NetStores E-Commerce Extensions

Catalog

• Add Catalog link/button
• Catalog details
• Customize link/button
• Catalog link examples
• Templates

Overview

   Catalog is an easy way to list or display your products, whether or not you have Web pages showing each product. This feature allows you to display a list of the products you set up in the item file. Each item on the list is displayed using a selected template. A template can pull information from the item file and store. Templates are edited in the Templates store configuration section which is under the Advanced level of configuration.

Before you use this...

   Before you start using the Catalog feature, if you have not already done this, select the NetStores panel from the Dreamweaver Insert panel by selecting the NetStores tab.

   For the Catalog feature to work, you must first perform Steps 1-7 (start at Step 1 - Setup).

Adding the Catalog link to a page (top)

   To add this link to your Web page, simply position the cursor where you want the link and click the Catalog icon in the NetStores objects panel.

   Catalog can provided a link or button to a set of products that you determine in advance. In Catalog, you can preselect the items to be displayed or listed by setting up a specific search. Fill in the fields in the NetStores Catalog dialog box (see picture) as follows:

Search Field entry: To search within a particular field in the item file, select the field name from the pull-down menu (Name, Description, or Category). If you have configured your store to search other fields, you can type in one of these field names. These search field names are the same names that appear in the results of a general Search.

Search For entry: Catalog will seek the word or phrase entered in this text box.

Sort by entry: This entry specifies the order to list items in the resulting search. Select a field name from the pull-down menu (Name, Description, Category, Price, Code). If you have configured your store to search other fields, you can type in one of these field names. These field names are the same names that appear in the results of a general Search. The items within the field are sorted alphanumerically.

Limit entry: Specify the maximum number of items you want displayed or listed on one page.

Columns entry: Specify the number of columns. Each page of items will be shown with this many columns.

Page entry: Which item template to use on the catalog pages. This template will be used for each item and can use information from the item file and the store. Templates can be configured by going to the 'Advanced' level of store configuration, and choosing 'Template Pages ' More detail on configuring template pages can be found here.

Skip entry: Specify the number of items to skip in the results before starting to display the items.

 

Customizing the appearance of the Catalog link/button (top)

   You can change the visual character and behavior of the Catalog link or button by selecting your own link text or button image, as well as roll-over and on-click images. To make these modifications, insert entries in the NetStores Catalog dialog box (see picture above) as follows:

Link Text entry: Changing this entry changes the text on the Catalog link on your Web page, if you are not using an image to replace the link.

Use Image check box: Clicking the check box changes Catalog on your Web page from a simple link to an image that you provide. You must also enter a file name in the Image text box.

Image entry: Enter the name of an image to use as the Catalog link. You can browse for the file name using the Browse button. For the image to be used, you must also click the Use Image check box.

Roll Over Image entry: Input the name of an image to use when a customer's mouse passes over the Catalog link. You can browse for the file name using the Browse button. Leave this entry blank if you do not want a roll-over image.

On Click Image entry: Insert the name of an image to use when a customer clicks the Catalog link. You can browse for the file name using the Browse button. Leave this entry blank if you do not want an on-click image.

The presence of an image URL in the Roll Over or On Click Image text box determines whether or not a roll-over or on-click image appears.

   The last settings you used to create a Catalog link will be saved for the next time you use the Catalog object.

   The default results for the Catalog link are a simple link like: Catalog. You will probably want to change the link text to match the category or group of items you have predefined in the search.

Catalog Link Examples:

Example (show more items on each catalog page):
http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/catalog.pl?nccust=[your Merchant ID]&limit=25
Catalog

Example (display the items found by a query):
http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/catalog.pl?nccust=[your Merchant ID]&Category=4
Catalog

Example (sort the items displayed):
http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/catalog.pl?nccust=[your Merchant ID]&sortby=Category
Catalog

Example (items are displayed in multiple columns):
http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/catalog.pl?nccust=[your Merchant ID]&columns=2
Catalog

Examples (items are displayed using a different template):
http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/catalog.pl?nccust=[your Merchant ID]&page=CATALOGR
Catalog

http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/catalog.pl?nccust=[your Merchant ID]&page=CATALOGL
Catalog

Example (skip a number of items before starting to display them):
http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/catalog.pl?nccust=[your Merchant ID]&skip=40
Catalog

Example (multiple options):
http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/catalog.pl?nccust=[your Merchant ID]&columns=2&limit=20
Catalog

Templates

Templates are made up of HTML code and variables with the variables subsituting information pulled from the store and the item file when the web page is generated from the template. Note: Catalog templates do not include tags like '<html>', since there is usually more than one item listed on a page..

TEMPLATE FORMAT

VARIABLES

To interpolate a variable value into the template, use
double brackets, [[ and ]], and the appropriate name of
the "variable". There are three categories of variables:

1. Store Parameters:
[[PARAM:name]]

To include the value of a parameter from the store's parameter
file, prefix "PARAM:" to the variable name. Store parameters are listed here and here.

2. Product Data (by Field Name):
[[field-name]]

To include the value from one of the fields for the current
item, simply use the field name (with the proper case).

3. Product Data (by Field Type):
[[TYPE:type]]

To include the value of one of the fields for the current item,
based on its specific field type, prefix "TYPE:" to the variable
name. This particular technique makes it not have to change a
template page when a store configuration is changed. Even if the
specific name chosen for the product code field changes, the type
of the product code field will not change (Code).

The currently implemented field types are:

CONDITIONAL CODE INCLUSION

Depending on the existence or absence of a variable (i.e.if it's empty or not) code fragments can be included or excluded from the final generated page. This is particularly useful when dealing with images for products if some products don't have images, preventing the adding of HTML code for a null, "", image URL.

Encapsulate the code fragment prefixing it with: [[GOOD:name]] and suffixing it with [[/GOOD:name]] with matching values for 'name' where 'name' is a field-name from the item file. Using "GOODTYPE" instead of "GOOD" will perform this function except address the field-value information by field-type instead of specific field-name.

Template Example:

<table border="0" width="67%" align="center">
<tr><td>
[[ITEMS]]
<HR>
[[GOODTYPE:Picture]]<IMG SRC="[[TYPE:Picture]]" ALIGN="RIGHT"><br>[[/GOODTYPE:Picture]]

<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT COLOR="#B00000">[[TYPE:Description]]</FONT></FONT></B>
<BR><FONT SIZE="-1">[[TYPE:LongDescription]]</FONT>

<br>

	<TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0">

	<TR>
	<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP">
	<B><FONT SIZE=-1>#[[TYPE:Code]] [[TYPE:Name]], [[TYPE:Price]]</FONT></B>
	</TD>
	<TD>
	[[NOOPTIONS]]
	  <a href="http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/add.pl?nccust=[[PARAM:NCCUST]]&OPT-1=[[TYPE:Code]]">Add to Cart</a>
	[[/NOOPTIONS]]
	[[OPTIONS]]
	<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/add.pl">
		<input type="hidden" name="nccust" value="[[PARAM:NCCUST]]">
		  <INPUT TYPE="submit" name="submit" value="Add to Cart"><br>
		  <select name="OPT-1">
	[[EACHOPTION]]	<option value="[[TYPE:Code]]">[[TYPE:Name]]</option>
	[[/EACHOPTION]]
		</select>
		</form>
	[[/OPTIONS]]
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>
[[/ITEMS]]
<hr>
</tr>
</table>

Generated Code (items in red were generated from template variables):

<table border="0" width="67%" align="center">
<tr><td>

<HR>
<IMG SRC="http://www.netstores.com/demo/images/acme4.gif" ALIGN="RIGHT"><br>

<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT COLOR="#B00000">Demonstration Product Number 1</FONT></FONT></B>
<BR><FONT SIZE="-1">The Full Demonstration of this product is contained below.  Use it wisely.</FONT>

<br>

	<TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0">

	<TR>
	<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP">
	<B><FONT SIZE=-1>#DEMO01 Demo Product 1, &#36;4.95</FONT></B>
	</TD>
	<TD>
	
	&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.netstores.com/dwos-bin/add.pl?nccust=integration&OPT-1=DEMO01">Add to Cart</a>
	
	
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

<hr>
</tr>
</table>