Effutio » Opencart http://www.effutio.com babbling irresponsibly Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:43:44 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Opencart v1.4.0 – It just gets better and better http://www.effutio.com/web-design/opencart-v1-4-0-it-just-gets-better-and-better/247/ http://www.effutio.com/web-design/opencart-v1-4-0-it-just-gets-better-and-better/247/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:12:47 +0000 Neil http://www.effutio.com/oipencart/opencart-v1-4-0-it-just-gets-better-and-better/ Opencart v1.4.0 has been released and is available to download here.

First off lets review the store front. This continues to improve and has definitely done so with this new release, it is probably now the prettiest cart out of the box! For those without the skills or time to change the template it offers a good look to simply start selling…it hardly needs any setting up and is simply thebest option for any online selling noobs out there. It does however give a wealth of functionality and flexibility for the more expert user but i digress. Being …

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Opencart v1.4.0 has been released and is available to download here.

First off lets review the store front. This continues to improve and has definitely done so with this new release, it is probably now the prettiest cart out of the box! For those without the skills or time to change the template it offers a good look to simply start selling…it hardly needs any setting up and is simply thebest option for any online selling noobs out there. It does however give a wealth of functionality and flexibility for the more expert user but i digress. Being a ‘designer’ (perhaps not a very good one) the overall look is a bit young and cartoony for me, I dont like all the little icons and never have, these are easy to get rid of if you want to however. On the plus side the new drop down boxes for currency and language are cool and a nice improvement. Overall its very neat and tidy; a great platform to sell from.

OK lets review the admin side (user: demo password: demo). This is the area that has seen the most change. It now spans your screen instead of being fixed width and has a much more professional look. The menu bar is very nice with its see through dropdown list although it sometime does take a few mouse hovers to get the dropdown to actually drop (I noticed this in previous versions too and may be an Internet Explorer thing). The functionality has been improved and my quick whiz through the admin screens shows me a higher level of control to the administrator and the improved layout makes it so much easier and intuitive to work with. The admin really is a marked improvement from the previous version and as usual has great out of the box functionality, with Google Base, Sitemap and Talk all ready to blast off! Oh yeh and there is a neat new advanced search feature, plus the initial search allows users to search via category…..awesome!!

Code and database wise Im not sure what has changed as yet, I havent had a chance to delve that deeply, however as far as Ive seen people have upgraded and reuploaded their database without any problems.

I think Opencart is fantastic and will be huge like Magento (eventually). The one area that has to be improved upon to capture more users is the upgrade/module system. If there could be a more WordPress-like automatic upgrade of core files, database and modules that would just be incredible and Im sure Opencart would take over the world and become a leader in its field! For now though Im just happy to be a small part of it and shall contribute anyway I can. As should you, if you download this free software why not contribute something to the cause, donate some money, write a review, link to the site and moan at your host to setup an auto install feature for Opencart.

Please let me know what you think of the new Opencart v1.4.0 below:

]]> http://www.effutio.com/web-design/opencart-v1-4-0-it-just-gets-better-and-better/247/feed/ 6 Opencart – Possibly the best open source shopping cart software! http://www.effutio.com/web-design/opencart-possibly-the-best-open-source-shopping-cart-software/181/ http://www.effutio.com/web-design/opencart-possibly-the-best-open-source-shopping-cart-software/181/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:38:43 +0000 Neil http://www.effutio.com/?p=181 Opencart is an open source shopping cart written in PHP that is rapidly growing in popularity. This is in part down to its creator Daniel Kerr’s hard work in building Opencart from the ground up using a logical MVC framework.Opencart

MVC explained:

Model: The database layer. All calls to the database are done here, referenced from the controller.
View: Template display for front and backend. This is where the HTML/CSS designing is done.
Controller: Main controlling code base. This is where the functional code logic is processed.

What this all means is that Opencart’s code is streamlined and easier to …

]]> Opencart is an open source shopping cart written in PHP that is rapidly growing in popularity. This is in part down to its creator Daniel Kerr’s hard work in building Opencart from the ground up using a logical MVC framework.Opencart

MVC explained:

Model: The database layer. All calls to the database are done here, referenced from the controller.
View: Template display for front and backend. This is where the HTML/CSS designing is done.
Controller: Main controlling code base. This is where the functional code logic is processed.

What this all means is that Opencart’s code is streamlined and easier to follow than some other bloated opensource ecommerce solutions such as OsCommerce and Zencart. The benefits of this easy to follow code makes it easier to customise. Opencart’s template system is pretty easy to get to grips with and an original template can be achieved with some HTML/CSS and image creation skills. However if you do not possess these skills, free templates can be found on numerous places on the web including the Opencart contribs page. Templates are easy to install and you can install your own logo through the Opencart admin area. Brilliant!

Opencart also appeals to designers and shop owners alike because it is fast, secure, well supported and expandable.

The current version is 1.3.2 which can be downloaded here. The current release boasts a multitude of great features, including multi-language capabilities, product ratings and my personal two favourites; downlaodble products and product review capabilities (reviews can also be written in the admin panel! Awesome.). There is built in compatibility with a number of payment gateways such as Worldpay and Sagepay. Paypal is supported too and Google Checkout will be in the next release v1.3.3 alongwith; Google Base, Google Talk, Google Site Map. Cant wait for that release!

In conclusion I really think Opencart can contend with the big boys and if it was a case of Opencart vs OsCommerce and Zencart then Opencart wins everytime. Well done to everyone who is involved and has contributed something to Opencart!

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