Frequently Asked Questions for Shop Creator 
 Index:  
1. How to change or correct the email inside the online storefront system? 
 

If you are using version 1.1 and choosing 'CGI-FREE form submission service', you can find an accompanying file 'javascript.js' inside the same folder of your Shop Creator program. Use WordPad or any HTML editor to open this file and click on Edit | Find. Type in the keyword 'action'. You will find this line:
http://www.cgi-free.com/mailer.cgi?yourname@youraddress.com
Then, correct 'yourname@youraddress.com' to your email address.

If you are choosing 'Emailer' in ordering setting section, use WordPad to open 'emailjavascript.js' and look for keyword 'mailto:yourname@youraddress.com'. Then, correct 'yourname@youraddress.com' to your email address.

If you are using version 1.0b, please use WordPad to open file 'indexMMDD.html' where MM stands for the month and DD stands for the day when you are creating the online store. Search for keyword 'action' and repeat correcting procedures as in version 1.1 (see above).

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2. How should I do if I do not accept credit card payment but accept personal or company check? 
 

The easiest way is to change the form of credit card to check form. You can use WordPad or any HTML editor program to open the file 'javascript.js' (or 'emailjavascript.js' if you are choosing 'Emailer Order Submission' or 'indexMMDD.html' if you are using version 1.0b.). Search for keyword 'Credit Card'. Then change the following lines:

          cWin.write("Credit Card Type: <INPUT TYPE = 'text' SIZE = 19 NAME = 'ccType'>** <br>");
          cWin.write("Credit Card #: <INPUT TYPE = 'text' SIZE = 19 NAME = 'ccNum'>** <br>");
          cWin.write("Expiration Date: <INPUT TYPE = 'text' SIZE = 17 NAME = 'exDate'>");
to:
          cWin.write("Bank Name & Addess: <INPUT TYPE = 'text' SIZE = 30 NAME = 'BankName'>** <br>");
          cWin.write("Check MICR #(All numbers at the bottom of your check): <INPUT TYPE = 'text' SIZE = 19 NAME = 'MicrNum'> **the 11th to 13th numbers will be the same to your check number.<br>");
          cWin.write("Branch Number: <INPUT TYPE = 'text' SIZE = 19 NAME = 'BranchNumber'>**Write all number at right-top of the check (format: XX-XX/XXXX). Finally, please write VOID on the check so that you will not duplicate this check number.<br>");
  
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3. If I have customized my online store, how could I keep the final store layout but not allow Shop Creator to overwrite it everytime I update the database using the Shop Creator? 
 

Shop Creator will always recall the prebuilt layout everytime you update the product database that you might think that this will overwrite your new layout. To protect your new customized layout, please locate your new customized storefront file in a safe place, such as putting it in a new folder. Then, keep on updating your database with Shop  Creator and 'Save Shop'. Files such as 'indexMMDD.html' , 'database.js' (for version 1.1), etc will be created in according to the most current date. Open 'database.js' with WordPad if you are using version 1.1. If you are using vesion 1.0b, please use WordPad or other HTML editor to open 'IndexMMDD.html' file. Scrolling Down to the bottom part (about 3/4th down) of the file and you will find these data lines:

prodID = new makeArray(9);
prodID[1] = new product("Microsoft Visual Basic",...
prodID[2] = new product("Microsoft Visual C++",...
prodID[3] = new product("Edit Product Name Here",...
prodID[4] = new product("Edit Product Name Here",...
prodID[5] = new product("Edit Product Name Here",...
prodID[6] = new product("Edit Product Name Here",...
prodID[7] = new product("Edit Product Name Here",...
prodID[8] = new product("Edit Product Name Here",...
prodID[9] = new product("Microsoft Windows NT",..

Please highlite and copy (press CTRL-C) all these data lines. Use WordPad to open your previously customized file (eg. indexMMDD.html) and replace the old data lines with this new data (press CRTL-V). If you are in version 1.1, open the previous 'database.js' file and replace the old data lines. Also, please remember to update your 'categories' inside the 'cat-toc.htm' file. If you have new categories created, please make sure that you use the most current 'cat-toc.htm' file. Please copy this file and locate in the proper online shop folder.

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4. How can I edit the shipping information? 
 

Use WordPad to open 'javascript.js'(version 1.1) or 'indexMMDD.html' (version 1.0b). Click on Edit | Find. Type in keyword 'Select Method'. You will see these lines:

          cWin.write("<OPTION VALUE = '0'>Select Method");
          cWin.write("<OPTION VALUE = '20.95'>Same Day($20.95)");
          cWin.write("<OPTION VALUE = '10.95'>Next Day($10.95)");
          cWin.write("<OPTION VALUE = '7.95'>2nd Day($7.95)");
          cWin.write("<OPTION VALUE = '3.95'>3 Days($3.95)</Select><p>");

Then make the neccessary changes on the shipping fees. Delete or correct the inappropriate shipping choices.
 
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5. How can I secure the order transaction by using credit card? 
 

Shop Creator provides you with the very general order submission method without encryption by default. However, you can include the security configuration in the Shop Creator storefront system. Most ISPs have secured web site account available for their customers (monthly fees required). You can easily get the secured web site from them and upload all of your storefront systems to the secured site. If possible, at least obtain a secured form mailer program from your ISP. Then change the form submission line in indexMMDD.html or javascript.js (version 1.1) to this format (search for keyword in WordPad:'Action'):

ACTION=https://www.yourISP.com/mailer.cgi?yourname@name.com

which may vary from one ISP to another. (Please ask for their form mailer specifications.)

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6. How to build on-line credit card transaction service inside Shop Creator storefront? 
 

You can subscribe to many online services in the U.S., such as the Secured Credit Card Processing Services:
Weborder (http://www.weborder.com), Creditnet (http://www.creditnet.com), Cambist Merchant Solution (http://www.cambist.com) or PaymenTech (http://www.paymentech.com).

If you would like to build your own card processing server, you can contact many E-Commerce companies:
ICVerify (http://www.icverify.com), Cybercash(http://www.cybercash.com), CyberSource (http://www.cybersource.com), Open Market (http://www.openmarket.com),  Verifone(http://www.verifone.com), Verisign (http://www.verisign.com), IBM Internet Division (http://www.ibm.com/payment) or Clear Commerce (http://www.clearcommerce.com).
 
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7. How can I remove or change the tax rate in the storefront? 
 

Open 'indexMMDD.html' (version 1.0b) or 'javascript.js' (version 1.1) by using WordPad or othe HTML editor.
Click Edit | Find and type in searching keyword 'finalSum'. You will see this line:
finalSum = currency((grandTotal * .0825) + grandTotal);
which is showing that the tax rate is 8.25% for the State.

If you want to charge NO tax (0%), please change this line to:
finalSum = currency(grandTotal);

If you want the tax rate of Alabama State (9%), for example, please change the line to:
finalSum = currency((grandTotal * .09) + grandTotal);
 
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8. How can I build multiple online stores with Shop Creator? 
 

You can use 'Category Tree Builder' program to build various stores inside an on-line shopping mall. This program can branch various online stores into subcategories:
 
 
Your  
Shopping Mall		 --- Bookstore --- --Comic Books 
--Children Books 
--Magazines 
--Education
|--- Furniture --- --Chairs 
--Tables 
--Cupboards
|--- Software --- --Business 
--Programming Tools 
--Games 
--Utilities 
--Operating Systems
|--- Antiques --- --Pre 1900 
--Post 1900 
--Coin Collectibles 
--Trading Cards
 
 
Alternatively, the easiest way is to build multiple online stores, such as bookstore, furniture store, software store and antiques store and use hyperlinks to connect each other. This can be done by creating multile folders and duplicate each of them with Shop Creator program and other accompanying system files. Build the respective online store with Shop Creator in each folder and use this program to maintain and update each database. Finally, create an HTML hyperlinks in your web page and briefly introduce these online stores. Your customers will be able to shop in various stores and place orders by each shopping cart system in respective stores.
  
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9. How can I customize my online store and put my company's own logo, name and profile?
 

The first file that you can edit is 'catalog.htm'. Use WordPad or other HTML editor to edit this file. You can remove all HTML tags inside the file and make your own HTML company profile. Make sure that you are familiar to HTML so that you can make this page into professional looking since this page will introduce the online store to your customers. Then change 'cat-toc.htm' with the same HTML editor. This is the file where the product categories are displayed and linked to storefront system. You can make your own buttons and replace all text hyberlinks with beautiful buttons. Finally, you can make changes to 'search.htm' (search engine) and 'cart.htm' (shopping cart). Please do not remove the javascript codes inside each hyperlink or your whole storefront system will be not working properly.

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10. Why products cannot display properly and I encounter error message "missing after constructor argument list"  or "prodID is not defined"?
 

You may want to check your product information inside the Shop Creator database. Do not use quotation mark or apostrophy inside the product name, description, category or hyperlink link and name. These are the illegal characters that will confuse the javascript storefront system. Also, do not use alphabetic character inside 'Unit Price'. Use numeric character only (no dollar sign '$'). Please note that all categories used inside each product information should be matched to the categories that you have built in Shop Creator or 'cat_toc.htm'. If you have accidentally type in mismatched category in the product information, you will not be able to execute the storefront system. If you delete any category inside Shop Creator program, please make sure that you have also updated the product information inside the Shop Creator and remove invalid category from the product records.
 
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11. I noticed that the "view cart" page and subsequently the "place order" had the items ordered listed horizontally and not vertically like an order form should have. Is there a quick fix for this problem?
 

This is the HTML browser compatibility problem (It was OK in Netscape but not in certain version of Internet Explorer.) Please use Wordpad to open javascript.js and emailjavascript.js, change all "TH" codes inside the HTML files to "TD" (you can use the Edit:Replace feature in Wordpad, replace all "TH" with "TD" and save files).
For example:

 vWin.write("<TH COLSPAN=1 BGCOLOR=BtnFace><FONT COLOR=WindowText>Quantity</FONT></TH>");

Will be changed to:

 vWin.write("<TD COLSPAN=1 BGCOLOR=BtnFace><FONT COLOR=WindowText>Quantity</FONT></TD>");
 
  and this will solve the horizontal problem. This was an overseen problem in different version of web browsers that IE will not recognize "TH" code (But OK in Netscape).
 
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For any further technical questions, please make email to:
entertainment@cheerful.com
 
 
 

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