AbleCommerce has a variety of ways that you can modify your store. You can alter the theme, change display pages, and even modify the content of your pages. Most style modifications can be handled from the web based administration. More complex customization can be implemented through custom ASP.NET controls.
One of the first steps in customizing your store is to choose a theme that suites your tastes. To complete this step, it helps to use have two browser windows (or tabs) open – one window should be accessing your merchant administration and one window should be viewing your store.
To adjust the theme, go to your merchant administration. From the menu, choose Website > Themes and Display Pages. On the page that appears, you will find this option:
AbleCommmerce comes with several predefined themes to get you started. Use the drop down list to select from one of these installed themes. Then click the ”r;Save Changes” button at the bottom of the page to make your choice the active theme.
Now check your store page, either by using another browser window or by clicking the ”r;Store” icon in the header. You will see the chosen theme is active. You can change your theme again at any time. An example of the home page using each of our predefined themes is found in Appendix A.
If you decide that none of the predefined themes are to your liking, you can install additional themes or even create your own. Instructions for additional themes are given later in this document.
Once you have selected your theme, you will want to customize the logo. Check the home page of your store. In all themes except for AbleCommerce, you will see text that says ”r;Your Logo Here”. This is where your logo image will be placed. In the AbleCommerce theme, your logo would replace the AbleCommerce logo.
To update the logo, go to your merchant administration. From the menu, choose Website > Logo and Images. At the top of the page you will see this:
The current logo in use is shown, along with a file upload form. To change the logo, click the ”r;Browse” button to locate the new logo file on your computer. Then click the ”r;Upload” button to send your logo to the server. The current logo will be replaced with the new one you provide.
Now you can view your store home page and see how the custom logo looks. Adjust and re-upload the logo until you have it the way you want.
When customers view categories in your store, you have some control over how the page looks by changing the display page. You may prefer a browse type interface, where the customer drills down to more specific categories to locate an item. Or perhaps you want a category page that is more like a search. You can change the category display page for the whole store or for a specific category.
From the merchant administration, choose Website -> Themes and Display Pages. You will see the field as shown below:
You have several different options for the category page:
Category Grid: All products in the category (and any subcategories) are displayed in a grid. Customers can drill down to more specific categories to further filter the products, sort the products, or page through the results if there are too many products to display on one page.
Category Grid 2: Products, webpages, and links directly in the category are displayed in a grid. Customers can drill down to more specific categories, sort the items, or page through the results if there are too many items to display on one page.
Note: This page differs from Category Grid in that it can show webpages and links, but does not show products that are in subcategories of the category being viewed. The customer must drill down to the subcategory in order to see the products it contains.
Category Grid with Basket Options: This display page is the same as Category Grid, except that it includes a field where the customer can enter a quantity for an item. Then all selected items can be added to the basket at once.
Note: Items that are kits or have selectable options must be viewed to be added to the basket.
Category List: This display page is the same as Category Grid 2, except that instead of displaying items in a grid they are displayed in a simple list. It also does not display thumbnail images associated with catalog items.
Category Search: This display page turns your category pages into a search interface. All items in the category (and any subcategories) are displayed. Customers can narrow in on specific products by category, manufacturer, or keyword. They can also sort and page through the results.
Examples of how each page looks can be found in Appendix B. Choose the display page that provides the features and navigation you want to offer your customers, then save the changes. Then you can navigate to a category in your store to verify that this is the display page you want to use. Details on how to create additional display pages is covered later in this guide.