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Section Index

Shop Administration

The idea behind this module is to allow you sell products and services from your web site. As one of our biggest modules, at first glance it can seem somewhat overwhelming, but for the most part it is only setup features. Click on "Shop Administration" in "Admin Suite" to be directed to the window shown below.

Administrate Product Categories

From this window you can add and modify categories for products/services you are selling. To add a new category fill in the fields on the right of the window under the heading "New Shop Category". "Category Name" will be the name of the new category and "Category Description" should be a short blurb about what sort of products are contained in this category (if you want to leave this blank, you need to put a "space" in the field). If you would like this new category to be a subcategory of another category, then you should put the integer ID of the parent category (given in the first column of the list on the left side of the window) in the "Parent ID" field. If you would like the new category to be a top level category, then you should leave this field blank.

"Layout" specifies how the products in this category will be displayed when they are listed.

Leadin

lists the products one per row, with just the product leading (as opposed to the full description) and a link to the details.

Details

same as Leadin, except it displays the full description and has no link to the details (thumbnail on left)

Four per Row

shows products in rows of four in condensed format (no description) and a link to the details.

Three per Row

same as four per row, except with only three per row

Details Left

same as details, except the details are on the left and the thumbnail in on the right.

Finally, the "Alphabet Filter" specifies whether you would like an alphabet index (A|B|C|D|E....) shown at the top of the product listing for this category so users can jump to products that start with a certain letter. When you have finished entering all this data, click "Submit" and the category will be added to the list on the left of the window.

In the list of shop categories on the left side of the window, categories that are approved are shown with a highlighted checkmark , if they are rejected with a highlighted x-mark and if pending with a highlighted question mark To switch between these three states, click on one of the two darkened symbols. If you click on the "Edit" button the right of one of the shop categories, then you can edit all the information you just entered about that shop category in the same way as you entered it. When you have entered all the information for this shop category, don't forget to click "Save"!!!!

After you have submitted and saved the category information, click on "Shop" in the top left of the window to return you to the main shop window.

Administrate Product Attributes

First of all, it should be said that shop attributes should not be confused with marketplace attributes, because they are very different indeed. The attributes in the shop are for different available versions of a product. If you were selling (for example) a t-shirt you may want to have Size (S/M/L) and Colour (Black/White/Blue) as two different attributes. It should also be said that attribute values do not change the value of a product (ie a L t-shirt is the same price as a S t-shirt). All of these attributes are represented in the shop as a pull-down list with the available values.

To add a new attribute, type the name of the new attribute (ie Size) into the blank text field at the top of the window, then click on the "Add New Attribute" link and the attribute will be associated with an integer ID and added to the list of attributes below. Next to each listed attribute, there are three buttons. If you change the name of the attribute in it's text field, click the "Edit" button to update the information. If you want to delete an attribute, you can do so by clicking on its associated "Delete" button. If you would like to add a possible value to an attribute, click on it's "Possible Values" button and the pop-up window shown below will be displayed.

From this window you can either add new values as well as edit existing ones. To add a new value, type the name of the new value into the "Attribute Value" blank text field and then put it's sort order in the field immediately to it's right. The sort order is an integer that specifies what order the values will be displayed (in ascending order). Once you have completed these two fields, click on "Add Attribute Value". This will add the new attribute value to the listing below. If you would like to change any of the values, or their sort order, you can do so by editing the text boxes and clicking on "Update Value". Also, if you would like to remove any of these possible values, you can do so by clicking on the "Delete Value" link to the far right of the value listing. When you have finished changing the values for this attribute, click "Close window".

When you are finished editing and adding new attributes, click on "Shop" in the top left of the window.

Administrate Payment Methods

This window allows you to specify which payment methods you would like to accept in your Shop. This window shows a listing of all the different payment methods that are accepted by our payment gateways. For each of the payment methods you can select the sort order, which will specify which order the methods will be listed on the front end of your site (in increasing order of the integer value). There is also a checkbox for each method under the column "Active", which if selected will allow that payment method on the front end of your site. If you make any changes to these two fields for a payment method, click the "Update" button the right of the method. If you click on "Edit Details" you will be directed to the window shown below.

This window allows you to change the same information you did in the last window (the "Active" label is called "Accept Method" here) in addition to three text areas. "Description" is shown when the payment methods are listed and the user is asked to select one. "Pre-Confirmation Text" is shown during the final order confirmation where a customer would enter their card number and other information (for e-checks this is where you should put your "Pay to the order of" information). "Fulfillment Details" is shown after the order has been submitted (you should put how long before an order is approved here). When you are finished making changes to this payment method, click on the "Save Changes" button. Which will take you to a confirmation screen that allows you to return to the payment method listing. If you don't want to save the changes you have made to this method (from the window shown above), click on "Return to Listing".

When you have finished administrating your payment methods, click on "Shop" to return to the main shop administration menu.

Administrate Shipping Regions

This area allows you to specify different areas of the world that you have different shipping price structures for. To add a new region, just type its name into the blank text field near the top of the window and click "Add New Region". You can edit any of the existing regions you can do so by editing its text field or by selecting/deselecting its "Active" checkbox (if selected, this shipping region will be available on the front end of the site). After you have made any changes to a shipping region, don't forget to click "Update". If you would like to remove one of the shipping regions you can do so by clicking the "Delete" button to the far right of the shipping region listing.

When you have finished administrating your shipping regions, click on "Shop" to return to the main shop administration menu.

Administrate Shipping Methods

This area allows you to specify different shipping methods to different parts of the world (ie Fedex Next Day to Canada). The first option in this window is "Shipping Module Status" which allows you to turn off the shipping part of an order (ie you don't ship your orders because the product is e-mailed or shipping costs are built into the item price). A highlighted checkmark specifies that shipping is on and a highlighted x-mark shows that shipping is off. Click on the darkened of the two symbols to change this setting. To add a new shipping method, click on "Add a New Shipping Method" and you will be directed to the window shown below.

The first thing you need to fill out is the "Courier" field (ie UPS). "Ship Method" will be the specific service of this shipment method (ie Air, Economy or Next Day). Next you need to select the region to which this method pertains to from the "Ship Area" pull-down list. The "Ship Type" pull-down list allows you to specify how you would like to charge for shipping with this method (ie flat rate or by order weight). These different ship types are explained in detail if you click on "Help" beside the pull-down list. If you would like this shipping method available on the front end of your site leave "Active" checked and if not, then deselect the checkbox. "Delivery Time" is when the order will be delivered (ie. 9am Next Day, 2-3 Days, or 1-2 Weeks). "Price1" and "Price2" two area explained fully by clicking on the "Help" link next to "Ship Type" as they have different meanings depending on which ship type you choose. These two values can be inputted as either a dollar amount or as a percent value with the appropriate symbol (ie $4.99 or 11.5%). "Free Shipping Price" is the price at which order shipping by this method becomes free. Leave this field blank (no "space") if you do not wish to offer free shipping.

If at any point you want to start this form over, click on "Reset" and all the fields will be returned to their saved values. When you have finished entering the details for this shipping method, don't forget to click "Submit"!!!! This will take to a confirmation screen where you should click on "Admin Shipping Method" to return to "Administrate Shipping Methods".

Below the "Add a New Shipping Method" link is a list of all the shipping methods and some of the information that you entered when you created the methods. If you would like to change the details of one of these shipping methods, click on the "Edit" button to the far right of the shipping method and you will be taken to the window shown below.

From this window you can edit all the same information that you originally entered during the shipping method creation process. If at any point you want to start this form over, click on "Reset" and all the fields will be returned. When you have finished entering the details for this shipping method, don't forget to click "Submit"!!!! This will take to a confirmation screen where you should click on "Admin Shipping Method" if you would like to continue administrating shipping methods or on "Shop" if you are done.

This area allows you to specify different taxes that you want to charge for different areas of the world. To add a new tax, click on "Define New Tax Rule" and you will be taken to the window shown below.

The first thing you have to do, is enter the "Tax Rule Name". Then put the tax rate into the "Tax Percentage" field without the percent sign. Next you have to decide whether this tax rule will apply to a whole country or a specific state/province/region using the "Type" pull-down list. If you selected country, then you should select the country you wish this rule to apply to from the "Country" pull-down list. If you selected state/province/region then either select the state/province (if in the US or Canada) or select "Outside Canada and US" from the "State/Province/Region". If you would like to name an area that is not shown in these two lists, you can type the area name into the "Other" field, which should otherwise be left blank. Once you have filled out these fields, click "Submit".

After you have submitted your new tax rule, click on "Tax Rule" to return to the tax administration menu. Below the "Define New Tax Rule" link is a list of all the tax rules that have been created. To change any of these tax rules, click on the "Edit" button to the far left of the tax rule listing and you will be taken to the window shown below.

From this window you can either change the "Tax Rule Name" or the "Tax Percentage" by editing one of the two text fields and clicking "Submit" at the bottom of the window. After you have submitted, either click on "Tax Rule" to continue administrating tax rules or click on "Shop" to return to the main shop administration menu.

Administrate Coupons

This module allows you to create numbered coupon codes that you can give to a customer so they can redeem discounts on your site. The first option, "Activate Coupons Functionality", allows you to turn acceptance of coupons on and off. If this option is shown with a highlighted checkmark , then coupons are on and if it is shown with a highlighted x-mark , then they are off. You can switch between these two states by clicking on the darkened of the two symbols. If you would like to create a new coupon, click on the "Add a New Coupon" and you will be taken to the window shown below.

This first thing you should enter is the "Coupon Code", which should be a unique string of digits and/or letters, plus periods and hyphens. This is the code that you will give to your customer so they can redeem their discount. You may want to make this code difficult to reproduce, as others will be able to use it if you don't put member restrictions on it. The next option is "Type", which allows you to specify whether you want the coupon to give a flat dollar discount or a percentage of the purchase. Next is the "Discount Amount", which will be either a dollar amount (ie. 5.00) if you chose "Flat Discount" or a percent (ie. 15%) if you chose "Percentage".

"Expiry Date" is the date on which the coupon will stop working (ie. July 9, 2002). "Minimum Purchase" is the minimum the subtotal of the purchase must reach before the coupon discount will be applied (ie. 10.00). The next text box is "Number of Uses", which specifies how many times this coupon may be used before it expires. "Add to Existing Discount", if selected yes, will apply both the coupon and the regular discount, where as if no is selected, only the greater of the two discounts will be applied.

The last two options are "Allow Public Use" and "Permitted Member IDs". You can either open this coupon's use to all your users or you can select no so that only allow certain users can use the coupon. If you select no, then you must specify the ID numbers of the users that have access to this coupon in the "Permitted Member IDs" text box (ie. 4,7,10,42).

If at any point you would like to start you coupon submission over, you can click "Reset" and all the fields will be cleared for you. Once you are finished filling out the details, click the "Submit" button. Then click on "Coupons" in the upper left to return to the coupon administration menu. Below the "Add a New Coupon" link there is a listing of all the current coupons. Under the status heading all the active coupons are shown with a highlighted checkmark and the inactive coupons are shown with a highlighted x-mark . You can switch between these two states by clicking on the darkened of the two symbols.

If you wish to change the details of a current coupon, click on the edit button and you will be taken to the window shown below.

From this window you can edit all the fields that you filled in during the coupon creation process. If at any point you want to return all the fields to their saved values, you can click on the "Reset" button. Once you have finished making your changes, click on the "Submit" button. Click on the "Coupon" link in the top left of the page to return to the main coupon administration menu.

The last thing you can do from this window is remove a coupon. To do this, click on the "Delete" button to the far right of the associated coupon listing. When you are finished, click on the "Shop" link at the top left of the window.

Administrate Discount Rules

The area allows you to offer discounts to customers once their order reaches a certain value. To add a new type of discount click on "Add a New Discount" and you will be taken to the window shown below.

The first thing you need to enter is the name of the discount in the "Discount Name" field. Next, you have to select either a "Flat Discount" (dollar amount) or a "Percentage" discount from the "Type" pull-down list. Next you have to enter the amount to discount in the "Amount" field. This value will be either in dollars or a percent depending on which type you chose. "Start Value" will be the dollar amount at which the discount is started (ie orders over $100 get 5% off) and "End Value" is the dollar amount at which this discount ends (ie orders over $100 get 5% off and orders over $500 get 10% off, then the 5% discount would stop at 500). If at any point you want to start this form over, click on "Reset" and all the fields will be returned. When you have finished filling out this form, click "Submit". After you have submitted, click on "Discounts" to return to the main discount menu.

Below the "Add a New Discount" link there is a listing of all the different discounts and there specifications. If you wish to change the details of one of these discounts, click on the "Edit" button the right of the listing and you will be taken to the screen shown below.

From this window you can change all the information that you entered during the discount creation process. If at any point you want to start this form over, click on "Reset" and all the fields will be returned. When you have finished filling out this form, click "Submit". After you have submitted, click on "Discounts" to continue administrating discounts or click on "Shop" to return to the shop administration menu.

Enter New Products

From this window you can add new products to sell in your shop. The first thing you should do is enter in the name of the product in "Product Name". If you have a part number or other SKU identifier, you may want to enter it into the "SKU" field. Next, select the shop category that this product should be displayed in with the "Product Category" pull-down list. "Search Keywords" field should contain any words that you would like this product to show up for in a search. "Short Description" should be a short, one line leadin to the product and "Long Description" should contain any details that the customer needs to know before they purchase the product. "Unit Price" is the price of one unit of this product (do not put in a "$" with the value). "Unit Weight" is the weight of the product, which will be used if you have selected any shipping methods that calculate cost by weight. If you would like to upload an image of this product, you can do so by clicking on the "Browse" button to the right of the "New Image" text box and then selecting an image from your hard drive using the file chooser that opens.

Finally, if you are familiar with HTML you can select "Yes" for the "Allow HTML" option. This allows you to enter HTML code in this page’s text fields. If you don't want to put in HTML then select "No" and your text will be properly formatted.

If you would like to see how the product will look when displayed on your site before you continue, you can click on the "Preview" button and a pop-up window will be opened showing the format of your ad. When you are finished looking at the preview, click on "Close Window". If you aren't happy with the way it looked, continue to make changes in the form and preview it again, but if you are happy with it, click "Submit" and you will be taken to a confirmation screen. Click on "Shop" to return to the main shop menu.

Administrate Shop Products

From this window you can approve products, change their details and associate them with attributes you have created. The first thing in this window is two pull-down lists that allow you to specify which products are listed by "Approve Status" and by category, "Shop Categories". Below this is a list of all the products that meet the specifications you have made in the two pull-down lists. The listing displays some of the information that you entered during creation in the columns to the left of the "Approved" column. In the "Approved" column products that are approved are shown with a highlighted checkmark , products that are rejected are marked with a highlighted x-mark and products that are pending approval are marked with a highlighted question mark . To switch between these three states, click on one of the two darkened symbols. If you would like to change the details or associate a product with attributes, click on the "Edit" button to the right of the product listing and you will be directed to the window shown below.

From this window you can change all the same details that you entered during the product creation process, in addition to this you can also associate this product with attributes you have created. Click on the "Edit Attributes" link and you will be taken to the window shown below.

To associate an attribute that is listed with the current product, select the checkbox to the right of the appropriate attribute and click "Submit" at the bottom of the pop-up window. From this pop-up window you can also add values to any of the attributes by clicking on the attribute name and following the same process detailed before. You can also reach the attribute administration by clicking on the "Go to Attribute Administration" link. When you have finished associating attributes with this product, click on "Close Window" to close the pop-up window. This will update the product display window to show the new attributes you have associated with this product.

If you would like to see how the product will look when displayed on your site before you continue, you can click on the "Preview" button and a pop-up window will be opened showing the format of your ad. When you are finished looking at the preview, click on "Close Window". If you aren't happy with the way it looked, continue to make changes in the form and preview it again, but if you are happy with it, click "Submit" and you will be taken to a confirmation screen. Click on "Admin Product" to return to the main product administration menu.

Finally, click on the "Tax Exemptions" to the far right of the product listing and you will be directed to the window shown below.

From this window you can set whether or not this product is exempt from any particular tax rule. Taxes this product is exempt from are shown with a highlighted checkmark and taxes that apply to this product are shown with a highlighted x-mark . To switch between these two states, click on the darkened of the two symbols. When you are done, either click on "Admin Product" to administrate other products, or click on "Shop" to return to the main shop menu.

Stock Levels

The first thing in this window is a pair of pull-down lists that allow you to choose which products are listed below, by the product's approval status, "Approve Status", and by category, "Shop Category". Below this is a list of products that meet the specifications you have made in those two lists. The "Stock" field for each product listing should be filled with the number of items of this product type that you currently have in stock and the "Low Stock Point" field with the number of items left when you want to be notified that your stock is getting low. After you have changed these two fields for any product, click on the appropriate "Update Stock" button for that product. When you are finished changing you stock levels, click on "Shop" to return to the main shop menu.

Inventory Control Config

If "Enable Inventory Tracking" is not selected, then it simply overrides the rest of the options on this page. If you would like to show customers with a graphic in the shop that a product has reached it's "Low Stock Point", select "Enable Low Stock Flag". If you would like to be notified by e-mail when a product has reached it's "Low Stock Point", then type your e-mail address (or the address of the person you want to send the notification to) into the "Enable Low Stock Notification" text field, and if you do not want to be notified, just leave the field blank. If you would like to show customers with a graphic in the shop that you are out of stock on a certain product, select "Enable No Stock Flag". Finally, if you would like to not show items that have no stock left, select "Enable No Stock Removal" (this overrides the "Enable No Stock Flag" option). When you are finished changing these options, click on "Update Configuration". After submission, click on "Shop" to return to the main shop menu.

Administrate Shop Checkout Form

This window allows you to specify a form to display in shop checkout. This is for if you want to have a short user survey, perhaps to gain feed back on why the user chose to buy the product they did, etc. The "Use this Form" pull-down list allows you to select a form from the Form Module to display on checkout. If you don't want to have a checkout survey, then you should select "Do Not Insert Form Into Shop Checkout". If you would like users to be able to bypass this survey by way of selecting a checkbox, put a "1" into "Display Checkbox to Bypass Form" (otherwise leave it blank). If you would like this checkbox to be checked by default then put a "1" in the "Default Value for Checkbox" field, otherwise leave just it blank. If at any point you want to start this form over, click on "Reset" and all the fields will be returned. When you have finished entering the details, don't forget to click "Update"!!!! After you have submitted, click "Shop" to return to the main shop menu.

Administrate Shop Configuration

The "Display Basic Shop Nav" option allows you to show or hide the right navigation menu in the shop (may contain a search box). The "Display Quick Go To Form" option allows you to show or hide the drop down box at the top of the shop pages that allows you to quickly jump to a specific shop category. "Search Form Position" allows you to show where to show (or to not show) the shop search text field. The last option, "Order Notification Email" allows you to specify an e-mail address to send notifications that someone has made an order on your site. If you do not want to send notifications, leave this field blank (no "space"). Once you have finished changing the options on this page, click "Shop" to return to the main shop menu.

Order Payment Administration

The first option in this window is a pair of pull-down lists that allow you to choose which orders are listed in this window, by way of order "Status" and "Orders per Page". Below this is a list of the orders that meet your specifications from the two pull-down lists. Each list entry contains the order "ID" number, the "Date" the order was made, the "Total" amount the order was made for, the customer's "Billing Address", the "Payment Method" they used to make the order and a column called "Payment Received?". If an order has received payment then it is shown with a highlighted checkmark and if it has not been received it is shown with a highlighted x-mark . To switch between these two states, click on the darkened of the two symbols. If you would like to view all the details for one of these orders, you can click on the appropriate "View" button to the right of the listing and you will be taken to the window shown below.

From this window you can view all the order information. You can also set whether payment has been received and whether the order has been shipped in the same manner as the previous window. If you set an order to shipped, you may want to type in a "Tracking Number" into the text field show (click submit once you have typed the number). You can also type a comment for the user to read when they check the status of this order in "Leave a comment for this client" text area (click submit once you have typed the message). If you click on the Printer icon in the top right corner of the window, the page will be reloaded in the "Print Friendly" version, which simply means that the graphics have been removed from the page for ease of printing. Any where you see this icon you can do the same. Once you have finished viewing the order details, either click "Order Payment Administration" to administrate more payments, or click on "Shop" to return to the main shop menu.

Order Shipment Administration

The first option in this window is a pair of pull-down lists that allow you to choose which orders are listed in this window, by way of order "Status" and "Orders per Page". Below this is a list of the orders that meet your specifications from the two pull-down lists. Each list entry contains the order "ID" number, the "Date" the order was made, the "E-Mail" address of the user who made the order, the customer's "Shipping Address", the "Shipping Method" they selected when making the order and a column called "Shipment Sent?". If an order has been shipped then it is shown with a highlighted checkmark and if it has not been shipped it is shown with a highlighted x-mark . To switch between these two states, click on the darkened of the two symbols. If you would like to view all the details for one of these orders, you can click on the appropriate "View" button to the right of the listing and you will be taken to the window shown below.

From this window you can view all the order information. You can also set whether payment has been received and whether the order has been shipped in the same manner as the previous window. If you set an order to shipped, you may want to type in a "Tracking Number" into the text field show (click submit once you have typed the number). You can also type a comment for the user to read when they check the status of this order in "Leave a comment for this client" text area (click submit once you have typed the message). If you click on the Printer icon in the top right corner of the window, the page will be reloaded in the "Print Friendly" version, which simply means that the graphics have been removed from the page for ease of printing. Any where you see this icon you can do the same. Once you have finished viewing the order details, either click "Order Shipment Administration" to administrate more payments, or click on "Shop" to return to the main shop menu.

Export Shop Order Data

From this window you can do a data base dump of all your order information either for import into another data base or for generation of a report. The first option you are presented with is "Dump Format", which allows you to choose the way your data dump will be formatted. If you are trying to do an import to another data base or into an a spread sheet, you should select "Tab-Delimited" and if you are trying to build a hard copy backup or a report document, you should use one of the other two options. The "Start Date" and "End Date" specify the time period for which you would like the orders dumped (by order date/time). "Show" lets you choose whether you want to dump all the reports, just the paid ones or just the shipped ones. If at any point you want to start your specifications over, you can click on "Reset" at the bottom of the page. When you are finished specifying which data you would like to dump, click "Export Data" and your page will be refreshed with the dump confirmation information. Right-Click on "orderdump.html" in this confirmation info and select "Save Target As..." and you can then save the export to your hard drive. After you have saved your shop dump, click "Shop" to return to the main shop menu.

Administrate Pages

The idea behind this window is to make changes to the format of the shop pages. If you need to make any changes, click on the appropriate "Edit" button, which will take you to the window shown below.

The two options (page name and title image) are for naming your page and you should choose one of them.

If you prefer to have an image for the title instead of the text for the page, you can click on the "Browse" button and choose an image from your hard drive.

Note that a title image replaces the "Page Name" in the page content, but not on the window title.

Next you need to type your "Meta tags".

What is a Meta Tag?

"Area Content" is the next option. This is the basic text that appears in the page you have selected.

Finally, if you are familiar with HTML you can select "Yes" for the "Allow HTML" option. This allows you to enter HTML code in this page’s text fields. If you don't want to put in HTML then select "No" and your text will be properly formatted.

When you entered all your information, don't forget to click submit!!!!!

Once you are done changing the page setup you can either click on "Page List" to edit the page setup of the other pages in this module or you can click on "Shop" to return to the marketplace administration menu. The last option in "Shop Administration" is "Custom Tag Information".

Custom Tag Information

Here you will find a list of custom tags that pertain to this module.

What is a Custom Tag?