CMS Overview

What to choose

If you are not acknowledged to online store based on CMS and want to start with something simple and convenient, then you will choose OsCommerce. The engine has a set of standard functions, necessary for the online store; it's easy in management and simple in usage. The design is already built in, all you have to do is to pick up a template, pass through several steps of the installation process and enter the list of products; that's all, the store is completely ready to work. OsCommerce is the most popular online store engine.

If you need a flexible management interface and more advanced instrument for online trade, which at the same time should stay easy and intelligible, then we propose you to take a look at Zen Cart. It has everything essential for online business. The system will let you change its configuration without troubles, simply with the help of admin panel. A built in system of subpages (articles) will let you easily add the information about products and services, you offer, and the set of modules for operation with the most popular payment processors will ease the set up of online payment system. You can download Zen Cart engine here.

CRELoaded is an advanced trade portal with plenty of instruments for promotion of your products. A huge amount of payment and shipping modules, affiliate system, sales maker, subpages system and many more, all these is CRELoaded.  In the original supply, you will find a full range of functions of a large online store for achieving the desired results. CRELoaded is the most massive CMS for online trade. The most popular modules and functions are implemented there. You can download CRELoaded engine here.

Package Content

		OsCommerce 2.2		CRELoaded 6.2		ZenCart 1.2.x/1.3.x
Package		Engine (MS 2.2) with design, HTML, PSD, sample database		Theme, HTML, PSD, sample database		Theme, HTML, PSD, sample database
Skins system availability		not available		available		available
Design changing		Via changing of content displaying files or store resetting		With the help of skins system (via admin panel)		With the help of skins system (via admin panel)
Localization		There are 3 languages in standard package: English, German, and Spanish. There is a possibility of localization to other languages		There are 4 languages in standard package: English, German, Spanish and French (our templates are localized to English and German)		There is 1 language in standard package: English (our templates are localized to English). There is a possibility of localization to other languages (all presented at www.zencart.com)

Information Boxes

		OsCommerce 2.2		CRELoaded 6.2		ZenCart 1.2.x/1.3.x
Categories (list of products by categories)		available		available		available
Manufacturers (list of products by manufacturers)		available		available		available
What's New / Latest Products/ New products (representation of one of the products recently added to catalog)		available		available		available
Quick Find / Search (quick search of products by keywords)		available		available		available
Information (box of links to sub pages)		available (links only to standard subpages)		available (links to standard subpages and to pages, added by the admin)		available (links only to standard subpages)
More Information (box of additional links to sub pages, is being replenished only in Zen)		not available		not available		available
Shopping cart (box representing shopping cart's content)		available		available		available
Specials (representation of one of the products, which is introduced into catalog as special, special offer)		available		available		available
Reviews (representation of one of the products, on which a testimonial had been written)		available		available		available
Languages (box of localization switching)		available		available		available
Currencies (box of currencies switching)		available		available		available
Bestsellers (list of the most popular products)		available		available		available
Featured Products (representation of one of the products, selected by administrator)		not available		available		available
Tell a friend (box of informing of somebody about the store vie e-mail)		available		available		available
Notifications (box, in which a client can subscribe to getting information about the product)		available		available		available
Affiliates (information box for affiliates)		not available		available		not available
Articles (box of links to CRE articles (news))		not available		available		not available
Order History (list of client's orders)		available		available		available
Banner (banner, added by a client )		not available (possible to add banner only under footer)		available (possible to add any amount)		available (possible to add any amount)
Downloads (box for displaying of link to purchased product)		not available		available		not available
Manufacturers Info (box of information about the manufacturer)		available		available		available
Donate (box for displaying of "Donate" banner)		not available		available		not available
FAQ (box for displaying of links - answers to frequently asked questions)		not available		available		not available
Google Ad (google adwords banner)		not available		available		not available
Pages (box of links to informational pages)		not available		available		available
Links (box of outer links )		not available		available		not available
Login Box (user's registration box)		not available		available		not available
Who is online (box representing the quantity of users at the given moment)		not available		available		available
Whish List (box of links to products, introduced to the list of desired by the user)		not available		available		not available
EZPages (box of links to sub pages, created with the help of EZ module)		not available		not available		available
Music Genres (standard box for ZenCart, representing the list of music genres)		not available		not available		available
Shop by Price (box of selecting products by price)		not available		available		not available
Calendar (box with calendar)		not available		available		not available

Boxes management

		OsCommerce 2.2		CRELoaded 6.2		ZenCart 1.2.x/1.3.x
Boxes management (Info Boxes)		Only via direct code editing in column_right.php or column_left.php		Via the admin panel, it is possible to change the header, the color of header, position in left or right column.		Via the admin panel, it is possible to change  position in left or right column

Payment modules

		OsCommerce 2.2		CRELoaded 6.2		ZenCart 1.2.x/1.3.x
Authorize.net		available		available		available
Authorize.net AIM		not available		not available		available
Credit Card (cc)		available		available		available
Cash on Delivery		available		available		available
iPayment		available		available		not available
Check		available		available		available
NOCHEX		available		available		not available
PayPal		available		available		available
2CheckOut		available		available		not available
PSiGate		available		available		not available
SecPay		available		available		not available
Freecharger		not available		not available		available
YourPay API		not available		not available		available (1.3.x only)
Credit Card (CCV)		not available		available		not available
Electronic Check		not available		available		not available
EFSnet		not available		available		not available
GeoTrust quick payments		not available		available		not available
PayMeNow		not available		available		not available
PayBox		not available		available		not available
PayJunction		not available		available		not available
PayPalExpressCheckout		not available		available		not available
QChex		not available		available		not available
PlugnPay		not available		available		not available
World pay		not available		available		not available
Quick Commerce Pro		not available		available		not available

Contributions
(additional modules designed by outside developers)

		OsCommerce 2.2		CRELoaded 6.2		ZenCart 1.2.x/1.3.x
Contributions		Quantity: 3721 View here		-		Quantity: 209 View here

Features of realization

OsCommerce

OsCommerce is the basic and one of the first mass online CMS store. The output system is arranged with using object-oriented approach (OsCommerce is partially object oriented, partially because only parts of the code, which are responsible for output are written with object oriented standard). It consists of 3 main parts: boxes, pages and modules, where the boxes are logically separate parts for output; pages are separate pages, which can display the content and they also include boxes and modules; modules are physically separate files, included into pages for content's output.

For example: product_listing.php is the module for products list output. The layout in OsCommerce is table-based.

RELoaded

CRELoaded is a modified OsCommerce. Actually, CRE is a combination OsCommerce's template system and the most popular contributions for OsCommerce, brought into one engine. This engine performs the redirection to the template. Many code parts, which are responsible for unloading / recording of information into the database, are inserted into the templates. The algorithm of CRELoaded is the following: upon the inquiry to one or another page, the engine defines the template that was selected, as main and switches on the page from the template for content displaying.

There is also a system of boxes management and it's possible to select a position of a box in the column and also to choose which one to use (right or left). The layout in CRELoaded is table-based as well.

Zen Cart

Zen Cart is a separate project with its own structure and program solutions. The main feature of Zen Cart is the template system, based on XHTML (in versions 1.3 and higher). The templates are only visual part; there are no parts of code, except for the content's output.

In the original package, there are some features, such as the subpages arrangement system and a possibility to turn off the side columns.