Need help with custom html pages

[anthem78]

I'm new to MIVA, although I have been designing websites for a little while, but I need help with my product pages. I am trying to acheive a certain look (http://www.rockstarmoms.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=R&Product_Code=TT001&Category_Code=TT), but I need help figuring out how to get my placeholders (images, product names, links for account, search, etc.) to link up to the MIVA code. I have no idea how to do this, but it is important that I get it right.

To see the rest of the site that I'm trying to tie this all in to, visit www.rockstarmoms.com. I designed this using a PayPal only shopping cart. My client wanted to accept all credit cards now, and I thought this was the best option, but I'm quickly becoming frustrated.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

The first thing you should do is familiarize yourself with the MIVA Merchant software.

Take some examples of links from viewing the store's source code. You cannot securely link from your static pages to checkout and account, since you cannot pass the session ID, however, you can link to the start of the checkout and account process through http links.

View the source code in the Pages themselves, from inside your admin. Click on the + next to Stores, then the + next to your store name. Click on Pages, and click to Edit one of them. Switch to advanced mode, and you'll see the code.

Reviewing the documentation is a good start as well.
http://docs.smallbusiness.miva.com/en-US/merchant/5/webhelp/MM5_Table_of_Contents.htm

[idealtheory]

Take a look at my site. I think i did a pretty good job of intergrating
MIVA into an exisiting HTML site. I don't know very much HTML and it
wasn't that hard to figure out.

This book did help me understand how MIVA works. I highly suggest buying this book and reading it before you do anything.
http://www.mivacentral.com/page/m/PROD/BOOKS/MEDIASI-MMBOOK5

[idealtheory]

woops! forgot to link my site
http://www.idealtheory.com

[redswimmer]

I'd like to put my category product display list in on a web page in another domain. Can that be done?

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

Sure. View your storefront from the customer's point of view in your browser and then view the source.

Copy out the cat tree and paste it into your HTML for the other domain.

Just keep in mind that if you make changes to your categories in your Merchant store, they are not going to be reflected in your static HTML on the other site.

[redswimmer]

Thanks, for your response.

So this can't be done like an include?

I'd like to maintain the dynamic nature of the category display list.

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

There is no way to maintain the dynamic ability in static pages, especially those that are hosted on a different domain.

You could however, hire a creative PHP programmer to possibly hook the MySQL databases and rebuild the cat tree on the fly in the other domain...assuming of course you installed MM5 with the MySQL DB API rather than mivasql.

[redswimmer]

I had the same thought, but it's setup with mivasql. I assume mivasql can't be exposed to queries from the outside?

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

Then why use MM5? :D

Seriously, mivasql is xbase. While it is supposed to be ODBC compliant, its a VERY difficult task that many I've talked to wont even attempt.

This is one of the main reasons MM5 added MySQL connectivity. Speed and access, and a true DB.


I had the same thought, but it's setup with mivasql. I assume mivasql can't be exposed to queries from the outside?

[redswimmer]

Let me retract that. The store is set up with a MySQL database.

Thanks for the responses.

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Actually, you wouldn't need PHP, you could have someone write a mivascript module that did the same thing and call it with an INCLUDE.

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

From another domain running a non-merchant static site?

The domain would have to be setup to access the Empresa engine...which most hosts are not going to allow on a static site.

Actually, you wouldn't need PHP, you could have someone write a mivascript module that did the same thing and call it with an INCLUDE.

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Yes, technically (not that I would do it this way). An IFRAME could call a merchant script on the MIVA server, which provides the content to the Iframe. Personally, I'd setup a script to do this in reverse...i.e., Push the static content of the cat tree out to the servers where they will be included (using a standard include) into the static pages. This would happen on update...and yes, it would be a custom module...