WinSCP is a free FTP program you can use to manage your files on your hosting account. WinSCP gives you the ability to upload, download, and modify files on the server. This guide will show you how to Connect Using FTP and WinSCP. Please remember that if you are on a shared server, you cannot Read More >
Carrie Smaha
Carrie enjoys working on demand generation and product marketing projects that tap into multi-touch campaign design, technical SEO, content marketing, software design, and business operations.
PHP mail() Function Code to Send Emails from a Form
You can use the PHP mail() function to send an email with PHP and the simplest way to do this is to send a text email when a visitor to your website fills out a form. NOTE: Mail() is not available on shared hosting. (Since you’re interested in sending email via PHP, we’re assuming you Read More >
How to Delete a Database in cPanel
Sometimes, you may want to remove a third party piece of software that requires a database. It’s best practice to keep your account free of unused items such as databases. Removing a database is relatively simple using cPanel. In this guide we will show you how to delete a database from your cPanel. Deleting a Read More >
Using a Subdomain to store your images in OpenCart 1.5
NOTE: This article will only work for Opencart versions prior to 1.5.5.1. It does not work for versions 1.5.5.1 or newer. Google Page Speed recommends using a subdomain to store images that are loaded into your OpenCart store. When a web page tries to load images, scripts, and content they load one at a time. Read More >
Using Web Browser Caching in OpenCart 1.5
Basically, all the files your site uses (jpgs, gifs, css, js, etc) need to be able to tell visitors computer how long they should keep them for before checking for a new file. This is called web browser caching. If we don’t specify the browser a “cache time” then it will get a new copy of Read More >
Enabling GZIP compression in OpenCart 1.5
OpenCart comes with the ability to enable GZIP compression. GZIP compression helps your pages load faster by compressing them when they are sent to the web browser to be rendered. When using the Google Page Speed tool, they recommend using compression. GZIP compression can be enabled through your OpenCart dashboard. We do not recommend using Read More >
Is GD Library installed on the server?
GD Library is a program installed on the server that allows programs to manipulate graphics. GD (Graphics Draw) can create images using line, arcs, texts, and multiple colors. GD is extensively used with PHP, so you can manipulate images in your PHP coding. Is GD Library installed? Yes, GD library is already installed on all Read More >
Is Django supported?
Django is a “high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design.” Django is designed to focus on automation allowing the developer to build high-performance elegant Web applications quickly. For more information on Django – please see their official website: https://www.djangoproject.com/ Django can be installed on VPS and Dedicated accounts and does Read More >
Finding out the latest visitors to your website in cPanel
You can see the server logs for the latest visitors to your website in cPanel. This information is routinely rotated by gives you a quick snapshot of the traffic to your website. You can look at the “latest visitors” by logging into cPanel. Log into cPanel Go to the section called “METRICS” and click on Read More >
Removing the Product Count to speed up OpenCart 1.5
If you have a shopping cart built with OpenCart and you have a lot of Products, the product counts could be slowing your website down. Removing the product counts can dramatically increase your page load times, since it will not be querying the database for the information. Here’s how to remove the product counts in Read More >
Working with error reporting in OpenCart 1.5
OpenCart gives you the ability to turn off errors so they are not being displayed on the browser screen. Since you have the option to turn off “Display Errors” you can still log errors to a specific file. Login to your OpenCart Dashboard Go to System > Settings Select your store from the list and Read More >
Enabling Maintenance Mode in OpenCart 1.5
At times, you may find it necessary to work on your OpenCart website, while not allowing customers to access it. OpenCart makes this task, commonly referred to as “Maintenance Mode” easy to accomplish through the dashboard. Log into your OpenCart Dashboard Go to System > Settings Select your store from the list and click “Edit” Read More >
Adding Options to Products in OpenCart
Now that you have set up your global options in the previous tutorial, you can begin to apply them to specific products. That way, your customers can order specific sizes, colors, and versions of your products. Adding options to a product is done through your OpenCart Dashboard. Log into your OpenCart Dashboard Go to Catalog Read More >
Setting up Options in OpenCart
OpenCart gives you the ability to sell different versions of the same product. This can be handy if your product comes in different colors and/or sizes. Options are created globally, that is, you do not need to configure the same options for multiple products. Options are set up in the OpenCart Dashboard. Log into your Read More >
Publishing with Microsoft Expressions Web 4
Microsoft Expressions Web 4 is a program that can help you build a website. You must have Expressions Web 4 installed on your local computer to use it. If you are unfamiliar with Expressions Web 4 please see the Microsoft website for details. Please note that Microsoft Expressions Web 4 is no longer compatible with Read More >
Using a Google Site Map in OpenCart 1.5
OpenCart makes it easy for you to add a Google Site Map to your OpenCart store. You will already need to have a Google Webmaster Tools account set up. If you are unfamiliar with Webmaster Tools, please see our article. To retrieve the URL to your Google site map, you must first log into the Read More >
Approving a Review of a Product in OpenCart 1.5
OpenCart gives you the ability to display reviews of products on the products page for your customers to read. Reviews can be managed in the OpenCart dashboard. To look at your current reviews and approve them you’ll need to log into your OpenCart admin. Log into your OpenCart Dashboard Go to Catalog > Reviews If Read More >
Installing the Pick Up from Store Shipping Method
If you have a brick and mortar location where customers can pick up merchandise ordered online, this is a great shipping method to enable. This shipping method will allow your customers to pick up the merchandise from the store front so they do not have to pay shipping. This shipping method can be configured for Read More >
Setting up Weight Based Shipping
OpenCart allows you to set up weight based shipping options. Remember, this will only work correctly if you have entered in a product weight. The Product weight can be found by opening the product in the OpenCart Dashboard and going to the “Data” tab. Setting up the weight based shipping method is easily accomplished through Read More >
What version of OpenCart am I running?
Sometimes it can be important to know what version of OpenCart you are running. This is the case, especially when installing new extensions as not all extensions are compatible with every version of OpenCart. Finding out what version of OpenCart you are running is quite simple. Visit your OpenCart dashboard in a web browser Look Read More >
