Installing the ShopAdmin add-on into Zen Cart

Quick start

To install the ShopAdmin add-on, you simply download the zip file that you receive when you sign up, and unzip it into the admin folder with the file paths preserved. This zip file is a package containing the following files:

apsona_config.php
apsona_dashboard.js
apsona_functions.php
apsona_index.php
apsona_init_filters.sql
apsona_init_reports.sql
apsona_JSON.php
apsona_svc.php
includes/boxes/extra_boxes/apsona_app_tools_dhtml.php

All the files must be copied into your Zen Cart’s admin folder. The only exception is apsona_app_tools_dhtml.php, which must be copied into the folder includes/boxes/extra_boxes under the admin folder. If you simply unzip the package into your admin folder while preserving folder structure, the files will automatically appear in the right places.

If everything is set up correctly, you will see a menu item for Apsona ShopAdmin in the Tools menu of your admin area. If you click on it, a new window will open, and the ShopAdmin user interface will appear in the new window.

Note also that, unlike with many other Zen Cart add-ons, you do not need to run the SQL files included in the package. ShopAdmin automatically detects whether they need to be run, and runs them if necessary. This approach is intentional, so as to make the installation process as easy as possible.

Troubleshooting

Sometimes the host configuration or the shopping cart setup prevents Apsona ShopAdmin from operating correctly. Here are some common errors and how you might be able to fix them.

• You might see a part of the ShopAdmin interface, with a banner and logo at the top, and no other elements. Some possible remedies:
  • If you used Internet Explorer to access ShopAdmin, try using either Firefox, Google Chrome or Safari.
  • Some hosting servers require that all the ShopAdmin PHP files should have their “execute” permission set. You can usually set this permission via the hosting control panel.
  • ShopAdmin requires either (a) the PHP parameter allow_url_fopen to be set to “on” in your php.ini file, or (b) built-in PHP support for the curl module. You can verify the settings of these parameters by clicking Tools – Server/Version Info in your admin area, and looking in the PHP Core section under Configuration. If allow_url_fopen is set to “off”, you will need to change the setting via your hosting server’s control panel. With many hosting systems, you can set this value to “on” by creating a file named php.ini in your cart’s admin folder with the following contents:

    allow_url_fopen = on;
    

• When the new ShopAdmin window opens, it might display either a completely blank white page. This can happen if either you have an older version of PHP (earlier than 5.0) or an older version of MySQL (earlier than 5.0). ShopAdmin requires PHP version 5.1 or better, and MySQL version 5.0 or better. With some hosting services, you can upgrade easily to PHP 5.0 (see next item below). But if you have an older MySQL version, you probably need to contact your hosting service for an upgrade.
• When the new ShopAdmin window opens, it might display an error like this:

  Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_STRING,
  expecting T_OLD_FUNCTION or T_FUNCTION or T_VAR or '}' in apsona_functions.php on line 15

  This error typically happens if you are using an older version of PHP, such as PHP 4.3. ShopAdmin requires PHP 5.1 or better. The PHP version is determined by your hosting service. With many hosting systems, you can enable PHP 5 by creating a file named .htaccess in your admin folder with the following contents (or if the file already exists, adding these to lines to its end):

  AddType x-mapp-php5 .php
  AddHandler x-mapp-php5 .php
  

• You might see an “access denied” or “page not found” error if your installation includes the admin profiles add-on. In this case you will need to configure the admin profiles add-on to allow access to the ShopAdmin files listed above.

If none of these measures help, please contact us and we will gladly help get you going.

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