Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Documentation
• Installation on Windows
  • Installation on your own PC - Access Database
  • Installation on a Web Hosting Company
  • SQL Server Set-up
  • MYSQL Server Set-up
• Installation Problems
• Diagnostic Tools
• Licensing and order number
• Read me

Introduction

Installation Summary

Installation should only take 5 minutes.

When you receive VP-ASP it will be in the form of a zip file. You will need a utility such as WinZip to uncompress the one file into 300+ files. All are files stored in a single folder. This document includes details for Windows both on your local PC and on Windows web hosting company.

VP-ASP supports Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server and MYSQL databases.

Documentation

The VP-ASP website provides you with a detailed Help section, which includes information on setting up your VP-ASP store, Design Guides and general troubleshooting.

Please visit our Help Centre at http://www.vpasp.com/helpnotes.

Windows PC Install - Access Database

Running VP-ASP on your own local Personal Computer

First determine which Windows operating system you have.  Then determine if you have the appropriate Microsoft prerequisites.  

Steps to install VP-ASP on your local PC

1. Unzip the files to a folder on your hard drive. Our examples will use a folder called 'shopping' to store the VP-ASP files.
2. Tell IIS or PWS that this is a virtual directory. See Windows 95/98/NT PWS or Windows XP set-up for the proper way to do this if you have never done it before

VP-ASP is installed

1. You should now see the default VP-ASP home page 
2. Click on the shop button and you should see the demo shop  categories.

What can go wrong?

The most common problems are these:

1. Instead of seeing the shop categories, a program tries to save to your hard drive, or some confusing text displays in the browser window.

This is caused by an incorrect setting of your virtual directory. Please see
http://www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_helpme.htm

2. On Windows NT/XP an error occurs trying to write to the supplied VP-ASP Access database. This generally happens when you are trying to login to your administration, register as a customer, check out as a customer. You will be able to view the shopdisplayproducts.asp and shopdisplaycategories.asp pages. 

This is because the correct permissions have not been set that allow people from a browser to update the database. Use our diagnostic tool diag_dbtest.asp to test the database and then see our help file at  http://www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_databasesetup.htm

3. VP-ASP does not store any cookies on the customers PC but it does require the browser to have cookies enabled.  If cookies are not enabled in the browser no products are added to the shopping cart and a "shopping cart is empty" message appears.

4. The Database cannot be opened, You get errors such as
ADODB.Recordset error '800a0e7d' The application requested an operation on an object  with a reference to a closed or invalid Connection object. 

This means that VP-ASP cannot open the database.  First run the diagnostic tool diag_dbtest.asp  Then check our FAQ at http://www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_setup.htm

In 99% of cases this is caused by incorrect NT/2000 configuration

Web Host - Access database

If running on your web host, make sure they have the necessary pre-requisites. See the following page for a list of VP-ASP's hosting requirements.

www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_hosting.htm

1. Create a  folder on your web server. Copy the files from your PC to your web hosting company using your normal FTP tools. such as CuteFTP or WSFTP. 
   
2. Copy the supplied Access database, shopping600.mdb, to a special directory your web host supplies. It cannot be in the same folder as the rest of VP-ASP.  Most web hosting companies supply a special database directory since normal directories on a web host are read only.
   
3. You must edit shop$config.asp to tell VP-ASP where the database is located. See www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_databasesetup.htm
   
4. To use VP-ASP and see  demo shop, use your browser and go to the location you uploaded your VP-ASP files to (eg. http://www.vpasp.com/demo6000/).
   
5. Now run our supplied diagnostic tool, (eg. http://www.vpasp.com/demo600/diag_dbtest.asp). Make sure the database can be read and written by clicking the "Test Database" button.

SQL Server Set-up

SQL Server is a complex Microsoft software product.  From the VP-ASP point of view it is very simple to use.  The steps in using SQL Server are:

1. Create the SQL Server database. This can be done using SQL Server's Query analyzer or it may have been created for you by your web hosting company

2. Add the VP-ASP Tables

3. Load the configuration table with default values

4. Optionally add the demo shop values

Web Hosting company has created the database
If your web hosting company has already created the databaser, then VP-ASP supplies a tool called convertsql.asp. This tool can be used to build the VP-ASP tables but  cannot create the database.

It can build the tables and load the default configuration. It can also load the demo shop if required.

To use convertsql.asp, you must first tell VP-ASP where the empty SQL Server database is located by changing these lines in shop$config.asp

Xdatabase=”yourdatabasename”
xdatabasetype="SQLSERVER”
xSqlUser=”youruserid”
xSQlpwd=”yourpassword”
xSQLServer=”www.yourvpaspsite.com” or IP Address in form “111.22.333.90”

Use convertsql.asp from your browser

www.yourvpaspsite.com/shopping/convertsql.asp

Building SQL Server Tables

Type in the filename
Create600sqlserver.txt

You will see messages being displayed telling you the tables that are being created. If you get an error that the database cannot be read or written, check the shop$config statements above. 

Loading the Configuration File
The next step is to load the default configuration options.  Now start convertsql.asp by typing the location where you installed VP-ASP  www.yourvpaspsite.com/shopping/convertsql.asp

Type in file name below. This loads the initial configuration and language file

Create600admin.txt

Loading Demo Shop
This step is only necessary if you want to “play” with VP-ASP demo shop. Otherwise it is not necessary. Use convertsql.asp and type in the filename create600demo.txt. This loads the database with the demo shop.

The SQL Server database is loaded and ready. You should now be able to click shop on the home page and see the product categories.


Updating Shop$config.asp
The shop$config.asp settings should be as follows: 

Xdatabase=yourdatabasename
xdatabasetype="SQLSERVER”
xSqlUser=”youruserid”
xSQlpwd=”yourpassword”
xSQLServer=”www.yourvpaspsite.com” or IP Address in form “124.77.090.90”

Continue in the step to load default Configuration above.

MYSQL Setup

Windows - Creating MYSQL database 

1. Use the Windows tool WinSqlAdmin to create your database. This will create an empty database. You click on databases and then right click on the computer name. This should bring up a dialog to create a new database.
   
2. Edit shop$config.asp and change the following values
   
   const xDatabase="mysql600"           'Database name
   const xdatabasetype="MYSQL"        ' Do not change this 
   const xSQLUser="myuserid"             ' change to user userid
   const xSQLPwd="mypassword"        'change to your userid
3. const xSQLServer="localhost"         ' Normally this will be OK
   
4. After updating shop$config.asp, start the file convertmysql.asp  from your browser.  (eg. http://www.voaso.com/demo600/convertmysql.asp or http://localhost/shopping).
   
   If you have trouble starting VP-ASP or running ASP files see http://www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_helpme.htm
   
5. Type the file name create600mysql.txt 
   It will try to connect to the database, add the VP-ASP tables. If successful it will list the commands being issued and tell you of a successful completion. This only takes a few seconds.
   
6. Next run convertmysql.asp again and type in filename create600admin.txt
   
   This adds entries to the VP-ASP configuration table 
   
7. Next run convertmysql.asp again and type in filename create600mysql1.txt
   
8. To add the demo shop data use the file mysqldemo600.txt
   
   Using the browser command convertmysql.asp, type in the name create600demo.txt

Unix - Creating MYSQL database via command level

1. The actual database can be called anything you want.  In our file it is called mysql600.
   
   Edit the file mysqlcreate600.txt and change the database name on these lines
   
   drop database if exists mysql600;
   create database if not exists mysql600;
   use mysql600;
   
   Then type at the command level:
   
   mysql < create600mysql.txt
   
   The database and tables are now created. This only takes a few seconds.
   
2. Now load the Shop Configuration defaults
   mysql < create600admin.txt
   
3. Now load the MYSQL Configuration updates
   mysql < create600mysql1.txt
   
4. To load the demo shop files
   mysql < create600demo.txt
   
5. Updating shop$config.asp
   If you have not already done so above, you need to edit file 
   shop$config.asp.
   
   Edit shop$config.asp and change the following values
   
   const xDatabase="mydatabasename" 'Database name
   const xdatabasetype="MYSQL" 'Depending on your server, this could also by MYSQL351. need.
   const xSQLUser="myuserid" ' MYSQL Server user
   const xSQLPwd="mypassword" ' MYSQL Server password
   const xSQLServer="127.0.0.1" ' MYSQL Server name or IP address
   
6. Start your browser and point to the shopping directory and you should now see the default VP-ASP home page 
   
7. Click on the shop button and you should see the demo shop  categories.

Administration

Shop administration is for the merchant or web developer and not for the customer. The administration facilities include: Details of Administration are in the VP-ASP Merchant's Guide and VP-ASP Developers Guide.

· Add, delete and modify products
· Add, delete and modify any other VP-ASP table
· Define administrator userids
· Define menus and tasks for each administrator
· Restrict administrators to viewing or updating specific tables
· Display sales reports
· Perform searches of the database
· Export data from tables
· Mail to selected customers
· Configure most of VP-ASP options
· Send messages to customers via order tracking
and much more...

Two users are defined:
admin with password admin 
vpasp with password vpasp

The first step is to verify the shop works by clicking on the shop. This should bring up the demo categories if the demo store is installed.  If you simply want to play with the demo store, it will run immediately and no further configuration is required.

To log into VP-ASP Administration, click on the Merchant Administration hyperlink. After you login go to Shop Configuration. Administration is used to:

• Change the store name and address, e-mail address and more
• Configure options for taxes, shipping, discounts, product layout, and many other options
• Which categories and products you have
• To run sales reports
• To update any table
• Turn on or off the hundreds of VP-ASP features using the Shop Configuration
  

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Customizing VP-ASP

VP-ASP "look and feel" are controlled by these files. The VP-ASP Developer's Guide goes into great detail on how to make VP-ASP look any way you want.

shoppage_header.htm will be displayed as your top and or top/left navigation bars and logo.
shoppage_trailer.htm will be displayed as your bottom navigation bars.
shop$colors.asp has much of the HTML generated by VP-ASP
shop.css is the style sheet used, controlling things such as fonts and colors.

Diagnostic Tools

The diagnostic facility, diag_dbtest.asp, can be used to determine if your database and mailing system are working. The fields displayed come from the configuration file shop$config.asp. You can play with different values. If you move the database, we recommend you run this diagnostic tool to verify the database can be read and written to.

You can test various mail systems, ASPMAIL, CDONTS, ASPEMAIL and JMAIL or if you add your own mail support into shopmail.asp, it can be tested here. These are names of software packages that may or may not be installed on your web host.

If diag_dbtest works, you should receive a message such as:

Read Failures

The possible causes are:

1. xdblocation="abc" is not correctly set and VP-ASP is looking in the wrong location.

2. The directory where the database is located does not have read/write permission

3. You are using ODBC connection and the name in the configuration file 
   xdatabase="odbcname" is spelled incorrectly.

Write Failures
Always occur with read failures. If the database can be read but not written then possible causes are:

1. The directory where the database is located does not have write permission.

2. See the reasons outlined in the section before this.
   Check the FAQ at www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_databasesetup.htm

Licensing and Order Number

VP-ASP is licensed to one shop in one domain. See $license.txt for more details. This license supercedes any previous license arrangements. By installing VP-ASP, you agree to abide by these license terms.

When you purchased VP-ASP you will have received an order number. This is required to be placed into the file shop$config.asp.  Edit shop$config.asp with a plain text editor such as notepad and change this line.

const xordernumber="0"  the zero will change to your order number.