How to apply my Design to our Xcart
 

Hello everyone, I'm a first time poster here my name is Justin and I work at Billet Design Motorsports in Pompano Beach Florida.. I've got a very large project on my hands that I'm trying to wrap up. I'm new to xcart and more of a script kiddy when it comes to modifying it as of yet.. I've got a nice background with vB and other php/sql applications.

I've designed a rough idea of the layout I want to apply to my website but I don't know how to apply it. I don't even know where to begin to even try.. I've been looking around and spoken with two informed sources of xcart knowledge but to no avail. Here's the layout: http://www.billetdesign.com/temp/bdm and you all know xcart.. :D so where do I begin. :? lol

TIA. I know this is on of "those" posts, but getting this site right is really important to me. We're running Gold 4.0.17

Hi,

Well you have started in the right place if you ask me - making x-cart fit your design. That way you get the site you want in the end. A lot of people would start the other way and try and make their design fit x-cart.

Of course the 2nd option is much easier, and to do it this way, you really need to know what you are doing - but it will be worth it in the end.

I don't know what the other people have told you, but surely they mentioned the very steep learning curve that x-cart has?

Right, to answer your question: find Webmaster mode in admin - that way you will find the templates you need to edit for whatever you are doing.

Your design actually will fit x-cart quite well. The top section will basically go in the skin1/head.tpl template.

Then look at skin1/customer/home.tpl and you will see how the page is built up. Don't forget x-cart is a combination of tables and css. So the styles are applied in skin1.css.

Your alternative is to ask a developer to integrate your design - as I say, your design is very straightforward and could be done in a fraction of the time it would take you to learn all the different templates. As a business consultant, I would suggest that option, because then your time would be better spent doing what you know and do best. I'm sure your time is valuable, but if you do want to learn how to do this, then this forum will be absolutley invaluable.

I agree with Paul. The best way is to design the layout and then code it to fit.

I find it much easier to implement a design than the other way.

The million $$ questions: Do you have lots of time to spend learning the ins and outs of X-Cart design? Where would your time / money be better spent?

I find that my clients prefer to run their business and concentrate on the other aspects than to learn how all the X-Cart templates fit together, what part of what template controls what...etc.

So, once you've answered those questions and if you have the time...slice and code your design and start learning the basics. The head.tpl, customer/home.tpl, customer/main/product.tpl and menu.tpl. Good files to start with.

Best of luck,

Louise

First thing I always do is streamline the number of includes in skin1/customer/home.tpl

The rectangle_top.tpl, meta.tpl, head.tpl, bottom.tpl, etc., I pull the code from those files and put them right into the home.tpl

This way your changes won't affect the admin section, and you can make the file a lot cleaner. There's lots of junk that you can remove.

Then implement the design into home.tpl, edit your skin1.css file, edit your menu.tpl and dialog.tpl files, and go from there.

Alright guys, thanks.. I think I'm leaning towards outsourcing this job. I'd like to concentrate on the contents at this point.. I've put enough time in the design. If anyone is interested in helping me out please e-mail me Justin@BilletDesign.com and let me know.

I'm going to keep looking into this as well as other mods.. but I'm working on moving products online everyday as well. 8O

Take a look at some of the templates from 7Dana they have some really great and inexpensive templates along with some great support. I have two of thier templates on my sites and they really brighten things up.
:D