E-commerce website from scratch.

[Toni]

Hi - great forum.

I have done some programming at University and am currently a Test Manager for a huge company and know that if your application has any bugs you could lose a lot of money through these mistakes.

Any way, I was hoping to create my website using JSP, Java Script, XSLT, FlashAction SCript 2, XML and CSS 2.

I know that I cannot use the above technologies with ready made carts and so on since they are usually wriiten in PHP. What is the best way to go about this, since I want to create a unique website that is my own master piece. How will I create the Cart and invoicing system?

Is it easy to host this website from home and have test environments setup.

How do I make my servers secure?

Some help here would be great.

Many Thanks

Toni

[Coding Monkey]

Sorry, but I must have misunderstood. You want to use the above technologies (with my question mark hovering above ActionScript) yet don't know how to create the cart or invoicing system?

There was a thread here just a few days ago about hosting it from home. If you expect the website to receive more than 1 person at once visiting it, than it is not recommended as most hosts have only a 256k upload speed, which accounts to a maximum of 30kbs that the user will be able to download from you. If they're on 56k, it won't matter, but if there are 10 people on 56k, suddenly you've got a problem with them even having to wait.

Secure servers will come from an SSL certificate. Will depend on your budget. VeriSign would be the most recognised, yet Thwarte are well known too, and a lot cheaper. There was another thread about SSL certificates just earlier today for cheap.

[Toni]

Well - what I am getting at is, should I create the database first? Then the front end?

Also, initially I was hoping to use hostways e-commerse package but realised it would not be cutomisable with JSP. They suggested that I take there dedicated server option - is this the only way to host my own persoanlied JSP website with Oracle back-end.

Will I need two servers, one web and one database?

[TWD-Tony]

Well - what I am getting at is, should I create the database first? Then the front end?

Also, initially I was hoping to use hostways e-commerse package but realised it would not be cutomisable with JSP. They suggested that I take there dedicated server option - is this the only way to host my own persoanlied JSP website with Oracle back-end.

Will I need two servers, one web and one database?

Mmmm - 2 dedicated servers just for testing & development, that's a bit of overkill isn't it?
If you plan to just develop the site then you could do it from home - even buying a low-spec PC and loading either Linux or Windows Server would be cheaper than 2 dedicated servers.
Just be aware though that if you need a very specific server environment then you will need a dedicated server when you go live with the site... You will not be able to mimic your custom server setup on a shared hosting environment.

I'm not a programmer so I cannot advise on how to go about the technical side of developing this system but I do know that I would be VERY VERY careful, there are established systems out there that have been thoroughly tested in live environments - can you say that going downt this route you can test the system enough to be sure that it is going to be secure?

Tony

[webmaster]

You could consider a web host that offers shared SSL. These are cheap and even cheaper if hosted in the US. The compromise you make though will be that these are very often PHP running on Unix. This is the most popular and it may well be worth taking the plunge. I did and now there is no going back. PHP is extremely well supported and runs on MYSQL databases which are easy to administrate via an online application.
PHP has some amazing ecommerce options for free. I recently installed OSCOMMERCE, it is completely customisable and integrates with many payment services.

Check out pagesgarden.com, it's about $4.99 per month for an awesome server.

Another option is to have a third party shopping basket run on remote servers. For example Romancart offer an excellent basket. You write your system in whatever flavour/system you like and you post updates to the shopping basket from your site. When it comes to checkout the control passes over to Romancart and they offer cheap SSL options and it integrates with many payment services. Romancart will cost you about £60 per year.

Cheers
Jon

http:\\www.hullsites.co.uk

[Toni]

Okay - lets say for example I want to make a website like www.oddbins.com

What are all the things I need?

Toni

[webmaster]

That depends on how confident you are with your development skills. To get the job done you will need the following.

A domain name. Check out easily.co.uk, register the .co.uk domain for about a tenner.

A web host. Check out pagesgarden.com in the US, they offer an awesome Apache PHP server for $4.99 per month, you pay 35 squid per year. What's included:
Web hosting of HTML and PHP pages
Access to MYSQL databases and administration tools
Unlimited email addresses
A secure SSL server, use this for checkout pages
Unlimited bandwidth

Once the web host is ready you should transfer your .co.uk domain to the web host.

Design your web pages in notepad (it rocks) or if you're feeling flush go and buy something pretty.

Install OSCOMMERCE on the PHP server it's a free open source ecommerce system designed for PHP. It's straight forward, check out their site. Then customise OSCOMMERCE to look like oddbins.com. Simple mods can be controlled via the configuration options on the control panel. IF you can develop you should get your hands dirty tweaking the PHP.

Obviously you won't have PHP server in your bedroom, so you are gonna need FTP program to release your pages. Use CoreFTP or SmartFTP they're both free.
I recommend that you keep a backup also as you develop as you only have one live system. Unless you make things complicated.

Customise the oscommerce to point to a payment service provider like paypal.

Lock down security on the web server to key oscommerce folders/files.

Update your products and content via the oscommerce admin tool.

Sounds simple eh.

Let me know if this info. is useful to you or if you want me to go away.

Thanks
Jon

http:\\www.hullsites.co.uk[/list]

[Toni]

Hi thanks for your reply.

What I am really trying to get at with my questions is how has a company like Oddbins.com setup their website?

I'm sure they have not customised OScommerce and used PHP etc etc.....


They are using ASP.

To do a set up like Oddbins in say ASP or JSP and create the cart and so on, what is the procedure?

I know someone earlier suggested making a site in any language and then using RomanCart for payements.

How has Oddbins done their setup? DO you think they have their own IT team and self hosting the website? Do they have middleware from which they change the prices and view invoices?

Is there website a team effort - one that cannot be accomplished by ones self?


Thanks

Toni

[DuaneJackson]

Hi Toni,

Like Mac, I'm a little confused.

If you have the ability to develop a system in these languages why do you need to ask these pretty basic questions??

I usually would do most of the back-end db structure before the front end.

[Toni]

I am confused myself (lol)

I have been working on a companies system (in a non-development way) which had a front end, middleware and backend.

For my own website yes okay I can make the front end and also create the back end and link the two using some ODBJ or ODBC connector. Cool?

Do I need to create middleware to capture all the orders and create invoices or do I use Oracleforms to query the database.

Am I thinking too complicated?

[DuaneJackson]

You seem to be overcomplicating things - are you from an academic background by any chance? : )

Your code would write the orders back to the DB through ODBC or similar. You could use OraceleFoms to query the data or you could write scripts for the common admin tasks.

[webit]

Hi - great forum.

I have done some programming at University and am currently a Test Manager for a huge company and know that if your application has any bugs you could lose a lot of money through these mistakes.

Any way, I was hoping to create my website using JSP, Java Script, XSLT, FlashAction SCript 2, XML and CSS 2.

I know that I cannot use the above technologies with ready made carts and so on since they are usually wriiten in PHP. What is the best way to go about this, since I want to create a unique website that is my own master piece. How will I create the Cart and invoicing system?

Is it easy to host this website from home and have test environments setup.

How do I make my servers secure?

Some help here would be great.

Many Thanks

Toni

OK Tony - from the top whats the question.

My background is a blue chip J2EE developement with production experience in PHP. Database in Oracle/MSSQL/mySQL with PHP and TSQL.

I assume this is more or less the same starting point as yourself.

Now. What you you want to know given the fact that I'm not going to write a cart for you.

BTW - Yes- as I would expect you to know - you can throw Tomcat on a machine and host from home.


Also. My ex boss went to be the EPOS rollout manager an Unwins if you've aany questions along that line.