a few pages - please help ?

388 Views 18 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Vtec44, Oct 2, 2006

T-BOT

Discussion Starter · Sep 29, 2006

hi guys, just started making a few pages for a to be wholesale/distributor site (www-TdotT-com).
Please have a look and let me know what i should add to these pages etc... i will be making a few hundred product pages in the future but don't want to do it and than realize I need to scrap it and start over cause it's no good.

Mainly looking for Navigation and Commerce tips. Site Design is not even in the program yet so any ideas would be great too. Thanks.

TdotT - Wholesale

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

Vtec44

· #2 · Sep 29, 2006

Nicely done! I think the top-left logo can be in a bit higher resolution. It looks pixelated on my LCD. As far as the green "bars", can it be in a less bright green? White background + bright green for some reason doesn't go well IMHO.

T-BOT

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 29, 2006

thanks james,

will make those color changes in the next hr or so.

What browser are you using ?

Vtec44

· #4 · Sep 29, 2006

I'm using IE

jdr8271

· #5 · Sep 29, 2006 (Edited)

The design does not feel balanced to me. The big logo on the left does not balance out with those little links on the top right. The drop down menu is not valigned properly. From a coding perspective its a total mess:

Why do you have a table created in javascript? There is absolutely no purpose for this. There is no javascripting going on here..it just makes no scence. just get ris of this part of the javascript and put:

Back
    Catalog
    Info
    Contact
    Us
    ViewCart

Your just making people with javascript disabled unable to view your site. I would actually get rid of all the javascript on your page. That drop down menu isnt serving much of a purpose, other than requiring extra clicks that the user actually shouldnt have to make. Just put them as regualr links across that gray bar.

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MotoskinGraphix

· #6 · Sep 29, 2006

Just a bit early for recomends me thinks. Keep building your pages and dont worry about critiques just yet. I know my website is quite simple and full of holes but its always a work in progress. I have so many pages to build and then refine and then SEO, its a daughting process but I do enjoy the frustration. Chin up Luce...have that Can. Eeeehhh!!!!

Vtec44

· #7 · Sep 29, 2006

For the navigational links, I highly suggest you use php include function or javascript include function. That way, you just edit one file to update your links instead of edit each HTML page. Of course, I'm assuming that these are static HTML pages.

T-BOT

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 29, 2006

Vtec44 said:
For the navigational links, I highly suggest you use php include function or javascript include function. That way, you just edit one file to update your links instead of edit each HTML page. Of course, I'm assuming that these are static HTML pages.

thanks for the ideas so far guys.

James, i'm trying to run all the javascripts from outside the html pages with your basic document.write stuff (like you said, so i can change links/etc. from 1 location

) . Is there another way to do it with javascript?

Jon, the idea is to run the scripts from outside of the html pages as James mentioned. How should i do this ? ...I would like to change prices Site-Wide without editing each and every page (a few hundred pages) one at the time.

jdr8271

· #9 · Sep 29, 2006

Jon, the idea is to run the scripts from outside of the html pages as James mentioned. How should i do this ? ...I would like to change prices Site-Wide without editing each and every page (a few hundred pages) one at the time.

This is not what javascript is for..

You should set up your site as a database driven site. That is specifically what that is designed for. Big companies like amazon for example run their sites with templates, and a database that spits information into plase on thousands of pages.

Vtec44

· #10 · Sep 29, 2006

In your HTML pages, it should be something like this

Code:

<script language="JavaScript" 
src="http://yourdomain.com/folder/navigation.js"></script>
<script language="JavaScript">
document.write(links);
document.close;
</script>

then in /folder create navigation.js using a text editor

Code:

var links="<a href='http://www.yourdomain.com/yourlink.html'>link</a>"

If you look closely, I use single quotes to quote the URL. That's because double quotes are being used in the javascript include file to indicate a string value. Okay, please don't mistaken me for a javascript expert or anything, that's all I know LOL If you do it correctly, then you only need to modify navigation.js file to change the navigational links in all pages. This has a draw back: will not work if the person doesn't have Java installed. So, the best way to include an external file is still by using php include function.

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T-BOT

Discussion Starter · #11 · Sep 30, 2006

Vtec44 said:
In your HTML pages, it should be something like this

Code:

<script language="JavaScript" src="http://yourdomain.com/folder/navigation.js"></script> <script language="JavaScript"> document.write(links); document.close; </script>

then in /folder create navigation.js using a text editor

Code:

var links="<a href='http://www.yourdomain.com/yourlink.html'>link</a>"

If you look closely, I use single quotes to quote the URL. That's because double quotes are being used in the javascript include file to indicate a string value. Okay, please don't mistaken me for a javascript expert or anything, that's all I know LOL If you do it correctly, then you only need to modify navigation.js file to change the navigational links in all pages. This has a draw back: will not work if the person doesn't have Java installed. So, the best way to include an external file is still by using php include function.

great James, i see what you are doing. You are writting the links into the HTML page from an outside navigation.js file.

Do most people have Java disable ?

i also have another version of the site that im playing around with using PHP and OZcommerce cart. May be i will go back and re-thing it, Java or PHP database or both ?

thanks James, you're a JavaGuru.

I'll go play with it some more, but I shall return.

....

jdr8271

· #12 · Sep 30, 2006

i also have another version of the site that im playing around with using PHP and OZcommerce cart. May be i will go back and re-thing it, Java or PHP database or both ?

You could inplement a database through php. That would be a more sofisticated way of doing it. Or you could just use the include function in php. The include function would do exactly the same thing that you are doing with the javascript currently.

Do most people have Java disable ?

and just an FYI for both of you, java is totally different than javascript.

javascript is a programming language that is understood by internet browsers, while java is a language that one might write the internet browser itself in.

Rodney

· #13 · Sep 30, 2006

Or you could just use the include function in php. The include function would do exactly the same thing that you are doing with the javascript currently.

This is what I would suggest. A simple PHP include to manage the header/footer/navigation/etc.

If it's going to be a big shopping cart, then maybe cubecart might be worth looking into. But if it's going to be mostly static pages with no "add to cart" function necessary, then I think php includes would work better for you than javascript.

Here's a neat little mini-tutorial for using php includes:
http://www.w3schools.com/php/php_includes.asp

Vtec44

· #14 · Sep 30, 2006 (Edited)

Lucy, if you're doing php include, make make sure to use \ in front of a single quote, as in \'. With php include, you don't have to define the variable. I can be just a plain text file or a mix of php and html. Plus, a piece of PHP code can be within a HTML file, as long as it is within

Code:

<?php yourphpcode ?>

Although at times, php include doesn't work for me especially when I have a bunch of nested php includes. So knowing both can be very handy

Another note, the value for "links" in navigation.js must all be on one line. I can be as long as you want, but you cannot break it into several lines. That's another drawback compare to php include.

The default OSCommerce lacks a lot of features that a standard shopping cart should have, ie coupon/discount & product options grouping. Basically, you have to add options to each product individually although they're the same, ie colors. Of course, there are free mods for that if you want to do the work. I'm not too familiar with CubeCart, but I think it lacks the 2 features also. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

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T-BOT

Discussion Starter · #15 · Sep 30, 2006

thanks guys,

when i do the php includes (html links etc.) to write on the html page, users can see the code, will bots see it too ?

Vtec44

· #16 · Sep 30, 2006

Yes. With the Javascript include, bots will not see the HTML.

jdr8271

· #17 · Sep 30, 2006

When you view the source of a page that has a php include, you do not see any php...just plain html. To the end user or a search engine spider, they would never know if you used php or just straight html.

T-BOT

Discussion Starter · #18 · Oct 2, 2006

just want to let you guys know that i had a look at vtec44 sites and im leaning towards the PHP and not the javascript for the headers/footers.

using javascript: http://www.tbible.com/tdott/index.html

using PHP: http://www.tbible.com/tdott/index.php

no difference, but maybe less work for me with navigate/links using PHP etc...it does add a lot more code to the pages though.

Rodney, the cubecart is working out better than OScommerce, thanks.

thanks so far guys.
ready for more critiques.

Vtec44

· #19 · Oct 2, 2006

What sites?? Are you stalking me now????!!!??? LOL

j/k

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