How to install ExtCart Shopping Cart |
- General
- What should I know prior to the installation?
- Installation - Step 1
- Installation - Step 2
- Installation - Step 3
- Installation - Step 4
- Installation - Step 5
- Installation - Step 6
General
ExtCart installation process is easy and will take a few minutes only. Before you proceed with the installation, please read this document. It will ensure a fast and hassle-free installation of ExtCart. We also recommend you to see our on-line Flash video that describes the installation procedure.
Installation Procedure - Flash Video (400KB ).
If you have any problem, our technical support staff are readily available to provide assistance. You may also send your questions regarding the installation procedure to support@ext-cart.com.
What should I know prior to the installation?
The ExtCart installation process is divided into several steps. At some steps you will be prompted to enter certain details. These details are mandatory for the proper operation of ExtCart Shopping Software.
Before you proceed with the installation process, make sure that you know the following details that are available from your Internet service provider or system administrator.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| FTP login and password | FTP login and password allow you to copy ExtCart files onto the server in order to start the installation process. E.g. login="john", password="secret". |
| Database server | Hostname or IP-address of the database server. E.g. "localhost" |
| Username | The username used to connect to the database server. E.g. "john" |
| Password | Database password The password is used together with the username, which forms the database user account. E.g. "secret". |
| Database Name | The database used to hold the data. E.g. "store". |
| Webserver address | The full website address to the online store. E.g. "http://www.your_site.com/store/" |
| Location of the ExtCart installation | The directory where ExtCart is installed on the server. E.g. "/usr/local/apache/htdocs/store" |
| Secure webserver address (optional) | The full website address to the online store on the secure server. E.g. "https://www.your_site.com/store/" |
Let's assume that URL of your hosting space where you want to install ExtCart is http://www.your_site.com/store/. Instead of www.your_site.com please use your actual domain name. "store" is the directory where the ExtCart files will be installed. You may use another directory name, but you should install ExtCart into a separate directory (in this case it is "store") to make subsequent maintenance of your online store easier.
Once having downloaded the archive from the downloads page, follow these steps to get the online shop running:
- Extract the files from within the package
unzip extcart.2.0.zip
use your favourite graphical application to extract the files, such as WinZip (http://www.winzip.com)
- This creates a directory called 'extcart'. Enter this
directory and copy the content of the directory to the
webroot path of your webserver:
cd extcart
cp -R * /usr/local/apache/htdocs/store/For this example, '/usr/local/apache/htdocs/store/' is used as the webroot path of the Apache webserver.
- Using your favourite browser, go to the following address:
http://www.your_site.com/store/installer/
and follow the instructions on the screen.
| URL | Description |
|---|---|
| http://www.your_site.com/store/installer/ | This is the URL to launch ExtCart Software installation. Installation is necessary when you set up ExtCart on your hosting provider's server. |
| http://www.your_site.com/store/admin/ | This is the URL to access the ExtCart Admin Area. In
the Admin Area you may browse and modify all system
settings. Admin Area is password-protected. By default,
after installation you should use:
Login: admin@localhostNote: After installation you must go to the Admin Area and change administrator login and password. |
| http://www.your_site.com/store/ | This is the Client Area of ExtCart Shopping Cart |
Installation - Step 1
Please type in your browser http://www.your_site.com/store/installer/ (enter your actual domain name insted of www.your_site.com); the following page should open in your browser window:
Click on the Install image to continue the installation process.
Installation - Step 2
Next page will look as follows:
This page provides two options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Import Catalog Database | Checking this box will import the database structure, required data, and some sample data (required for first time installations) |
| Automatic Configuration | Checking this box will save all entered data during the installation procedure to the appropriate configuration files on the server |
Installation - Step 3
At this step you need to enter data required for access to MySQL database.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Database server | Hostname or IP-address of the database server. E.g. "localhost" |
| Username | The username used to connect to the database server. E.g. "john" |
| Password | Database password The password is used together with the username, which forms the database user account. E.g. "secret" |
| Database Name | The database used to hold the data. E.g. "store" |
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Persistent Connections | Persistent connections may improve the performance of
dedicated servers that experience high loads. Persistent connections should not be enabled for installations on shared hosting servers as it will usually degrade the performance instead of improving it. |
| Session Storage | The session data ExtCart uses on a per customer basis
can either be stored in the database or on the web
server as files. It is recommended for shared hosting servers to use database session storage due to security related issues. File based session storage improves performance but is only recommended for dedicated servers. |
When you click the 'Continue' button, ExtCart installer will try to connect to the database.
If an error occurs, you will see a window that might look as follows:
This window will display the error message and troubleshooting instructions.
If the system successfully connects to the database using the specified parameters, an information window will open:
When you click the 'Continue' button, the system will start importing data into the database.
After all necessary data has been imported into the ExtCart database, the system will display another information window:
Click the 'Continue' button to go to the Web settings.
Installation - Step 4
At this step, you need to enter details required for the proper operation of the webserver.
The WWW address is the full address to the ExtCart installation
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| WWW Address | The full website address to the online store. E.g. "http://www.your_site.com/store/" |
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable SSL Connections | Enable secure SSL/HTTPS connections (requires a secure certificate installed on the web server) |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Path to files | The directory where ExtCart is installed on the server. E.g. "/usr/local/apache/htdocs/store/" |
| Webserver DocumentRoot Directory | The DocumentRoot directory server configuration parameter. E.g. "/usr/local/apache/htdocs/" |
| HTTP Cookie Domain | The domain to store cookies in. E.g. "www.your_site.com" |
| HTTP Cookie Path | The path to store cookies under. E.g. "/store/in" |
If you have selected the 'Enable SSL Connections' option, the system will open a window for setting up the parameters of a secure-connection server:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Secure WWW Address | The full website address to the online store on the secure server. E.g. "https://www.your_site.com/store/" |
| Secure Cookie Domain | The secure domain to store cookies in. E.g. "www.your_site.com" |
| Secure Cookie Path | The secure path to store cookies under. "/store/in" |
Installation - Step 5
At this step you may change the setting of the database connection, for instance, if you used the administrator account when importing data at a previous step. (See step 3)
Installation - Step 6
At this step additional checks will be made, e.g. whether all
necessary ExtCart folders are in place:
/html_catalog/
/admin/_cache/
/admin/backups/
If an error occurs, you will see a window that might look as follows:
Please follow the troubleshooting instructions:
If the error message says that a certain folder does not exist, please create it.
If the error message says that folder <folder_name> is not writable, you can correct this using one of the following methods:
- Set its attribute W (in file manager using ftp or ssh protocols to get access to the files).
- Do the same from the command line. For instance, the
majority of UNIX shells have chmod command.
To make folder <folder_name> writable, run the following command:#chmod 766 <folder_name>
To make the folder unwritable, run the following command:
#chmod 744 <folder_name>
To make file <file_name> writable, run the following command:
#chmod 666 <file_name>
When the ExtCart installation is complete, you will see the following information window:
If you have any problem, our technical support staff are readily available to provide assistance. You may also send your questions regarding the installation procedure to support@ext-cart.com.