Missing Category / Cart Navigation? - [solved]

[ChasL001]

Please forgive a VM newbie but I've just installed it for the first time.

Using Joomla 3.7.1 and VM 3.2.2

I nearly gave up with it as I kept getting errors about missing directories but creating them manually got me to this point.

I have created several product categories and added a couple of products, one being a test file for checking the cart operations.

My shop is at: http://chas-large.co.uk/work-fun/my-used-bit-s-n-pieces

The problem I am encountering is the lack of navigation buttons I am ASSUMING should be displayed.

If I go to a Product category, there is no 'Back to shop' type button, some easy way to get back to the shop page. I have the menu to get me there from the home page so can go back but I would have assumed there would be a back or up button.

Secondly, If I add a product to the cart and then click the X on the 'Product has been added to the cart' pop-up there is no CART button to view the cart. Again I have created a menu item to show it.

If you click the 'Product Details' button from beneath the product in a category, there IS a 'BACK TO ... ' button shown which takes you back to the category so some navigation is appearing.

My question therefore is; should VM provide a default button somewhere to display the Cart or To go Back to the Shop from a category? If so, how do I get them to show.

I have searched the forum for this issue but didn't find an answer for this version of VM.

Regards

Chas.

[jenkinhill]

You appear not to have set Joomla menu links to VirtueMart Categories etc and you do not appear to have published any VM modules. Also your Joomla template/css is affecting the display of the VM component.
eg https://docs.virtuemart.net/tutorials/administration-configuration-vm-2/201-set-up-your-shop-part-2.html

You can set up a demo store to see how things can be set up. On a test server or localhost install VirtueMart3.2.2_Joomla_3.7.0-Stable-Full_Package.zip  (Joomla+VirtueMart with test product data set up and configured in a simple Beez3 template.  You can get the package from http://dev.virtuemart.net/projects/virtuemart/files

[GJC Web Design]

did u install the VM AIO package? all modules will be there if u did.

[ChasL001]

You appear not to have set Joomla menu links to VirtueMart Categories etc and you do not appear to have published any VM modules. Also your Joomla template/css is affecting the display of the VM component.
eg https://docs.virtuemart.net/tutorials/administration-configuration-vm-2/201-set-up-your-shop-part-2.html

Thanks for the response jenkinhill.

I set a menu (sub menu item) to take a visitor to the page where I have the items for sale. It's a menu item for 'virtuemart >> category layout' as the FRONT PAGE menu item is now deprecated (so why it's still there is questionable) so I used the suggested Category Layout (see attached). Clicking this works to take the visitor to the page.

In Extensions > Manage, ALL Virtuemart items are published.

In Modules, the only two VM modules not published are Featured Products and Currency Selectors as I don't use Featured Products and only sell in UKP. However, publishing both of these makes no difference, no extra buttons appear.

The tutorial was somewhat useful but out of date. I did read it before setting up the shop.

You can set up a demo store to see how things can be set up. On a test server or localhost install VirtueMart3.2.2_Joomla_3.7.0-Stable-Full_Package.zip  (Joomla+VirtueMart with test product data set up and configured in a simple Beez3 template.  You can get the package from http://dev.virtuemart.net/projects/virtuemart/files

Appreciate that, will most likely try this on WAMPP.

[ChasL001]

did u install the VM AIO package? all modules will be there if u did.

Yes, the AIO part of the zip file was installed as per the instructions, though I have not found any guide to using it. Is there a tutorial?

[jenkinhill]

the AIO part of the zip file was installed as per the instructions, though I have not found any guide to using it. Is there a tutorial?

The aio "component" is an All In One package to install the VirtueMart modules and plugins, not a component in its own right.

[ChasL001]

the AIO part of the zip file was installed as per the instructions, though I have not found any guide to using it. Is there a tutorial?

The aio "component" is an All In One package to install the VirtueMart modules and plugins, not a component in its own right.

Ah right. Thanks. The documentation about that part is not clear.


I've added my own menu now so visitors can navigate the shop but I'm still unclear what should be shown by default when using Category layout. It's just odd that buttons appear in some parts of the shop - like when viewing a product - not not elsewhere. Still I'll make it work.

[ChasL001]

You can set up a demo store to see how things can be set up. On a test server or localhost install VirtueMart3.2.2_Joomla_3.7.0-Stable-Full_Package.zip  (Joomla+VirtueMart with test product data set up and configured in a simple Beez3 template.  You can get the package from http://dev.virtuemart.net/projects/virtuemart/files

Thanks for that advice Jenkinhill, it all becomes clear when when you set up the dummy shop. The expected buttons are in Modules and because my template didn't have the default 'Position-4' Module location, they didn't appear. Setting them to match the template and it all works as expected now. Thanks again.


Can you mark this topic RESOLVED please?  [Mod: you already did]