Book Image

Building Online Stores with osCommerce: Professional Edition

By : David Mercer
Book Image

Building Online Stores with osCommerce: Professional Edition

By: David Mercer

Overview of this book

<p>The book can be read from front to back, but each chapter is self contained so the reader can skip chapters to read those that they are interested in. Each chapter will move from basic to advanced where applicable and also relate what the administrator (reader) is doing to how this affects what the client sees on the site.</p> <p>So, for example, the customization chapter will start off with a discussion on the concept of design and how to relate this to your business. Once the reader has a clear idea of what they need to do, we look at some really simple changes such as modifying the site's language, before moving to some advanced modifications which may involve some PHP programming. At the same time the discussion will demonstrate how the changes made affect the site.</p> <p>Throughout the book, much consideration is given to the "right" way to doing things. Readers will have the great advantage that they begin, from the very start, doing things properly. This will save them a lot of time and effort in the years to come as they build on and modify their site. Utilizing best practices and sound methodologies is a great asset for beginners and experienced users alike.</p> <p>At all times, the coverage given in this book pays homage to the fact that, ultimately, the reader has a business goal in mind. To this end, the material never gets bogged down in technical issues or long discourses, but rather focuses on what is practically important for the online business and then moves on. To complement this, there are plenty of suggestions and hints as to how and where to look for further information.</p>
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Building Online Stores with osCommerce: Professional Edition
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
Foreword
Introduction
Index

Downloading Software


The method used to obtain any bits and pieces of software you may need is pretty much standard from company to company. Remember that it is in a software producer's best interest to make things as easy as possible for their clients to download and install software; otherwise they leave a gap for someone else to improve on their process. Because the best way to make things easy to understand is by providing a logical and consistent approach to obtaining their software, you will find that for more or less anything you want to get hold of, the following steps will apply:

  1. Go to the producer's site.

  2. Find the download page.

  3. Download the software.

  4. Unpack the software or run the executable, depending on the method of installation.

  5. Install the software.

  6. Configure your installation.

  7. Test your setup.

Mostly this is the procedure followed, though not all the time. As an exercise in getting to know your way around your development environment, you might want to read over the next section...