Post by downpour046 » Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:55 pm

Hello all,

Just like to announce InstallHDTV.com launched a new site on the OpenCart framework! Feedback welcome!

Nation's #1 source for in-home and office Television & Home Theater Installation Service including TV wall & fireplace mounting.

http://www.installhdtv.com

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Post by Xsecrets » Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:09 pm

nice looking site.

OpenCart commercial mods and development http://spotonsolutions.net
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Post by hodet » Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:48 am

Really nice!!! Is that your own custom theme? Just looks very well done.

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Post by downpour046 » Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:41 pm

I used the default OpenCart theme, but modified it pretty drastically. I also created a custom index page for better SEO and control over the homepage.

Thanks for the positive comments!

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Post by downpour046 » Thu Dec 09, 2010 4:34 am

Anyone know how to suggest to OpenCart to feature my store?

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Post by SapporoGuy » Fri Dec 10, 2010 2:37 am

Nice !
I like how you split the description area on the products.

Almost as hacked up (as in non-looking theme) as what I'm working on. :laugh:

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Post by downpour046 » Tue Dec 14, 2010 2:09 pm

Thank you for your comments, and yes it's a bit hacked up. I'm actually thinking about turning it into a WordPress hybrid cart so I can have a strong CMS + OpenCart.

If anyone's had any success with something like this please let me know any tips/tricks/ things I may encounter!

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Post by SapporoGuy » Tue Dec 14, 2010 4:38 pm

I still don't get the need to integrate with Wordpress, joomala, etc ...
What is it about a cart that people find missing?

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Post by downpour046 » Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:59 am

To be perfectly honest it lacks on the content management side(OpenCart). Which is fine, considering it is a shopping cart, not a full CMS. I need more robust page features as I will soon be having more content pages that are not all shopping cart related, and plan to SEO-intensify the site. WordPress's sitemap builders are far more robust than OpenCart's. OpenCart's site-map builder is ugly and i've had to hack and slash it to get it where i want to be. It's easier to just go with a WordPress solution for my content, and it's built in blog capabilities for a centralized sitemap. Not to mention WordPress's vast plugin library. I'm mainly just integrating it because I need a more powerful CMS. OpenCart provides no individual page cms hiearchy for pages/categories. All it provides is informational pages. I'd have to have to hack and slash quite a bit to get the directory and page/category structure I desire. As of right now It's 100% OpenCart, but when I'm done it's going to be more like 70% WordPress, 30% OpenCart.

Realistically, I could do it without WordPress, but much of it would involve modifying the core code of OpenCart, which I really do not want to do in light of updates and such.

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Post by SapporoGuy » Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:17 am

Now, I'm starting to get it.
I too have been playing with the thought of going beyond a cart but ...

How about the news module or even Q's CMS system?

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Post by downpour046 » Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:33 pm

Well Q's plugin costs money... granted its only $15.00. But I'd rather not spend the money where I don't have to. His plugin appears to be ok, but the robustness of WordPress is far superior. The templating abilities, plugins, skinning features, etc are easier to work with for me than OpenCart's. The category nesting in WordPress is pretty sophisticated, and it's blog strength is far superior. (Especially when it comes to dynamically generating sitemaps and correct priorities/modified dates) This is all personal opinion of course.

Also, as a side note, I am actually building out my entire site in HTML5 with CSS2.1/3. To my knowledge I think OpenCart still requires me to maintain an XHTML doctype? That's also partially why I'm building everything out seperately, and incorporating OpenCart in at the end.

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Post by SapporoGuy » Wed Dec 15, 2010 3:53 pm

Wow!

What you're doing is what I was thinking of doing a few months later down the road, especially after 1.5 comes out. At the moment, all my mods are going to probably end up as a "learning experience" ;D

Is HTML 5 ready for most browsers?

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Post by downpour046 » Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:01 pm

HTML is ready for browsers from a compatibility standpoint to a "point". IE7,IE8, have limited use for it. You can force IE6 to recognize elements. There are certain things within HTML5 that you can use that will work and some that won't work at all. I'm mainly just sticking to the basics and re-working the content for SEO purposes.

Goodluck with all your learning experiences, though! I have a custom-modded OpenCart system... which means everytime they update OpenCart I have to manually update the cart around my handwritten code. :crazy: >:D If you have any questions feel free to ask-! Be careful with "module city" as you can often over-write your other modules if you're not careful.

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Post by SapporoGuy » Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:52 pm

lolo, agree. I really don't want to see 1.5 until at least late January. That way I can finish what I'm doing now, get some content, fix my flaws in the system, and finally have time to work on upgrading. As of now, I'm gonna have a busy new year while most of the country is off for a few days.

Module city?
what do you mean by that?

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Post by downpour046 » Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:21 am

By "module city" I mean when you install multiple modules without paying much attention to the interior code, you overwrite other modules & code. So for instance, If 3 modules utilize your footer.tpl...and you dont take out the code individually.. you can overwrite previous work. Basic OpenCart stuff, just saying. What are you working on Sapporo?

Anyway, I plan to push the new HTML5 site in the next day or two so feel free to check it out when im done!

Cheers!

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Post by SapporoGuy » Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:24 am

@ module city
Ahh, I get it.
lolo, don't remind me about some of those modules.

@ me
Thank you for posting!
I was wondering today why I spent about an hour watching a nettuts tutorial on html 5 boiler plate.
http://html5boilerplate.com/ Not for the video.

I was thinking of using that as a base for 1.5 and then add the blueprint framework on top ... and possibly add in the jquerytools. phew!

At the moment, I've got a pseudo 1.5 template system going on.
Using the blueprint frame work to clean up my layout.
4 zones, with most modules becoming aware of their location. So I use a bit of php to change the color of the boxes depending on where you move them to and such.
However, I'm using Chrome and I have a bad feeling ie is going to be a week of fixes. lolo, I'm using the CSS rounded corners ::) ahhh, ie people can see pretty square boxes, instead :laugh:

On top of which, since Nov 1, I've been learning things that I missed in the past 7 years. Not that I was a good coder back then but things have changed a lot. So, php5 with MVC, CSS, jquery ... still beginner level but enough to move me forward.

I'm working on a Groupon like site for my area. Yeah, they are huge in the states but things are different here, like by about 20 years, so I still have a chance. Not saying that Groupon will not whip my butt but rather I have a chance to tap in the market to get by and to provide some funding for other projects that I really want to get in on. Like a learning site for kids in Japan, android/iOS applications and such. Possibly, a different model to groupon but from regular stores that just don't know that you can use your computer for anything other than printing out New Year cards.

Yeah, sonyland and all that. We have 2 fm radio stations for a population close to 6 million on this island.

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Post by downpour046 » Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:01 pm

@ You're stuff.. what do you mean you're using Chrome?... as your primary browser and then going back and testing others?

Sounds like you have a good idea at least of what's going on, which can sometimes make of for lack of development/design experience. A good background helps, but if you're not educated/knowledgeable about the latest and greatest the old stuff gets buried faster than you know!

You're "Groupon-like" site sounds like a great idea especially if you think it'll be great in your area. Best of luck with that.

I just re-launched right before the holidays. InstallHDTV.com as HTML5/WordPress/OpenCart hybrid... let me know what you think!

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Post by SapporoGuy » Wed Dec 29, 2010 5:10 pm

the above link is text'd.

try this : http://www.installhdtv.com/

The design is getting better every time I look at it.
I wish I had the "gift" ... I'm more of layout, finalizer ... probably like Steve Jobs, sees something and then has his team fix it until he's happy ;) I am not Jothan Ives, that's for sure!

Do like that logo!

Straight from the cuff but this is an outsider view with some understanding of what's going on ;D
problems:
- your blog is wacked
- your account login is not offering "guest login" but a customer would be like WTF?
- top categories is doing that groupon thang ... relative vs absolute positioning .... relative can make you feel sick (as in motion sickness sick) :-\
This also causes problems on the contact page ...
... I am starting to find it irritating, sorry but ... I'd rather have it permanent than collapsable.
- keywords prefill for search needs to move up about 4pixesl
- cart header boxes ... personal preference would be to have the header color the same black as the above header black.

Even though, I see some issues, I really do like what you have going on!

@ myself
Yes, I'm developing with Chrome. I don't have a XP/7 machine to test on in the office.
However, will do tests before launch.
I've been thinking of how I could have a script run an check for anything under ie8 and have the users browser update itself >:D >:D :laugh: :laugh:
(I did write a script almost 9 years ago to bounce all spam to M$ ... never used it though ::) )

I am self taught. This was a hobby for me in the past and looking back, I regret not making a career change back in 2003/4. Hind sight is a beauty isn't she ::)

My site ...
Thanks!
Well, it's a way to get back into the business and to help me make a decision on making a career change or not. If it goes well, I'll start doing more web/net based work. IF that goes good, then I'll move in that direction. If not, I'll keep doing what I do ;D

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Post by downpour046 » Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:30 am

I learned design over time. You'll get better with time as well. I also worked for a gentleman who was an excellent designer and knew a great deal about typography and design in general. He taught me alot. A great design blog to follow is : http://www.smashingmagazine.com.

Thanks for all the critique, I happen to agree with all of it. The blog is whacked for sure, I still haven't had the time to work on it!

I'm going to fix the nav as well I just haven't had the time jus yet.

Critique is always welcome and I agree with all of your comments!

I don't know if I'd develop with Chrome first... (personally opinion). I develop in this cycle left to right (2 blocks)

Test Block #1 -> 1.FireFox,2. Chrome/Safari 3. Opera (optional)
Test Block #2 -> IE8/IE7, IE6. (Often this block requires a seperate stylesheet

I also wouldn't worry about testing on 7 just yet, I would still test on Windows XP until the OS is dead.

That is just how i test for cross browser. It definitely depends on your user base, many people have practically no I.E. users, or ALL ie users, etc.

Not to self promote but if you have a free moment please friend me/us on Facebook & Twitter and I'll happily do the same. All about connections right?

http://www.facebook.com/installhdtv
http://www.twitter.com/installhdtv

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Post by SapporoGuy » Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:04 am

Great site, I found it recently ... still don't have much time to get caught up in it.

@ critique
I know that you are still working on your site but you mentioned a re-launch so I felt it was more urgent to be straight forward. Glad you took it the right way :laugh:

@ social
Still not on any social network.
That's going to happen when I start XP testing.

But I will do that !!

@ tips
Chrome is more stable than safari on OSX when it comes to doing work with over 50 tabs open.
Memory is still a pig but safari will crap out on me under the same pressure.
So, it was that plus I had chrome open at the time ;D

Not sure why I gave up on firefox.

Thanks for the tips!!!

Cheers!

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