AgoraCart Free User Forums

Hi:
I've put in agoracart for my client using static pages (HMTL) - I had to migrate an existing static shopping cart - and now they have decided that it is good so they have redesigned their needs requirements and are wanting to know if they put it in as a database, how easy would it be for them to add new products to their product pages that would be available to purchase by customers.

Can someone tell me where I can see this shop back-end working. I'm interested in two perspectives ... the shop owners, and the webdevelopers (who sets it up in the first place - which is me)

Found Bonnies help invaluable and would recommend this as a good solution for static html based shopping carts, and just know that there is a whole lot more good stuff with the database side of it, ...

Regards
Liz

you can run a dB and static page site. using both methods is a ton of extra work if there are a lot of products and they are changed, added or removed frequently.
there are benefits and limitations to both methods. static pages (not called through agora.cgi) are best for search engines. add to cart buttons can be added right into the html, shtml, php and etc. files of existing pages. you can add simple options, product weight and a few other extra things but it is very limited. the limitations should be considered first as to whether or not "buy now" buttons should be employed such as ppl with disabled cookies.

using a dB store you can do things like price manipulation, insert data, advanced options and more all on the fly which make the life of the developer a lot easier in the long run. drawbacks include poor SEO and SE problems as well as smooth integration into an existing site. i prefer the full frontal approach. where "this is our site and here is our information and this is our store to buy stuff". this approach tells the visitor "please go here to buy stuff". this approach is not univeral but is pratical for many websites. also, agoracart is not intented for nor should it be used as a content management system (cms).

while a dB based store may seem stiff on the surface agoracart offers many, many ways to use the dB info for all kinds of cool stuff from extreme design customization to maniplulating dB data before it gets parsed. i've never seen a site that really pushes agoracart to it's limits but i have seen sites that are really cool.

with the site you refer to you can add to cart from the static pages for simple product or link to products in the dB that rwuire more advanced features. you should enable (if disabled) check purchases with the dB. this requries that all products be listed in the dB that have buy now buttons. you would be better served to keep the static pages and develop the dB in terms of SEO. don't just delete off all of the static pages once the dB is developed. if nothing else to elimiante the static page change the buy now buttons to links to the products in the store and stop linking to the static pages. or, index the static pages as additional content.
gotta run.
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Quote:

"also, agoracart is not intented for nor should it be used as a content management system (cms). "

You're not saying that products in a database that can be edited is a cms, are you? What is a cms??



Regards
Liz

a cms is a program that controls the entire website like mambo or php nuke.
to add, edit and remove products from the dB you can do that through the store manager. simply log into the store manager then click on the add products, edit products or delete products; which ever function you wish to perform.
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