Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

[islandcrazy]

Ok, after 8 hours of searching and trial and error, I surrender. I'm trying to set up my shopping cart/categories in Soho. Please help me:

1. How do I create subcategories in the cart OR subcategories in the pages? (if I can)?

For example:

Page Name on Menu is "Patterns" ....click.....Christmas, Spring, Fall and on each of those, have shopping cart products added to those subpages.

In otherwords, I would like to break the categories up into several sub categories that the customer can click on and then access a new page with those products/cataloged on it....rather than an endless catalog of 100 patterns.

Is this possible with the Soho shopping cart? I have set up the main pages on the menu bar, and the categories for the cart, but I do not want to place all of the products on say, the Patterns page, but rather would like to break them down.

OR is this something I have to do within my pages and then link to cart pages?

Thank you for helping me. I've read the users manual and just can't seem to figure it out or find any threads here on in Soho to help me.

[Vasili]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

BRB....I addressed this somewhere just recently....

[Vasili]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

FOUND IT!

Take a look at this discussion, and see if you can follow what I was trying to describe (albeit quickly) >>
http://www.vodahost.com/vodatalk/soh...t=sub-category
If you would like me to answer you personally, email me here.

There should be more info in the Soho Forum, but I didn't get past the User Manual.....I already know that if not this solution I dreamed up, then I would have to pay a SohoPro to find/write me a script....

[islandcrazy]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

Thank you for your directions, Vasili and for taking the time to answer me. Thanks for giving me your email, too....I just might take you up on your offer of person to person help! I did read that thread, but it didn't really sink in how that would help me. I suppose the concept is the same, but simply put,

I just want to know if I can break the main category (or page) into a couple categories on the menu bar, or on a new page....WAY BACK BEFORE you even choose the product with all of its numbers, etc.

So, what I get from your answer so far is "no, not without customizing the main template".

My guess is that I will just have to make the pages in BV with these subcategries, and the shopping cart in Soho will just have a few pages that I link the other pages too.

Anyone else?

[islandcrazy]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

OK OK! The lightbulb just went off in this tiny little brain of mine........LOL

Reading the SOHO users manualthis morning after a good nights sleep and 3 coffees, i think i finally GET IT...I will write my REVELATIO below to help any other "new = dense" person like me out there...come on, I hope I'm not the only one!!!!

(and experts out there, feel free to correct me if I'm way off...)

Since Soho is TEMPLATE driven, rather than "design your own style" like BV....

1. In Soho, under "site template builder" in the users manual,there are 4-5 main styles of FUNCTIONING templates (not just background designs....these templates control the whole site setup) I can customize for my pages. But the customizing is limited to color, where the text is, where the header is, etc. You can also move the navigation area around, but INSIDE the navigation area (how you set up pages) stays the same.

2. To go outside the peramiters (sp) of this set up (having subpages, etc. like i want to), you must build your own template from scratch using another program and html OR have someone design it for you. If someone designs it for you, you then end up with a TEMPLATE and you still use the same SOHO process to build your pages (as in #1), it just looks the way you want and functions the way you want. If you want to change it outside of that peramiter later, you would have to have a new template built (unless you learn how to do it yourself outside the scope of Soho) Whew!

3. The dilemma.....I want my own "template" that i can change on my own as my store changes...but do not want to do all the html right now (eventually, I will, but don't have time right now). I want to use the Soho cart, however (days of experimenting with other carts brought me to that decision for now)...and will be able to at least match the colors, headers, etc. to my other pages....hmmmm

4. The LightBulb....Blue Voda.!!!!...DUH DUH DUH...and so I am right back where I started....Designing my"template" (custom pages if you will) in BV since BV does the html for me basically....and linking to a Soho cart.....

What a dork!!! You guys have said this over and over, but until I worked through it myself, I just didn't see the Light!!!! I'm really glad, cause trying to smash a square peg in a round hole was really starting to give me a headache!!

Now I'm skipping off to my art desk to draw my graphics for my new bv template! (but don't worry, i will be BACK when it's time to link the monster together! AAHHHHAHAHHAHAAH !! (Evil laugh)

[Vasili]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

I think you have the general "larger" understanding now.....

However, you CAN do what you want to do completely within Soho, with a totally custom look if you opt to get a custom Template made for you (I had one made from scratch for under $75 from Ben at TemplateZapper.com), and for a few dollars more, I am sure they already have a solution-script in hand to deal with the sub-category issue! I am however, still working on a suitable script to alter the shipping setup.
Having a totally custom look was my main concern, and using the numbering scheme I outlined above was actually better "logistics" overall when managing my business and having associates understand it also......

[Mike @ NAN]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

Vodahost should just write this feature into the cart. Its pretty lame that you can't have sub categories.

[Karen Mac]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

Mike and Nan..

Vodahost doesnt own soho launch...and you can build outer pages with all the sub pages youd like and categorize them however youd like to display them.

I think its pretty lame you post and dont have a clue what you are yapping about.

Karen

[Karen Mac]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

I think you have the general "larger" understanding now.....

However, you CAN do what you want to do completely within Soho, with a totally custom look if you opt to get a custom Template made for you (I had one made from scratch for under $75 from Ben at TemplateZapper.com), and for a few dollars more, I am sure they already have a solution-script in hand to deal with the sub-category issue! I am however, still working on a suitable script to alter the shipping setup.
Having a totally custom look was my main concern, and using the numbering scheme I outlined above was actually better "logistics" overall when managing my business and having associates understand it also......

Vasili

Check the addon site.. there are now several NEW addons for the shipping issues.

Karen

[Mike @ NAN]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

Mike and Nan..

Vodahost doesnt own soho launch...and you can build outer pages with all the sub pages youd like and categorize them however youd like to display them.

I think its pretty lame you post and dont have a clue what you are yapping about.

Karen

All I'm saying is that it should be easier to create submenus, like it is in any other cart software.

Can you be more specific about your solution? For example, how can we make this work more like the Zen Cart menu system?

Thanks.

[Karen Mac]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

Where do u want the sub menus to appear? In the CART section youre right, you dont have sub categories, but you can build pages, with subpages outside the cart and drag and drop the shopping/product straight to the page.

Go look at grannys country nook... even when they get to the cart, both menus appear, left and right, so they can browse by either method. Not only that, the outer pages get indexed better and land more visitors than inside the cart as thats generally linked out of the sitemap or robots text files as its within your admin area. Specifically, click the Christmas links.. as i think i probably have the most subs there.. You can also addon a flyout menu there if you'd like so the subs flyout before you click there.

If you think Zen Cart is so great then use it. But soho is by far one of the EASIEST carts to work with and i bet ive become pretty adept in about 12 of them. Zen and OSC being the least of my picks as they are assbackwards to everything else in the admin area.

Karen

[Mike @ NAN]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

Yes, I meant the CART system. I guess I wasn't clear about that before. I'll check out granny's and everything you're talking about.

I agree, Soho is easy to use. I just wish the cart was a little more powerful, especially when it comes to shipping and submenus. Other than that I've been very impressed with it.

[Karen Mac]

Re: Sub Categories/ pages in Soho

If you go visit the addon site, they now have numerous addons for shipping. Additionally they have now bought out kickass templates and theres tons of NEW templates. Most people dont browse in your cart area anyway unless thats the only way you give them to browse. You also have to alter your robots text to allow the SE in there anyway, and by default it keeps them OUT of the admin area... So build some OUTER pages for your products with all the subs you want like the home page with individual meta and keywords and h1 tags and intro text just as if it were a landing page. You also have FRIENDLIER SE pages this way without the extended dynamic URLS that are present in zen and osc.

There is also a flyout menu option on the addon sites. The more you know the more powerful soho becomes. You can even drag and drop SEARCH buttons instead of a product on any OUTER page you want!

Karen