CartXpress powered by osCommerce "Quick" User Guide

Overview CartXpress Powered by osCommerce is an online shop e-commerce solution. It features “out-of-the-box” installations that allow storeowners to set up and maintain online stores with very little effort. Having osCommerce powering CartXpress provides you with an open e-commerce platform, which combines the best in open-source solutions. The open source aspect of osCommerce allows you to be part of an online community of people, who share the same goal of improving your ability to get your products to your customers in an efficient and easy manner. It also allows you to create a presence that will encourage customers to return again and again.

Installing CartXpress

Click on your CartXpress icon. Clicking on the CartXpress icon will open an Installation page. If you already have AlaCart Powered by osCommerce, click the Upgrade button on the Installation page. If you do not have AlaCart, click on Install osCommerce.

Login to the System.

Once you have clicked Install osCommerce , go back to the Control Panel and wait ten minutes, then click on the CartXpress icon again. This will bring you to the CartXpress landing page. Note: You may also go back to the Control Panel by refresing the Installation page. You should now be able to click on Login, which will direct you to the CartXpress Administration page.

Configuring Your Store

To configure your store click Configuration from the Administration page. Enter your User Name and Password . Note: These should be the same User Name and Password that you used to access your Control Panel.

Edit the following fields by clicking on the (i) next to them:

• Store Name
• Store Owner
• Email Address
• Email From
• Country
• Zone
• Expected Sort Order
• Switch to Default Language Currency
• Send Extra Order Emails to
• Display Cart after Adding Product
• Allow Guest to tell a Friend
• Default Search Operator
• Store Address and Phone Number
• Show Category Counts
• Tax Decimal Place
• Display Prices with Tax

There are more advanced features, which are detailed in the CartXpress Powered by osCommerce Reference Guide.

Catalog After setting your basic configurations, go through and start setting pages in your store.To do this, you will want to make use of both the osCommerce File Manager and the Catalog section in Administration . These are both listed under Configurations . File Manager To access the File Manager, log back into CartXpress, and click on osCommerce File Manager . Click on the name of any of the files below to edit, and control the information in that file:

• Account Information
• Contact Us
• Index
• Login
• Forgotten Password
• Product Review
• Write Product Reviews
• Shipping
• Conditions
• Cookie Usage
• Shopping Cart Information
• Payment
• Shipping
• Log Off

Adding Product Text To add products, you will work from the Index and Product Information sections of the File Manager. To begin with, determine the look and feel of your entrance page, by going to the Text Main section in index.inc and entering the text that will welcome your customers to your site. Once you have entered the text, click Submit. Clicking Submit , will refresh your browser to the File Manager , where you may also set headings and other fields.

Adding Categories and Products Once you have determined how you wish to welcome your customers to your site, you will need to determine what products you would like them to see. To do so, go back to Administration, (you may need to re-login) and click on Catalog. This section will allow you to add or edit the following:

• Categories/Products
• Products Attributes
• Manufacturers
• Reviews
• Specials
• Products Expected

Categories To add a new category, click on the new category button. A new box will open, enter the name of the category and an imagine to display for it, Click on Save . If you wish, you may go back to the File Manager- index.inc and see how it looks.

Products To add a product, click on the new product button. This will open up a page that will allow you to fill out the following fields:

• Product Status
• Dates Available
• Products Manufacturer
• Products Name
• Tax Class
• Products Price (net)
• Products Price (gross)
• Products Description
• Products Quantity
• Products Model
• Products Price
• Products Image
• Products URL
• Products Weight

Once you have entered all the information, you may preview the products placement on your site by clicking Preview . If you are satisfied with the products placement, click on Insert .