Even if you have a website that isn’t a Quicksite or Kicksite from ShopCity.com, you can install some of the applications from your Business Profile - such as your Events Calendar, News Posts, Catalog, Gift Certificates or Coupons - to appear on your website. Even after installation, any updates you make in your Business Control Panel will automatically update the corresponding application on your website.
Integrating the ShopCity.com Web Tools
At ShopCity.com we built the platform with web developers in mind. We started as a small IT company in 1998 and can relate to the strenuous and tedious daily tasks of managing multiple clients. The good news is we’ve found a way to simplify it for you with quick and easy plug-in applications for marketing and sales.
Easy Installation
By copying and pasting two lines of code you can easily embed a range of applications to add functionality and content to any website, regardless of the platform. The iFrame installation code for each feature and element is available through the Tools section of the Business Control Panel.
To install a Web Tool on a custom website, just follow these simple steps:
1. Go to your ShopCity.com business control panel, click the Web Apps tab and then choose the application you’d like to install. By default applications are set to 100% width and 100% height, to have transparent backgrounds and to scroll when needed – this means that the application will fill the area you place them in, will scroll if the content is too large for the area and will enable whatever background colors or images they’re placed over top of to show through.
2. Change any of the aforementioned settings you’d like to update in the ‘Tool Setup’ section.
3. Copy the code in the main ‘Embed Code’ text area by highlighting the code with your mouse.
4. Open the custom page on your site you’d like to install the application on in your favorite editor – ex. Dreamweaver.
5. Locate the position you’d like the application to appear in – for example a table cell or div.
6. Paste the embed code into the chosen area.
7. Save the updated page and upload it your server via FTP.
8. You can then change the application settings, update your fonts and your colors.
9. Click the ‘Save Changes’ button to apply the new settings to your application.
10. Refresh the web page the application is installed on to see the latest changes.
Installation is that easy and with a bit of practice you can easily integrate and edit web tools in less than 5 minutes. Your clients will be impressed with the speed of setup, the ease of use and the added functionality of the dynamic web tools, helping your brand and freeing up some personal time in the process. Below is an example of the photo gallery web tool embedded on a static website. The photo gallery is just one of the web apps website owners have come to love but it’s not the only one.
With a few simple steps you can install any of the web tools – from email newsletters to a complete online store complete with shopping cart. Use the example below to see how the iframe code can be installed on your website, or your clients.
Installation Example
This example shows the iFrame code used to embed the application on a static website. Just choose the spot you’d like the application to appear and copy and paste the code snippet.
The Web Page application can be used to add multiple content management areas to a single page.
For instance, you could add a small 100 by 100 pixel area to enable your client to change a welcome message, and then a larger 500 by 500 pixel area for their homepage description.
The following applications are currently available with more on the way:
Customize Your Apps
Once installed, you or your clients can easily make changes to just about any aspect of your app via the business control panel. Each app enables you to specify the various, fonts, font sizes, font colors, border styles and colors, background colors and form field details using an easy customization form.
You can also control the features, functions and result set details for each app, for example displaying 5 marketplace items per page instead of the default 10 results, choosing to hide your hours of operation on your contact form, etc. You can also include your own external CSS file for even more control over an app’s appearance. After an app is installed, you won’t need to modify the installation code again and can change and tweak the apps settings using only the ShopCity.com control panel.
Master the ShopCity.com Web Tools
With the ability to integrate ShopCity.com web tools into your client’s website or web-space, your client will be able to maximize their local marketing and sales efforts while dramatically reducing the grunt-work on your behalf. The web tools give you – the web developer – access to a powerful suite of plug-in style applications that can help you impress your clients without working any more than you need to.