Introduction
Welcome,
and congratulations on your purchase of QCart Version 5, the fastest way to shop and the easiest way to get your online web store up and running. QCart was designed to address the issue of slow shopping carts, turning many consumers off the web shopping alternative. QCart is a shopping cart that has implemented Instant shopping cart technology, allow consumers to browse your entire store, adding items to their cart instantly.
This guide will walk web store owners, and licensees of QCart, through the development of their store from installation through to order processing.
Hosted Solution
While you may host your own copy of QCart on your own server, and many of our customers do, many others often ask us if we provide a ready-to-go hosted solution.
We do. PrestigeScripts.com is one of a network of sites offering web scripts, email marketing services, web hosting services and custom programming services. Our web servers are powerful dedicated servers built for stability. We do not skimp on hardware and we're redundantly connected to a very stable network ensuring reliable service so your website is always up.
Your options for a hosted solution.
- I will be selling products through PayPal only.
- You do not need your own SSL certificate and may sign up for any of our web hosting plans. Customers will enter their payment information on PayPal's secure website, then be redirected back to your website's online store.
- I will be selling products using my own on-or-off line billing system.
- You will need your own SSL certificate to securely capture Credit Card details, you can sign up for our Web Business hosting plan or Web Premium hosting plan, both of which support SSL certificates. SSL certificates start from around $40 a year. Once you have purchased your SSL certificate, we can install it for you free of charge, install QCart for you free of charge and configure QCart for you free of charge so you can start populating your store with your products. Customers will enter their Credit Card information on your secure website, never leaving your secured web store. You will then be notified of orders via email, securely log into QCart to retrieve Credit Card information and process orders using your own physical terminal, swiper or billing system.
- I will be selling products through Authorize.net's AIM.
- You will need your own SSL certificate to securely capture Credit Card details, you can sign up for our Web Business hosting plan or Web Premium hosting plan, both of which support SSL certificates. SSL certificates start from around $40 a year. Once you have purchased your SSL certificate, we can install it for you free of charge, install QCart for you free of charge and configure QCart for you free of charge so you can start populating your store with your products. Customers will enter their Credit Card information on your secure website, never leaving your secured web store.
- I will be selling products through Authorize.net's SIM.
- You do not need your own SSL certificate and may sign up for any of our web hosting plans. Customers will enter their Credit Card information on Authorize.net's secure website, then be redirected back to your web store.
- I will be selling products through 2Checout.com's gateway.
- You do not need your own SSL certificate and may sign up for any of our web hosting plans. Customers will enter their Credit Card information on 2Checout.com's secure website, then be redirected back to your website's online store.
Requirements
- Linux/Unix type server with MySQL server.
- QCart Version 5 will only run on a Linux / Unix type server, including but not limited to BSDOS, FreeBSD and other flavors of Linux. Mac servers are also supported. Sun servers will run QCart Version 5, however there is an additional expense if you're wanting to display sales and revenue charts and graphs. On all supported servers, a MySQL database is required.
- ImageMagick and Mysql Perl Modules installed.
- The ImageMagick and Mysql Perl Modules are also required. Often, users, even system administrators confuse the Mysql Perl Module with the MySQL server. The Mysql Perl Module is an interface to the MySQL server, and is installed by default on most, but not all Linux / Unix server installations. The Mysql Perl Module can be easily installed by the System Administrator upon request if required. If your System Administrator will not install it free of charge, we suggest your look for an alternative host that will. LinuxHostingPlans.com is our web hosting branch. Our servers are fully configured and ready for QCart installations.
The ImageMagick Perl Module is utilized to automatically resize product images which you upload through the QCart interface whenever you add a new product to your store. It is available on most, but not all Linux / Unix server installations. The ImageMagick Perl Module can be installed by the System Administrator upon request if required. If your System Administrator will not install it free of charge, we suggest your look for an alternative host that will. LinuxHostingPlans.com is our web hosting branch. Our servers are fully configured and ready for QCart installations.
- Additional gateway dependant Perl Modules
- Depending on the gateway provider you are using to process real time payments for your web store, one or more additional Perl Modules may be required. All of the following Perl modules are readily available on most Unix / Linux servers.
Manual offline billing
No additional Perl Modules required.
Authorize.net Advanced Integration Method (AIM)
LWP Perl Module
HTTP::Request Perl Module
Authorize.net Server Integration Method (SIM)
LWP Perl Module
HTTP::Request Perl Module
Digest::HMAC_MD5 Perl Module
2Checkout.com
LWP Perl Module
HTTP::Request Perl Module
PayPal Express Checkout
LWP Perl Module
HTTP::Request Perl Module
Configuration
Professional installation is available for a modest fee. Please fill in our installation order form if you would like us to install QCart for you.
Path To Perl
All CGI programs written in Perl must start with a line that tells the web server where to look for the Perl interpreter. This means the very first line of each of the .cgi or .pl files MUST be the path to Perl. Here are some examples of common paths to Perl:
#!/usr/bin/perl
#!/usr/bin/perl5
#!/usr/lib/perl
#!/usr/local/bin/perl
This program was shipped with a default path of: #!/usr/bin/perl
The MySQL Database
QCart Version 5 requires a MySQL Database. We suggest you create a database dedicated to QCart. Most hosts provide you with a database manager accessible via your website control panel. Once created, open the qcart_key.cgi in a plain text file editor such as Notepad and enter the connection details on lines 18 - 21.
Securing QCart with SSL
If you are using your own SSL certificate, or your host's shared SSL certificate, you can secure the entire store by defining the secure path to the cgi scripts on line 10 of qcart_key.cgi. Set the $SecureServer variable to the secure URL that points to the folder you will store the cgi scripts within. The following examples assume you will upload all cgi scripts to a folder named qcart inside your cgi-bin and your website address is www.mywebsite.com.
If you have your own SSL certificate:
$SecureServer = "https://www.mywebsite.com/cgi-bin/qcart";
If you're using your host's SSL certificate:
$SecureServer = "https://sharedcert.mywebsite.com/cgi-bin/qcart";
Your host's secure address will likely differ from the example given above.
This program uses our advanced set-up routine, which will resolve paths, create directories and set permissions on data directories. If the program encounters a problem during the set-up process, you will be given specific directions on what to do. If the instructions given don't allow you to successfully install the program or you are not comfortable following the instructions, contact us via our Support form.
Installation
Professional installation is available for a modest fee. Please fill in our installation order form if you would like us to install QCart for you.
To install this program, you must have an FTP client and be familiar with how to use it's basic functions.
Having set the path to Perl, following the instructions in the above Configuration section, it's time to install the program.
Installation steps:
- Open your FTP client and connect to your web space.
- In your cgi-bin create a sub-directory named qcart.
- CHMOD this sub-directory to 755 (rwx-rx-rx) then change into it with your FTP client.
- Transfer all cgi files into the qcart sub-directory. Failing to transfer the cgi files in ASCII mode will yield a Server 500 error.
- CHMOD all files to 755 (rwx-rx-rx). Skipping this step will yield a Server 500 error.
- Launch your web browser and in the address bar, type the full URL to the qcart_setup.cgi script.
http://www.mywebsite.com/cgi-bin/qcart/qcart_setup.cgi
- You should now see a screen prompting you to enter a Username and Password. Enter requested details and Submit the form.
- In your images folder (create it if necessary) create a new folder named qc_eng
/images/qc_eng
- Change into this sub-directory with your FTP client.
- Upload all other files: images, HTML, CSS and JS files into this sub-directory.
If you see the Set-up Successful message, QCart was successfully installed. Congratulations, you can move on to the Master Settings section.
If you instead received a Server 500 error and you're certain you followed the steps above, you will likely need to order installation or it's possible your server is missing some of the required Perl Modules, in which case, if you're on a shared web hosting server, you'll need to ask your host to install them for you. Alternatively, consider a ready-to-go Hosted Solution.
License and Disclaimer
Please review our licensing policies and disclaimers here.
QCart has a one time licensing fee of $169.00 per installation.
An on-going monthly fee of $19.95, first month free. Monthly fee includes Lifetime support and Lifetime upgrades at no additional charge to ensure your store is always up to date and functioning you as you expect it to.
$50 for each additional language. First language free. Front end supports multiple languages simultaneously, allowing the visitor to select their language of choice.
This script is licensed per installation. For a modest fee, we can install the scripts for you, or you can run the installation set up routine yourself. Please note, if we install the scripts for you, the installation fee does not include populating your store with products.
Scripts installed on your server or ours. Once installed, you can immediately start populating your store with your products.
You may or may not need your own Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, depending on the payment solution you will be incorporating into your web store. We do not sell SSL certificates, however we can install them for you if you are hosting your web store on our servers.
We can also help with the creation of your entire website and have your store built from scratch and up and running within a week.
Master Settings
If this is your first run through the Master Settings, don't worry too much about understanding and defining each and every setting. In fact, the default settings that shipped with the program, what you see when you first load the Master Settings page, have been sensibly set and automatically configured to suit your server's environment, and are capable of running your store as is. You may want to enter your email address in the E-mail Settings sub-section, to review email notifications for any test orders you place.
The Master Settings are accessible only by Master Administrators, and are broken down into the below listed sub-sections. Most individual settings and labels on the Master Settings page, can be clicked, or mouse-overed, for more information.
To access the Master Settings :
Log into QCart -> Settings tab -> Master Settings
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- Languages and Translations
- Gateway Methods and Credentials
- Aesthetics
- Background Rows
- E-mail Settings
- File Settings
- Miscellaneous
- Tax Options and Card Types
- Manual Registration Options
- Notification Templates
- Website HTML Templates
Languages and Translations
QCart supports multiple languages, however requires a separate installation for each additional language. As such, additional languages are licensed at $50 each. The first language is included at no extra charge and is defined in English. The English language can be translated into any other language. Translations apply only to the front end (not the Administration section).
The front end supports multiple languages simultaneously, allowing the visitor to select their language of choice while shopping in your store.
To translate QCart from English into another language :
Log into QCart -> Settings tab -> Enter translations here
On the Translation editing page, the phrases are grouped by sections, defaults on the left, customizations on the right. If the right side field is left blank, the left side default will be displayed in your web store. If you're not content with the English defaults on the left, you can set QCart to print alternate English text. For example, you could set Home to be displayed as Home page.
To print a language selection menu in your web store :
1. You must first purchase an additional language license, and have an additional separate copy of QCart installed.
2. Log into QCart -> Settings tab -> Master Settings -> Languages
3. In the text box, define the languages which will be visible in your web store, using the following format:
Name||On or Off||Script path||Image
- Name
- This is the plain text name of the language.
- On or Off
- Is either set to 1 to display the language, or 0 to hide it.
- Script path
- Is the path to the new QCart installation. QCart must be disparately installed once for each language being used simultaneously. That is, a new database must be set up, and the scripts must be installed in a new folder.
- Image
- Is the HTML <img> tag that will display an image, of, for example, a flag.
The following example has English switched on, French switched on and Spanish switched off, so your visitors will only see the English and French flags. The language selection menu will only appear if 2 or more languages are enabled.
English||1||/cgi-bin/qcart/qcart.cgi||<img border="0" src="/qc_eng/images/flag_eng.gif" width="26" height="16">
French||1||/cgi-bin/qcart/frn/qcart.cgi||<img border="0" src="/images/qc_eng/flag_frn.gif" width="26" height="16">
Spanish||0||/cgi-bin/qcart/spn/qcart.cgi||<img border="0" src="/images/qc_eng/flag_spn.gif" width="26" height="16">
4. Finally, in your front end Website HTML Template, enter the following JavaScript tag where you want the language selection menu to be displayed :
<script src="/cgi-bin/qcart/qcart.cgi?langJS"></script>
The path in the src attribute must of course point to your primary copy of QCart. The final result will produce something similar to the following :
Gateway Methods and Credentials
This section is comprehensively addressed in the Gateways and payment methods section of this guide. The default setting is set to Manual billing, enabling you to test the ordering process without configuration or the need to register with a third party Gateway service provider.
Aesthetics
The Aesthetic settings render the font size, color and face for your online store, as well as portions of the Administration section. However, if making use of the Website HTML Templates which give you complete control of the rendering of your store front, the Aesthetic settings that apply to font rendering will be ignored.
Background Rows
The Background Rows group of settings are for the most part applied to Administration section. These are colors your registered Users will see when they log in to review orders or update their accounts.
E-mail Settings
The email settings are pretty straight forward and need few edits. The default Path to Mail Program will work on 99% of servers. Should you choose to use SMTP, click the SMTP labels for instructions.
The character set should be left blank unless you're server is sending unrecognizable characters in email.
- Admin Email
- This is the Administrator's email address. Multiple email addresses can be defined by separating each with a comma. The first defined email address will be used to send notifications. Order notifications, Membership registrations, as well as other program generated messages will be sent to all defined addresses, provided the respective Notification Templates are enabled.
- Admin Name
- This is the name associated with the Admin Email address(es). Again, if defining multiple recipients, separate each with a comma. Notifications sent and received will have the first defined Admin Name appear in the email From or To headers.
- Use HTML e-mail Notifications
- This setting is globally applied. That is, if it's set to Yes, then all system generated email will be sent in HTML format. Otherwise, all system generated email will be sent in Plain Text format. If using the HTML format, you'll need to use regular HTML (<br> to insert a line break) in the email templates to format and render the messages. You'd also need to use the relevant Substitution Markers: %%%productsHTML%%% marker would be used for HTML email, and %%%productsTEXT%%% would be used for Plain Text email.
File Settings
If you followed the installation instructions above, or if you had the scripts professionally installed, all file settings may remain unchanged.
The first two settings are respectively, the URL, and Server path to the folder QCart's images were uploaded to during the installation process. If you've uploaded QCart's images, and they're not showing up, you need to check these two settings to ensure the defined paths match the actual location on the server.
The next two settings are respectively, the URL and Server path to the folder that will be used to store images uploaded when creating products. We suggest you leave these setting unchanged unless you have good reason to.
Miscellaneous
- Hour and Minute offset
- These let you set the scripts to display your local time rather than the server's time, which may be located in a different time zone. If your server is one meridian away from your local area, you would enter either 1 or -1 in the hour offset. Save the settings and check to see if the date and time displayed then matches your local area.
- Currency Unit
- Enter the symbol for your local currency. This is the symbol used where ever prices or calculated totals appear throughout the front and back end. This can be changed at any time without affecting the database totals. It is merely a visual medium.
- Use Order Forms
- If set to No, QCart will not display any order links and will act as a showroom rather than a web store. If you're running an e-commerce website and wanting to sell products from your website, and accept online orders, ensure this is always set to Yes.
- Suspend Member Access
- This setting can be used to immediately disable access to the back end for all non Master Administrators. This should be activated when upgrading QCart or if something appears to be drastically wrong. While Member Access is suspended, all Staff and CUstomers will not be able to log in, they will instead see a default message asking them to check back shortly. All Master Administrators will continue to have access.
Tax Options and Card Types
Tax Options and Card Types are comprehensively addressed in the Tax Options section of this guide.
Manual Registration Options
Notification Templates addressed in detail in the Manual Registrations section of this guide.
Notification Templates
Notification Templates are comprehensively addressed in the Email Notification Templates section of this guide.
Website HTML Templates
Website HTML Templates are comprehensively addressed in the Website HTML Templates section of this guide.
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Gateways and payment methods
The Gateways and payment methods currently supported by QCart are listed below. You may only use one payment method at any one time, with the exception of PayPal Express, which can be used as an alternative payment methods in conjunction with any of the other payment methods.
To set your preferred payment method and enter the required credentials :
Log into QCart -> Settings tab -> Master Settings -> Gateway Methods and Credentials
Each payment method has it's own requirements.
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- Manual billing system
- Authorize.net Advanced Integration Method
- Authorize.net Server Integration Method
- 2Checkout.com
- PayPal Express
Manual billing system
The Manual billing system is the option you would use if you are going to handle billing using your own physical terminal or swiper, or you have a third party billing solution. As such, the credentials for your system are not stored in the QCart database.
If using Manual billing you can define the credit cards you accept in :
Log into QCart -> Settings tab -> Master Settings -> Tax Options and Card Types
You must also ensure that the Store Credit Card details setting is set to Yes.
If using Manual billing you should set up your own SSL certificate, or make use of your server's shared SSL certificate to secure the capturing and retrieving of Credit Card details.
Upon receipt of an order, QCart will store all details in the database and notify you via email. The credit card number will not be sent via email, even if you have set the email templates to do so. You must then log in to the QCart Administration section to retrieve the order details for manual processing.
The checkout process
- Checkout page 1
- The shopper will see a list of products in their cart, shipping options, and payment methods. If they are a registered QCart User, QCart will automatically detect and retrieve their account details, and display a Welcome Back message with an option to use their existing account, or create a new account.
- Checkout page 2
- New QCart Users will enter their personal details, shipping details and payment details. Existing QCart Users will see the fields pre-populated with their account details. Order totals are once again displayed on this page, and based on the User's selected location and your configured tax options, taxes will be calculated.
- Checkout page 3
- Step 3 will ask the User to confirm their details and order total. Once the Submit button is clicked, the order details are stored and you are notified of the new order via email.
- Checkout page 4
- Your customized Thank You page will be displayed. The User never leaves your website.
Authorize.net Advanced Integration Method
Authorize.net is a gateway service provided to existing merchants. That is, you must already have a merchant bank account. Authorize.net will then process orders in real time and deposit funds directly into your account.
You would use this method if you have registered with Authorize.net's Advanced Integration Method (AIM). You would also need either your own SSL certificate, or access to your server's shared certificate to securely capture the credit card details. Using this method the Shopper does not leave your website during the checkout and ordering process, so you need to securely capture and retrieve credit card details.
In this case, you should also ensure the Store Credit Card details setting is set to No so you're not breaking any PCI compliance laws that your state or country may or may not be subjected to.
Log into QCart -> Settings tab -> Master Settings -> Tax Options and Card Types
Before you can make use of the Authorize.net Advanced Integration Method, you must have your own merchant bank account, and you must register for an online account with Authorize.net. Once you have registered with Authorize.net, you can then enter your account's credentials into the QCart database.
Log into QCart ->
Settings tab ->
Master Settings ->
Gateway Methods and Credentials ->
Select: I have registered with Authorize.net Advanced Integration Method (AIM) ->
Enter the ID and Key assigned to you by Authorize.net
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Settings button. QCart will then be configured to process all orders using the Advanced Integration Method. The shopper will never leave your website, all credit card processing will be done in real time, in the background.
The checkout process
- Checkout page 1
- The shopper will see a list of products in their cart, shipping options, and payment methods. If they are a registered QCart User, QCart will automatically detect and retrieve their account details, and display a Welcome Back message with an option to use their existing account, or create a new account.
- Checkout page 2
- New QCart Users will enter their personal details, shipping details and payment details. Existing QCart Users will see the fields pre-populated with their account details. Order totals are once again displayed on this page, and based on the User's selected location and your configured tax options, taxes will be calculated.
- Checkout page 3
- Step 3 will ask the User to confirm their details and order total. Once the Submit button is clicked, the order details are stored and you are notified of the new order via email.
- Checkout page 4
- If the transaction is successful, the shopper will be presented with the Thank You page, which can be customized to include a summary of their purchase. If the transaction fails, the shopper will be returned to Checkout page 1 where they'll have the opportunity to edit their details and retry the order.
The User never leaves your website.
Authorize.net Server Integration Method
Authorize.net is a gateway service provided to existing merchants. That is, you must already have a merchant bank account. Authorize.net will then process orders in real time and deposit funds directly into your account.
You would use this method if you have registered with Authorize.net's Server Integration Method (SIM). You do not need your own SSL certificate because the Shopper is diverted to Authorize.net's Secure Server during the ordering process. In this case, you should also ensure the Store Credit Card details setting is set to No so you're not breaking any PCI compliance laws that your state or country may or may not be subjected to.
Log into QCart -> Settings tab -> Master Settings -> Tax Options and Card Types
Before you can make use of the Authorize.net Server Integration Method, you must have your own merchant bank account, and you must register for an online account with Authorize.net. Once you have registered with Authorize.net, you can then enter your account's credentials into the QCart database.
Log into QCart ->
Settings tab ->
Master Settings ->
Gateway Methods and Credentials ->
Select: I have registered with Authorize.net Server Integration Method (SIM) ->
Enter the ID and Key assigned to you by Authorize.net
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Settings button. QCart will then be configured to process all orders using the Server Integration Method. The shopper will be redirected to the Authorize.net Payment Gateway to securely enter their Credit Card details.
The checkout process
- Checkout page 1
- the shopper will see a list of products in their cart and shipping options. If they are a registered QCart User, QCart will automatically detect and retrieve their account details, and display a Welcome Back message with an option to use their existing account, or create a new account.
- Checkout page 2
- New QCart Users will enter their personal details and shipping details. Existing QCart Users will see the fields pre-populated with their account details. Order totals are once again displayed on this page, and based on the User's selected location and your configured tax options, taxes will be calculated.
- Checkout page 3
- Step 3 will ask the User to confirm their details and order total. Once the Submit button is clicked, the User is redirected to the secured Authorize.net Payment Gateway where they will be required to enter, then submit, their payment details.
- Checkout page 4
- If the transaction is successful, the shopper will be presented with the Thank You page, which can be customized to include a summary of their purchase. If the transaction fails, the shopper will be returned to Checkout page 1 where they'll have the opportunity to edit their details and retry the order.
The User leaves your website only to submit their payment details securely, and is then redirected back to your website.
2Checkout.com
You would use this method if you have registered with 2Checkout.com. You do not need your own SSL certificate because the Shopper is diverted to 2Checkout.com's Secure Server during the ordering process. In this case, you should also ensure the Store Credit Card details setting is set to No so you're not breaking any PCI compliance laws that your state or country may or may not be subjected to.
Once you have registered with 2Checkout.com, you can then enter your account's credentials into the QCart database.
Log into QCart ->
Settings tab ->
Master Settings ->
Gateway Methods and Credentials ->
Select: I have registered with 2Checkout.com ->
Enter your Vendor number assigned to you by 2Checkout.com
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Settings button. QCart will then be configured to process all orders using the 2Checkout.com Payment Gateway. The shopper will be redirected to the Payment Gateway to securely enter their Credit Card details.
The checkout process
- Checkout page 1
- The shopper will see a list of products in their cart and shipping options. If they are a registered QCart User, QCart will automatically detect and retrieve their account details, and display a Welcome Back message with an option to use their existing account, or create a new account.
- Checkout page 2
- New QCart Users will enter their personal details and shipping details. Existing QCart Users will see the fields pre-populated with their account details. Order totals are once again displayed on this page, and based on the User's selected location and your configured tax options, taxes will be calculated.
- Checkout page 3
- Step 3 will ask the User to confirm their details and order total. Once the Submit button is clicked, the User is redirected to the secured 2Checkout.com Payment Gateway. From here, the 2Checkout.com payment system takes over and guides the User through the following steps :
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1. A summary of their order will again be displayed. All fields on this page will be pre-populated with the details the User entered into the QCart order form. The User will click Next.
2. The User will asked to confirm their Payment Method which is set to Credit Card by QCart. The User will click Next.
3. The User will be prompted to enter their Credit Card details, and submit the order for real time processing by clicking Continue.
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- Checkout page 4
- If the transaction is successful, the shopper will be presented with the Thank You page, which can be customized to include a summary of their purchase. If the transaction fails, the shopper will be returned to Checkout page 1 where they'll have the opportunity to edit their details and retry the order.
The User leaves your website only to submit their payment details securely, and is then redirected back to your website.
PayPal Express
If using any of the above methods, you can also enable PayPal Express as an alternative payment method available to the Customer. If none of the above methods are in use, this will be the only available payment option available to the Customer.
PayPal imposes certain rules and recommendations to Express Checkout implementations which QCart adheres to. These include placement of PayPal images in certain areas of certain pages.
Before you can make use of PayPal Express, you must have a registered Business Account with PayPal (this is a free account), you must then log into PayPal to set up an Express API User Profile via the Profile link in PayPal, and finally enter your account's credentials into the QCart database.
To set up a PayPal Express User Profile :
Log into your PayPal account and click Profile ->
Click API Access from the Profile menu ->
Click Request API Credentials ->
Check Request API signature and click Agree then Submit
PayPal will then display your API Username, API Password and Signature on the page. You can retrieve the details in future by following the same above mentioned steps.
To enter the PayPal credentials into the QCart database :
Log into QCart ->
Settings tab ->
Master Settings ->
Gateway Methods and Credentials ->
Check: Print PayPal Express as a payment option on payment page ->
Enter your API Username, API Password and Signature ->
Optionally enter customized arguments for displaying the PayPal images.
PayPal has extensive documentation on their site in PDF format. The guide details how to customize images for different languages, among other customizations. At the time of writing this User Guide, the PayPal Express Guide in PDF format was available here.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Settings button. QCart will then be configured to print PayPal as a payment method on the checkout page.
The checkout process
- Checkout page 1
- This is where PayPal Checkout Image 1 is displayed, the shopper will see a list of products in their cart, shipping options, and payment methods. If they are a registered QCart User, QCart will automatically detect and retrieve their account details, and display a Welcome Back message with an option to use their existing account, or create a new account. If they opt to checkout with PayPal Express, they will be redirected to PayPal and be prompted to either log into their account, or create a new account.
Once logged in, and PayPal has verified the User and the User has sufficient funds to purchase the selected products, the User may either click Continue or Cancel. In the event of a cancellation, the User will be returned to the checkout's first page.
- Checkout page 2
- Should the User choose to continue, they will proceed to Step 2 of the checkout process. New QCart Users will enter their personal details and shipping details. Existing QCart Users will see the fields pre-populated with their account details. Order totals are once again displayed on this page, and based on the User's selected location and your configured tax options, taxes will be calculated.
- Checkout page 3
- Step 3 will ask them to confirm their details and order total, this is where PayPal Checkout Image 2 is displayed. Once this image is clicked, QCart will process the payment by connecting to the PayPal API in the background. The User will not leave your website.
- Checkout page 4
- If the transaction is successful, the shopper will then be returned to your website where a summary of their purchase can be printed on a customized Thank You page. If the transaction fails, the shopper will be returned to Checkout page 1 where they'll have the opportunity to edit their details and retry the order.
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Populating your Web Store
This section deals with the population of your new online web store with products ready to trade. It's assumed that you have followed the guide up to this point. That is :
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- Product Categories and Sub-Categories
- Product Adding
- Product Editing
- Product Deleting
Product Categories and Sub-Categories
QCart supports an unlimited number of Categories and Sub-Categories. Before you can add any product to the database, you must first create Product Categories and Sub-Categories.
To create a Product Category :
Log into QCart ->
Products tab ->
Categories ->
Enter the name of the Category in the Reference name field ->
Click the Add new Category button.
The page will refresh with the new Category shown in the list of categories beneath the Add a Category form.
To create a Product Sub-Category, while viewing the Category List :
Click the number associated with the Category in the Sub-Cats column ->
Enter the name of the Sub-Category in the Reference name field ->
Click the Add new Sub-Cat button.
The page will refresh with the new Sub-Category shown in the list of Sub-Categories beneath the Add a Sub-Cat form.
With both Categories and Sub-Categories, only those that are set to Live are actually visible in the web store, and web store search results.
Product Adding
Before you can add products to your store, you must first create Product Categories and Sub-Categories. Fields denoted by a red asterix * on the product form are required fields. When adding products, you have options available, these options are described below. Some of the options have been deliberately excluded from this guide. More information on those options can be see by hovering your mouse over the lite bulb icon to the left of the option's label on the product form itself.
To add a new product :
Log in -> Products tab -> Add new product
- Live Product
- Whether or not this product will be visible to your web site shoppers/visitors. Hidden products will not appear in your web store, but remain in the systsem and can be made visible at a later date. You can alternate between Visible and Hidden as often as required. Selecting Delete will permanently remove the Product form your database.
- Reference Name
- This is the name of the product, as it will appear in your Web store, in web store search results, and on product description pages.
- Model Number
- This can be set to whatever you like, and should be used to distinguish one product from another similar product. The Model Number will appear in your Web store, in web store search results, and on product description pages, adjacent to the Reference Name.
- Category and Sub-Cat
- Both of these fields are required. You cannot assign a product to just a Category. Selecting a Category from the menu will dynamically populate the adjacent menu with the relevant Sub-Categories. If the selected Category does not have any defined Sub-Categories you will need to create Sub-Categories before you can add a product.
- Related Items
- Related items, if you select any, appear beneath the product image on the product description page. While your shoppers are browsing your products, they will see the items you have marked as related, in a scrolling menu located just beneath the main product's main image. You may add an unlimited number of related items by simply repeating the selection. To remove the related items, remove the product ID numbers from the adjacent text field.
- Product Weight and Dimensions
- You may optionally enter the Product's Weight and Dimensions for informational purposes. If entered, this information will appear on the product description page, beneath the product's description.
- Shipping Weight and Dimensions (packaged product)
- You may optionally enter the Product's Shipping Weight and Dimensions for informational purposes as well as for shipping calculations. If entered, this information will appear on the product description page, beneath the product's description, and can be used to automatically calculate the shipping cost for any order placed.
Product Editing
Product Deleting
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Transactions
Transaction results are always stored in the QCart database, regardless of success or failure. Each Gateways full response parameters are also always stored. Transaction details can be viewed by both the Customer and Administrators. A comprehensive record of order details is stored and utilized by QCart to gather and process statistics as well as calculate revenue and profits, and generate charts.
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- Successful Transactions
- Failed Transactions
- Viewing Transactions
- Editing Transactions
- Refunding Transactions
- Deleting Transactions
- Searching Transactions
- Exporting Transactions
Successful Transactions
Failed Transactions
Viewing Transactions
Editing Transactions
Refunding Transactions
Deleting Transactions
Searching Transactions
Exporting Transactions
The order database consists of two separate tables. The first table stores information about the order, such as totals, tax, purchase date, etc., while the second table stores information on the purchased items, such as the item cost, and number of items purchased.
QCart's Order Export functions enable you to quickly export a default data set (Simple Export) as well as a customized data set of your choice in the order you wish to export the data.
Simple Export
This Simple Export will export the Response types you select, placing each item in a dedicated row in the exported file. The columns exported are :
Transaction ID, Date, Member Name, Product ID, Product Name, Model Number, Cost Price, Sale Price, Units
The records are exported in chronological order (oldest order first). If an order for multiple items exists, each item will appear in it's own row, one after the other. The Transaction ID is used to identify individual orders.
Advanced Export
This Advanced Export will export the fields you select, in the order you define, that match the Response types you select. This differs from the Simple Export in that, a) you select the fields to be exported, and b) items placed in sequential rows have blank columns where the column header relates to the order, and not the item.
In the above image:
Row 1 shows the columns selected for export, in the order defined.
Row 2 shows the details of an order where only 1 item was purchased.
Rows 3 and 4, show the details of another order, where two items where purchased.
Row 5 shows yet another order where only 1 item was purchased.
This method of data layout allows you to perform XL calculations on columns such as Total Cost, Total Tax, Total Order Cost, etc.
To export the database of orders :
Log in -> Products tab -> Export Orders -> select Export Type -> select options
If exporting to your browser, via the source code of the resulting page and save as a regular text file. If exporting to a CSV file, a Download Dialogue box will appear asking you where you want to save the file. The file to be downloaded will be named "Orders_" followed by the current month, day, and year, then a ".csv" extension.
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Shipping methods and options
Tax Options
User Registrations
QCart supports Automated User Registrations allowing customers to shop and checkout without any need to pre-register an account, forced Registrations before an order can be placed, Staff accounts with restricted rights and privileges, and finally Master Administrator accounts with full, unrestricted access to the QCart back end.
Web Store Aesthetics
Aesthetics and functionality for both the front and back end can be configured to run on a templated HTML file system, giving you complete control of the look n feel of the front end, and the ability to customize and brand the back end.
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- Front end Aesthetics
- Substitution Markers
- Back end Aesthetics
- Product Pages
- Email Notification Templates
- Admin Notification Template - New Member Registration
- Customer Notification Template - Upon Registration
- Customer Notification Template - Upon account activation
- Suspended Account Notification Template
- Lifted Suspension Notification Template
- Tell a Friend Form Template - HTML
- Tell a Friend Form Template - Plain Text
- Contact Form Template
- Order Receipt Template - Admin
- Order Receipt Template - Customer
- Website HTML Templates
Front end Aesthetics
The entire front end is driven by a total of 3 HTML templates. These are regular HTML files which can utilize regular HTML code. The only requirement is that all paths and URLs start with either http or a slash /. This is because the QCart scripts are stored in your cgi-bin, or at least a location that is not your home directory. So while relative paths can be resolved from your home directory, they cannot be when the current working directory is somewhere else.
The 3 front end templates are stored on your server. They can be stored anywhere on the server, provided your set the correct path to the files in the Master Settings. By default, QCart's configuration defines the template paths to /images/qc_eng
The default file names are :
- headerfooter.html
- This template is used for most of your store, including all product pages, all checkout pages and all search pages.
- headerfootermemreg.html
- This template is used for the Registration pages. That is, the pages that handle new Customer Registrations.
- headerfooterthanks.html
- This template is used as the Thank You page after an order is placed. It's the last page in a successful checkout passage.
Each of the above templates can utilize a limited number of substitution markers supported by QCart. Some are required, most are options. The default set of templates make use of most of the available markers. The available markers, and the front end template paths are located at the very bottom of the Master Settings page.
Log into QCart -> Settings tab -> Master Settings
Substitution Markers
The following is a list markers, a description of what they do and where they can be used. Enter the markers in your templates where you see fit.
| Marker |
Description |
Usage |
| %%%splitPage%%% |
Divides the template into a Header and footer. Anything above the marker will be treated as the Header, anything below it will be treated as the Footer. Taking the Search page as an example, the page served by QCart would be made up of the Header, then the Search Form inserted by QCart, then the Footer. The 3 parts are joined into 1 and the Search page is displayed. |
Public Pages
Reg Pages |
| %%%productsHTML%%% |
A full list of products ordered by the shopper. This is rendered in the format of a regular HTML table. If QCart's email settings are configured to deliver email in HTML format, use this marker in your email templates. |
Thank You page
Email notification Templates |
| %%%productsTEXT%%% |
A full list of products ordered by the shopper. This is rendered in Plain Text format. If QCart's email settings are configured to deliver email in Plain Text format, use this marker in your email templates. |
Email notification Templates |
| %%%PublicURL%%% |
This marker will be substituted with the actual URL to your webstore. Wherever this marker is found in your templates, the resulting page will display your webstore's URL. |
Public Pages
Reg Pages
Thank You page |
| %%%AdminURL%%% |
This marker will be substituted with the actual URL to your Administration section / Registered Member's log in area. |
Public Pages
Reg Pages
Thank You page |
| %%%imPath%%% |
This marker will be substituted with the actual path to the folder that contains all images. |
Public Pages
Reg Pages
Thank You page |
| %%%title%%% |
This marker is meant to be used for printing dynamic browser titles. It will be substituted with information about the product if the User is on a product page. On the Thank You page, the title can contains any of the Member Profile markers. E.g. Thanks for placing your order %%%fname%%% |
Public Pages
Thank You page |
| %%%bannertop%%% |
This marker will be substituted with any banners you have created in the internal Banner Management system, which have a Display Location set to Top |
Public Pages
Reg Pages
Thank You page |
| %%%bannerright%%% |
This marker will be substituted with any banners you have created in the internal Banner Management system, which have a Display Location set to Right |
Public Pages
Reg Pages
Thank You page |
| %%%bannerbottom%%% |
This marker will be substituted with any banners you have created in the internal Banner Management system, which have a Display Location set to Bottom |
Public Pages
Reg Pages
Thank You page |
| %%%bannerleft%%% |
This marker will be substituted with any banners you have created in the internal Banner Management system, which have a Display Location set to Left |
Public Pages
Reg Pages
Thank You page |
| %%%catmenu%%% |
This marker will be substituted with a select menu listing all Product Categories you have created. It allows the User to jump to, and browse your products by Category. |
Public Pages
Reg Pages
Thank You page |
| %%%subcatlinks%%% |
This marker will be substituted with a set of links listing all Product Sub-Categories if they are currently viewing a Category. It allows the User to jump to, and browse your products by Sub-Category. |
Public Pages
Reg Pages
Thank You page |
| Member Profile Markers |
These markers will be substituted the given marker with the Member's account information. For example, to print the Member's name in an email notification or on the Thank You page, you could use : Thank you for your order %%%fname%%% %%%lname%%%, a confirmation has just been sent to %%%email%%%. |
Thank You page
Email Notification Templates |
Back end Aesthetics
Product Pages
Email Notification Templates
QCart has several email templates, all of which can be enabled or disabled, and edited to suit your website's look and feel, include your branding and logos, and can be sent in either Rich HTML format or Plain Text format. To set the format for email, you must edit the Use HTML e-mail Notifications setting found in the E-mail Settings sub-section of the Master Settings. This setting is globally applied to all email sent and received by and from QCart, with the exception of Tell a Friend Form email which has it's format selected by the end User on the form itself.
To edit email templates :
Log in -> Settings tab -> Master Settings -> scroll down to desired template
Each of the templates can be switched on by selecting Yes or off by selecting No. Each can have the Subject set, and each can include relevant special markers in both the Subject and main body of the template.
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Website HTML Templates
Support
As part of your monthly fee, you are entitled to free, life time support provided your account is not in arrears. We're here to ensure your store is always up and running error free, so you can concentrate on generating sales and fulfilling orders. Our job is to ensure your customers experience a fast, smooth and enjoyable checkout. You will not be charged for bug corrections, you will not be charged for assistance or directions for building your store. Our main objective is your satisfaction.
To ensure we can work on resolving your problem without delay, please fill in our support form so we have all required information.
Updates and Upgrades
As part of your monthly fee, you are entitled to free, life time updates and upgrades provided your account is not in arrears. If QCart is already installed on your server, we'll send you the updated scripts, along with a patch that will automatically updated your copy of QCart without the loss of any data. We'll notify you via email any time a new version is released.
If we are hosting your copy of QCart, we'll update your copy free of charge.
To request the latest version, please fill in our contact form.
Feature Requests
We are always open to new features and suggestions which will help improve the functionality of web stores and usability of the shopping cart, and improve the shopping experience of all ecommerce web site making use of QCart. As part of your monthly fee, you are entitled to a limited number of feature requests. Minor requests for improvement will almost always be honored. Major functionality requests will be considered. Multiple major requests will incur our regular programming fees and are bound by our polices.
If you'd like make a request, please fill in our contact form.
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Cart User Guide
