Changing the Template VirtueMart Uses

[hungree]

Hello,

I am working on a site: sensusstyle.com

I have integrated virtuemart into the site and have had no trouble setting it up, the problem is that I want the Virtuemart page, the one which displays all the items (store in my menu), to have the mainbody table with wider width than I've used for all the other pages. SO, I created a template with a wider table around the mainbody php uploaded and looked to assign to that page BUT there is no page to select in the template assign part. Where do I choose which template Virtuemart utilizes??? I thought perhaps I would just make the one I needed for Virtuemart the default and assign the original one to the other areas of the site but Virtuemart seems to have stayed with the template which is assigned to the homepage or something. Not sure. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Pinc]

First install JoomlaExplorer to ease your navigation into the internal pages. Then go and copy a file and convert to the way you like OR create a whole new file and name it something special, then set it to be used. You may also find it easier to go in and just modify an original VirtueMart file and then just set it as the the default. If you do this remember you have lost the original VirtueMart file should you want to use it in the future. Hope this helps. 

[ZenAmateur]

Virtuemart uses the templates specified in the configuration section - Components > Virtuemart > Admin > Configuration > Site - the field marked FLYPAGE sets the defaults for which product display page to use. The field below that sets the default browse template for the categories, and individual templates can be set for the template used in the Category display (the list format for products in a category). You set that in  - Components > Virtuemart > Admin > Products > List Categories or New Category. When you click on the Category name you get a Category Information window, and at the bottom of the window you can see the Category Browse Page field where you set the value for the name of the template you want to use for that particular category. You also get the same window when you first create a new category or sub-category. The template files belong in the same folder as the other templates - Category templates go in administrator/com_virtuemart/html/templates/browse and flypage templates in administrator/com_virtuemart/html/templates/product_details.

Controlling specifics of the display for fonts and background colors is in the .css of your site template, and in the shop.css in the Virtuemart installation files.

Hope this helps!

[Nutopian9]

Hi folks, I realize this is a subject that long been laid to rest, but I must stir it up from its dusty depths.

I am using my my store on my joomla 1.5 site for all of my products which are unrelated, really, to the site that is being run on joomla.
It is because i love the virtuemart and want to use it to sell goods from my other sites, but i would like to change the main joomla template (the header, the main menu links etc.) to more closely represent the other sites that i am referring customers from.
i don't mind the virtuemart templates staying the same, where the products are displayed, categories, etc... so i don't think the above advice relates to what i am trying to do.

i need to change the overall look of the joomla site just where virtuemart is concerned.

any help is appreciated.

[ZenAmateur]

If your sites have different layouts then you are going to have a bit of a problem creating a brand continuity for the Joomla site hosting Virtuemart if you want to link from other sites. An alternative is to create a fixed width template that contains NO header, footer, etc. and just the left, right, and content positions, and then create a page with a frame in your other sites and imbed the Virtuemart content from your Joomla site in the frame, that way you can use the same Virtuemart install in multiple sites.

Hope this helps.

[Nutopian9]

ZenAmateur,

Thanks for the ideas.
That sounds good.
My other domains that I am sending to the main root site, are hosted under subdomains.
Can I still use the same Virtuemart install in those multiple sites?

Creating a fixed width template with no header, footer, etc. and just the left, right and content positions also sounds good - how would you suggest I do that?

thanks again.

[ZenAmateur]

Nutopian,
Perhaps I wasn't clear. If you have several sites feeding to one shopping cart containing the same items sold throughout the other sites, then you can configure one installation of Joomla with Virtuemart installed, and just imbed the one Virtuemart installation in all of the subdomains using the frame method to place the one shopping cart in all of your feeder sites.

As to creating the template, you can use something like Artisteer to make your template, it will allow you to build a site without the traditional header/footer setup and just allow for your Virtuemart installation and the menus for the component to be shown. Alternatively, you can just take a template and delete the portions that contain the header and footer, and remove elements until you have what you want, I used to do template modifications that way.

[vivedesigns]

Hi, i would like my virtue mart categories to be displayed on the left and not the right any ideas on how to change? This topic seems similar. Thanks

[ZenAmateur]

Vivedesigns,
You can set up a menu that has your Virtuemart links and then assign the placement of the menu by first creating a menu by going to the Module Manager and clicking on New. This will allow you to create a new Menu Module, and then in the Details section set the Position to Left and save it. Then go to the Menu > New Virtuemart Menu and create the links for those menu items.

As long as your template has the left position defined, you can place the menu there. This way you can have a menu on the right or top for regular navigation and one on the left for your store links.