Zen Cart: version V1.2.4.1
Zen Cart™ truly is the art of e-commerce; a free, user-friendly, open source shopping cart system. The software is being developed by group of like-minded shop owners, programmers, designers, and consultants that think e-commerce could be and should be done differently. Some "solutions" seem to be complicated programming exercises instead of responding to users' needs, Zen Cart™ puts the merchant's and shopper's requirements first. Similarly, other programs are nearly impossible to install and use without an IT degree, Zen Cart™ can be installed and set-up by anyone with the most basic computer skills. Others are so expensive ... not Zen Cart™, it's FREE!
Installation Procedure 
Quick Tips
The script can be downloaded from here.
The file that you will download is saved in .zip format; this is a compressed bundle containing the files in the distribution. Unzip this archive in a temporary directory on your computer using decompression software.
Start your FTP software and upload all content to your web server preserving the file structure.
Note: Let's assume you install the contents of the script to /var/www/html/shop/
Access the Zen Cart installation script with your web browser:
http://www.mywebsite.com/shop/zc_install/
Agree to the Terms and Conditions and click Continue.
The following System Inspection Results and File and Folder Permissions check should be as follows. If there are any results that differ from this tutorial, please contact Doteasy Support at http://www.doteasy.com/ContactUs and advise them of the differences. Click Install to continue installation.
Please check the Server Settings and ensure they are as follows. Please note unless you have already purchased and installed a SSL Certificate on your Doteasy account, the Enable SSL options should be set to NO.
For the purpose of this tutorial, we will not be installing phpBB. Please select NO to the phpBB installation and click Save phpBB Settings to continue.
Please complete this section with your store information. After you have completed your store information, click Save Store Settings to continue.
Under the Administrator Information, enter your Administrator Username (to manage the store), Password and Email Address. Click Save Admin Settings to continue.
Congratulations, the installation for Zen Cart is now complete.
For security, you will need to CHMOD your configure.php files located in the /admin/includes/ and /includes/ folders to 444 before allowing people to access your store.
To change file permissions using your FTP client, select the file by clicking on it once on the remote system side and then right-click on the file to bring up the option menu and select CHMOD.
Additionally, you'll want to remove or rename the /zc_install folder so that someone can't re-install your shop again and wipe out your database! Warnings will appear until the folder has been removed or renamed.
You can now click the corresponding links to start exploring and customizing your shopping cart through the admin panel.
How do I get rid of the "Powered by Zen Cart" and replace it with my logo?
There are 2 ways to do this. If you are using an unmodified stock template and have a GIF logo you can name your logo 'logo.gif' and FTP it to the YOUR_TEMPLATE/images/ directory.
If you have made a custom template directory or want to change the logo's image format, go to includes/languages/english/classic/header.php
Make a copy of that file. Edit the image name for your logo and make changes in the "sales message text". Save the file. FTP a new directory (name the directory the same as the template you are using) to includes/languages/english/ and then upload your new header.php to the new directory.
Last update: September 19, 2005
Back to Tutorial Top
