2 replies to this topic

[idc]

I'm new to osCommerce, am not a programmer by trade, but feel certain I can pick this up thanks to the knowledge that seems to be out here on the forums. I would normally say I'm computer literate, but should probably be safe and say I know nothing compared to you all out here.

Situation: We currently have a custom e-commerce site for our company that is SQL Database driven. Unfortunately the creators of this site did not do as intended nor did they complete the site to our expectations. It does function but we are not happy with it. It seems to lack reliability and smoothness compared to osCommerce and other systems that have been used/improved by many.

What I need is a site that allows users to either 1)sign in to see the catalog with dealer pricing and place orders or 2) not sign in, still see the catalog without the dealer pricing, and not have the functionality to add to cart. The catalog itself would use several different layouts to display our product (ie dropdown for size selection, listing of products 3 wide by ever how many down, etc. The rest of the site would be typical landing page and shopping cart stuff.

I guess my initial questions would be:
1) Am I correct in reading the forum that v2.3.1 is the most current/stable version to use?
2) Is the V2.3.1 package a complete package (frontend, backend, shopping cart) that can then be tweaked for the users need, or is it say just a backend database that the user then picks a shopping cart add-on, then a frontend add-on.
3) When you download the package, is part of that package a SQL database or some other database to use. Or does the user have to connect the osCommerce to their own database via coding?
4) If the download is all-inclusive, can in be download to a personal PC without any special programs to allow building the site offline? This would allow the existing site to remain in use.

[kymation]

1. Yes.
2. It's a complete package. You may want to add additional features (see the Addons section) but those are not essential.
3. osCommerce requires a web server with PHP and MySQL installed. See the requirements listed here.
4. That also requires a web server with PHP and MySQL. You can use XAMPP to install the complete package if you're unfamiliar with setting up each of those.

Regards
Jim

[idc]

Thanks Jim. I'm looking into your comments.