Integrating Shopping Cart

[ironside82]

Hello,

 

I'm going to be working on a PHP driven site soon which will have a large list of varied products all sorted in an SQL database that I will be designing myself.

 

I've have a request to implement a shopping cart so that you'll be able to buy certain items that are available for sale.

 

I'm having trouble getting my head around linking my database to a 'cart package' for example so that stock levels and prices can be maintained from the one database.

 

Maybe this is not possible, I'm just needing to know before I set about the design.

 

Thanks again for your continuing support

 

Regards

[teamatomic]

If you install a "shopping cart" it will have its own management area for adding item,desc,price,pic...all that stuff...all stored in a mySQL database(or similar).

You might want to peruse these sites:

http://webtecker.com/2008/04/22/8-best-open-source-shopping-cart-solutions/

http://www.designvitality.com/blog/2007/11/ecommerce-web-design/

 

You say you are building your own site in php. It would be easier to install a cart and use its user management system for your site than to use your own designed DB and alter the cart to use it.

 

 

HTH

Teamatomic

[ironside82]

I have thought about doing it that way however,

 

The Database is quite complex due to the different variables each product has, there is also a rental quote feature I need to design amongst other things. I don't think trying to base the design I have around a shopping cart package would be easy.

 

There must be some way around it. Its almost easier to imagine if the site was already up and running with items and I wanted to then add a facility to buy the items.

 

I dont have the skills to design something like this, Would it be something I could out source?

 

I hope this makes sense..