Getting Started

Sometimes with new software its hard to know where to get started. This is a list of the basic operations to get your store up and running as quickly as possible. Please look at each section carefully, thank you.

Firstly, you need to install the system on a web server.

To get your emails working, enter your SMTP details in the settings by accessing "System > Mail Settings".

Firstly, create some categories. Parent, children and infants are supported, so 3 levels.

Once at least one category has been added you can then add products to your store. It is recommended you familiarise yourself with the features on the add product page before attempting any batch import routines.

Shipping options should be set up next if required. Its not required that any shipping options be set. If shipping does apply you should add countries and zones.

Note that various shipping overrides are in place throughout the system.

Payment options and methods should be set up next, depending on which ones you want to enable. Its a good idea to look at the Global Store Settings first via 'Store Settings > Global Store Settings' in your administration area.

Setup for all payment options is detailed in the payment options section.

Once you have completed the above steps, your cart should be ready for a test. If things don`t work as expected, double check the main points above to make sure you followed the instructions correctly.

If something isn`t working correctly, keep a check on the "logs" folder to see if an error log has been created.

Once you are getting familiar with the system, see the 'Templates' section for help on adapting the layout into an existing website or changing colours.

See the SEO Urls section for further assistance.

See the Language & Text section for further assistance.

See the Google Analytics section for further assistance.

There are many other options that can be changed from within the script which may be of some use. Some are mentioned on the FAQ page. This is for advanced users.

See the User Defined Options section for further assistance.

If you are selling downloadable products, make sure your "product-downloads" folder is moved outside of your web root for security. This will prevent them from being accessible on the web and will prevent people from emailing the links to their friends. Note that with the cloud storage solutions and standard email, its virtually impossible to prevent file sharing.

Maian Cart has a cache system to help load pages faster and reduce the database load due to less queries. Common data that is queried with all page loads is cached. Once you are happy the system is working for you, you should enable the cache.

Enable cache in the settings via Settings Menu > Cache Control

If you want to explore the system in more detail, read these docs thoroughly. Direct links to the docs are found on most admin pages via the 'Help' link at the top of the page.