CyberStrong ASP Shopping Cart Software

What's the difference between ASP carts and those developed with CGI scripts (perl, java, etc.)?
ASP is an ISAPI (Internet Server Application Programming Interface) that runs on Microsoft IIS and PWS Web servers. An ASP page is basically an HTML page with embedded server-side scripting. When the Web server receives a request for a page with an .asp extension, it processes the page through the ASP engine, which interprets the scripting, and combines it with the HTML to create a dynamically-generated HTML page which is sent to the browser.

CGI does much the same thing. However, ASP has the advantage of having all of the code in the Web pages which dramatically simplifies both the design and maintenance of the product. ASP can be freely intermixed with static HTML pages.

ASP can also work with COM (Component Object Model) objects, which are special DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries - libraries of pre-compiled executable code) on the server. This means that you are free to extend the capability of ASP pages through compiled code. Such DLLs can be prepared simply using many development languages including Visual Basic.

The Microsoft ASP Engine comes with a number of these COM objects built in, such as ADO (ActiveX Data Objects), which is used to connect to databases. The COM objects provide an excellent object-oriented programming interface which makes it easy to work with the kinds of data. ADO is a technology for databases which provides a common programming interface for virtually ANY kind of database or data store.

Some people believe that CGI is becoming an obsolete technology. While we won't go that far, we have been genuinely impressed with the simplicity and extensibility of ASP-based Web pages.

Are there any free ASP-based shopping carts available?
Yes. We started our search for a shopping cart for our own clients just this way, but soon found disappointment. Generally they lack even the most basic features. In short, you have to be an accomplished ASP programmer to use any of the free shopping carts we could find. Be prepared to spend a lot of time getting these programs production ready.

What about free "off-site" shopping carts?
There are a number of "off-site" shopping carts, some of them free.

At first this sounds like a good deal. But off-site shopping carts are no easier to configure than your own shopping cart and you can only take orders when their site is up. Some of them display their advertising to your customers and you can never be sure how long they will be in business.

The worst feature of off site shops is that the look and feel of your site is lost when your customer begins the order process. Plus, some customers become suspicious if they notice by the URL that they have moved off site.

Will the search engines index my products?
Yes! CyberStrong eShop features a "Create Search Engine Pages" feature which automatically generates product pages for search engine indexing. The provided template allows you to customize the look of your catalog pages. Click here for details.

Can I develop my own shopping cart?
Yes. If you are a programmer and are interested in developing your own shopping cart have a look at the sample ASP cart at ASP 101. There are some good ideas here on how to develop your own cart.

If you want to get a head start on developing your own cart, CyberStrong eShop comes with full source code and no CyberStrong or third-party DLLs. The code is very well written, well commented, and nicely structured. Our shopping cart is supplied with a working demo and database that you can run on any Windows server in minutes. Just install it, run it, then modify it incrementally until you get what you need.

Why are "client side" shopping carts problematic?
"Client side" shopping carts use JavaScript or JScript code running on your customer's computer to implement shopping cart functions. This allows the shopping cart vendor to implement some features with fewer page loads and allows for some "cute" features such as mouseovers.

Unfortunately, client side languages are not yet standardized, nor are they available on all browsers. Even mainstream browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer do not agree in their script implementations. Older AOL browsers are famous for their script problems.

CyberStrong eShop uses no JavaScript or JScript in any of its shopping cart modules (there is a small block of JavaScript code in the Web Master's table editor). Its code has been carefully screened to ensure that it is browser independent.

What permissions does the "IUSR_<MACHINE NAME>" need?
"IUSR_<MACHINE NAME>" permissions control access to your Web files by your host's Web server. CyberStrong eShop (and most shopping carts implemented with Microsoft Access backend databases) require the IUSR_<MACHINE NAME> to have modify permissions on the files in your shopping cart folder. If you are the host provider and need help setting your permissions, click here for instructions.

What is source code?
Source code is the original representation of a computer program. It is written and maintained by computer programmers who receive special training for this purpose.

Although you do not need to be a programmer to install source code on your host you will need some programming skills to modify it.

Do I get the source code with my CyberStrong eShop?
CyberStrong eShop is available with full source code. Our software is written in Active Server Page VB Script and is well documented and clearly commented.

The product also comes with a sample, populated, MS Access database so that you can run it "out of the box". This allows you to get a good grounding in the code before you change it. You can then modify it incrementally and test your changes. CyberStrong eShop will run on any Windows 9.x/NT/2000 platform with Web server where ASP is supported.

Can I see the source code before purchasing?
Like our competitors we are unable to release source code prior to purchase. However, many of our clients have customized CyberStrong eShop as you can see on the sample sites page on our Web site ... so the code must be easy to modify! You will find our code well written, modular and with lots of comments. Functions are short, to the point, and use long descriptive names. Each function has a brief synopsis above it. We have standardized routines for common tasks such as form button display and processing. We make judicious use of global and session variables. We use only experienced, seasoned programmers.

Is there a free trial?
Yes! We offer a free server check and a free trial. Please see the Free Trial page for details. We also provide an online storefront demo and an online admin demo. Please see the Online Demo page for details.

How does CyberStrong eShop integrate into my system?
CyberStrong eShop can easily be embedded into your existing Web site. In addition, the software includes a style sheet with over 90 distinct style definitions to control fonts, colors and sizes. You may display your site logo on all shopping pages, as well as customize your own button graphics. For full details please visit our customization page.

Can I lay out my own browse pages?
Yes. CyberStrong eShop comes configured with a standard two column product browse page which is customizable to support any number of columns and column widths.

If you prefer, you can display your products on their own page then link to the shopping cart to begin the ordering process by using the following link:

http://YourDomain.com/eshop/20Review.asp?ProductCode=<Code>

where <Code> is the product code you entered in the Products table. You may wish to change the configuration of the Continue Shopping button to return the shopper to your page by modifying the Browse Start Page URL parameter in eShop Setup. This technique can also be used to send "buy me" links in promotional emailings

Is there an easy way to create thumbnail images?
Yes. We use and recommend a program called "ThumbNailer" from Smaller Animals Software, Inc. This Windows-based program has the ability to process multiple images at once, and supports several sizing options including "fixed width" which is perfect for CyberStrong eShop product browse page images.

Also, via eShop Setup, you can limit the width for the small and large product images. This setting causes the browser to resize the images to the specified width.

Can I categorize my products?
Yes. You can limit the number of items displayed to a single category by using the Category field in the Products table. Simply fill in the Category field for every product then launch your shopping cart like this:

http://YourDomain.com/eshop/10Browse.asp?Category=<ProductCategory>

where <Product Category> is the category you wish to display.

You can also use this field to implement subcategories by separating your categories and subcategories with a unique character of your choosing. For example, if you entered a category of

main:burgers

Then,

10Browse.asp?Category=main

Will retrieve all the items in the "main" category, while

10Browse.asp?Category=main:burgers

will retrieve only those in the "burgers" subcategory of "main".

An optional drop down box on the CyberStrong eShop product browse page allows buyers to move quickly and easily between categories.

Do I need Microsoft FrontPage to use CyberStrong eShop?
No! CyberStrong eShop has no client-side requirements.

Does CyberStrong eShop support online credit card authorization?
Yes! CyberStrong eShop is fully integrated with 2Checkout.com, Authorize.net, InternetSecure, LinkPoint, PayPal, Protx, USA ePay, WorldPay and YourPay payment services. If you require a payment service not on this list, please contact us. Chances are we are working on the payment service you need.

Can my customers search my database of products for sale?
Yes. A search box automatically appears at the top of every browse screen. You can also insert a search box on your own Web pages by adding the following code:

Can CyberStrong eShop handle multiple sizes, colors etc.?
Yes! Sizes, colors etc. are called "options" in CyberStrong eShop. You may have as many options as you like, and give them any title you need. CyberStrong eShop comes pre-configured with two options, "Size" and "Color".

How does CyberStrong eShop calculate sales tax?
CyberStrong eShop calculates sales tax based on the 'Ship To' address for the order. Sales tax is calculated at the rate specified in eShop Setup for that location. Also, click here for more advanced tax features.

How do I get my CyberStrong eShop files to my Web site?
There are two methods you can use to get your files to your Web site:

Unpack the CyberStrong eShop distribution Zip file directly into your working directory on your client machine. Then "publish" your site in the usual way. If you are using Microsoft FrontPage you may find it easier to create a separate "site" to store your CyberStrong eShop files and database in. This will eliminate the possibility of accidentally uploading the distribution copy of the database over the "live" one on your host provider's server.
Or, unpack your files directly into a folder on the host server. We use and recommend a product called WebDrive that maps any FTP site into a drive letter on your client machine. This allows you to unpack your CyberStrong eShop zip file directly to your server's file space.

I want to add <feature> to CyberStrong eShop, how hard will that be?
While you will find our code well written, modular, and sprinkled with lots of comments, your ability to modify it to your specific requirements depends in greatest part on your own skill as an ASP programmer. Please see our source code page for more information. Our clients page contains links to many sites where creative ASP programmers have modified our source code to suit their special needs.

Please note that our license agreement contains specific language regarding the modification of our source code.

Can I import data into my CyberStrong eShop database directly?
CyberStrong eShop is an integrated system of Web pages and underlying database. Entering data directly in your database by any means other than your CyberStrong eShop administration area puts the integrity of your database at risk.

Further, the representation of data in your database is version dependent and can be expected to change with each new release of CyberStrong eShop. While this is not done casually, changes in the way the database represents CyberStrong eShop data is sometimes necessary to provide for new functionality or to provide support for new database platforms.

Your license agreement contains language regarding modifying your database outside our Web-based screens. Please check your agreement carefully before modifying your database in any way.

How many products can I have in my CyberStrong eShop?
The number of products you may have is limited by the number of records a Microsoft Access database can hold, about four billion.

What version of Microsoft Access does CyberStrong eShop use?
CyberStrong eShop ships with Microsoft Access 2000.

You are free to upgrade the database to your version of MS Access if you wish. Remember, however, that not all hosting companies keep their server's driver software current. Check with them before upgrading your database.

Your license agreement contains language regarding modifying your database outside our Web-based screens. Please check your agreement carefully before modifying your database in this way.

Does CyberStrong eShop support SQL servers?
Yes! CyberStrong eShop ships with a SQL command file to quickly create its tables and test data on your SQL server. SQL compatibility has been tested using Microsoft SQL Server Version 7.0, and SQL Server 2000.

I am expecting a lot of shoppers. Do I need a SQL server?
Probably not. We have CyberStrong eShop customers using our MS Access database to serve 8,000 or more products and log hundreds of orders every day. Unless you expect usage well beyond this level, you will most likely not require a SQL server for your CyberStrong eShop.

Is there a disadvantage to using a SQL server?
Yes. There are five disadvantages to use a SQL server to hold your database.

First, depending on your hosting company, it may be difficult or impossible for you to retrieve your data should you chose to move to a different hosting company in the future.

Second, in most virtual hosting arrangements, you will be sharing a SQL server with other Web sites. This means that it is, in theory, possible for another vendor's shopping cart software to crash the shared SQL server bringing both his *and your* shopping carts down. Also, if a server sharing neighbor ties up the shared SQL server with intensive queries, your site's performance will suffer too.

Third, sharing a SQL server on another machine means that for your CyberStrong eShop to operate both the computer serving your site and the computer running the SQL server must be up and running. This effectively cuts the uptime of your CyberStrong eShop in half.

Fourth, SQL databases are more prone to attack by hackers, and the ensuing damage is generally greater.

Fifth, you are generally at the mercy of your host provider with regard to backups of your data. Check with your host provider to ensure that they are keeping a current backup of your database at all times.

How many concurrent users does MSAccess support?
The number of concurrent users you can run on your CyberStrong eShop is determined by the computing power of your host and the number of open ODBC connections they allow on your database.

CyberStrong eShop's shopping cart pages have been carefully designed to close its database connection after each page is constructed. This means that concurrency is only an issue during page loading, and not page viewing. Since shoppers spend much more time viewing pages than loading them, concurrency is an issue for only a small fraction of the time a shopper spends at your site.

For example, let's say your host provider can construct a CyberStrong eShop page in 1/10 of a second (the time to deliver the page over the Internet does not count in this calculation). Let's also assume that your host provider supports 100 simultaneous connections to your database. To reach the concurrency limit, your collective shoppers would have to request roughly 10 x 100 or 1000 page loads a second. That's a lot of shopping.

Although these numbers are somewhat difficult to measure, we know that many CyberStrong eShop merchants are receiving in excess of 100 orders per day using shops containing thousands of products.

Is CyberStrong eShop restricted to Windows servers?
Yes. CyberStrong eShop must be installed on a Windows server. Please review our server-side requirements for details.

Does CyberStrong eShop require cookies?
Yes. CyberStrong eShop uses "per session" cookies. Per session cookies last only for the life of your current browser load and use no permanent storage on your customer's hard drive. The use of per session cookies is very common in modern Web sites.

Is CyberStrong eShop IE6 cookie friendly?
Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0 and later warns, by default, whenever a third party cookie is used. CyberStrong eShop is not a source of third party cookies.

Will CyberStrong eShop run in a frame?
Yes, CyberStrong eShop will run in a frame, but we don't recommend this practice. Current browser technology suppresses the display of the "lock" icon when only a portion of the page is secured. As a result, although you can secure your cart inside a frame, your shoppers will never see the reasurring lock icon on their browser.

Starting with version 3.1 of CyberStrong eShop you can easily embed your shopping cart within an existing Web. Click here for more details.