X-Cart:FAQs

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Contents

Installation, configuration and basic usage

Where do I download X-Cart?

Click here to download the latest release of X-Cart Gold/X-Cart Pro. More files are available in File area section of your Qualiteam account. Files are supplied in .tgz or .zip archives.

How can I unpack X-Cart distribution archive in Windows?

If you run Microsoft Windows, you can use WinZip (or WinRAR) tool to extract the files.

  1. If you don't have WinZIP archiver, download it from http://www.winzip.com
  2. Launch WinZIP and open X-Cart distributive package
  3. Click on the Extract button and specify your web server root directory.

See X-Cart:Installation page for help on installation.

How to choose a hosting for my store?

Please study the Choosing hosting provider article. Anyway the hosting must comply with X-Cart:Server Requirements (latest X-Cart version).

How do I know which version of X-Cart I use?

You can find out the version of your x-cart installation using one of the following links: 

http://[your_site_URL]/[xcart_dir]/VERSION
http://[your_site_URL]/[xcart_dir]/include/version.php

or on the 'Summary' page in the X-Cart backend.

What is Installation error report?

The report indicates that X-Cart installation may not be completed because the web-server is not configured to run X-Cart software. In most cases, you should contact the hosting support to request to change the server settings.

The report has two sections: REPORT - contains information on the errors that may or may not hinder in the installation procedure, PHP INFO - information on the PHP configuration.

You should pay attention to the first paragraph. Note what errors are reported there, critical (CRITICAL ERRORS) or noncritical (NONCRITICAL ERRORS:).

An example of the installation error report: 

REPORT:
----------------------------------------------------------
X-Cart version: Version 4.1.10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report time: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:56:23 -0400
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HTTP_REFERER: https://[store_URL]/[xcart_web_dir]/install.php
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CRITICAL ERRORS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- MySQL database support is disabled. MySQL PHP extension must be enabled for correct operation of X-Cart application. [CHECK RESULT: Disabled]

There are CRITICAL ERRORS: MySQL application is not installed on the web-server
For now it is not possible to complete the installation until the problem is rectified.
You should contact the hosting support to request help with MySQL setup.

NONCRITICAL ERRORS do not stop the installation and you can complete it.
However, it is recommended to fix the errors too in order to avoid any possible problems in your future store.

Feel free to contact our support team for an advise.

How to change x-cart web-directory after installation is done?

1. Rename the current x-cart directory. Or if you want your cart to be shown in the root, i.e. www.example.com/home.php, you should move the x-cart files to the root folder on the server.

Note: Make sure you make backup copies of the existing files in the root folder if their names coincide with the names of the files being moved from the /xcart directory (for example, index.html), because they will be replaced when you move the files.

2. Update /config.php file (it is located in the root x-cart folder). You should alter this variable 

$xcart_web_dir ="/[dir]";

where [dir] is the current x-cart folder. If you just changed the name of the folder, you should insert the new name in [dir].

If you moved the files to the root, change the string thus 

$xcart_web_dir ="";
Note: For versions 4.0.x and lower. If the x-cart images are stored in the file system, you should move them to the database before changing the directory. Images storage location is defined in the admin back end, "Images Location" page.

How do I move my images to the file system?

X-Cart 4.0or above

First, you should export images to /files directory of X-Cart. X-Cart requires three images' folders: for icons, for thumbnails and for detailed images. You should create individual directories inside /files for each type of images and indicate corresponding paths on the 'Images location' page in the admin zone. During import of images to file system, X-Cart will overwrite images files names to appropriate ones. For ex., "home/public_html/xcart/files/thumbnails" will be a path to thumbnails images.

Thus, to import images to the file system you should follow the following steps:

1. Create three folders inside /files dir: for ex., "icons", "thumbnails" and "detailed_images"

2. Set 777 permissions on these folders (chmod 777 [folder_name])

3. Go to 'Images location' page in the admin back end and type in the paths to the images such as 

/home/public_html/xcart/files/icons
/home/public_html/xcart/files/thumbnails
/home/public_html/xcart/files/detailed_images

4. Choose to store images in 'file system' and click 'submit'.

What is Auth code and where can I find it?

X-Cart 4.4or above

For security reasons, we have added Auth code, an additional authentication variable, which the installation script now has to handle. When the script detects that an X-cart is already installed on the host, it does not allow to proceed with the installation until you enter a valid Auth code.

You can find your Auth code in the [xcart_dir]/config.php file: 

/**
* Put installation access code here
* A person who does not know the auth code can not access the install.php installations script
*/
$installation_auth_code = '';

The Auth code is also displayed on the 'Summary' page of the Admin area.

You can modify your auth_code at your discretion by editing the [xcart_dir]/config.php file:

How to change storefront skin after the installation is done ?

  1. Run the installation script, i.e. open http://[your_store]/[xcart_dir]/install.php in your browser;
  2. Enter the Auth code, you will find it in the include/install.php file and also in the X-Cart admin zone -> on the "Summary" page;
  3. Choose 're-install skin' and click 'next'. You will be offered to select a desired color scheme, layout and dingbats set. Choose a skin you like.
  4. Complete the re-installation and check how your store looks now.

How to replace logo shown on storefront?

Logo can be changed by altering the following IMG tag located in the '/skin/common_files/customer/head.tpl' template (if using default skin): 

<IMG src="{$ImagesDir}/xlogo.gif" width="244" height="67" border="0">

Remember to change width and height values with the appropriate ones. For more details please refer to Replacing X-Cart's Logo

Logo shown on invoices can be changed by altering the following IMG tag located in the '/skin/common_files/mail/html/order_invoice.tpl' template: 

IMG src="{$ImagesDir}/companyname_small.gif" border="0"

You should upload the appropriate image to /skin/common_files/images' directory.

How to replace logo shown on invoices?

X-Cart 4.4or above

You should replace the logo image in the file '/skin/common_files/images/companyname_small.gif'.

Alternatively, you can edit the path to the X-Cart Invoice logo file in the template '/skin/common_files/mail/html/order_invoice.tpl'.

To do this, find this code: 

<img src="{$ImagesDir}/companyname_small.gif" border="0" >

and replace it with this: 

<img src="{$ImagesDir}/new_companyname_small.gif" border="0">

where new_companyname_small.gif is the name of the new logo file.

You should have the new logo file uploaded to the '/skin/common_files/images' directory prior to editing the code. Once you have done that, you can edit the image tag the way you need (change file name, adjust image width, image height, etc).

Note: In the older versions, the corresponding logo image file and template file are '/skin1/images/companyname_small.gif' and '/skin/common_files/mail/html/order_invoice.tpl', and the new logo file should be uploaded to the '/skin1/images' directory.

How to set company name?

Refer to X-Cart:Company Options#Company details

Your company name can be set in 'lbl_site_title' language variable.

  1. Log in to the admin area
  2. Go to the "Languages" section
  3. Select a language in the "Edit language" selectbox.
  4. Select a topic: Labels. ("text" for :txt_, "Errors" for err_)
  5. Find the 'lbl_site_title' variable and edit its value in the memo. Alternatively you can just leave the field blank. In this case the company name will be the same as it is in the copyright notice.
  6. Click the "Apply changes" button.
Note: The company name which appears in Copyright field, in the invoices, etc. does not correspond with the company name on the main page of your store and in the navigation bar above. Actually what you're setting via lbl_site_title' variable is your site's title, which can differ from your company name. You can have any text here. That is why setting of your real company name and this site title are carried out separately. Moreover it helps to make a multilingual company name.

Concerning the company name in the e-mail invoices, it is set via your Admin zone->Administration tab->General settings->Company options->Company name field.

How to change my site title appearing in the admin back-end?

  1. Go to the "Languages" section.
  2. Select a language in the "Edit language" select box.
  3. Find the 'txt_site_title' language variable and edit its value in the memo.
  4. Click the Update all button.

How to change my site title appearing in the customer front-end?

1. Generally the way to build any page title of any store page is specified in the "General settings -> SEO -> Page title format".

2. If any value is specified in the "Default site 'Title' tag" field in the "General settings -> SEO" section, this value is used as a page title for all the store pages. Note, the "Page title format" option is ignored in this case.

3. If any value is specified in the "Title tag" field for any of the Product, Category, Manufacturer and Static (embedded) pages, it is used as a page title for this specific page only, and the "Default site 'Title' tag" option is overridden.

Note: Product and Category pages can inherit the value of the "Title tag" from their parent categories, if the "Use the META data and title tag of this category for all the subcategories and products contained in this category" option is enabled for the parent categories.

How can I customize the look of X-Cart storefront?

Refer to the X-Cart:Customizing storefront page.

How do you add a new configuration setting to X-Cart?

Just insert a record for your new configuration setting into the xcart_config table. You may find a lot of examples of SQL queries for this in the xcart-dir/sql/xcart_data.sql file. The new setting will be managed automatically by X-Cart on the General settings page.

Example: 

INSERT INTO xcart_config VALUES (
'new_setting',
'New setting description',
'setting value',
'Appearance',
1000,
'numeric',
'setting default value',
'',
'uintz'
);

Then you can use the new configuration setting in the template as 

{$config.Appearance.new_option}

My store says "This is a demo store powered by the X-Cart". Does this mean I am using demo version?

This is a standard welcome message which can be easily modified. If you open the '<xcart_dir>/skin/common_files/customer/main/welcome.tpl' template, you will see following statement there: 

{$lng.txt_welcome}

When a customer visits your site, the {$lng.txt_welcome} statement is substituted with content of the 'txt_welcome' language variable, i.e. "This is a demo store...".

How to modify the 'txt_welcome' language variable:

  1. Log in to the admin area
  2. Go to the "Languages" section
  3. Select a language in the "Edit language" selectbox.
  4. Select a topic: Text. (‘text’ for :txt_, ‘Errors’ for err_)
  5. Enter 'txt_welcome' in the 'Apply Filter' field to find the variable and edit its value in the memo field.
  6. Click the Update all button.

Also, if you start the "Webmaster mode", you will be able to edit language variables in an easier way: all you will need is to click the text and edit it. Refer to the manual to learn more about the ‘Webmaster mode’ feature.

How to alter default name titles "Mr.","Mrs.","Ms."?

In X-Cart v4.1.x and later this can be done using 'Administration'-> 'Titles' section in admin back-end.

In previous X-Cart versions, you have to edit '/config.php' file altering the following string:

$name_titles = array("Mr.","Mrs.","Ms.");

How to remove "Powered by X-Cart: shopping cart software" text?

Edit skin/common_files/main/prnotice.tpl template.

How can I obtain a USPS account?

Visit the site http://www.uspswebtools.com and register for USPS Web Tools (click on the ‘Sign up for USPS Web Toos’ link and fill in the registration form). You will receive an e-mail with Username and Password. Follow the instructions provided there. Get in touch with Internet Customer Care Center and ask to switch on your profile to allow you to access the Production Server and to provide you with the production URL (Only the URL without ShippingAPI.dll file, i.e. "production.shippingapis.com").

Enter this URL, username and password into the appropriate fields in the USPS account details subsection of the ‘Shipping options’ page (accessible via ‘General settings’ in the admin area).

How to choose a payment processing service?

The guidelines are available in the Choosing payment gateway article.

How to setup UK shipping and taxes

When you are installing X-Cart by running the installation wizard script, you should select option "United Kingdom" in dropdown "Configuration settings". After the installation is completed, UK-specific configuration will be imported into your store database.

To setup UK shipping and tax on a working X-Cart, you can apply an SQL patch from xcart_web_dir/sql folder - xcart_conf_UK.sql file. Download this file to your machine and install it via the X-Cart admin zone, "Patch/Upgrade" section, "Apply SQL patch" form.

The SQL configuration patches were added in v4.0.x. If you are using one of the earlier versions of this branch and do not find the patch, you can extract it from the fresh distributive of v4.0.x.

Note: The patch does not work on v3.x.x

If you need add specific UK shipping methods you can create them manually. Go to the admin backend, "Management" menu, 'Shipping methods' page and add new methods in the "Defined shipping methods" section.

Does X-Cart support recurring billing?

Beginning from version 4.4.0 X-Cart comes without X-Cart:Subscriptions module (due to limitations caused by PCI-DSS standard). To allow recurring transactions you should use an appropriate service offered by the payment gateway or by 3rd-party providers.

How to setup X-Cart in PCI-DSS compliant manner?

Please find guidelines at X-Cart:PCI-DSS.

What is "background" payment gateway?

"Background" payment gateways provide so-called "Direct (or inline) Integration" solution - this is the integration method of choice for Merchants who wish to keep their customers on their branded site and not interject a third party to handle the secure processing portion of a transaction. This method requires the Merchant to have their own SSL certificate.

Here are some "background" payment gateways supported in X-Cart: PayPal Website Payments Pro (Direct Payment), Authorize.net AIM, CyberSource (SOAP toolkit API), Sage Pay Direct and many more.

What is "web-based" payment gateway?

"Web-based" payment gateways provide so-called "Hosted Payment Form" solution - this is the integration method in which the payment gateway hosts a co-branded secure payment form on behalf of the Merchant. This method is generally only used by Merchants who are using a shopping cart that does not support the direct integration method. This method does not require the Merchant to have their own SSL certificate.

Here are some "web-based" payment gateways supported in X-Cart: Paypal Express Checkout, Google Checkout, WorldPay, 2Checkout, Authorize.net SIM, CyberSource (Hosted Order Page), Sage Pay Form and many more.

Are there translations available for X-Cart?

Yes, you could find some at:

Where do I edit my "About our site", "Terms & Conditions", "Privacy statement" pages?

The pages in question are embedded static pages.

The content of these pages can be edited on the 'Static pages' page in your X-Cart admin area, for example: 

http://www.example.com/xcart/admin/pages.php

For more detailed information about "Static pages" feature please refer to the Static Pages section.

How do I force my X-Cart to move zero total orders to "processed" instead of "queued"?

If the order total is zero, the order is processed off-line, and its status is set to "Queued". The store administrator is supposed to review and process such orders manually. This is how default X-Cart works.

However, if you want such orders to be processed automatically, you should modify the script "<xcart_dir>/payment/payment_offline.php", add the following code: 

if ($cart["total_cost"] == 0)
func_change_order_status($orderids, "P");

before this one: 

$_orderids = func_get_urlencoded_orderids ($orderids);

As result of the modification, all zero total orders will be automatically processed by the system.

How do I set up my X-Cart to support UTF-8?

X-Cart out of the box does not support UTF-8 character encoding. However, you can alter your X-Cart to support UTF-8.

 !!!IMPORTANT!!! Create a backup of your X-Cart database before implementing the changes suggested below!
Note: You should complete the steps below BEFORE you start adding data in UTF-8 character encoding, otherwise you will have to re-enter or convert all the previously added data to UTF-8.

1) Convert all X-Cart tables to UTF-8. To do this you need to implement the following MySQL query: 

ALTER TABLE %xcart-table% CONVERT TO CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_general_ci;

where %xcart-table% should be replaced with the name of the table from the X-Cart database. You need to implement this query for all of the X-Cart tables. The list of the tables can be found by execution of the following query: 

SHOW TABLES;

2) Set your X-Cart database's collation to UTF-8. To do this you need to implement the following MySQL query: 

ALTER DATABASE %xcart_database% COLLATE utf8_general_ci;

where %xcart_database% should be replaced with the name of your store database.

3) Modify include/func/func.db.php file - find the following lines: 

}

return $sql_connection;
}

and replace with these ones: 

} else {
mysql_query("SET NAMES 'utf8'");
}

return $sql_connection;
}

4) Finally, you can set UTF-8 as charset for your languages in the Edit languages section of the admin area (Administration -> Languages), and start adding data in UTF-8.

ADDON: You can use the File:Convert database 2 utf8.php.txt to convert all X-Cart tables to UTF-8 (step 1):

1. Download the File:Convert database 2 utf8.php.txt, save the downloaded file as 'convert_database_2_utf8.php'.

2. Upload convert_database_2_utf8.php to <xcart_dir>/admin folder.

3. Log in to your X-Cart admin back-end.

4. Run the script in your browser:

http://yourwebsite.com/xcart_dir/admin/convert_database_2_utf8.php

Is there a way for an image to be opened in a new window when looking at product details?

Go to "Settings -> Modules" on the Administration menu, click on the "Configure" link by the "Detailed Product Images" item, and adjust the option "Display detailed product images" to have detailed images opened in a pop-up window.

Read about this module and how to configure it in our on-line manual:

Is it possible to import negative quantities using built-in "update inventory" function?

A small custom modification is required. Find this line of code in "<xcart_dir>/provider/inv_update.php": 

$columns[1] = abs(intval($columns[1]));

and change it to: 

// $columns[1] = abs(intval($columns[1]));

I changed SKU for my product, but the old SKU still shows up. What is wrong?

Check if your product has "variants".

The base product SKU (the one specified on the "Product details" page) always differs from the SKU values for variants. Generally, the SKU values for variants represent the slightly modified SKU of the base product.

If you search for such a product, it will show the SKU of the default product variant, not the base product SKU. Make sure you change SKU values for variants, not the base product SKU.

See also:

Licensing

What is the one-license-one-store rule ?

This means that you are permitted to use one instance (a single installation) of the X-Cart software on one web server and one website only; in the event You intend to use the Software or any part thereof on more than one website, the license for each such multiple use must be obtained.

Examples explaining the one-license-one-store rule:

  1. If your store is accessible from multiple domains but the content is the same for each link, this is OK and does not require multiple licenses.
  2. If your store is accessible from multiple domains but each domain shows a different storefront skin style, this is OK and does not require multiple licenses.
  3. If your multiple stores are located at sub-domains or in sub-directories of the same domain, the license for each store is required.
  4. If your store is accessible from multiple domains and your store is customized to show/hide/alter certain part of content based on the domain, the license for each domain is required. In this situation the stores appear to have separate content thereby making them separate stores in the eyes of the license agreement. The content needs to be the same for each domain in order to qualify as a single store.

How to transfer the license to another party?

X-Cart License agreement allows you to transfer your license to another party. Read how to submit a request to transfer your license.

How to obtain an additional license?

You can purchase an additional license in Buy products/services section of your X-Cart Account:

- click on a necessary product link (X-Cart Gold/X-Cart Pro/LiteCommerce 2.1) - choose add-ons/services, that may be ordered in addition; - click "Continue" button and follow the ordering dialogue.

My store was moved to another domain. Is there anything that I must do pertaining to licensing?

You should change the license URL in your X-Cart Account.

  • go to 'My licenses' section;
  • click 'Change URL' link located next to the license;
  • you will be redirected to the "Change license URL" tab: enter the new license URL in the corresponding field there and tick "I understand that I have to remove the software from old_url within 48 hours after the license is reissued" checkbox;
  • hit 'Change URL' button.

When the records are updated you will be notified by a message (in one business day maximum).

Upgrading

How to upgrade my store?

Common instructions on the upgrading process can be found at X-Cart:Upgrading page.

What is patch?

Diff file (or a patch) is a file 'describing' changes which needs to be applied to the file. In UNIX world diff files are a standard way to apply changes/fixes to a program source code. There is a special program called 'patch' which reads diff files and applies the changes to the source code. In everyday use diff files are frequently called 'patches' which may sometimes cause confusion.

How to install patches?

IMPORTANT! It is recommended to make a backup copy of all PHP scripts, templates and create a database dump before applying any patches. Please install patches ONLY if you absolutely understand what you are doing.

We suggest three methods for patch installation.

1) Automatic installation via X-Cart admin

  1. Save the text of the patch as a file.
  2. Log in to the admin area and go to the 'Patch/Upgrade' section.
  3. In section 'Apply patch', select your file by clicking on 'Browse' button. Click 'Apply'.

For more details please refer to Applying Patches via X-Cart Admin area.

2) Running 'patch' command

  1. Save the text of your patch to a file (e.g. patch.diff).
  2. Copy this file (patch.diff) to the directory where X-Cart is installed.
  3. Issue the command 'patch -c < patch.diff' to check the patch applicability.
  4. If there are no errors during the check-up, apply the patch by issuing the command 'patch < patch.diff'.

You can read more about 'patch' command in the manual (man patch, info patch).

If a patch application failed in the first two ways (this may be caused by redundant spaces or conversion problems) you can try to apply the patch manually, as described below.

3) Incorporate the changes manually right in the source code

If you cannot apply the patch in these ways it means the file that needs to be patched has been modified or this file is from another version of X-Cart and cannot be patched by this patch. Ask technical support to help you.

There are upgrade patches in my file area, what are they for and how can I use them?

Starting with v3.2.0 a special upgrade engine, allowing upgrading to a newer version, was implemented in X-Cart. Detailed instructions on how to perform upgrades come in the upgrade packages in UPGRADE.readme files.

Upgrade patches are a set of files which describe differences in code between old and new versions. All the changes are represented in standard diff format (UNIX unified diff format). Diff files contains structured data indicating what pieces of code are to be added/replaced/deleted: a sample of old code and a new code to insert instead. You will find more information about diff file at http://www.gnu.org/manual/diffutils-2.8/html_chapter/diff_toc.html

The main advantage of this approach is that diff patch technique allows upgrading even customized versions of X-Cart: X-Cart upgrade engine follows the list of files from the file file.lst and tries to patch them. Then database upgrade is fulfilled. If the code is not changed the upgrade will be successfully completed. However, since X-cart is highly customizable product most of X-cart users are certain to modify its code and templates to meet their needs. Here might come difficulties. If a piece of the code to be patched was customized (altered), the patch engine won't patch it and the upgrade script may fail. You will be notified about it by the system. So if you have ever changed X-Cart code you should be prepared to resolve the conflicts manually.

X-cart patch engine creates a log file that reflects a progress of the patching process - templates_c/upgrade/patch.log. The failed hunks are stored in reject files filename.ext.rej. Using this information you can figure out what parts of code haven't been patched in order to patch them manually afterwards.

For more information on the upgrade procedure and the instructions, refer to the manual included into the upgrade archive.

Why I'm getting checksum errors during upgrade?

Firstly, if you use WinZip to extract files from the upgrade/distribution kit, you need to change the default configuration in the following way: Click Options, Configuration, select the Miscellaneous tab and remove the tick from 'TAR file smart CR/LF conversion'. After that unpack the files from the archive once again and re-upload the files to your server.

Secondly, when you use FTP for uploading text files on the server it may alter your files (if it's in 'ASCII'/'Text' mode). It replaces the line-break symbols that are different for Unix and Windows systems whereas all the other text is left the same. These changes are not visible, but X-Cart checks files checksum and the values appear different from the expected ones. In order to solve the problem you should set your FTP client in the 'Binary' mode and re-upload the upgrade package files on the server.

Is it possible to upgrade from LC 2.2 to X-Cart 4.3 or 4.4? How do I do that?

You can upgrade LC 2.2 to X-Cart 4.4.3 using a special data transfer utility. Most data will be transferred, specifically:

  • Categories
  • Extra Fields
  • Memberships
  • Products
  • Featured products
  • Customer Profiles
  • Customer Orders

However, some data cannot be transferred during the transfer. In this case you can export the LC db data using phpMyAdmin, and then import that db data into X-Cart using the Import Tool.

All files you need are in your File area.

  • lc2xc-import-4.3.2.tgz
  • lc2xc-import-4.4.3.tgz

Here are the steps:

  1. Install X-Cart 4.3.2 or 4.4.3 using x-cart-4.3.2gold.tgz or x-cart-4.4.3gold.tgz;
  2. Download LiteCommerce to X-Cart Data Transfer Utility corresponding to the X-Cart version chosen;
  3. Extract the files from the archive downloaded;
  4. Copy the lc_import.php script to the directory where your X-Cart is installed and run it in a browser. All the instructions on using this script will be displayed in the browser window.

Should you require assistance on upgrading your LC 2.2 store to X-Cart 4.3 or 4.4, feel free to contact our support team via your personal Helpdesk area.

Basic usage

How to edit multiple products at once?

You may want to use 'Search-and-modify' feature: - open 'modify product' page; - check 'Select-and-modify' check-box and make a search for products; - in the 'product details' section, tick boxes near necessary settings, change the values and save.

As a result the change will be applied to all the found products at once.

How to turn off display of featured products list?

You should modify the '/customer/main/welcome.tpl' file. Comment out this part of the code: 

{include file="customer/main/featured.tpl" f_products=$f_products}

i.e. change it to 

{* include file="customer/main/featured.tpl" f_products=$f_products *}

This will hide the 'Featured products' section.

How to work with 'webmaster mode'?

Webmaster mode allows you to edit templates within the admin interface. You may edit language variables (denoted as "$lng.XXX" in templates) by changing those values in WYSIWYG mode.

1) Before entering the webmaster mode, close any template windows & label windows. Enter your admin zone, go to the 'Administration' menu, 'Webmaster mode' page. Click on 'Start webmaster mode' button.

2) The additional "templates" window will appear. It displays the list of templates composing a current page. You can call the template editor from this window by clicking a template.

3) Go to the page you want to change. To define the right template, look at the browser status line (at the page bottom). When the mouse is pointing at some text, this status line indicates the corresponding template and label.

4) To change a label, click on it. If the label is under a hyperlink, move the mouse over it and press "e" (Edit) on the keyboard. The label dialog will appear.

5) After you set a new label content you can

(a) preview the site with the changed label,
(b) save the text in the database, and
(c) copy the label name into the clipboard (IE only).

6) The webmaster mode is based on sessions: it applies only to the computer it has been set up on. I.e., when the 'Webmaster mode' is launched, it isn't displayed at the customer's end and doesn't affect the store performance. The changes will show up only after the admin clicks on 'save' button.

7) To quit the webmaster mode, go to admin zone, to the 'Administration' menu, 'Webmaster mode' page. Click on "Quit webmaster mode" button.

Note: Note:Webmaster mode will not work with compiled templates.

For additional information about Webmaster mode please refer to this article.

How to mark up all our product prices at once?

You can use the below SQL query to mark up all the product prices, let's say 20%: 

UPDATE xcart_pricing SET price=price*1.2;

The query can be applied on "Patch/Upgrade" page in X-Cart admin back-end:

http://help.qtmsoft.com/index.php?title=X-Cart:Applying_Patches#Applying_SQL_Patches

After the patch is applied, please force (re)generation of cache files and quick tables via the 'Summary/Tools' section of your store's Admin area.

Note: It is recommended to back up your X-Cart database before applying SQL patches.

Where now?

I want to share my X-Cart experience with other people. How can I do that?

We welcome any kind of feedback (positive or negative) about our product as valuable information that can help us to improve it.

We welcome you to share your X-Cart experience with other people on the following web-sites:

Please answer the following questions in your review of X-Cart:

  • What was your 1st impression of X-Cart?
  • What was your impression of X-Cart after you passed the learning curve?
  • Is it making your life/profession easier or harder somehow?
  • What do you value most about X-Cart?
  • What do you dislike most about X-Cart?
  • If your web-site is live now can you say that X-Cart helps you to increase your sales?

I'm experiencing problems. Where can I find a solution?

  • try to search this website for the solution.
  • try to search QT bugtracker for the solution.
  • see the section below for information on how to contact Qualiteam engineers and other knowledgeable users.

I've found a bug or have a feature request. Where do I post it?

If possible please search the database prior to posting, to avoid creating duplicate entries.

See also:

I have a question not answered here. Where do I ask for help?

Troubleshooting

My admin account is locked/suspended. How do I unlock it?

When your account is locked/suspended, you will get the following error message when trying to log in: 

Your account is temporarily disabled. Please contact the store administrator for details.

To unlock your admin account apply the following SQL query to your X-Cart database: 

UPDATE xcart_customers SET status='Y', invalid_login_attempts=0 WHERE login='master';

where 'master' is your admin account login or email.

The above SQL query can be applied either using phpMyAdmin (provided by your hosting company), or using "Patch/Upgrade" utility available in the X-Cart admin back-end.

If you find it difficult to do it yourself - feel free to contact our support team for assistance via your personal Helpdesk.

Additionally, in order to prevent your admin account from being locked/suspended, please review the following PCI DSS compliance options in your X-Cart store back-end, and adjust them if necessary:

  • Number of failed login attempts after which a user account must be suspended;
  • Lockout duration in minutes (Leave empty if you do not want to automatically re-enable automatically suspended users;
  • Number of days of inactivity after which an administrator account must be suspended (Set to 0 or leave empty if you do not wish to suspend unused administrator accounts).

See also:

How do I change or reset my admin password? (I have lost it)

1. If you can log in to your X-Cart admin area using another account, please do so and reset/modify the other admin password as needed.

2. If you cannot remember your admin password, there's still hope.

The first thing you can try is to click on the "Forgot password?" link on the admin area home page; for example:

http://www.example.com/xcart/admin/home.php

or just go straight to the Password Recovery page; for example:

http://www.example.com/xcart/admin/help.php?section=Password_Recovery

NOTE: "http://www.example.com/xcart/" should be replaced with the your actual X-Cart store's URL, for example http://xcart-demo.qtmsoft.com/demo/admin/home.php

Enter the admin username and email address and then submit the form. Your account information will be emailed to you shortly.

3. If for some reason that doesn't work either, you can create a temporary admin account for the purpose of logging in.

Open your phpMyAdmin (provided by your hosting company), then click the "SQL" tab and run this query:

X-Cart Gold edition 

DELETE FROM xcart_customers WHERE login = 'mytempadminlogin';
INSERT INTO xcart_customers (login, password, usertype)
VALUES ('mytempadminlogin', 'mytempadminpass', 'P');

X-Cart Pro edition 

DELETE FROM xcart_customers WHERE login = 'mytempadminlogin';
INSERT INTO xcart_customers (login, password, usertype)
VALUES ('mytempadminlogin', 'mytempadminpass', 'A');

If you use emails as login in your X-Cart store, specify your email address instead of 'mytempadminlogin' in the queries, for example:

X-Cart Gold edition 

DELETE FROM xcart_customers WHERE login = 'myemail@address.com';
INSERT INTO xcart_customers (login, password, usertype)
VALUES ('myemail@address.com', 'mytempadminpass', 'P');

X-Cart Pro edition 

DELETE FROM xcart_customers WHERE login = 'myemail@address.com';
INSERT INTO xcart_customers (login, password, usertype)
VALUES ('myemail@address.com', 'mytempadminpass', 'A');

You should now be able to log in using these credentials:

  • Username: mytempadminlogin (or myemail@address.com)
  • Password: mytempadminpass

Once you have logged in, make sure to delete this temporary admin account and reset/modify the other admin password as needed.

If you find it difficult to do it yourself - feel free to contact our support team for assistance via your personal Helpdesk.

Should I re-generate the blowfish encryption key?

The respective message in your X-Cart Admin area only advises you to re-generate the key. This is not a mandatory, yet a highly recommended operation, just as changing the login and password that you use for accessing your X-Cart Admin area, FTP, SSH, etc., which you are recommended to change every once in a while. Here is how to re-generate your blowfish encryption key.

I am not receiving emails from my X-Cart store. How do I fix that?

Some spam prevention filters may block an email message if the domain part of the email address in the From header does not match the domain the message was sent from.

Generally, when a customer uses the "Contact us", "Send to a friend" and "Ask a question about this product" forms, the customer's email address (for example customer@gmail.com) is placed in the 'From' header of the message being sent. The same happens when a customer submits an order at your X-Cart based store and cart sends the order notification emails to the Orders department email address.

In the above cases, the domain part of the email address in the 'From' header does not match your website's domain name (for example, yourwebsitedomain.com), so the email message may be blocked by the spam filters.

To solve the problem, try enabling the 'Company "From" email' option.

Additionally, you can try setting up SMTP options, so that all the emails that originate at your store would be sent through the SMTP server.

See also:

How do I test whether emails are actually sent from my website?

1. Download the File:Test mail.php.txt, save the downloaded file as 'test_mail.php'.

2. Upload test_mail.php to your web server's document root.

3. Send a test email message by following this URL:

http://yourwebsite.com/test_mail.php?from=sender@mail.com&to=recepient@mail.com

where:

  • sender@mail.com - the email address your test email should be sent from
  • recepient@mail.com - the email address your test email should be sent to

4. You can also use an additional 'mode' parameter in the test script URL; for example:

http://yourwebsite.com/test_mail.php?from=sender@mail.com&to=recepient@mail.com&mode=simple
http://yourwebsite.com/test_mail.php?from=sender@mail.com&to=recepient@mail.com&mode=fkey

where:

  • mode=simple - when specified, the test message will be sent without any additional headers (like From, Reply-To and X-Mailer)
  • mode=fkey - when specified, the test message will be sent with the '-fsender@mail.com' additional parameter
  • if the 'mode' parameter is not specified, the test message will be sent with additional headers (From, Reply-To and X-Mailer).

See also: mail() function.

I use HTTPS in the admin area and keep getting the non-secure objects on the screen warning. Why is that?

X-Cart uses a free Google Maps API which can be accessed only over a non-secure (HTTP) connection. Thus, if you are viewing the order page in the admin back over a secure (HTTPS) connection, the browser may pop up a warning about non-secure objects on the screen.

Google Maps API HTTP services is available over a secure (HTTPS) connection to Google Maps API Premier customers.

For more info please refer to Google's FAQ:

http://code.google.com/intl/en/apis/maps/faq.html#ssl

Possible solution: disable the warning message in the browser:

http://wiki.imacros.net/Disable_Secure_and_NonSecure_Items_Warning_Message

I am getting "Fatal error: Out of memory..." error on my X-Cart pages. How do I resolve this issue?

Firstly, make sure the 'memory_limit' setting in your php.ini configuration file meets the X-Cart Server Requirements. The required value for X-Cart 4.4 is 32M or higher. Try to increase the memory limit until the error disappears.

Secondly, check if there is a memory limit defined in your Apache configuration. Try to increase the memory limit until the error disappears.

Feel free to contact your hosting provider to make the necessary changes, or contact our support team for assistance.

X-Cart 4.0or above

Payflow Pro is not working, getting "The certificate chain did not validate, no local certificate found" error at checkout. How do I resolve this issue?

You are probably running X-Cart 4.0.x (or older) which includes an outdated integration of PayFlow Pro. That integration use Payflow Pro client (pfpro) and the VeriSign/RSA root key bundled in legacy Payflow Pro SDKs to process a transaction.

On January 4, 2010, that Payflow Pro SDK expired permanently. Payflow Pro integrations that use outdated version of the SDK are no longer able to validate against the Payflow Pro server certificates. That is why you are getting "The certificate chain did not validate, no local certificate found" error.

For more information about the Payflow Pro integrations update please refer to:

Newer versions of X-Cart 4.1-4.3 support a newer PayFlow Pro integration that uses XMLPay API. The newer PayFlow Pro integration significantly differs from the older one. In other words, it's a completely new integration.

No more updates are available for the outdated 4.0.x (and older) branches, unfortunately.

That is why we can offer you the following solutions:

  1. Upgrade your cart to a newer version. Upgrade scripts/packages are available for free.
  2. Re-implement the PayFlow Pro integration on your current X-Cart 4.0.x (or older) store to support the XMLPay API. This can be done within the bounds of the Custom Development service.

You can also download the newer version of X-Cart (for example, 4.3.2 or 4.4.3), take the newer PayFlow Pro integration's files from the software distribution, and transfer/adopt the newer integration to your current 4.0.x (or older) version by yourself, or hire third-party developers to do the work.

Why do I get a security warning on my secure page?

Why do I get a "This page contains both secure and nonsecure items." (using IE7) or "Do you want to view only the webpage content that was delivered securely?" (using IE8) error?

Error from IE7:

Securitywarning.jpg

Error from IE8:

Securitywarningie8.jpg

To find the cause of the error, if using IE7 click "Yes" and if using IE8 click "No".

Once the page loads, view the source (Right Click, View Source).

Search for http: (include the : )

Any reference to http: in a HREF tag can be ignored, as that is just a link.

However, you will likely find the http: reference in an IMG SRC tag, or when trying to include a javascript file, or a hit tracker, etc. These http: references should be changed to https: to correct the error.

Here is a sample of http: being used in the IMG SRC tag incorrectly, for a secure page: 

<img border="0" src="http://your_ssl_url.com/images/logo.gif">

That would need changed to a secure URL like: 

<img border="0" src="https://your_ssl_url.com/images/logo.gif">

Alternatively, it can be changed to an absolute URL like: 

<img border="0" src="images/logo.gif">

In any case, make sure your image is available via the secure (https://) URL.

Alternatively, you'd need to modify the URL used to request the images/scripts to change the protocol depending on what protocol the main page is being served with.

NOTES:
  • If you must fetch images or javascript files from a third party server, you'll only be able to solve this issue if that third party also provides HTTPS on their server, otherwise you cannot get rid of the message - it's there intentionally in IE to provide a legitimate security warning. You can't override it.
  • In some cases, changing the http: reference in a SCRIPT SRC tag to the https: one will not help to get rid of the security warning. It may happen when the included javascript file adds another http: references to your secure page. You can check this by examining your page using Firebug. In that case, you should contact the author of that javascript file, and ask them to modify their script to change the protocol of all the references being added by the script depending on what protocol the main page is being served with.

Feel free to contact our support team should you require assistance in resolving the security warning issue.

How do I solve errors like "Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 16777216 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 737280 bytes)..."?

You should contact your hosting provider or web-server administrator, and ask them to increase the "memory_limit" setting in php.ini. The required value is 32M or more, the recommended value is 64M or more.

If changing of your web-server's settings is not possible, or this does not help, please request our support team for assistance in your personal Helpdesk area.

See also:

The provider on some products is showing as blank (). How do I assign these products to another provider?

1) First of all, you need to know the ID of the provider which the products should be assigned to. To do it:

- Login to the admin zone of your store; - Find the target admin's profile ("Users" section); - Proceed to the profile details page ("Modify administrator profile" section).

Notice the URL that appears in the address bar of your web browser, it would look something like that:

https://www.example.com/xcart/admin/user_modify.php?user=2&usertype=P&page=1

In the above example URL, the provider ID is 2 (it is located right after the substring "user=").

2) Apply the following SQL query: 

UPDATE xcart_products LEFT JOIN xcart_customers ON xcart_products.provider = xcart_customers.id SET provider = '2' WHERE login IS NULL;

where '2' is the ID of the provider which the products should be assigned to.

To apply the SQL query, use either phpMyAdmin provided by your hosting, or "Patch/Upgrade" utility available in the X-Cart admin back-end.

How do I export users with passwords decrypted?

Modify <xcart_dir>/include/import_users.php file, add this line: 

$row['password'] = text_decrypt($row['password']);

right after these lines: 

// Get data

$row = func_query_first("SELECT $sql_tbl[customers].*, m.membership FROM $sql_tbl[customers] LEFT JOIN $sql_tbl[memberships] as m ON m.membershipid = $sql_tbl[customers].membershipid WHERE $sql_tbl[customers].id = '$id'");

if (empty($row)) {
continue;
}

Google Checkout can not communcate with my X-Cart store. How do I solve this problem?

Please refer to X-Cart:Google Checkout. Troubleshooting.

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