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DOCUMENTATIONS
Documentations Part 11 - Creating an Online Store
   Miva Merchant vs. osCommerce
   Setting Up Miva Merchant
   Setting Up osCommerce
   Updating osCommerce to version 2.2

  Creating Online Store


 Your control panel comes with two on-line store builders, Miva Merchant and osCommerce.

* This document isn't a storefront management guide. It only explains how to run integrated e-stores from your control panel. For instructions on how to operate your on-line shop visit the corresponding company site.

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  Miva Merchant vs. osCommerce


Your plan may allow you to create an online store with two online shop builders and managers:

on-line store Miva Merchant

www.miva.com/products/merchant
version 4.xx

Miva Merchant is a dynamic browser based storefront development and management system that allows merchants to create multiple online stores.
Read the license.

 osCommerce

www.oscommerce.com
version 2.2

osCommerce is an open source e-commerce solution
and is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

Features � Store management (simple wizards and sophisticated tools)
� Account management (provide frequent shopper programs, discounted pricing and special product availability)
� Catalog Management
� Associating complimentary products to give shoppers the opportunity to purchase others that are similar .
� Configuring multiple sales tax methods, configures multiple sales tax methods and instant order e-mail � Store management (simple wizards and sophisticated tools)
� Account management (provide frequent shopper programs, discounted pricing and special product availability)
� Catalog Management
� Associating complimentary products to give shoppers the opportunity to purchase others that are similar .
� Configuring multiple sales tax methods, configures multiple sales tax methods and instant order e-mail confirmations.
� Secure transactions with SSL
� Driving targeted shoppers to your store with a search engine and "shop box" that is displayed on popular web sites.
� Affiliate Program
� Inventory Tracking
� Advanced and simple mode administrative interfaces
� Product Attribute Template
� Site Traffic and Sales Statistics
� Quick Selection when administering your storefront
� Calculating shipping costs as a percentage of the total order
 � Add/Edit/Remove categories, products, manufacturers, customers, and reviews
� Categories-to-categories structure Statistics for products and customers
� Dynamic product attributes
� Tax zones, classes, and rates
� Configuration parameters in database for remote editing
� Not tied together with the catalog module (admin module can be installed on another server)
� Payment and shipping modules
� Backup tool
� Add/Edit/Remove categories, products, manufacturers, customers, and reviews
� Categories-to-categories structure Statistics for products and customers
� Dynamic product attributes
� Tax zones, classes, and rates
� Configuration parameters in database for remote editing
� Not tied together with the catalog module (admin module can be installed on another server)
� Payment and shipping modules
� Backup tool
� Customer accounts
� Customer address books (other shipping destinations)
� Order history
� Temporary (not logged on) and permanent (logged on) shopping carts
� Search catalog for products or manufacturers
� Product reviews by customers
� E-mail notifications
� Foreseen checkout procedure
� Secure transactions with SSL
� Number of products in each category are shown
� Bestseller lists
� Display what other customers have brought (relating to the current product displayed

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  Setting Up Miva Merchant


To set up Miva Merchant, do the following:

  • Click Miva E-Commerce on the control panel home page.
  • Enable Miva E-Shop for your e-commerce domain.
  • Agree to charges. If you get the message "Run out of MIVA Merchant licenses", report to technical support.
  • Click the Apply link in the Status column.
  • Click the Setup icon that has appeared next to the domain name.
  • Click the Install button and complete the installation:
     

  • Click the Edit icon to configure your Miva shopping cart. Alternatively, you can do it using Miva administration panel. When it prompts you for a login and a password, enter those you use for your FTP account.
  • Click the View icon to see how your online store looks from the Internet.
  • To remove Miva Merchant database with all its entries, click the Uninstall icon.
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  Setting Up osCommerce


To set up osCommerce online shop, do the following:

  • Click osCommerce on the control panel home page.
  • On the page that shows enable osCommerce for the online store domain.
  • Agree with charges, if any.
  • Create a database and a user. osCommerce uses MySQL databases to store your commercial data, such as products, catalogues, etc.

WARNING: Assigning a previously created MySQL database for use by osCommerce will clear contents of all its tables.

The databases used by osCommerce will show among your MySQL databases marked "(Locked By osCommerce)".
You can manage osCommerce databases with any MySQL GUI client or the built-in phpMyAdmin control panel.

* For more information on MySQL please refer to the MySQL support chapter of this manual.
Set permissions to the "admin" directory using the htProtext utility. This is done to restrict public access to osCommerce configuration.

Now let's take a look at the osCommerce controls:

ON/OFF:
Enable/disable the resource. Switching off your osCommerce will permanently remove all your osCommerce settings, databases, etc. So the next time you enable it, you'll have to configure it from scratch and you will be charged the osCommerce setup fee.

EDIT:
Click the icon in case you somehow corrupted the templates and want to get them fixed. Also, use it if you have just set your e-shop to use SSL certificate. This option resets the config file using the current hosting settings and restores the osCommerce files from the bundle.

E-SHOP:
Click the icon to go directly to your on-line store.

ADMIN:
Click the icon to go to your osCommerce administrative panel.

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  Updating osCommerce to version 2.2


osCommerce 2.2 contains lots of bugfixes, so if you run the prior version, we highly recommend you to update your online store building software to version 2.2:

  • Back up all your custom osCommerce settings.
  • In your control panel, go to the osCommerce settings page.
  • Choose the domain you are running your online store on and click the Edit icon. That will update osCommerce scripts.
  • Click the Upgrade icon. This will update osCommerce database:

Important: Please make sure that your current osCommerce version is older that 2.2 before performing the upgrade.

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