uStorekeeper^TM
Online Shopping System

User's Guide

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Features

3. System Requirements

4. Getting Started

5. Installation

1. Familiarization With Installing and Executing Perl Scripts
2. Creating A Data Directory On Your Server
3. Creating An Image Directory On Your Server
4. Installing Some Default Images On Your Server
5. Installing Some Default Layout Templates On Your Server
6. Checking The File Extension Of The uStorekeeper Script
7. Configuring The uStorekeeper Runtime Script
8. Configuring The uStorekeeper Manager Script
9. Configuring The uStorekeeper Affiliate Script
10. Configuring The uStorekeeper Library/Configuration Script
11. Transferring The uStorekeeper Scripts To Your Server
12. Give The uStorekeeper Scripts READ and EXECUTE Permission
13. Testing The Scripts

6. Control Panel

1. General Settings
   1. General Information
   2. Store Appearance
   3. Payment Information
   4. Authorize.Net Interface
   5. LinkPoint Interface
   6. Tax Information
   7. Shipping Information
      • Shipping By Weight
      • Shipping By Subtotal
      • Shipping By Quantity
      • Flat Fee Shipping
   8. Handling Information
   9. Gift Wrapping Information
   10. Discount Information
   11. Information Page
   12. Additional Settings
2. Add Category
3. Edit Category
4. Delete Category
5. Add Product
6. Edit Product
7. Delete Product
8. Order Reader
   1. Reading Order Files
   2. Deleting Order Files
9. Affiliate Tracking
   1. Adding A New Affiliate
   2. Editing An Affiliate
   3. Deleting An Affiliate
   4. Editing Affiliate Log
   5. Clearing Affiliate Log
   6. Affiliate Reporting
10. Image Manager
    1. Uploading Images
    2. Deleting Images
11. Purge
12. Import
13. Regenerate
14. Diagnostics
15. Goto Store

7. Using The Store

1. Linking To Your Store
2. Navigating The Store
3. Searching The Store
4. Adding Products To Your Cart
5. Viewing Shopping Cart
6. Placing Orders

8. Importing Data

9. More Information

1. Introduction

2. Features

• A single control panel by which you can easily perform all of the necessary functions associated with creating and maintaining an online store. No previous knowledge of HTML or CGI Programming is required.
  
  
• An option to choose from several pre-defined page layouts for your store or the ability to create your own page layout templates.
  
  
• Easy-to-use forms for adding, editing, and deleting products. For each product, the following options are available:
  
  • The ability to specify up to 3 option lists.
  • The ability to setup different prices per option.
  • The ability to add a small text box for monograms, initials, etc.
  • The ability to add a large text box for engravings, messages, etc.
  • The ability to mark items a taxable or non-taxable.
  • The ability to choose from 4 different display layouts.
  • The ability to specify a small and large (zoomed) image of the product.
  • The ability to specify minimum or maximum quantities of items.
  • The ability to setup different prices based on the quantity purchased.
  • The ability to allow customers to enter the price for the product (for quotes, etc.)
  • And much more!
  
  
• A built-in import feature that allows you to upload product data files directly from your office or home computer without the use of any external FTP program.
  
  
• A built-in image managing feature that allows you to upload or delete image files directly from your office or home computer without the use of any external FTP program.
  
  
• Various options for configuring tax, shipping, and handling rates including the ability to charge different tax rates within each state and an option whether to include the shipping charge in tax calculations or not.
  
  
• The ability to handle separate billing and shipping addresses.
  
  
• The ability to offer a Gift Wrapping option.
  
  
• The ability to offer Coupon and Global Discounts.
  
  
• The ability to provide the following order options:
  
  • Order by Credit Card.
  • Order by Electronic Check.
  • Print Order for mail, fax, or phone orders.
  • A 'Contact Me' option to allow customers to request to be contacted by a sales rep.
  
  
• The ability to validate credit card orders via checksum.
  
  
• The ability to remember customer information (via cookies) so that returning customers do not have to fill in all the order forms every time.
  
  
• A built-in interface to Authorize.Net and LinkPoint payment processing systems. (Note that you must have a merchant account that supports Authorize.Net or LinkPoint in order to use this feature).
  
  
• A built-in Affiliate Tracking System which includes such features as:
  
  • Forms for adding, editing, and deleting affiliates.
  • The ability to configure commissions as a percentage of the total sales or as a flat rate per sale.
  • The ability to assign each affiliate a different commission.
  • The ability to edit the affiliate log in order to adjust for refunds, cancellations, etc.
  • The ability to clear the affiliate log of orders placed before a specified date.
  • The ability to generate affiliate reports on a specific affiliate or on all affiliates at once.
  • The ability to allow affiliates to login and see their own affiliate reports.
  
  
• A built-in Diagnostics feature for assisting with configuration problems and facilitating support requests.
  
  
• A built-in search engine and page navigation system.
  
  
• No limit to the number of items in the store.
  
  
• No monthly usage fees! Once you buy it, it's yours! *Note that you must purchase a new license for each store that you setup with uStorekeeper.
  
  
• And much, much more!

3. System Requirements

1. You must be able to install and execute Perl scripts on your server.
   
   
2. In order to ensure that transactions are secure, your server must also be a secure server (so that you can access your site via https in addition to http). See uStorekeeper Security.
   
   
3. If you intend to use Authorize.Net to automatically process your orders, then you must have a merchant account that is compatible with Authorize.Net. See Authorize.Net for more information about setting up an account.

4. Getting Started

1. Upon receiving the ustorekeeper.zip file, you should unzip the entire .zip file into a new directory on your local desktop computer.
   
   
2. Follow the instructions in the Installation section below in order to configure and install the uStorekeeper^TM scripts on your server.
   
   
3. After installing the scripts, login to uStorekeeper's main control panel by going to the URL of the ustorekeeper-manager.pl script on your server.
   
   
4. Configure your store's general settings by pressing the "General Settings" button and filling in the information as described below in the General Settings section.
   
   
5. After configuring your store's general settings, try creating a few categories by pressing the Add Category button and try adding a few products by pressing the Add Product button - both of which are described below. If necessary, use the Image Manager to upload images for your products.
   
   
6. After adding a few categories and products, go to your store by going to the URL of the runtime ustorekeeper.pl script on your server. Try adding some items to your cart and placing a test order.
   
   
7. After placing a test order, try using the Order Reader feature to read the order - just as you would do when a real order is placed.

5. Installation

1. ustorekeeper.pl - The main runtime script that gets executed by visitors as they browse your store and place orders.
   
   
2. ustorekeeper-manager.pl - The script through which you can access the uStorekeeper Control Panel and manage your online store.
   
   
3. ustorekeeper-affiliate.pl - The script through which you can access uStorekeeper's Affiliate Tracking System.
   
   
4. ustorekeeper-lib.pl - A library and configuration file that is used by the other uStorekeeper scripts.

- main directory
   |
   |-- images
   |
   |-- cgi-bin
   |     |
   |     |-- data
   |
   :
   :

- main directory
   |
   |-- www
   |    |
   |    |-- images
   |    : 
   |     
   |-- cgi-bin
   |    |
   |    |-- data
   :
   :

• logo.gif
• tag.gif
• cart_button.gif
• order_button.gif
• information_button.gif
• example_check.gif

• USTOREKEEPER1.layout
• USTOREKEEPER2.layout
• USTOREKEEPER3.layout
• USTOREKEEPER4.layout
• EXAMPLE.layout

• Step 1 - Use any text editor (such as WordPad) to open the ustorekeeper.pl script.
  
  
• Step 2 - As the very first line of the script, specify your path to Perl. This will be something like #!/usr/bin/perl or #!/usr/sbin/perl on UNIX servers or #!C:/perl/perl.exe on NT servers. If you do not know your path to Perl, ask your web hosting provider. Note: Be sure to include the #! before the path.
  
  
• Step 3 - Immediately below the path to perl, you will see the line:
  
  require "ustorekeeper-lib.pl";
  
  Note that the file name in the quotes must match that of your ustorekeeper-lib file. So if you renamed that file to ustorekeeper-lib.cgi in Installation Part 6 above, then be sure to change the name here too.
  
  
• Step 4 - Save the ustorekeeper runtime script. (If your editor prompts you, choose to save the file as TEXT.)
  
  
• Step 5 - Exit your text editor.

• Step 1 - Use any text editor (such as WordPad) to open the ustorekeeper-manager script.
  
  
• Step 2 - As the very first line of the script, specify your path to Perl. This will be something like #!/usr/bin/perl or #!/usr/sbin/perl on UNIX servers or #!C:/perl/perl.exe on NT servers. If you do not know your path to Perl, ask your web hosting provider. Note: Be sure to include the #! before the path.
  
  
• Step 3 - Immediately below the path to perl, you will see the line:
  
  require "ustorekeeper-lib.pl";
  Note that the file name in the quotes must match that of your ustorekeeper-lib file. So if you renamed that file to ustorekeeper-lib.cgi in Installation Part 6 above, then be sure to change the name here too.
  
  
• Step 4 - Save the ustorekeeper-manager script. (If your editor prompts you, choose to save the file as TEXT.)
  
  
• Step 5 - Exit your text editor.

• Step 1 - Use any text editor (such as WordPad) to open the ustorekeeper-affiliate script.
  
  
• Step 2 - As the very first line of the script, specify your path to Perl. This will be something like #!/usr/bin/perl or #!/usr/sbin/perl on UNIX servers or #!C:/perl/perl.exe on NT servers. If you do not know your path to Perl, ask your web hosting provider. Note: Be sure to include the #! before the path.
  
  
• Step 3 - Immediately below the path to perl, you will see the line:
  
  require "ustorekeeper-lib.pl";
  Note that the file name in the quotes must match that of your ustorekeeper-lib file. So if you renamed that file to ustorekeeper-lib.cgi in Installation Part 6 above, then be sure to change the name here too.
  
  
• Step 4 - Save the ustorekeeper-affiliate script. (If your editor prompts you, choose to save the file as TEXT.)
  
  
• Step 5 - Exit your text editor.

• Step 1 - Use any text editor (such as WordPad) to open the ustorekeeper-lib.pl script.
  
  
• Step 2 - Answer the 21 questions which are located at the top of the script and which are described in detail below:
  
  
• Question 1: What is your uStorekeeper License Number?
  For this question, simply enter the license number that you were given when purchasing uStorekeeper. An example value is:
  
  $license_number = "ABC-123-456-789";
  
  
• Question 2: What is the full URL of your domain?
  For this question, simply enter the full URL of your website. An example value is:
  
  $domain = "http://www.mystore.com";
  
  
• Question 3: What is the secure URL of your domain?
  For this question, enter the secure URL (beginning with https) of your website. An example value is:
  
  $secure_domain = "https://www.mystore.com";
  
  
• Question 4: What is the full URL of the uStorekeeper runtime script?
  For this question, enter what the full URL of your ustorekeeper.pl script will be. Considering that you will be installing the ustorekeeper.pl script into the cgi-bin directory on your server, an example value is:
  
  $runtime_script_url = "http://www.mystore.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper.pl";
  
  
• Question 5: What is the secure URL of the uStorekeeper runtime script?
  For this question, enter what the secure URL of your ustorekeeper.pl script will be. This should be identical to the location specified in the previous question except that you use the secure (https) URL instead. An example value is:
  
  $secure_runtime_script_url = "https://www.mystore.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper.pl";
  
  
• Question 6: What is the full URL of the uStorekeeper manager script?
  For this question, enter what the full URL of your ustorekeeper-manager.pl script will be. Considering that you will be installing the ustorekeeper-manager script into the cgi-bin directory on your server, an example value is:
  
  $manager_script_url = "http://www.mystore.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper-manager.pl";
  
  
• Question 7: What is the secure URL of the uStorekeeper manager script? For this question, enter what the secure URL of your ustorekeeper-manager.pl script will be. This should be identical to the location specified in the previous question except that you use the secure (https) URL instead. An example value is:
  
  $secure_manager_script_url = "https://www.mystore.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper-manager.pl";
  
  
• Question 8: What is the full URL of the uStorekeeper Affiliate script?
  For this question, enter what the full URL of your ustorekeeper-affiliate.pl script will be. Considering that you will be installing the ustorekeeper-affiliate script into the cgi-bin directory on your server, an example value is:
  
  $affiliate_script_url = "http://www.mystore.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper-affiliate.pl";
  
  
• Question 9: What is the secure URL of the uStorekeeper Affiliate script? For this question, enter what the secure URL of your ustorekeeper-affiliate.pl script will be. This should be identical to the location specified in the previous question except that you use the secure (https) URL instead. An example value is:
  
  $secure_affiliate_script_url = "https://www.mystore.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper-affiliate.pl";
  
  Question 10: What is the URL of the image that you would like to use for your store's logo?
  For this question, enter the full URL of the image that you would like to use for your store's logo. The recommended size of this image is under 250 x 200 pixels. If you don't already have an image in mind, just go ahead and use the URL of the main_image.gif that you installed in your "images" directory in Part 4 above. An example value is:
  
  $image_url = "http://www.mystore.com/images/logo.gif";
  
  
• Question 11: What is the secure URL of the image that you would like to use for your store's logo?
  Because the your store's logo will also be displayed on secure pages - like while you use uStorekeeper's Control Panel, you need to also specify the secure URL of the image that you specified in the previous question. An example value is:
  
  $secure_image_url = "https://www.mystore.com/images/logo.gif";
  
  
• Question 12: What is the full or relative path to your data directory?
  For this question, you should enter the full or relative path from your cgi-bin directory to the "data" directory that you created in Part 2 above. For example, if you did make the "data" directory as a subdirectory of your cgi-bin, you should be able to set this value to:
  
  $data_directory = "./data/";
  
  IMPORTANT NOTE: This $data_directory must be a path - NOT a URL (ie. It should NOT start with "http").
  
  
• Question 13: What is the full or relative path to your default image directory?
  For this question, you should enter the full or relative path from your cgi-bin directory to the "images" directory that you created in Part 3 above. For example, if you did make the "images" directory as a subdirectory of your main document directory, you should be able to set this value to:
  
  $default_image_dir = "../images/";
  
  or
  
  $default_image_dir = "../www/images/";
  
  (Depending on what the relative path is.)
  
  IMPORTANT NOTE: This $default_image_dir must be a path - NOT a URL (ie. It should NOT start with "http").
  
  
• Question 14: What is the URL of your default image directory?
  For this question you should enter the Full URL of the default image directory that you created in Part 3 above. An example value is:
  
  $default_image_dir_url = "http://www.mystore.com/images/";
  
  
• Question 15: What is the main currency that your store will use?
  For this question you should enter the currency symbol that your store will be using, such as "$" or "£". An example value is:
  
  $currency_symbol = '$';
  
  
• Question 16: What email method do you want to use? (SENDMAIL, BLAT or SOCKETS)
  For this question, specify the email method that the uStorekeeper script will use on your server. Available choices are "SENDMAIL", "BLAT", or "SOCKETS". SENDMAIL is recommended for all UNIX servers. "BLAT" is only available on NT servers. And "SOCKETS" can be used on both UNIX and NT servers. If you not know what email method to use, you may want to check with your Web Hosting Provider on what the recommend email method is for CGI scripts on your server. Assuming you have a UNIX server, an example value is:
  
  $email_method = "SENDMAIL";
  
  
• Question 17: If using SENDMAIL to send email, what is the path to sendmail?
  For this question, specify the path of sendmail on your server. This information can usually be found in your Web Hosting Provider's "CGI Help Page". Otherwise, just ask your provider what the path of sendmail is. An example value is:
  
  $sendmail_path = "/usr/lib/sendmail";
  
  NOTE: If you are not using SENDMAIL to send email, then you can just skip this question.
  
  
• Question 18: If using BLAT to send email, what is the path to Blat?
  For this question, specify the path of Blat on your server. This information can usually be found on your Web Hosting Provider's "CGI Help Page". Otherwise, just ask your provider what the path of Blat is. An example value is:
  
  $blat_path = "C:/Blat/blat.exe";
  
  NOTE: If you are not using BLAT to send email, then you can just skip this question.
  
  
• Question 19: If using SOCKETS to send email, what is the IP address (or name) of you mail server?
  For this question, specify either the IP address or the name of your mail server. An example value is:
  
  $smtp_address = "mail.mystore.com";
  
  or
  
  $smtp_address = "123.456.789.5";
  
  
• Question 20: What password would you like to use to login?
  For this question, specify any password that you would like to use when logging in to uStorekeeper's Control Panel. You can use almost any combination of letters and numbers for the password. An example value is:
  
  $login_password = "mypassword";
  
  
• Question 21: FOR AUTHORIZE.NET USER'S ONLY. What is your Authorize.Net Transaction Key?
  If you plan on using Authorize.Net's payment gateway, you must configure a unique "fingerprint" or "transaction hash key" that Authorize.Net will use to validate requests from your store. Follow the instructions below for configuring a transaction key, then enter your Authorize.Net-generated key as the answer to this question. An example value is:
  
  $x_hash_key = "1234567890123456";
  
  Special Instructions for Configuring an Authorize.Net Transaction Key (March 2003)
  
  
  1. Log in to your Authorize.Net Control Panel
  2. Under "Settings", select "Obtain Transaction Key". Record the generated transaction key for use later.
  3. Make sure the URL of your uShop CGI script is listed under Settings | Response/Receipt URLS.
  4. Make sure the URL of your uShop CGI script is also listed under Settings | Relay Response
  5. Change your Authorize.Net account to "Password Only" mode. (Settings | Password Required Mode)
  6. Under "Settings", disable the WebLink method if it is currently enabled. (Note: This option won't even show up in the settings if you already have WebLink disabled, or if you are a new Authorize.Net merchant.)
  
  Specify the recorded transaction key as the answer to configuration Question 21.
  
  
• Step 3 - After configuring all 21 questions as described above, save the ustorekeeper-lib.pl script and exit your editor.

• ustorekeeper.pl
• ustorekeeper-lib.pl
• ustorekeeper-manager.pl
• ustorekeeper-affiliate.pl
• SimHMAC.pm (an Authorize.Net library MUST be installed, even if you don't use Authorize.Net)

• Start your browser and try going to the URL of the ustorekeeper.pl script that was installed on your server. The URL should be the same value that you configured in Question #4 of the ustorekeeper-lib.pl script setup. Something like:
  
  http://www.mystore.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper.pl
  
  This should result in a page displaying the uStorekeeper Copyright Information.
  
  
• Now use your browser to go to the URL of the ustorekeeper-manager.pl script that was installed on your server. The URL should be the same value that you configured in Question #7 of the ustorekeeper-lib.pl script setup. Something like:
  
  https://www.mystore.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper-manager.pl
  
  This should result in the uStorekeeper "Login" page.

6. Control Panel

6.1 General Settings

6.1.1 General Information

6.1.2 Store Appearance

6.1.3 Payment Information

6.1.4 Authorize.Net Information

6.1.5 LinkPoint Interface

6.1.6 Tax Information

6.1.7 Shipping Information

WEIGHT            SHIPPING CHARGE
0 - 9.999         $5.00
10 - 19.999       $6.00
20 - 29.999       $7.00
30 and over       $9.00

SUBTOTAL          SHIPPING CHARGE
$0 - $49.99       $10.00
$50 - $99.99      $8.00
$100 - $199.99    $5.00
$200 and over     $0.00

QUANTITY          SHIPPING CHARGE
1 - 4             $6.00
5 - 9             $8.00
10 - 19           $10.00
20 and over       $15.00

6.1.8 Handling Information

6.1.9 Gift Wrapping Information

6.1.10 Discount Information

6.1.11 Information Page

6.1.12 Additional Settings

John|Doe|123 Main Street||Anytowne|PA|12345|USA|555-5555|555-5556|john.doe@example.com
Mary|Jones|1023 35th Street||New York|NY|54321|USA|555-5557|555-5558|mary@example.com
Bob|Smith|532 Beverly Ave||Los Angeles|CA|90210|USA|555-5559|555-5560|bob@example.com

6.2 Add Category

1. *Category Name - This field allows you to specify the name of the category. The category name can consist of any text (except bars and double-quotes) and can be any length - however, it is recommended that you keep the size of the category name to under 30 characters (for display reasons).
   
   
2. Category Description - This field allows you to specify a description for the category. Any text entered in this field will appear at the top of the category page - just below the Category Name. The amount of text used for the description can range anywhere from a single sentence to an entire paragraph. If you do not want to display any description with the category, then leave this field blank.
   
   
3. Category Image - This field allows you to specify an image that will be displayed at the very top of the category page. This image should be specified as the Full URL of the image such as "http://www.uburst.com/uStorekeeper/images/ustorekeeper_tag.gif". If you do not specify the URL (by leaving off the http://...) then uStorekeeper will default to using the $default_image_dir_url value (a.k.a. your default image directory) that you specified while installing the uStorekeeper scripts.
   
   For example, if you specify this field as "my_category_image.gif", then uStorekeeper will assume that the image is located in your default image directory (by prepending your $default_image_dir_url value to it).
   
   Note that the recommended size for this image is approximately 250x200 pixels.
   
   Note also that you can use uStorekeeper's Image Manager to upload any new images that you might create for this category.
   
   Note that if you do not want any image displayed for this category, then just leave this field blank.
   
   
4. Background Image - This field allows you to specify a background image that will be used for the category page. Similar to the Category Image, this image should be specified as the Full URL of the image (beginning with http://...) - otherwise, uStorekeeper will assume that the image is located in your default image directory.
   
   Note that you can use uStorekeeper's Image Manager to upload any new images that you might create for this category.
   
   Note also that if you do not want any background image displayed for this category, then just leave this field blank.
   
   
5. Background Color - This field allows you to specify the background color for this category. The format of field should be in the standard HTML RGB color format #RRGGBB, where RR corresponds to the amount of red (00 - FF), GG corresponds to the amount of green (00 - FF), and BB corresponds to the amount of blue (00 - FF). The default value for the background color is white (#FFFFFF).
   
   
6. Text Color - This field allows you to specify the text color for this category. The format of field should be in the standard HTML RGB color format #RRGGBB, where RR corresponds to the amount of red (00 - FF), GG corresponds to the amount of green (00 - FF), and BB corresponds to the amount of blue (00 - FF). The default value for the text color is black (#000000).
   
   
7. Max Products Per Page - This field allows you to specify the maximum number of products that will be displayed on each page in this category. That is, if you will be having a lot of products listed in this category, it would not be desirable to list all of them on one single HTML page. With this field, you can put a limit on the number of products listed on a page - and when the limit has been exceeded, uStorekeeper will automatically create "NEXT" and "CONTINUE" pages as necessary.
   
   
8. Additional HTML (Top) - For Advanced User's Only - This field allows you to specify any additional HTML (such as a banner link) that you would like added to the top of this category's web page. Whatever HTML you enter here will be added just after the <BODY...> HTML field.
   
   
9. Additional HTML (Middle) - For Advanced User's Only - This field allows you to specify any additional HTML (such as a banner link) that you would like added to the middle of this category's web page. Whatever HTML you enter here will be added just after the category's "Description" HTML.
   
   
10. Additional HTML (Bottom) - For Advanced User's Only - This field allows you to specify any additional HTML (such as a banner link) that you would like added to the bottom of this category's web page. Whatever HTML you enter here will be added just before the closing </BODY> HTML field.

6.3 Edit Category

6.4 Delete Category

6.5 Add Product

1. *Category - This field allows you to select which category the new product will be added to.
   
   
2. *Product ID - This field allows you to specify a Unique ID by which to identify this product. This field must consist of at least 3 unique letters and numbers - with the recommended length being about 10 or 12 characters total.
   
   
3. *Product Name - This field allows you to specify the name of the product. The text entered for this field will appear as the Name of the product on the HTML pages and as the Name of the product when added to the shopping cart.
   
   
4. Description - This field allows you to provide a description of the product. The description can be as long as you like and will be displayed with the product on the HTML page. Note that this description will not be displayed in the shopping cart - the Short Description field described below is the description that will appear in the shopping cart.
   
   
5. Short Description - This field allows you to provide a short description of the product. This short description is what will appear in the shopping cart and is meant to eliminate the need of display the full Description (described above) in the shopping cart. If you don't want any description added to the shopping cart, then leave this field blank.
   
   
6. Notes - This field allows you to specify some additional notes for the product. Such notes might be "Limited time only!" or "This month's special!". Whatever text is entered for this Notes field, will be displayed on the HTML page in Italics and directly below the product's description.
   
   
7. Keywords - This field allows you to optimize uStorekeeper's search feature by adding additional keywords to identify this product. The comma-separated keywords entered in this field will not be displayed on the HTML page, but will be used when uStorekeeper is performing product searches.
   
   As an example, say your store is selling a U2 Music CD. You might want this CD to be included in the results of searches done on "Bono","The Edge","Irish", or even "U-2". So you could specify the Keywords field for the product as "Bono,Edge,Irish,U-2".
   
   Note: uStorekeeper will normally perform searches on all fields that are displayed on the HTML pages. This "Keywords" field just provides an additional field by which searches will look.
   
   
8. Weight - This field allows you to specify the weight of the product. Note that it is not important (and actually prohibited) to specify any weight units with this value (such as "lbs", "pounds", "#", or "ounces"). In fact, Do NOT Include Any Weight Units In This Field. This field should just be a numeric value such as "0", "1.5", or "25.0". As for units, just keep the weights of all your products relative to one another. If using Kilograms, then give all weights in Kilograms. If using Pounds, then give all weights in Pounds. If you won't be basing your shipping calculations on weight at all, then you can even leave this field blank or set to zero.
   
   
9. *Price - This field allows you to specify the price of the product in one of three formats: 1)Basic Format, 2)Quantity Price Format or 3)QUOTE Format. Each of these formats is described below:
   
   Basic Format
   
   The Basic Format is used if you just want to have one basic price for the product. Simply enter the price. That is, if you want the product to cost $5 dollars, then enter this field as "$5.00". If you want the product to cost $19.95, then enter this field as "$19.95".
   
   Quantity Price Format
   
   The Quanity Price Format allows you to setup a price table that is based on the total quantity purchased by the customer. The format of this field is "quantity1@priceeach1,quantity2@priceeach2,quantity3@priceeach3,..." and so on, where each quantity@priceeach combination is interpreted as:
   
   if quantity1 items are purchased, then the price of each one is priceeach1
   if quantity2 items are purchased, then the price of each one is priceeach2
   if quantity3 items are purchased, then the price of each one is priceeach3
   and so on....
   
   Note that you can list as many quantity@priceeach combinations as you like - each one separated by a comma.
   
   Note also that the quantity@priceeach combinations should be in increasing quantity order - with the first quantity being one.
   
   As an example, suppose you want to setup the following pricing table for a product:
   
   

   QUANTITY          PRICE EACH
   1 - 2             $99.00 (each)
   3 - 4             $75.00 (each)
   5 or more         $60.00 (each)
   

   Then you would set the Price field to "1@$99.00,3@$75.00,5@$60.00".
   
   Or as another example, suppose you want to setup the following pricing table for a product:
   
   

   QUANTITY          PRICE EACH
   1                 $42.00 (each)
   2 or more         $35.00 (each)
   

   (a.k.a. $42.00 for one or $35.00 each for any two or more)
   
   Then you would set the Price field to "1@$42.00,2@$35.00".
   
   *IMPORTANT NOTE - When uStorekeeper is determining the total quantity that has been selected of a specific product, it will search through the list of items in the shopping cart and identify all items that have a Product ID starting with the same 3 characters. This is so that the Quantity Price Table can be setup to apply to items in a specific class.
   
   Example: Suppose your store sells Music CDs and Videos and want to offer the videos as $20.00 each or $15.00 each if the customer buys two or more. uStorekeeper can't just look blindly at the total quantity of items in the shopping cart because a customer might have some CDs in his/her shopping cart too. So that is why uStorekeeper will look at the first three characters of the Product ID field of each item in the shopping cart and determine the total quantity based on all products that match.
   
   So to prevent the quantity price calculations from getting confused between different types of products, it is recommended that you adopt a Product ID prefix convention for your store - where all different product types will begin with 3 Unique Characters. In the previous example, for instance, the Product ID of all CDs could start with "MCD" and the Product ID of all Videos could start with "VID". (You can, of course, use any three characters you want to identify the different product types in your store).
   
   NOTE: 95% of stores will not need to have the quantity@price calculation applied over multiple products. So A SIMPLE RULE OF THUMB is to "Give each product using a quantity@price calculation a unique Product ID beginning with any unique 3-character prefix."
   
   QUOTE Format
   
   The QUOTE Format allows you to leave the price blank so that the customer can fill in the price. This is useful when handling such things as price quotes, donations, etc. To allow customers to enter the price, just specify the price field as QUOTE.
   
   
10. Taxable - This field allows you to specify whether the product is taxable or not. If the product is taxable, select "Yes". Otherwise, if the product is NOT taxable, select "No". Products that are not taxable will be indicated with an asterisk (*) next to its price in the shopping cart and the price will not be included in tax calculations.
    
    
11. Options - uStorekeeper allows you to associate up to 3 different option lists with each product. The option lists provide the customer with the ability to select options for the product such as color, size, etc. Each of the option lists are totally configurable and can even be used to adjust the total price of the product (such as adding $X dollars if option Y is selected).
    
    Normal Options
    
    If you just want a normal drop-down list of options, then the format of this field should be "option1,option2,option3,option4,option5,...." and so on. You can list as many option fields as you like - each one separated with a comma.
    
    Example: Suppose you want to allow customers to select the color of an item and the available colors are blue, red, green, black, and white. To do this, you would just set one of the Option fields to "blue,red,green,black,white".
    
    Options With Prices
    
    If you want the total cost of the item to be based on what options a customer selects, then use a "+" or "-" next to the option followed by the price. This is most easily illustrated in an example:
    
    Example: Suppose you have an item that comes in Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Also suppose you want to charge an additional $40.00 if the customer chooses Platinum or subtract $20.00 from the price if the customer chooses Silver. To do this, you would set one of the Option fields to "Gold,Silver -$20.00,Platinum +$40.00".
    
    (The order of the options does not matter and you can list as many options as you want - each one separated by a comma).
    
    
12. Min Quantity - This field allows you to specify a minimum quantity that can be purchased at a time. For example, if you wanted to enforce customers to purchase 5 or more of this product, then you would set this field to "5". The default value of this field is "1".
    
    
13. Max Quantity - This field allows you to specify a maximum quantity that can be purchased at a time. For example, if you wanted to limit customers to buying a maximum of 10 of this product at a time, then you would set this field to "10". Or if you were selling something that there is only 1 of - such as a unique painting - then you might set this field to "1" (thus indicating they can't purchase more than 1). The default value for this field is "NONE" - which indicates that there is no maximum quantity (the customer can buy as many as he/she wants).
    
    
14. Text Color - This field allows you to specify the text color for this product listing. The format of field should be in the standard HTML RGB color format #RRGGBB, where RR corresponds to the amount of red (00 - FF), GG corresponds to the amount of green (00 - FF), and BB corresponds to the amount of blue (00 - FF). For example, if you want the listing to have a text color of black, then set this field to "#000000". The default value for the text color is "SAME" - indicating that the text color of the listing will be whatever the text color for the category is set at.
    
    
15. Text Label - This field allows you to add a small text entry field to the product's listing. This is ideal for products that have monograms, initials, or other small labels. If you want to add such a text entry field to the product's listing, just specify the label associated with the field - such as "Monogram: " or "Initials: ". If you do not want any text entry field associated with this product, then leave this field blank or set it to "NONE".
    
    
16. Text Area Label - This field allows you to add a large text entry field to the product's listing. This is ideal for products that may need a large customized message such as plaques, trophies, or gift cards. If you want to add such a text entry field to the product's listing, just specify the label associated with the field such as "Message: " or "Greeting: ". If you do not want any text entry field associated with this product, then leave this field blank or set it to "NONE".
    
    
17. Product Image - This field allows you to specify an image that will be displayed with this product listing. Generally, this should be a small image of the product with a maximum size of about 200 x 200 pixels. Note that this image can really be any size, however, you should keep in mind that the larger the image is, the longer it will take your store pages to load. Furthermore, you will see in the description of the next field that uStorekeeper also allows you to specify a second, larger image that will be associated with the product. This second (and usually larger) image is only displayed when the customer clicks on the small image - so your store pages will still be able to load fast.
    
    When specifying the Product Image, you should specify it as the Full URL of the image such as "http://www.yourstore.com/images/product.gif". If you do not specify the URL (by leaving off the http://...) then uStorekeeper will default to using the $default_image_dir_url value (a.k.a. your default image directory) that you specified while installing the uStorekeeper scripts. For example, if you specify this field as "product1.gif", then uStorekeeper will assume that the image is located in your default image directory and prepend your $default_image_dir_url value to it.
    
    Note that you can use uStorekeeper's Image Manager to upload any new product images.
    
    Note also that if you do not want any image displayed, then just leave this field blank.
    
    
18. Large Image or Link - This field allows you to associate a second image (or a link) with the product. This second image (or URL link), will be displayed when the customer clicks on the small Product Image described above. When specifying this image or URL link, you should specify it as the Full URL of the image such as "http://www.yourstore.com/images/big_product.gif" or the full URL of the link such as "http://www.yourstore.com/moreinfo.html".
    
    Note that if you do not want to use a second image or URL link, then just leave this field blank.
    
    
19. Product Layout - This field allows you to specify the general layout of the product listing. Available layouts are "Image On Left", "Image On Right", "Image On Top", and "No Image". Simply select the layout that you want to use for this product.
    
    
20. Location On Page - This field allows you to specify where the product will be inserted on the category page. Options include inserting the listing alphabetically, at the top, or at the bottom. The default and recommended value is "Add Product Alphabetically By Name". However, if you want the product to be the first product listed in the category, then you should select "Add Product At Top Of Category". Otherwise, if you want the product to be the last product listed in the category, then you should select "Add Product At Bottom Of Category".
    
    
21. Additional HTML (Top) - For Advanced User's Only - This field allows you to specify any additional HTML that you would like added immediately before this product's HTML.
    
    
22. Additional HTML (Bottom) - For Advanced User's Only - This field allows you to specify any additional HTML that you would like added immediately after this product's HTML.

6.6 Edit Product

6.7 Delete Product

6.8 Order Reader

6.9 Affiliate Tracking

• Easy to use forms for adding, editing, and deleting affiliates.
• The ability to configure commissions as a percentage of the total sales or as a flat rate per sale.
• The ability to assign each affiliate a different commission.
• The ability to edit the affiliate log in order to adjust for refunds, cancellations, etc.
• The ability to clear the affiliate log of orders placed before a specified date.
• The ability to generate affiliate reports on a specific affiliate or on all affiliates at once.
• The ability to allow affiliates to login and check their own affiliate report whenever they want.

1. *Unique ID - This field allows you to specify a Unique Tracking Id for the new affiliate. The affiliate will use this ID when linking visitors to your store and will be the means by which orders can be associated with the affiliate. You can enter any single text string (number and letters - no spaces!) for this field. Example values are "A00001" or "REF00234".
   
   
2. *Full Name - This field allows you to specify the full name of the affiliate. You can enter any text for this field.
   
   
3. Company - If the affiliate is associated with a specific company, this field allows you to specify the company's name. You can enter any text for this field.
   
   
4. Address - This field allows to record the mailing address of the affiliate. Simply enter the address as you would like it to appear - using as many lines of text as you want.
   
   
5. Phone - This field allows you to specify the phone number of the affiliate.
   
   
6. Fax - This field allows you to specify the Fax number (if any) of the affiliate.
   
   
7. Email - This field allows you to specify the email address of the affiliate.
   
   
8. URL - This field allows you to specify the URL of the affiliate's website.
   
   
9. *Rate - This field allows you to specify the rate of commission for the affiliate. There are two available ways to setup the rate: either as a percentage of sales or as a flat rate per order. Each of these is described further below:
   
   Percentage Of Sales
   
   The Percentage Of Sales option allows you to give the affiliate commission based on a percentage of the sales that were referred through him/her. To do this, simply add a percent (%) to the value you enter in the "Rate" field. For instance, say you want to reward an affiliate by giving him/her 1.0% of the sales that he/she referred to your store. To do this, simply set the Rate parameter to "1.0%".
   
   Flat Rate Per Order
   
   The Flat Rate Per Order option allows you to give the affiliate commission based on a fixed rate per order that was referred through him/her. To do this, simply specify the amount per order in the "Rate" field. For instance, say you want to reward an affiliate by giving him/her $1.00 per order that resulted from a referral from him/her. To do this, simply set the Rate parameter to "$1.00".
   
   
10. Password - This field allows you to specify a unique password that the affiliate can use to login to check his/her current affiliate report.

6.10 Image Manager

6.11 Purge

6.12 Import

6.13 Regenerate

6.14 Diagnostics

6.15 Goto Store

7. Using The Store

1. Have a clean and professional appearance.
2. Provide an intuitive and easy-to-use interface for the shopper.

7.1 Linking To Your Store

7.2 Navigating The Store

7.3 Searching The Store

7.4 Adding Products To Your Cart

7.5 Viewing Shopping Cart

7.6 Placing Orders

8. Importing Data

1. CATEGORY_NAME - This required field must match one of your pre-existing category names. If the desired category does not exist yet, you must create it before performing the import.
   
   
2. ID - This required field is the ID of the product - as already described in the Add Product section above.
   
   
3. NAME - This required field is the Name of the product - as already described in the Add Product section above.
   
   
4. DESCRIPTION - This field should contain the description of the product. You can have any text here or, if not used, you can leave this field blank or set it to NONE.
   
   
5. SHORT_DESCRIPTION - This field should contain the short description of the product (as it will appear in the shopping cart). You can have any text here or, if not used, you can leave this field blank or set it to NONE.
   
   
6. NOTES - This field should contain any notes for the product as described by the "Notes" field above in the Add Product section. You can have any text here or, if not used, you can leave this field blank or set it to NONE.
   
   
7. KEYWORDS - This field should contain any keywords for the product as described by the "Keywords" field above in the Add Product section. You can have any number of comma-separated keywords here or, if not used, you can leave this field blank or set it to NONE.
   
   
8. WEIGHT - This field corresponds to the weight of the product an can be 0 or greater.
   
   
9. PRICE - This required field corresponds to the price of the product and must be in the format as described in the Add Product section.
   
   
10. TAXABLE - This field corresponds to whether the product is taxable or not. Set this value to YES if the product is taxable. Otherwise, set this value to NO if the product is not taxable.
    
    
11. OPTIONS 1 - This field corresponds to the first option list for the product. The format should be as described in the Add Product section. If you don't want any options for the product, leave this field blank or set it to NONE.
    
    
12. OPTIONS 2 - This field corresponds to the second option list for the product. The format should be as described in the Add Product section. If you don't want any options for the product, leave this field blank or set it to NONE.
    
    
13. OPTIONS 3 - This field corresponds to the third option list for the product. The format should be as described in the Add Product section. If you don't want any options for the product, leave this field blank or set it to NONE.
    
    
14. MIN_QUANTITY - This field corresponds to the minimum quantity of the product as previously described in the Add Product section. Valid values are 1 or greater.
    
    
15. MAX_QUANTITY - This field corresponds to the maximum quantity of the product as previously described in the Add Product section. Valid values are NONE, 1, or greater.
    
    
16. TEXT_COLOR - This field corresponds to the text color of the product listing. Valid values are NONE, SAME, or an RGB color as previously described in the Add Product section.
    
    
17. TEXT_LABEL - This field corresponds to the label of the small text entry box, if any. Valid values are a text label, NONE, or just leave the value blank.
    
    
18. TEXTAREA_LABEL - This field corresponds to the label of the large text entry box, if any. Valid values are a text label, NONE, or just leave the value blank.
    
    
19. IMAGE - This field corresponds to the URL of an image for the product. Leave this field blank or set to NONE if there is no image for the product.
    
    
20. LARGE IMAGE - This field corresponds to the URL of a large image for the product. Leave this field blank or set to NONE if there is no large image for the product.
    
    
21. LAYOUT - This field allows you to specify the layout of the product listing. Set the value to 0 for no image, 1 for image on left, 2 for image on right, or 3 for image on top.
    
    
22. TOP_HTML - This field corresponds to the TOP HTML field as described previously in the Add Product section. Leave this field blank or set to NONE if no additional TOP HTML.
    
    
23. BOTTOM_HTML - This field corresponds to the BOTTOM HTML field as described previously in the Add Product section. Leave this field blank or set to NONE if no additional TOP HTML.

F1|F2|F3|F4|F5|F6|F7|F8|F9|F10|F11|F12|F13|F14|F15|F16|F17|F18|F19|F20|F21|F22|F23
F1|F2|F3|F4|F5|F6|F7|F8|F9|F10|F11|F12|F13|F14|F15|F16|F17|F18|F19|F20|F21|F22|F23
F1|F2|F3|F4|F5|F6|F7|F8|F9|F10|F11|F12|F13|F14|F15|F16|F17|F18|F19|F20|F21|F22|F23
F1|F2|F3|F4|F5|F6|F7|F8|F9|F10|F11|F12|F13|F14|F15|F16|F17|F18|F19|F20|F21|F22|F23
F1|F2|F3|F4|F5|F6|F7|F8|F9|F10|F11|F12|F13|F14|F15|F16|F17|F18|F19|F20|F21|F22|F23
:
:

Dogs|DOG0128|Beagle|Very lovable.|Dog.|2 months old.|dog,friend,run,pet|5|300.00|yes|Male,Female|NONE|NONE|2|NONE|#000000|NONE|NONE|product_image.gif|product_image.gif|||
Dogs|DOG0129|Grey Hound|One word: FAST!|Dog.|2 months old.|dog,friend,run,pet|5|300.00|yes|Male,Female|NONE|NONE|1|NONE|#000000|NONE|NONE|product_image.gif|product_image.gif|||
Cats|CAT0210|House Cat|Good mouse hunter.|Cat.|2 months old.|cat,pet|5|100.00|yes|Male,Female|NONE|NONE|1|NONE|#000000|NONE|NONE|product_image.gif|product_image.gif|||
Birds|BRD0123|Eagle|These birds are have great eyes.|Eagle.|1 year old.|bird, eagle, fly|30|1000.00|yes|Male,Female|NONE|NONE|1|NONE|#000000|NONE|NONE|product_image.gif|product_image.gif|||
Birds|BRD0124|Owl|Who wouldn't want one of these?|Owl.|1 year old.|bird, owl, fly|10|200.00|yes|Male,Female|NONE|NONE|1|NONE|#000000|NONE|NONE|product_image.gif|product_image.gif|||

9. More Information