• Introduction
• Pre-requisites
• Installation on web hosting company
• Unix - Installation on Local PC
• Windows - Installation on Local PC
• Administration
• Customizing VP-ASP
• Documentation
• Licensing and order number

Introduction
VP-ASP Shopping cart is one of the most comprehensive e-commerce solutions available anywhere and for any price. It allows you to build an Internet shop that can sell 1 product or tens of thousands of products. VP-ASP is ready to use and comes with extensive customer facilities for browsing, searching and ordering products. The back end administration allows the merchant to alter and manipulate products, run reports, bulk mail, track and display orders.

All source code is included. To use VP-ASP, your web site must be running Chillisoft (Sun ASP) if running in a  Unix/Linux environment or have MYSQL for Windows installed for a Windows environment.

Pre-requisites
VP-ASP is written in the Active Server Pages (ASP). ASP is Microsoft's Internet programming language. It can only be run from a browser.  There is no EXE or CGI  file.  ASP files are similar to HTML and can be run only from a browser.  You can run VP-ASP on your local Personal Computer or run VP-ASP on your web hosting company. 

If you have any Unix/Linux

Verify that you have Chillisoft (Sun ASP) installed. If not, you will only be able to run VP-ASP on your web hosting company.

MYSQL Installation on Unix Web hosting company
To use VP-ASP, your Unix web site must be running  Sun ASP (Chillisoft). Sun ASP is not required for Windows Hosting companies. If running on your web host, make sure they have the necessary pre-requisites. See www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_hosting.htm

Installation is easy and should take only a few minutes. There are two steps:

1. Unzip the supplied file to a directory of your choice
2. Build the MYSQL tables

Your shop is up and running

Utilities are provided that make the MYSQL table building easy.

1. Create a  folder on your web host. Copy the files from your PC to your web hosting company using your normal FTP tools such as CuteFTP or WSFTP. 
   
2. If you are using a web hosting company,  they may have created the database for you or provide a control panel to create the database.
   
   Follow their instructions and then continue from here to build the VP-ASP tables in the database you just created.
   
   In this case you can do the following. 
   Edit shop$config.asp and change the following values
   
   const xDatabase="mysql500" 'Database name
   const xdatabasetype="MYSQL" ' Do not change this 
   const xSQLUser="myuserid" ' MYSQL Server userid
   const xSQLPwd="mypassword" ' MYSQL Server password
   const xSQLServer="localhost" ' Server name or IP address
   
   The database name will probably be something else than mysql500 and you will need to update the above values in file shop$config.asp
   
   Sometimes mysql.sqlserver.com is something like
   127.0.0.1 or localhost

const xSQLServer="localhost"
or
const xSQLServer="127.0.0.1"  

3. After updating shop$config.asp, start the file mysqlcreate.asp  from your browser. 
   http://www.mysite.com/shopping/mysqlcreate.asp

Type the file name create500mysql.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.

Next run mysqlcreate.asp again and type in filename

create500admin.txt

This adds entries to the VP-ASP configuration table 

VP-ASP is now installed. Click the Shop hyperlink to see the demo store categories.

MYSQL Install on Unix

1. Create a directory under your current web site called shopping. 
   It does not have to be called shopping, that is only a recommendation.
2. Unzip all files into the shopping directory
3. Create the MYSQL database  
4. Add the demo data to the MYSQL  (see Adding Demo Data below)
5. Update shop$config.asp to tell VP-ASP where your database is located

Unix - Creating MYSQL database via command level

1. The actual database can be called anything you want. 
   In our file it is called mysql500.
   
   Edit the file mysqlcreate500.txt and change the database name on these lines
   
   drop database if exists mysql500;
   create database if not exists mysql500;
   use mysql500;
   
   Then type at the command level:
   
   mysql < create500mysql.txt
   
   The database and tables are now created. This only takes a few seconds.
   
   Now load the Shop Configuration defaults
   mysql < create500admin.txt
   
2. To load the demo shop files
   mysql < create500demo.txt
   
3. 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" ' Do not change this 
   const xSQLUser="myuserid" ' MYSQL Server user
   const xSQLPwd="mypassword" ' MYSQL Server password
   const xSQLServer="127.0.0.1" ' MYSQL Server name or IP address
   
4. Start your browser and point to the shopping directory and you should now see the default VP-ASP home page 
   
5. Click on the shop button and you should see the demo shop  categories.

MYSQL Install on Windows PC

To use MYSQL under Windows you must have installed MYSQL database support for Windows. See www.mysql.com. All other requirements for Windows and ASP must also be met as noted below.

Windows -Running VP-ASP on your own local Personal Computer
First determine what Windows operating system you have.  Then determine if you have the appropriate Microsoft prerequisites.  If you have Windows 95/98 VP-ASP requires that you have the free Microsoft product called Personal Web Server (PWS). 

If you do not have PWS installed, then you must install it. It comes either free on your Windows CDROM or it can be downloaded from the web. Please see http://www.vpasp.com/virtprog/info/faq_pws.htm

If you have Windows NT/Windows 2000/XP Professional 

VP-ASP requires that you have  Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS). 
This is available on the NT or XP CDROM. 

If you have Windows ME/XP Home

Unfortunately Microsoft has not made available any software  that can run ASP on these operating systems.  To evaluate VP-ASP you will need to use VP-ASP on your  web hosting company.

Steps to install VP-ASP on your local PC

1. Create a folder on your hard drive called "shopping". It does not have to be called shopping, that is only a recommendation.
2. Unzip all files into the shopping directory
3. Create the MYSQL database 
4. Add the demo data to the MYSQL

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="mysql500"           '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 mysqlcreate.asp  from your browser. 
   http://www.mysite.com/shopping/mysqlcreate.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 create500mysql.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 mysqlcreate.asp again and type in filename
   
   create500admin.txt
   
   This adds entries to the VP-ASP configuration table 
7. To add the demo shop data use the file mysqldemo500.txt
   
   Using the browser command mysqlcreate.asp, type in the name 
   create500demo.txt

Administration

Two userids 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
• Add and update 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

Customizing VP-ASP

VP-ASP "look and feel" are controlled by these files.

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 

VP-ASP allows you to use standard hyperlinks directly from any static HTML pages you have created. This hyperlinks allow you to add to cart, search, login, display a specific product, display categories of products and much more.

Documentation

The Detailed Design Guides are packed with information.  The design guides can be downloaded from the web.

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.

A license key is required to use VP-ASP. This license key can be obtained by going to www.vpasp.com/license.asp . You will need your VP-ASP order number, domain name and the e-mail address on the original order. If you have obtained VP-ASP through a reseller ask them for your license key.

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.