BV and cube cart together

[mark89]

Hi
I have added cube cart on to my control panel. The question is how will I used it with BlueVoda Website Builder? Like add product to it? If BlueVoda Website Builder is on my computer and cube cart is on the control panel.

[davidundalicia]

I think that Bethers has implemented cube cart so she will be able to answer
your question when she pops in.........

[Bethers]

No, sorry - I don't have Cube Cart - but Cube Cart, I believe, works like OsCommerce and the others - which means you build your store there - not in BV. If you want a cart you can use in BV, you have to use one that allows for cutting and pasting of code into BV - not one that is fully functional as a website.

[Collectors-info]

If cube cart is loaded on your site! Go to the c panel, go to the file manager in c panel & see if there is a folder with cube cart or maybe shop. Open the folder & there should be an index page some ware. This might have a .php extension. Click on it & it should show up on the right-hand side of the page. Click open file or copy & paste the URL onto the address bar. This should be the same link that you will need from your site. IE (MY SHOP) then that link.
Hope i am right.
Be nice to know how you get on with it as I am thinking of using this one myself.

Cheers

Chris
PS. i would think there is an admin area someware & you should have a pass word for the shop/cart???

[mark89]

Thank you'll for the help.

Bethers which shopping Cart are you using with your store?
and what is the cost for it? is it friendly user?

Thank you

[Mook25]

I have implemented cubecart at my site before and it is an 'all in one' store builder. i.e. you build the store with the cubecart software and the cubecart store is implemented into it automatically. As far as am aware you can't import into BV. I'm happy to be proven wrong though. Hope this helps!

[Bethers]

Mark, I don't know how I missed that last post of yours - but you know how to reach me!!! If you're still interested in the cart I'm using - you can find it here:
www.moxie-enter-prises.com/cartmanager.html

[Vasili]

osCommerce, Cube, Zen, and other true "carts" are eCommerce solutions that are stand-alone in every respect, and as such, have many wonderful features that are far more advanced than sites designed using Blue Voda or integrated with MALS.

As mentioned, Cube has a user-freindly basis to design a website with (whether you use all, some, or none of the commerce features), but the best Web Builder with eCommerce built-in is Soholaunch.....it is designed to perform using some very powerful features with a simple interface, so even novice users can be functional within minutes. Funny thing though, here in VodaLand we all get pretty used to customizing everything, and that takes a bit more commitment and focused effort, both in Soholaunch and all other carts.

Blue Voda, as mentioned above, is a website builder, and will not integrate with any of the available cart utilities other than some of the simplistic foundations such as MALS (which Bethers has used herself), and this has been the favored "first-step" away from BV for quite a while. Using Blue Voda to build your website (just as you prefer) and including MALS upon that foundation works reliably well, and is often the easiest means to include eCommerce to your website.

As a client of VodaHost, you have the opportunity to install each cart one at a time to experiement with, to test your abilities and to refine your needs and expectations. Uninstalling them is just as easy when you find that a cart is either too much or not capable according to these needs.

The VodaHost Opportunity is Unlimited - Just as Is Your Creativity!

[Bethers]

I have never used Mal's and need to say that. The solution I use, Cart Manager, is a fully professional solution recommended by one of the largest US banks to their customers with very large stores and corporate accounts. I would not say that the stand-alone carts are more advanced and in many cases I will say they are much more difficult to work with and unless you know programming or are willing to pay someone to continually upgrade and program for you - you'll never be able to use many of the functions on those "stand-alone" carts.

I actually moved TO BV from the integrated shopping cart solutions (I was using a cart that cost good money and had almost every possible variable) and looked at OSCommerce, Zen and Cube Cart (actually built in Soho and dropped it) and moved to BV and Cart Manager because I find this method to be more preferable for me - and will, most likely, for many years to come.

And I do prefer that it allows me the freedom to build with a website builder and without the need for an integrated "package" which I do not find better - simply different.

I also do not feel my way is "easier" - however it does give me the most creative ability which is something I very much wanted.

[Vasili]

Sorry about that Beth.....I suppose I confused your use of CM with Amanda using MALS?
Nonetheless, these two commerce solutions have successfully been integrated by many VH clients who prefer to utilitze the design and creative control of their websites by creating them in Blue Voda and adding the commerce abilities of these two commerce utilities, as I stated above.

However, there are indeed many wonderfully designed websites that have been created in both Soholaunch and Cube that have not had the features for commerce "turned on" and which remain the basis for my intrigue with Cube for that very reason....I am personally very interested in a php based site (for various reasons) and still have a solid foundation and a proven User-friendly interface.

And, most "shopping carts" are advanced for many specific reasons (all based on the features and functions written into them like Search and database relations), yet have nothing to do with the ability of users! That is why I suggest each take the time to tinker with different solutions, to discover the abilities of the utilities (that rhymes!) and to establish the element I believe influences so much: the commitment, which will either motivate the learning process into a proficinecy, or intimidate into paralysis.

My reply in Post #8 above was my effort to get past any personal preferences to present valid options to valid questions with fact and proven expertise. That is what peer-to-peer conselling is all about, isn't it?

[Bethers]

Vasili, I agree with this last post but in your previous post you did show personal preference and stated:
"have many wonderful features that are far more advanced than sites designed using Blue Voda or integrated with MALS."

I was simply reacting to that statement as I do not believe that using a free cart provided by CubeCart or OSCommerce or Zen or any of the others, simply because they are driven by a catalog driven system, makes them any better - they are simply different. What might make one better than another are the options they have available to them - not the platform. The platform is a personal choice.

And I will also say that those same free carts I mentioned above may be and are superior to many carts I have seen which people are paying for.

I am totally in favor of people doing their own homework to find the best solution for them. And I never tell anyone that my solution is the one they should use. Karen can attest to that - as between us we've looked at and tried more carts than I want to think about - and have come up with different solutions for our own stores.

I'm very glad for all the options available - and I will try hard to stay away from a "cookie cutter" template for as long as I can - and that's what I find with the catalog driven shopping carts. I've always liked to follow a different drummer and at my age now I'm not about to change that :)

[km5tq]

Thanks Beth and Vasili. The light bulbs are going on all around my head...lol Finally found out what I have been needing to know about the different shopping carts and what each is and does. Now, will check each out in BV to see how I like them. Will check out the CartManager to see how that looks. I also want to keep them seperate.
I like the WYSIWYG

[km5tq]

goodness...sorry
somehow I submitted the above message before finishing it.
As I mentioned, I like to work in something like BV, Dreamweaver 8 or Frontpage 2003. I'm familiar with them. Just need a shopping cart solution to handle what I need to do...even if I have to pay extra for it.

[Karen Mac]

If you want a dreamweaver cart, go here..

http://www.ecommercetemplates.com/dr...recommerce.asp

I built two sites in this.. you still have a database, but you control the template, can make static pages on just about everything you want, except for the actual product insertion.. (i digress here) all with dreamweaver.

Karen

[Jollytinker]

Once again, my little round head is spinning. Ok, I've been testing BV. I really like it. I also tested SoHo which I don't like at all because I can't see what I'm doing until I preview it. So, for me, BV is the way. Now, my question is, does the horse or cart come first ? What I mean is. Since you can build your store in BV before you actually pay for it, should I be building my store, www.thejollytinker.com in bv or directly into a shopping cart? I plan to go with SoHo for hosting and that comes with zen and oscommerce, but I guess you can't get into those until you actually sign up with soho right? So, I'm saying that I'm not sure where to start here. I already have an established site with another host and want to move it, but have no idea where to start. Would really appreciate help. Thanks everyone. Love this forum. Been reading my brains out in here. Duhhh!!

Susan

[Bethers]

Soho is NOT a host - So you have gotten more confused. Soho is a shopping cart builder. And if you build with BV, you will not then go to Soho or Zen or OS Commerce - you will build directly IN them.

If you want to build with BV - then, as explained above, you can do so using carts like I do (cartmanager) or Mal's.

Stop building until you decide what cart you want to use - because if you decide you want one like Soho or OSC or Zen, etc - you'll be starting all over again. If you like BV and want to build here, then you have to choose one of the add-on carts (mentioned above - or others) - but you still have to know that from the get-go - so you can add that as you go also.

[Jollytinker]

Wow Beth, you're fast. My bad,, I meant VodaHost. Ok, I get what you mean, so, then do I build in BV, or right in whatever cart I plan to use? That's were I'm getting confused. The host I am using now, was an all in one pkg, so I never had to deal with putting it all together like this. VodaHost offers, (as you know), free shopping carts, so,do I start by building in BV or do I start by building in one of their, or any shopping cart ? That's what confuses me. Sorry to sound like a dope here, but I'm just not getting what my first step should be. I don't want to go through all that work of building in bv, then finding out that I should have built right in a cart.
Thanks so much for your patience, but I've never done this before even though I did build my own site, I'm just not getting this cart thing and how you attach it to what you build in BV.
Have a great day, and again, thanks for your time and patience.

Susan.

[Bethers]

Susan,
We've gone over this extensively in your other forum - but what you need to decide - is how you want to build and what will work best for you.

IF you want a store that works similar to what you have, with the database driven shopping cart, then you need to use a ecommerce website builder - like Soho, OSCommerce, Zen, etc- and THAT's where you build the entire site- just like you're doing now.

IF you are comfortable and like BV and being able to have more freedom, and can do what you want with an add-on shopping cart - then, yes, you can use BV. But I can't answer that for you. I can tell you that I use BV and CartManager and LOVE it. But I can't say you will love it. I can tell you in the other forum, I've given about 15-20 former stores who have moved doing the same way I am - so you can look and see lots of them.

But don't spend a lot of time building in BV if you're going to decide you want the type of cart you used before - cuz BV is a WEBSITE builder - than you can ADD a shopping cart to - but it is not a standalone ecommerce builder (like Soho, et all) are.

[Jollytinker]

Ohhhhhh !!!! Ok, that makes it clearer.. Now, I get it. Sorry Beth, I know we went over it, but now, I think you've explained it a little clearer for my little blond head.. It's starting to sink in. Just did the demo of cart manager from your link, didn't get to that until now, so I'll play with that. I can just build my store there right ?
You've been great Bethers I don't mean to ask the same thing over and over, but I just wasn't getting it. Maybe God gave you a bigger brain than me. :0)... but, I'm getting there.
Have a wonderful day.
Susan

[Karen Mac]

No.. you dont build your store there either. You build your store on bv, then you use that cartmanager codes to LINK to your cc processor, only thing there are your codes and product info so they can process the order and collect the money.

Karen

[Jollytinker]

Ok, thanks Karen,
Checking out CartManager right now. Soaking this all in. Want to get away from high fees on sol, but didn't know it would be this hard. You guys are a great help though. All this reading and help from you guys, is finally getting in.

Thanks again and have a great day !

Susan

[Karen Mac]

Its NOT hard.. just different, just different things to learn.

Karen

[Bethers]

And keep asking till you get it - cuz it doesn't do you any good if you don't understand ;) - just take us with a grain of salt when we hold your hand and get testy - you know we mean well.

[Jollytinker]

I sure do, so, just smack me when I need it. I'm tough. I'll get it all together, hope I don't forget where I put it when I do. :0)
Have a great night and weekend you guys.
Stay safe !
Thanks again,,,

Susan

[km5tq]

Hey, Susan,
Beth and Karen give great advice. I've bugged them to death trying to get the cart sytem straight in my pea size brain.
By jove, I think I've got it..lol
I have stopped working on building my site at this point. I have a partially finished index page, but will work on it after I decide which cart to go with. For me, I want a cart that will let me build my site in BV. I like the freedom of creation and the fact the page is a what you see is what you get. I'm also trying the cartmanager demo. I will also check out the generic ecommerce cart for Dreamweaver. I'm judging on what is cost effective for me at this time. I'm on a limited budget, so have to base my decision on cost and what will work in my case.
I feel like I should earn a degree in all this by the time I'm ready to launch my site..lol

Good luck, Susan.

[Bethers]

Susan,
You are doing the right thing - figuring out what is best for you and doing the planning before you build and have to restart over and over. However, you might want to build and play with BV and CM - so you see how it works for you. Have fun with it - just don't put through a real order, LOL - as the 2 week trial of CM is LIVE.

[Karen Mac]

Well.. if she sets authorize.net to test.. she could use it all the way thru. Just remember to go back and set autho to live when shes done.

Karen

[km5tq]

I've been playing around with the CM today, and so far so good. I created a test page, put in a seperate folder to save it. I have tested various settings and view them in preview. Since I have not published the test page, I should have nothing to worry about..right?!?

[Bethers]

CM will be live if you added code to it to the page and went into preview. However, the only way you'd have a problem is if you placed an order and went all the way through - after attaching your cc processor (or paypal) - cuz the order would go through :)

[km5tq]

Whew! Thank goodness I didn't process any orders...lol

[Jollytinker]

Ok, I'm back. Couldn't get in here much yesterday at all. Hi KM, ( do you have a real name ?)sounds like we're both on the same track. My train however, sometimes gets derailed, but I'm getting it too. ( I think). Yup, these guys in here have been great to me. We're so lucky to have this forum and people who actually know what they're talking about. I really like BV too and love the looks I'm getting in it. I started playing with cart manager yesterday, but hubby home this weekend, so I'm getting nothing done. Boys!!! humphhh!!

Anyway, it really takes alot of reading and research to figure it all out. Just like Bethers said, I don't want to do it and then have to re-do it. I want to do it right the first time. I really expected her to ready through my puter and smack me the other day. Hay, I'm blond, it takes a little longer for us.

Ok, going back to work on cm now, Thanks KM for your good luck. Same to you. We can work our little pea brains off together.

Susan
www.thejollytinker.com

[km5tq]

Hi Susan,
I'm still alive, so you're safe...lol I've bugged them to death.
I agree with you about this being a great forum. I've only been a member about 3 or 4 weeks. I've learned a lot in that time.
Susan, have you tried the Chat Forum? You can just chit chat about anything in that one. The KM5TQ is my ham radio call sign. My real name is Glenna. I use my middle name for the name of my website.
Welllll, my Mother thought I was a Jewel...lol
Keep on plugging along,,,we'll get there at some point.