensions of the
  new image you have created.
• DO NOT EXCEED 750 PIXELS IN WIDTH or your logo will stretch-out the dimensions of
  your shop and skew your shop template.

If you do not know how to create your own image, Jessica of Very Design offers affordable custom graphics.

If you would like to change other images in VeryCart™ such as the submit buttons, and add to cart buttons, follow the same steps and upload your new image to the directory the original image resides in. If you do not know how to get this information, go here to read how.

  Question:I don't know how to read a URL bar, how do I know where to find a file or image from a URL bar?

Answer: The URL bar is pretty straightforward most of the time. One of the great attributes of VeryCart™ is that you will not find all the additional characters in your URL bar that can leave you even more confused. In the URL bar, you find a domain name, directory names, and image files (which will be the LAST part of any URL pointing to an image).

Looking at the image URL below from right to left, you will find an image file (which can end in .jpg, .gif, .png, .bmp, etc.), then the DIRECT directory the image is in, and the directory the image folder (directory) is in.

It is best to think of URL bars like horizontal filing cabinets.  If the image were a piece of paper you would find it first in the 'images' folder and the 'images' folder is filed within the larger 'verycart' hanging folder, with all of it residing in the verycommerce file cabinet.

    

In this case (above), you can find your image (logo.jpg), within the images directory (/images/), and the images directory within the verycart directory (/verycart/). The verycart directory is within the 'root' directory, which is your domain (verycommerce.com/).

TIP: Do not be confused between the words 'file' and 'directory' because they are often used interchangeably. A 'file' is a 'directory' and a 'directory' is a 'file' on your server.

  Question: I don't want to have an "enter" page or a "splash" page. How can I make it so my customers go right to my shop when they enter my domain name?

Answer: Log-in to your cpanel (login and url is in your welcome letter sent to you when you purchased hosting) and click on the icon labeled "Redirects". You will find this icon in the 4th row down and 5th column across in the main admin area. Leave the first box blank and enter your shop's url in the second. Select 'permanent' from the drop down menu (you can still delete it or change the redirect later) and save it. In the image below you cannot see that 'www.' is entered before 'yourdomain.com/shop' but it is. Enter the full URL: www.yourdomain.com/shop. Now when someone visits yourdomain.com they'll be forwarded right to yourdomain.com/shop.

    

  Question: I'd like to use a background image instead of just a color, how do I do this?

Answer: VeryCart™ is controlled using CSS which is short for "cascading style sheet". This eliminates the need to use outdated and messy <font> tags which are difficult to modify en masse and can increase download time on your website. You can access your entire CSS file by going to 'Manage Templates' and selecting the 'style_sheet' template. A lot of it may look confusing if you are not familiar with CSS. Any modifications you make on your CSS page will immediately change the face of your shop, so be very careful.

To assign a background image you will first need to upload the image to your www/shop/images file. Then, inside the 'style_sheet' template you need to find this line of code (it is right near the top):

background:$settings[bgcolor];

You need to to change this to:

background: url($settings[curl]images/imagename.gif);

  Question: I need my customers to be able to order in fractional quantities. Does VeryCart™ offer this? How do I implement it in my pricing/shopping cart?

Answer: VeryCart™, and SNS, assume the option of ordering in fractional quantities. You will need to offer an explanation on your site (for instance, a decimal calculator or table that converts fractions to decimals for your customers) to clearly explain how the shopping cart accepts decimals and calculates the total.

EXAMPLE: If you are an owner of a fabric store that sells 'less than 1 yard quantities': when a customer enters one (1) in the quantity box that will equal one (1) yard; when your customer enters .50 (1/2) in the quantity box that will equal one-half of a yard, and so on.

Do you have questions that have gone unanswered? Please contact us with your query and we will work with you to answer it.