Customizing your store
Places to get help
If you need the shopping cart customized beyond your own abilities please utilize one of the resources we have listed below. The founder of RealCart did not take classes or get formal training. He learned HTML and JavaScript by simply reading some good references and studying the code that others had written. Anyone can learn HTML that wants to. It is not rocket science. It is just simple text with a lot of codes surrounded by angle brackets. Try the resources below to get started.
HTML resources
- Earthweb’s HTML tutorial. (A great HTML tutorial including such topics as: Getting Started,
Tables,
Backgrounds,
Forms,
Frames,
Image Maps,
Images,
Colors,
Buttons and
HTML 4.0 tags.)
- Index DOT Html || Advanced HTML Resource (THE Advanced HTML Resource - Author: Brian Wilson
.)
- HTMLReference.com || Master’s HTML Reference
(Get the complete HTML lowdown here, at the HTML Master’s Reference.)
- HTMLReference.com || E-Commerce Blunders You Can Avoid
(Some pitfalls seem to appear in front of way too many people, who step right in them as if they weren’t there. Watch out for these blunders. Our shopping cart is designed to avoid most of these problems. If you aren’t careful, however, you may end up unknowingly ‘customizing one of these problems’ into your on-line store. This article is a must read for all who want to customize their store.)
JavaScript resources
Of course real, functional customization (as far as how RealCart works) requires JavaScript knowledge. JavaScript is a little more challenging than HTML and it may be more difficult for some to grasp. None-the-less it can be learned by anyone who sets their mind to it. Here are several really good sites to learn JavaScript techniques. Many of these sites feature pre-made JavaScripts you can simply copy and paste directly into RealCart templates.
- JavaScript.com || The definitive JavaScript Resource
- JavaScripts.com || Welcome to Javascripts.com*
Javascripts.com is the largest Javascripts repository online, containing thousands of Javascripts. Each script available to Download - for free!
- The JavaScript Source || The JavaScript Source is an excellent JavaScript resource with tons of "cut and paste" JavaScript examples for your Web pages. All for free!
- Developer Shed || Developer Shed is probably one of the largest single resources for nearly anything regarding web site development. The topics discussed on DevShed.com include not only JavaScript but also these other areas of interest:
- Server Side Administration, JServ, MySQL, Perl, PHP, Python, PostgreSQL, Roxen, Wireless, Zend, Zope
- Client Side DHTML, Flash, Graphics, JavaScript, Style Sheets, XML
- Tools HTML Editors, Graphic Editors, FTP Programs
- ClipScripts Add script, Edit script
There are even discussion forums where you can ask other web developers questions. Click here to see the forums at DevShed.
CGI script resources
Customizations such as dynamic, automatic download links after credit authorization requires CGI scripting. Typically such CGI scripts are called by your payment gateway (like Authorize.Net) after the customer puts in his or her credit card number. While software merchants may want to allow their customers to be able to download software automatically upon approval we would recommend against doing this due to potential fraudulent orders.
Software vendors are more vulnerable to fraud than other internet merchants because crooks seem to like getting “FREE Software” with the stolen credit card numbers they use. (We know this from experience.) If your payment gateway offers a 100% guarantee against fraudulent orders then auto downloadable order fulfillment becomes feasible. Anyone that cares to automate their downloadable products as a back end to their payment gateway will want to either find, or write, their own CGI script to accept result codes from your payment gateway.
Affiliate programs are another popular CGI application that on-line merchants tend to want to include in their on-line storefronts. We use SunnyScript’s Affiliate program and modified the script to alert us on our cell phones whenever we make an affiliate sale. Below is a small list of sites that have either FREE or low cost CGI scripts that will allow you to further enhance your on-line store front.
- BigNoseBird.com || BNB: HTML, free CGI Scripts, graphics, tutorials and more for the webmaster - for free!
- Matt’s Script Archive || Matt’s Script Archive contains many very popular FREE CGI scripts including FormMail.pl which is the FREE form mailer included with RealCart. Check out all of the great scripts at Matt’s Script Archive. All for free!
- ResourceIndex.com || The Resource Index is a listing of over 2600 CGI resources. If you cannot find it on this list then it probably does not exist.
- SunnyScript.com || SunnyScript provides a wide range of various powerful software to make your Internet business easier. We mainly offer commercial titles for web based services and other popular online applications.
If you just don’t have the strength to learn anything new but you still need your shopping cart customized you might consider hiring a web designer that is fluent in JavaScript. Anyone with a good overall knowledge of JavaScript will be able to customize things like the shipping routines, the add to cart function, quantity discounts, etc.
To hire someone that is specifically familiar with this shopping cart you might consider one of the RealCart certified developers. (RealCart Certified Developers can usually create anything you can imagine with RealCart. Contact one of them today.)
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