This post could become long, but I hope I can learn from you hard-core developers out there because I'm starting a business on a shoestring and simply can't afford to hire a designer. I've published my very early draft to:

http://medsupps.coffeecup.com/

As you can see, I'm building a site with VSD, but I bought the 29-app mega-pack because I knew I would need a variety of those programs just to get out of the gate and to grow if the business takes off. I have registered the domain at godaddy, but am publishing the draft on my free S-drive at this point. One of my obvious questions is, can I use all the mega pack tools to conduct e-commerce fully within my godaddy hosting account, or do I need a paid S-drive account for some reason?

I'd like the storefront page to really 'feel' just like the rest of the site, but I'm not sure how to accomplish that. I've pulled up the programs' instructions prior to creating this post but the integration of multiple products is still somewhat confusing to me.

Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer.

-bean

You can host your site and shop anywhere you like. As far as making a VSD site and a shopping site appear seamless you'll want to find a theme that is available for each program. A theme's not required so if you want to do it all on your own then start with the shop first then make the VSD site look like the shop. There's plenty of users in this forum that can steer you in the right direction and I bet they will be posting right under me.

or on top of you,, last first

I seem to be the only one who does this in reverse, matching SCCP to what you have already done should be fairly easy with SCDP

Little tip though the email link will will produce lots of automated spam mail once you get good ranking, its a good idea to make it either a button with button text and create a link from that , to click on, or use a form

dont know anything about godaddy but theres lots of other options if you need help.

Now i have my head in my pc not at my workshop bench, try this as an easy VSD technique

Add a page to your VSD website called template, and give it a white solid object as a background using the object tool (big square filled white)

Then copy all elements from your homepage, holding down shift key (POSSIBLY NOT BUTTONS see end of comment)

Go back to new page and paste it infront.

Next preview in browser, personally i use forefox

right click and do save as, I put in a folder inside my website folder called templates

If you have something like photoshop, or possibly CC web image studio (might do it) select the whole image, make three copies and slice ( crop )one to make the header, another the central body, another as the footer. (name each one suitably)

Then save each one for web (image studio does this)

With SCDP you can now import these as the backgrounds for header :: body :: footer using blank template from SCCP

This should now match your homepages EXCEPT the buttons for categories etc. may be a little different

However as Rolly explained better to do the reverse, or shop first homepages next, BUT as you have started you could apply the above but with no category buttons from your homepages , see what looks best in SCCP and then change your home page buttons to match.

I can see how that would work, Viv! I started out using a pro template in SCCP unfortunately, so I may need to punt the work I've done, fire up SCDP first, and get my template prettied up BEFORE I shoot it over to SCCP.

Thanks for the help!

You should have some fun with this

Have you spotted that when you are in SCCP, if you select themes, and select the theme you saved in designer, theres a edit icon, tiny pencil that opens up that theme in designer for you to re edit and re save.

Then there's this work around that would open up a whole bunch of possibilities.
www.coffeecup.com/forums/shopping-cart- … y-to-add/?

My sitemapper saga thread.

But yes, Bean, Eric made that really easy for this non-coder to actually build a page in the HTML editor.

I think you should write an article (for CC's database of articles) Eric, or at least a guide in a post in the Tips & Tricks, so all my muckups are taken out for it to be easier to follow.

And I like your idea of your site Bean. Nice, clean & simple.

Good Idea. I'll work on it and post it in my test shop.