Getting Started
 
 

Run 'setup.exe' from the disk media to install GreatShop Creator. You will be required to provide 'Serial Number' in order to install and register the GreatShop Creator program. You will see the following screen when you first running the program:
 

Build Your First Online Store

Follow the few steps as shown below and you will be able to build your first online store in minutes:

1. When you launch GreatShop Creator program, you will see the first 8 product records that have been inserted in the program database. You must maintain at least 8 records. To begin building your first online store, click on 'Next/Update' or 'Previous Record' button to go to each pre-built record and edit each field directly. Each record consists of:
 

*Product Name
Description
*Unit Price (decimal only, such as $23.95)
Image URL (such as myimage.gif, product.jpg, http://..../item.gif, etc.)
*Category
URL Text (Name of the URL)
URL Address (such as http://www.... )

(* must be filled out)

Note: No quotation mark allowed inside product name, description, image, etc.
 

To put detailed description for some product records, click on "..." button. Click on 'Done' to finish. You can repeat this procedure for 2-3 products and these products can be featured later in the storefront's first web page.

Always click on 'Next/Update' button whenever you edit every record field because this button will update the changes to the program database.
 

2. When you have finished editing your product records, click on 'Ordering Setting' button.

Type in your own email address in the email field. Accept the first default 'order form template' which will forward order information to your email in a secured (SSL) server.

Click on 'Featured Item' tab at the top and select some featured items to be placed on the storefront's first web page. Also, type in company information in the 'Company Profile' tab which will appear in the storefront as well.

Click 'Done' button at the bottom to finish.
 

3. Click on 'Save Shop' button to complete your first shop project. Save the shop project to 'Products.t'. Accept all message windows and preview this store on the web browser by clicking on the long Preview button at the top.

You will see the default web browser launching and loading your storefront system:

Congratulations! This is your first online store built by GreatShop Creator.
You can test running the store and shop at your own online store. Make sure the shopping cart system work perfectly for you. In order to send order to your email, you must dial-up or connect to the internet to finalize the ordering procedure.
 
 
 
 

Maintain GreatShop Creator Data
 
 

Insert Product Records & Edit Store Profiles
 
 

With GreatShop Creator, it is very easy to manipulate product data and organize all products in categories.
 

Make New Main Category
 

To make a new category, click on 'New...' button which is next to Category field. Type in new category name in the space provided. Click '..Add' button to finish. Always click on 'Next/Update' button to update the new change to the database.
 
 

Remove A Category
 
 

To remove any category, click on 'Delete Category' button. Select unwanted category from the new window. Click 'OK' to remove that category. However, please make sure that no product record is currently using the deleted category. Use 'Next' or 'Previous' button to check each product record and make sure that they have correct category types.
 
 
 
 
 

Add New Product Item
 
 

You can begin to add new product item and allocate it in the appropriate category. Type in product item name, unit price, description, images and select a category that this item belongs to.
 
 

You can also add the name of  full size images by clicking on 'browse' button to browse for the image files. This image will be displayed in the product display page of your storefront system.
 
 

Provide an external link, such as http://www.yoursite.com/productinfo.html, which will allow your buyers to gather more product information or specification in another external web site. For example, you may not want to display the whole technical specifications for the fax modem that you are selling. Instead, you will create an 'external' link that will allow your customers to link to the specification pages located at another web location. This will reduce the loading time of the product item if not too much detailed product information is going to put at the same display page.
 
 

Additionally, you can type in a brief product description in the '...' button of 'Description' field. Type in your full product description (plain text or HTML ok) in the text box and this will complete your first product record. The product description file will be saved as *.html in according to the record number. This file will also be displayed in featured product's hyperlink.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Delete A Product Item
 
 

To delete an item, click on 'delete record' button. Select unwanted record number from the list. Click 'OK' to remove the record from GreatShop Creator database.
 
 
 
 
 

Import Product Database
 

This version of creator program features the database import capability. User will be able to import the original Microsoft Access database file (in test delimited format), or all previous Shop Creator data file (products.t).
 
 

Import Product Database From Shop Creator Version 1.1 or 1.0b
 
 

If you are user of Shop Creator, and want to import your existing database from Shop Creator version 1.0 or 1.0b, please select file 'products.t' from your Shop Creator folder and 'open'.
 
 

Now, you will see all Shop Creator product data has been inserted in the category and item lists. You can now begin to update your new imported product item records before publishing your online storefront system files.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Publishing Your Online Store
 
 

Before you publish your storefront system files, you can select many storefront options from the 'Ordering Setting' button.
 
 
 

Select Order Form Type & Preview A Template For Your New Online Store
 
 

There are several shop templates available for you to choose from. Templates contain all shop layouts that have been pre-built and customized. To preview a template, click on 'preview' button.
 
 
 

Feature Some Items At Storefront's First Page
 
 

You are recommended to select some items from your product list which can be featured at the front page of your online store. From 'Featured Items' tab, click on 'feature' button to select some items from the list. However, make sure that you have more product description (such as clicking on '...' button in description field and put some description on it) in each of product items that you will choose to be featured.

Edit Shipping Information
 

You can edit your shipping information, and also let your buyer know the estimated delivery time for all orders in the space provided.

You can add your own shipping method in the blank field.
 

Edit Company Profile
 

You can type in your name (which will appear at the copyright line of your front page) and other company information for pre-sale contact. In the description part, you can include and present your business reputation records so that your customer has confidence to purchase from you.

Publish Your Online Store Now
 
 

Now, when you have finish updating your product database and shipping information, you can instruct creator program to generate the storefront system files for your online store.
 
 
 
 
 

Begin to Generate & Publish Your Online Storefront System Files Now
 
 

Click 'Save shop' button. This will firstly save your store in *.t format, such as Products.t. Now creator program begins to generate all necessary storefront system files for your online store based on your product records and categories. Note that all storefront system files are saved under Shop Creator program folder.
 

Your Online Storefront files Has Been Generated
 
 

Congratulations! Your online store has been created. You need to find an FTP program, such as WS-FTP in http://www.ws-ftp.com, which will upload your storefront files to your own web site. All required files are located in the Shop Creator program folder as specified in the FTP message box.

You can actually click on 'Preview your store' button now to test running your online store system locally through your default web browser, or click 'Done' to reload Shop Creator and work on your existing product data.
 

If you click on 'Preview your store' button, you will see your online store system successfully loaded on your default Web browser. In the storefront system, your buyers will be able to look up products via the powerful search engine (which has been pre-built in your storefront system), shop items via shopping cart system, and check out all items inside the shopping basket.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Running Your Online Storefront
 

Shopping experience will be made easy with the help of Shop Creator's storefront system.
 

The front page will display some featured items that you have selected previously from Shop Creator program. Click on the featured item and it will be linked to the product description page. A buyer will be able to place this item into shopping cart by clicking on 'Shopping Cart' button at the top of the product description page.

Several categories will be displayed at the left frame. Each category contains relevant product items, and buyer will be able to place order with ease.

To search for specific item, type in the keyword in the search box. The result will be displayed immediately.

Buyer can review the items that have been put inside their shopping cart by clicking on 'view cart' button. Of course, these items are removeable.

To check out the order at the cash register, simply click on 'check out' button. Buyer can pay for the total amount (with appropriate sales tax added) with credit card or other payment type.

The transaction can be either in secured environment (protected by SSL secured server) or general environment, depending on your selection of order form type in the Shop Creator program.

By clicking on the 'submit' button, order will be transmitted to your email and you can process and ship out order to the buyer.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Support & Contact
 
 

You will always find the product updates, demo, product annoucement and many technical online help of the GreatShop Creator program from our home page at http://www.GreatShop.com

Technical or customization email: Webmaster@greatshop.com
 
 
 

Revised 02/14/99