OpenCart 4: User manual to create full fledge ecommerce store

Opencart is a powerful, user-friendly open-source e-commerce framework that allows businesses to create and manage their online stores with ease. It provides a comprehensive suite of features designed to streamline the process of selling products and services online. OpenCart’s flexibility, coupled with its robust set of tools, makes it an excellent choice for small and large businesses. OpenCart 4 introduces several enhancements and new features to improve usability, performance, and security. The OpenCart ecosystem includes a vibrant community of developers, designers, and store owners contributing to the platform’s continuous improvement. Additionally, the OpenCart marketplace provides a plethora of themes, extensions, and modules to enhance your online store’s functionality and aesthetics.

Unlock the Potential of OpenCart 4: Domain registration, installation, servers setup, emails, administration, promotion, tracking, APIs, SEO, security, cloudflare, OCMOD, events, and many more

Who can use OpenCart?

OpenCart is suitable for many users, including:

• Small to Medium-Sized Businesses: Ideal for businesses looking for a cost-effective yet powerful e-commerce solution.
• Developers and Designers: Offers a flexible platform that can be extensively customized to meet client needs.
• E-Commerce Entrepreneurs: Perfect for individuals launching a new online store due to its user-friendly setup and management.

From the user’s perspective

• Creating eCommerce websites
• Launch store simply and faster
• Save investment cost
• Opencart is lightweight
• Handle easier: ideal for end-users to control their Opencart stores
• Catch up with eCommerce trends.
• Creating Advanced eCommerce websites
• Easy learning curve, Large Community, and Support
• Customize the presentation layer or front end
• Flexibility, Customization, and Extend the functionality
• Open Source, Cost-Effective, and many more.

Key Features of OpenCart

1. Overview
   • Founded in 2008 by Daniel Kerr
   • Written in PHP, uses MySQL for database management
   • Free to download and use under the GNU General Public License
2. Key Features
   • Multi-Store Capability: Manage multiple stores from a single admin interface.
   • Extensive Extensions Library: Enhance your store’s functionality with thousands of available extensions.
   • SEO-Friendly: Optimize your store for search engines with built-in SEO tools.
   • User Management: Control access to various store parts with user permissions.
   • Customizable Themes: Personalize your store’s appearance with customizable themes.
   • Multi-Language and Multi-Currency Support: Cater to a global audience by offering multiple languages and currencies.
   • Comprehensive Reporting: Gain insights into your store’s performance with detailed reports and analytics.
   • Besides basic features, multi-language, multi-store, multi-layout, fully customizable, and many more with OCMOD or VqMod virtual file modification with XML and also includes an unlimited module instance system and uses popular foundations like bootstrap, font awesome, and flex slider for rapid development.
   • User-friendly admin panel
   • Multi-store functionality
   • Wide range of payment gateways
   • Shipping method integrations
   • Product reviews and ratings
   • SEO-friendly URLs
   • Multi-currency support
   • Multi-language support
   • Customizable themes
   • Extensive reporting tools
3. Extension Marketplace
   • Thousands of extensions available
   • Both free and paid options
   • Extends functionality for marketing, shipping, payment, reporting, etc.
4. Themes
   • Customizable responsive themes
   • Both free and premium options available
   • Easy to modify using the built-in theme editor
5. Security
   • Regular security updates
   • Built-in security features like SSL support
   • Password encryption
6. Community and Support
   • Active community forum
   • Extensive documentation
   • Professional support options available
7. Installation and Setup
   • Relatively easy installation process
   • Many web hosts offer one-click OpenCart installation
8. Scalability
   • Suitable for small to medium-sized businesses
   • Can handle larger catalogs with proper optimization
9. Performance
   • Generally good performance out of the box
   • Can be further optimized with caching extensions and server tweaks
10. Customization
    • Highly customizable through extensions and theme modifications
    • Developers can create custom modules and integrations
11. Pros
    • Free and open-source
    • Easy to use for beginners
    • Extensive features out of the box
    • Large community and marketplace
12. Cons
    • May require technical knowledge for advanced customizations
    • Some essential features might require paid extensions
    • Performance can degrade with many extensions installed
13. Comparison to other platforms
    • Generally easier to use than Magento
    • More flexible than hosted solutions like Shopify
    • May require more technical knowledge than WooCommerce

OpenCart is an excellent choice for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a flexible, feature-rich e-commerce solution. Its open-source nature and extensive marketplace make it a versatile platform capable of handling a wide range of e-commerce needs.

For the User Manual, we are covering the following topics which are listed below, we will add the links as we completed the documentation of Opencart 4:

INTRODUCTION

• Who can use OpenCart?
• From the user’s perspective
• Key Features of OpenCart

DOMAIN REGISTRATION

• Choosing a Domain Name
• Checking Domain Availability
• Registering the Domain
• Managing Your Domain
• Additional Tips

SERVER SETUP, SSL, FTP, EMAIL, DATABASE CONNECTION

• Server Setup
• Setting Up FTP Access
• Configuring Email
• Database Connection
• SSL certificate setup for URL

OPENCART INSTALLATION

• Preparing Your Server
• Uploading Opencart Files
• Creating a Database
• Configuring File Permissions
• Running the Opencart Installer
• Final Steps

OPENCART ADMIN SYSTEM SETTINGS

• Settings
• Email is not working in Opencart – ways to solve
• Legal cookie GDPR settings
• Users
• Localisation
• Multiple Store Locations on the contact us page of Opencart
• Countries and Zones States Regions management
• Length Weight
• Currencies management in the Opencart 4 version with auto-update
• Language
• Currencies management in the Opencart 4
• How do we add the currency in Opencart 3 & 4?
• How do we change the default currency in Opencart 3 & 4?
• How do auto-update currency exchange rates work in Opencart 4?
• Fix the cron job so that it gets updated daily
• Opencart set up taxes with geocodes
• Stock Statuses management and product availability in Opencart
• Order Statuses management in Opencart
• Countries and Zones States Regions management
• Zones or Regions or States management in Opencart
• ‘Zone Shipping’ and how do we set it up
• Opencart set up taxes with geocodes US tax for California residents 8.75%
• Need to set up US Taxes for California residents where CA Tax is 8.75%.
• Length Classes and Weight Classes management
• Weight classes management in Opencart
• Add length and weight for Product
• Maintenance
• Maintenance Mode in Opencart
• Backup/Restore in Opencart
• Uploads in Opencart maintenance section
• Error Logs in Opencart
• Upgrade
• Maintenance Mode in Opencart
• Backup/Restore in Opencart
• Uploads in Opencart maintenance section
• Error Logs in Opencart

USER MANAGEMENT

• Users

OPENCART CATALOG MANAGEMENT

• Categories management
• Accessing the Admin Panel
• Navigating to Categories Management
• Creating a New Category
• Editing an Existing Category
• Deleting a Category
• Managing Subcategories
• Bulk Actions
• SEO and Best Practices
• Products management
• Pricing psychological tactic for eCommerce website
• Master Product and Variant Product in Opencart
• How to add the product variant in Opencart?
• How to override the variant product data?
• Filters management
• Navigating to Filters Management
• Creating a New Filter
• Editing an Existing Filter Group
• Deleting a Filter Group
• Assigning Filters to Products
• Assigning Filters to Categories
• SEO and User Experience Considerations
• Attributes management
• Navigating to Attributes Management
• Creating a New Attribute
• Creating and Managing Attribute Groups
• Editing an Existing Attribute
• Deleting an Attribute
• Assigning Attributes to Products
• Using Attributes for Filters
• Best Practices for Attributes Management
• Options management
• Navigating to Options Management
• Creating a New Option
• Editing an Existing Option
• Deleting an Option
• Assigning Options to Products
• Managing Option Types
• Best Practices for Options Management
• Manufacturers management
• Navigating to Manufacturers Management
• Creating a New Manufacturer
• Editing an Existing Manufacturer
• Deleting a Manufacturer
• Assigning Manufacturers to Products
• Manufacturer Page and SEO Considerations
• Customer Navigation and User Experience
• Reviews management
• Navigating to Reviews Management
• Viewing and Moderating Reviews
• Editing a Review
• Adding a New Review
• Deleting a Review
• Best Practices for Reviews Management
• SEO and User Experience Considerations
• Information pages management
• Navigating to Information Pages Management
• Creating a New Information Page
• Editing an Existing Information Page
• Deleting an Information Page
• Best Practices for Information Pages

OPENCART DESIGN

• Themes
• Customization Options
• Layouts and Modules
• Visual Elements
• User Experience (UX) Design
• SEO and Performance
• Custom Design and Development
• Layouts management
• Customize layouts and positions to show different modules in Opencart
• How to customize the Opencart homepage?
• Where can you find modules in Opencart 3?
• Theme Editor
• Steps to make the theme editor
• Banners management
• Navigating to Banner Management
• Creating a New Banner
• Editing an Existing Banner
• Deleting a Banner
• Assigning Banners to Layouts
• Best Practices for Banner Management
• Advanced Banner Features
• Language Editor
• Zipping and naming language extension
• Upload a new language pack in Opencart 4
• Test Your Custom Language
• Change the default language of Opencart 4
• Override the language texts from Admin Interface
• SEO URLs management
• Understanding SEO URLs
• Enabling SEO URLs
• Creating SEO URLs for Products, Categories, and Other Pages
• Managing and Editing SEO URLs
• Best Practices for SEO URLs
• SEO URL for Multilingual Stores
• Checking and Testing SEO URLs
• Advanced SEO URL Features

SALES MANAGEMENT

• Orders
• Order status global setting
• Order statuses at Payment gateways
• Customer Order status in Order History
• How do reward points work in Opencart?
• Subscriptions
• Setting Up Subscriptions
• Creating Subscription Products
• Managing Recurring Profiles
• Customer Management
• Payment and Billing
• Reporting and Analytics
• Marketing and Promotions
• Legal and Compliance Considerations
• Returns
• Product Returns settings management:
• Return Statuses:
• Return Actions
• Return Reasons
• How does a customer submit product returns in Opencart 4?
• Store administrator management of product returns
• Gift Vouchers
• Create or design the voucher themes
• Purchase a Gift Certificate and send to someone in Opencart
• How recipients redeem the gift certificate?
• Management of Gift Vouchers by admin
• How to set a minimum and maximum amount a customer can purchase a voucher for?

OPENCART CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT

• Customer Account Management
• Customers
• Customers Groups
• Understanding Customer Groups
• Creating Customer Groups
• Assigning Customers to Groups
• Utilizing Customer Groups
• Managing Customer Group Permissions
• Customer Group Reporting and Analysis
• Best Practices for Using Customer Groups
• Customer Approvals
• Enabling Customer Approval
• Managing Pending Customer Approvals
• Customization of Approval Process
• Managing Approved Customers
• Best Practices for Customer Approvals
• Advantages of Customer Approvals
• GDPR
• Key GDPR Requirements
• GDPR Features in Opencart 4
• GDPR Compliance Extensions
• Best Practices for GDPR Compliance
• Custom Fields
• Example of the custom field in the registration form
• How do you add the custom fields in Opencart?

OPENCART MARKETING MANAGEMENT

• Affiliate
• How does the affiliate is registered in Opencart 3?
• How do you activate the affiliate for the already registered customers?
• How does the affiliate use the URL on their websites blogs or forums?
• How the commission is added to the affiliate?
• Marketing
• Key Features for Marketing Tracking in Opencart 4
• Best Practices for Marketing Tracking
• Coupons
• Key Features of Coupons in Opencart 4
• Mail
• Key Features of Mail Marketing in Opencart 4
• Best Practices for Mail Marketing in Opencart 4
• Automatically post new Opencart products on social media like Facebook for free
• Some other Automation Tools
• Benefits of Auto-Publishing via RSS
• Add an Analytics extension in Opencart 4? Third-party JS free Opencart extension
• Install the Opencart 4 Analytics extension

OPENCART REPORTS MANAGEMENT

• Popular Reports lists
• Reports
• Customer Transaction Report
• Customer Activity Report
• Customer Orders Report
• Customer Reward Points Report
• Customer Searches Report
• Tax Report
• Shipping Report
• Returns Report
• Sales Report
• Coupon Report
• Products Viewed Report
• Products Purchased Report
• Who’s Online
• Statistics
• How to add reports in the admin dashboard of Opencart 4?

OPENCART 4 EXTENSION MANAGEMENT

• Marketplace
• Benefits of Using the OpenCart Marketplace
• Installer
• Accessing the Installer
• Using the Installer
• Extensions
• Uploading an extension in OpenCart
• FTP needs to be enabled in the settings:
• Invalid file type!
• Could not connect as yoursitename.com:21
• The modification requires a unique ID code!
• Installing a module
• Uninstalling a module
• Remove a module
• Types of Opencart Extensions
• Order total modules
• Captchas
• Module
• Theme
• Analytics:
• Difference between Single Instance module and Multi-instance module
• Startup
• Events
• Cron Jobs

OPENCART 4 THEME

• Install the Opencart 4 theme
• Activate Opencart 4 theme
• Uninstall the Opencart 4 theme
• Files and folders structure of the Opencart 4 theme

OPENCART 4 LANGUAGE MANAGEMENT

• File and folder structure of custom language for Opencart 4
• Prepare the Language Pack
• Upload a new language pack in Opencart 4
• Test Your Custom Language
• Change the default language of Opencart 4
• Override the language texts from Admin Interface

OPENCART 4 EVENT SYSTEM

• Event Types
• Using Opencart Events
• Registering Events
• Using Events for Customization
• List of Events
• Language events
• Activity events
• Statistics events
• Theme event
• Admin Currency Events
• Admin Statistics Events
• Translation Event
• Admin Language Events
• Testing Opencart Events
• Challenges
• Best Practices while using Opencart Events

OPENCART 4 OCMOD

• Files and folder structure OCMOD extension
• The Flow of OCMOD
• Upload of extension with OCMOD
• Installation of OCMOD extension
• OCMOD developer tips
• Example OCMOD code
• Admin Module menu addition with OCMOD extension
• Folder creation of OCMOD extension
• Code of install.json file
• Code of webocreation_admin_menu.ocmod.xml
• OCMOD error log
• Read more about OCMOD

OPENCART API DOCUMENTATION

• Create API username and key
• Opencart user, permissions, user group management, and API users
• Authentication and Request Format of Opencart API:
• Request
• Request Parameters
• CURL login example:
• Opencart 4 API Endpoints
• Postman testing of Opencart 4 endpoints
• Create custom API endpoints in Opencart 4
• The responding server
• Error Handling

OPENCART MULTI WEBSITES OR STORE SETUP

• Benefits of a Multisite Setup
• Prerequisites
• Example stores
• Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Multisite in OpenCart 4
• Step 1: Configure Your Domain/Subdomain
• Step 2: Add New Stores in OpenCart Admin
• Step 3: Configure Store Settings
• Step 4: Customize Your Store
• Step 5: Assign Products and Categories
• Step 6: Test Your Store

OPENCART SEO BEST PRACTICES

• Admin Setting section changes for the SEO
• SEO-Friendly URLs
• Optimize Product and Category Pages
• Image Optimization
• Internal Linking
• Mobile Optimization
• Enable the sitemap extension
• Add robots.txt
• Canonical URL
• Social proof
• Schema Markup
• Site Speed and Performance
• GZIP Compression
• Webfont loading
• Fix broken links
• Add your Business to Google
• 301 Redirects
• SSL certificates
• Mobile-first approach
• Regular Monitoring and Analysis

OPENCART SPEED OPTIMIZATION

• Choose a better hosting provider and better cache module
• Use the image sizes properly
• Use the proper extension for the image:
• Optimize the image properly
• GZIP compression level
• Speed up the repeat visit by serving static assets with an efficient cache policy
• Index the database table
• OPENCART SECURITY MEASURES
• Use good and secure hosting
• Check if the install/ folder is still there
• Proper Security settings in the admin
• Use HTTPS/SSL Certificate
• Use the latest PHP version
• Use Anti-fraud extension
• Error handling setting
• Monitor your admin error logs
• Block bad bots
• Allowed File extensions and allowed file mime type permissions
• Review All Users, User Groups, and Grant the Minimum Permissions Necessary
• Use a strong username and password
• API security in Opencart
• Always use the latest Opencart version, theme, modules, and extensions
• Remove unused modules or extensions
• Monitor your server logs
• Use HTTP security headers
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• Database Security and SQL Injections
• Denial of Service
• Backup
• Use Google Captcha or Basic Captcha

OPENCART CDN CLOUDFLARE SETUP

• Create a Cloudflare account
• Solve the SSL issue of Cloudflare
• Cloudflare FTP issues fix

PRO TIPS AND TRICKS

• How to install the Opencart 4 extension?
• Files and folder structure of the Opencart 4 extension
• Naming tips for custom Opencart 4 extensions
• Add conversion code on the success page of Opencart
• How to customize the Opencart homepage?
• What is the Order total in Opencart 4? How to apply and create them?
• How to set free shipping, flat rate shipping, shipping as per item, or pick from a store in Opencart?
• How to set up free shipping in the Opencart store?
• How to set up a flat shipping rate in the Opencart store?
• How to set up free shipping for over $100 and for below it will be $5 flat-rate shipping?
• How to set the shipping rate per item?
• How do you can set up pick up from the store shipping in the Opencart store?
• How to set up a weight-based shipping rate?
• What is ‘Zone Shipping’ and how do we set it up?

COMMON ERRORS AND THEIR SOLUTIONS

• Blank white pages or 500 internal server error
• Headers already sent
• Allowed Memory Size Exhausted
• OpenCart Site Launch Checklist
• What to look for OpenCart Developer for your customization and how to validate the works?

Please bear with us, we try to publish one post a day that are related to above listed topics and improved as per Opencart 4. Please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions, have a look at Opencart tutorials for developers as well. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.