X3Photo Gallery Forums

Hello Karl!


I have already activated the shopping cart plugin on my site twice and then later removed it again. Well, basically this plugin is great. In terms of the idea and functionality, it really fulfills all my wishes. Apart from a few, but from my point of view absolutely crucial details, which unfortunately massively devalue the whole thing. I have failed twice so far because of these details. It was only because of these details that the plugin did not meet my admittedly high requirements.

Now, on my third attempt, I have at least achieved a compromise that I can leave as an experiment. This gives me the opportunity to explain the problem and suggestions for optimization with the following print screens.


1. The following print screen shows one of my numerous galleries. I have configured the shopping cart plugin under Settings>Plugins and Settings>Custom CSS for the whole website, so that I only have to activate the plugin on each gallery page. The only thing missing here is an additional button (see A) whose text I can define myself (e.g. with “?” or “Help”). From here I would like to open an HTML popup with my own help text. Without such help, many customers do not dare to use the function, as my first test phases have shown! 

Or is there an HTML/CSS workaround?



2. the following two print screens show the two-page shopping cart form, which can be opened perfectly from the gallery (via the “Image request” button above the gallery or the shopping cart symbol at the bottom right). I have renamed the texts in the shopping cart form to meet the requirements of an “image request”. On the first page it shows the selected images perfectly and on the second the form fields for the image request and contact information. Now comes the point: If everything were on one page (perhaps with the expandable areas “Selected images” and “Contact information”, then the command button “Send” and possibly “Cancel” would suffice at the bottom and everything would be 100% perfect!

Maybe there is an HTML/CSS hack for the different button labeling on the two pages. That would also be enough for me if I can maintain it in one place under settings. I don't want to have to customize this in 30 galleries :-)

If 2 pages are required in the form for programming reasons, then the button on the first page must be able to be labeled differently than on the 2nd page: On the first page, for example, “Next...” (see C) and on the second page “Send” (see D). Anything else confuses many visitors. In my case for image requests, the button labeling “Order” was forbidden and so it says “Image request” on both pages. This confuses many users extremely (I tested it!) and surprises them when they click on the “Image request” button on the second page below the contact form and everything is sent without warning and the form is deleted! If “Send” were displayed here, there would still be the option of checking beforehand whether all images are selected!




3. Is there a HTML/CSS hack to add the text “Images selected” to the number of images (see B above)? At the moment I have been using the title for this :-)


I would be very happy to make progress here and am grateful for every hack!

Best regards from Basel

Hello Karl

Thank you very much for your quick answers. However, I am honestly disappointed for the first time ;-) 

Of course I understand your arguments and also your concern about jeopardising the ingenious simplicity of the powerful functionality. Nevertheless, I really didn't make it easy for myself. I know from feedback that many of my visitors do not use the ‘image request’ function out of uncertainty. I agree with you that it is different with ‘Orders’. Here it is clear to everyone what is meant: select pictures, enter contact information, send, pay at some point. 

What an ‘image request’ is is not entirely clear to many people in Switzerland and probably also in the German-speaking world. And it's not just a technical matter! So why not at least add a custom button for ‘Help’ in the gallery, to which I can assign a link to an HTML popup with my own help text. And which I can set up in one place and not redundantly on 30 gallery pages. Apart from the fact that I wouldn't know how to do this. Professional and visually appealing looks different to me. And unfortunately I'm not familiar with JavaScript!

If I could set this up with a Javascript function in one place, I would also be satisfied. Is that feasible? I would be very happy to be able to continue using this great function! I think I could live with such a help button with the existing solution. But without it, I will probably remove the function if the previous negative experiences are confirmed. 

Many thanks and best regards from Basel
Thomas

Hello Karl

Well I think my modest knowledge of English prevented me from making the problem really understandable.

Yes, if a generic ‘?’ button can be made for all pages, I'm 100% happy! It was never my idea to make the whole thing more complicated!

Again, very briefly: The term ‘Bildanfrage’ is easily understood in the German-speaking world. It is the only suitable term for my website. But when it comes to ‘Bildanfrage’, many customers obviously have a lot of questions that can prevent them from using it:

• Can I send an Bildanfrage and then receive free images? 
• Is a Bildanfrage  worthwhile, or are the pictures too expensive anyway?
  ...and many more!

  
With a ?-button I can give my customers the security to use the function!

Many thanks and best regards
Thomas

Thank you very much Karl!

That's exactly how we do it. Give me a few days to create the help page. Then I will send you a direct message with the access data to my website.

The button should then be installed to the right of the cart buttons at the same distance and in the same layout.

Thank you again for your great support and helpfulness!

Best regards
Thomas