Form based shopping - HELP!

sticker

Hey all,

I've been doing web-based design for about 3 years, my expertise extends only so far though... (I'm self taught) I've been asked to undertake a job whereby 1,000 odd items will be sold online.

It will NOT involve secured servers / credit card / paypal payment methods. The owner simply wants a form based shop where items can be addded to a shopping cart and then a form dispatched to him.

I've built forms before (and have them intergrated into some of my sites) But in this case, I'll need to build a site where you can browse through categories and then 'checkout' > fill in final details > submit form...

Is there much involved beyond basic form knowledge? I use Dreamweaver to produce my forms...

Thanks in advance...

Ph3n0m

quite simply you need to learn databases

php/mysql or asp will help - but without these, unless you look at something already premade - you are kind of screwed

sticker

Ph3n0m wrote:

quite simply you need to learn databases

php/mysql or asp will help - but without these, unless you look at something already premade - you are kind of screwed

I have a Lynda.com php training course at home... looks like I'm hitting the books then!

As a backup, if it were needed down the road, would anyone fancy a small nixer helping me build this?

Ph3n0m

go on - pm me if you need help

sticker

Ph3n0m wrote:

go on - pm me if you need help

Many thanks - I'll PM if I have difficulty.

daymobrew

Maybe you could use osCommerce and just set it for Cash On Delivery (i.e. something that doesn't require SSL).
When the order is submitted the shop owner will get an email with the list of ordered items.

This is what I was doing when building an osCommerce shop recently (unfortunately not live just yet.
<shameless_plug>I made loads of enhancements to the site to improve the look and usability so would be interested in nixer</shameless_plug>

Liam Byrne

I don't think that's the issue that he's having.....I think it's the fact that you're not just purchasing a single item, rather "remembering" the selected items until the user clicks "check out".

Mal's eCommerce is a free shopping cart solution that allows you to use standard forms in order to compile an order; you allow the user to select individual items and click "Add to Cart", and it does the "remembering" and the final checkout.

It works, but it's difficult to integrate it into the overall "look and feel" of a site.

sticker

Liam Byrne wrote:

I don't think that's the issue that he's having.....I think it's the fact that you're not just purchasing a single item, rather "remembering" the selected items until the user clicks "check out".

Mal's eCommerce is a free shopping cart solution that allows you to use standard forms in order to compile an order; you allow the user to select individual items and click "Add to Cart", and it does the "remembering" and the final checkout.

It works, but it's difficult to integrate it into the overall "look and feel" of a site.

You're right on the money Liam... thats exactly what I'm looking for.

I'd rather work it out myself or have a few 'grinds' in how to setup a facility like this. I'd be happy to pay for a few hours every Saturday say...

I'll be creating the aesthetic of the site after all. It'd then be a skillset I could use going forward... I'll have a butchers at Mal's eCommerce as a matter of interest.

EDIT:
Liam, Would I need the 'premium package' if I was to persue this as a solution, or would the free one suffice? Which did you use?

Thanks

sticker

daymobrew wrote:

Maybe you could use osCommerce and just set it for Cash On Delivery (i.e. something that doesn't require SSL).
When the order is submitted the shop owner will get an email with the list of ordered items.

This is what I was doing when building an osCommerce shop recently (unfortunately not live just yet.
<shameless_plug>I made loads of enhancements to the site to improve the look and usability so would be interested in nixer</shameless_plug>

Do you have a link to an osCommerce shop you've worked on? thanks...

matt-dublin

if you're using dreamweaver i would suggest goind asp/odbc and mysql.

Dreamweaver is fairly good for that sort of stuff..

but for an easier ready made solution i would look at www.joomla.org.

it has a lot of stuff built in and extensions for the things that aren't built in!

But if you want to build it yourself the simplest and quickest wat is to use dreamweaver and asp/mysql

very straight forward and dreamweaver will do most of the work for you

Liam Byrne

Surely PHP + MySQL is a better option, Matt ?

Re Mal's eCommerce, the free/basic option is usually good enough, and now offers a PayPal module.

Ph3n0m

Liam Byrne wrote:

Surely PHP + MySQL is a better option, Matt ?

Re Mal's eCommerce, the free/basic option is usually good enough, and now offers a PayPal module.

if you dont know either - then its just comes down to whichever you want to learn

sticker

Ph3n0m wrote:

if you dont know either - then its just comes down to whichever you want to learn

Which would you recommend Ph3n0m? In the event that I jump into a HUGE learning curve, I'd prefer the easier / more accessible route!!

Ph3n0m

I cannot honestly answer that - I was at the same crossroads - ASP or PHP - I choose PHP because to me, it seemed there was a larger support audience, plus most of what I wanted to do was readily available from websites, books, snippets, etc

Example would be I bought 2 books, sat down, within 2 weeks of dabbling I created my first custom online shopping cart - so that made me happy

Plus for me it was handy as I dont come from a programming background

sticker

Ph3n0m wrote:

I cannot honestly answer that - I was at the same crossroads - ASP or PHP - I choose PHP because to me, it seemed there was a larger support audience, plus most of what I wanted to do was readily available from websites, books, snippets, etc

Example would be I bought 2 books, sat down, within 2 weeks of dabbling I created my first custom online shopping cart - so that made me happy

Plus for me it was handy as I dont come from a programming background

I'd be the same - no programming background... I've a Lynda.com training module with PHP - I think I'll go down this route this weekend and see how I get on...