Ektron 9.00
This section describes how to set up a basic eCommerce website. This walkthrough explains everything you need to set in the web.config
file and the Workarea. It also includes a list of templates needed and how to set up Ektron’s eCommerce server controla server control uses API language to interact with the CMS and Framework UI to display the output. A server control can be dragged and dropped onto a Web form and then modified.s on them.
To create a basic eCommerce site, you need the following templates.
web.config
file
web.config
FileWARNING! Do not change the settings for the default currency or measurement system after the site is live.
In the website’s web.config
file, set the following keys:
This key determines the base currency for your website. The default is 840 (the US Dollar). If needed, change this to the Numeric ISO code for the default currency. A list of currencies and their Numeric ISO codes can be found in the Workarea > Settings > Commerce > Configuration > Currencies section. The ID is the Numeric ISO code.See Also: The Default Currency
For each item sold on your website, you define a height, length, depth, and weight. If English, the units are inches and pounds. If Metric, the units are centimeters and kilograms. This information is used to calculate shipping costs. By default, this is set to English. Change to Metric to use the Metric system. See Also: Configuring Packages
Set this key to “true” when you want your site to be Security Compliant. This means the Workarea will be encrypted in an SSL session and Logging is started.
Decide whether you want to use Ektron’s inventory system or another system.
If you are not using Ektron’s inventory system, create a custom inventory provider and add it to the web.config
file’s InventoryProvider. Ektron’s Inventory Provider feature lets you work with an existing inventory system.
Add the custom provider between the InventoryProvider’s <providers> tags and change the default provider to the name of your custom inventory provider. For example:
<inventoryProvider defaultProvider=”MyCustomInventoryProvider”>
See Also: Customizing the Inventory Provider
NOTE: If you decide to use PayPal instead of one of the default payment options, see Using PayPal with Ektron eCommerce.
If you are not using one of these gateways, create a custom payment provider and add it to the web.config
file’s EktronPaymentGateway. Add the custom provider between the EktronPaymentGateway’s <providers> tags. When added, the option should appear in the Workarea’s Payment Gateway screen.
If you want to override the Workarea settings, change the default provider in the web.config
file from “Automatic” to the name of the desired payment gateway. For example:
<EktronPaymentGateway defaultProvider=”AuthorizeNet”>
See Also: Configuring Payment Options.
If you are not using the default flat rate shipping provider, open the shipment.config file and set the default provider in formation in: <shipmentProvider defaultProvider=”FlatRateShipmentProvider”> to either “FedExShipmentProvider” or “UPSShipmentProvider”. If you are using either of these shipping methods, make sure you fill in the following information in the <providers> tags. This information is provided by FedEx and UPS.
In addition to using these providers, you can add additional providers.
See Also: Configuring eCommerce Shipping Screens
Enabling a country where your website will sell its products:
NOTE: The United States is enabled by default.
To enable countries:
See Also: Configuring Countries
Add and enable regions for each country your eCommerce site will service.
NOTE: All states in the US are enabled by default.
Regions can represent states, provinces, territories, and so on and further define areas of a country. Adding and enabling regions:
To add and enable regions:
Prerequisite
The region’s country is defined in the Countries screen.
See Also: Configuring Regions
If your website is selling products in another country and you want to display prices in its currency, enable it in the Workarea:
NOTE: By default, U.S. dollar, Euro, and Australian dollar are enabled.
web.config
file) is the base reference currency when setting an exchange rate.See Also: Configuring Currencies
Decide which credit cards your eCommerce site will accept.
Credit cards are used during the checkout process, by the Checkout server control, during the submit phase. During this phase, all enabled credit cards appear in a drop-down, which customers use to select their choice.
Add credit card types in the Workarea.
See Also: Configuring Credit Card Types
Email notifications are sent to your customers after their order has been received, canceled, shipped or completed. Ektron provides 4 predefined messages, 1 for each event. For messages to be sent, content notifications must be enabled and the customer must enter a valid email address.
See Also: Configuring eCommerce
If you are collecting taxes for transactions on your eCommerce site, create a Tax Class for each taxable category of products. For example, if your eCommerce site sells alcohol and tobacco, set up a tax class for each type. Ektron provides 4 default tax classes:
Tax classes are applied to Postal, Regional and Country Tax Tables. In those tables, you define a separate rate for each Tax Class.
See Also: Cataloging Entries that Can Be Taxed
When your Tax Classes are set up, set a tax rate for each class in the Postal, Regional, or Country Tax Tables.
Ektron checks these tables in the following order: Postal, Regional, then Country. When it finds a tax, it stops. Therefore, if a postal zone has several taxes (for example, a local tax and a regional tax), build the combined percentage into the postal code tax. So, if New York City has a 4% tax, and New York state has a 3% tax, enter 7% into all Postal Tax Tables within New York City.
While you need to create each Postal Tax Table, Regional and Country Tax Tables are automatically generated when a country or region is added to Ektron. However, no tax rates are defined in these tables.
To create a new Postal Tax Table:
To edit a Region’s or Country’s Tax Table:
See Also: Applying Local Taxes, Configuring Regional Tax Tables, Configuring Country Tax Tables
When you set up a shipping provider, define your customers' shipping options. For example, if you use UPS, define whether to allow Next Day, 2nd Day, 3rd Day, Ground, World Wide Standard, and so on. When enabled, a Shipping Method appears in the Shipping Method phase of the Checkout server control.
See Also: Configuring Shipping Methods
Add a warehouse from which your products will be shipped. This does not have to be the actual shipping address for the products. Ektron uses this information to determine the “from” address when calculating shipping cost.
See Also: Using a Warehouse
Define each package size your shipping department uses to ship your products. Tangible products have size and weight dimensions. Ektron’s shipping calculator uses this information to fit the order into the smallest-sized and fewest packages. It then passes packaging information (number, sizes and weight) to the shipping provider, which returns the order’s shipping costs.
See Also: Configuring Packages
NOTE: The remaining steps in this example are based on selecting a Product for the Product Type Class.
Product types are applied to catalog folders and let you control the way product information is added to a catalog. This is similar to how Smart Forman Ektron-defined Web page that contains XML (hidden from the end user) to display content, and receive, verify, and save user input. configurations, once applied to content folders, affect the way Smart Forms are created. You can apply multiple product types to a catalog.
More Information: Creating Product Types
After clicking Save from the previous step, a content editor appears and lets you enter XML Smart Form information. A user completes this Smart Form when creating a Catalog Entry (Product).
The information appears on a product’s details page on your website.
You might want to create these fields on your smart form.
After you complete the Smart Form, click Save.
See Also: Creating Product Types and Catalogs, Working with Smart Forms
A catalog folder is an Ektron folder designed to hold eCommerce catalog entries (products). This is similar to the way content folders hold HTML or Smart Form content. By assigning a product type to the folder, you can control the way products are added to the catalog.
See Also: Creating a Catalog Folder, Assigning a Catalog Folder’s Product Type
Catalog Entries are products you offer on your eCommerce website. For example, a catalog entry could be a CD, a subscription-based service, or a computer that a customer can customize and the price adjusts accordingly.
To add Cross Sell or Up Sell items associated with this catalog entry, click its Title and then click View > Cross Sell or Up Sell. These items appear in the Recommendation server control when it is associated with this catalog entry.
See Also: Creating a Catalog Entry
Create a master page and add the following items to a header area or left side column.
OnlyAllowMemberLogin
property to True. See Also: Login server control.This template should be the first page a customer sees when arriving at your site. It should have a mechanism that lets customers start shopping. Make sure this page has one of the following:
SourceType
property to Taxonomy and enter a single Taxonomy ID in the SourceId
property.SourceType
property to TaxonomyList and enter a comma-separated list of Taxonomy IDs in the IdList
property.SourceType
property to Catalog and enter a single catalog ID in the SourceId
property. If you want to display sub catalogs for a given ID, set the Recursive
property to True.SourceType
property to CatalogList and enter a comma separated list of catalog IDs in the IdList
property.SourceType
property to IdList and enter a comma-separated list of product IDs in the IdList
property.TemplateProduct
property to the template containing the Product server control.CatalogId
property to the ID of the catalog to search.TemplateCart
property to the template containing the Cart server control.TemplateProduct
property to the template containing the Product server control.See Also: Product Search Server Controls
This page allows a customer views a product’s details. It contains a Product server control and optionally a Recommendation server control.
DynamicParameter
property is set to the parameter name used to pass product IDs to the QueryString.DefaultProductID
property to the ID of a product.TemplateCart
property to the template containing the Cart server control.RecommendationType
property to CrossSell or UpSell.DynamicProductParameter
property is set to the parameter name used to pass product IDs to the QueryString.DefaultProductID
property to the ID of a product.TemplateCart
property to the template containing the Cart server control.TemplateProduct
property to the template containing the Product server control.This page lets customers search for products on your website.
CatalogId
property to the ID of the catalog to search.TemplateCart
property to the template containing the Cart server control.TemplateProduct
property to the template containing the Product
server control. See Also: Product Search Server Controls
This template contains a Cart server control.
TemplateCheckout
property to the template containing the CheckOut server control.TemplateProduct
property to the template containing the Product server control.TemplateShopping
property to the Landing page template or a template containing a ProductList or ProductSearch server control.EnableCoupons
property is set to True.This template contains a Checkout server control.
DefaultCountryID
property to the country you want to be the default selection in the Billing and Shipping address sections.TemplateCart
property to the template containing the Cart server control.TemplateOrderHistory
property to the template containing the OrderList server control.TemplateShopping
property to the landing page template or a template containing a ProductList or ProductSearch server control.IsSSLRequired
property to True.WARNING! You should use SSL Encryption for this page because credit card information is entered into the Checkout server control.
This template contains a MyAccount and an OrderList server control. See Also: MyAccount server control
DefaultCountryID
property to the country you want to be the default selection in the Billing and Shipping address sections.CustomPropertyID
property to the ID or list of comma separated IDs that represent custom properties associated with users. Custom Properties are set up in Ektron’s Workarea > Settings > Configuration > Custom Properties.DynamicOrderParameter
is set to the parameter name used to pass order IDs to the QueryString.DynamicProductParameter
is set to the parameter name used to pass product IDs to the QueryString.