im trying it out now, i have the products all designed in k2, the useless cart is operated by simplecaddy. ive already begun recreating the product sku's in vm and ill be trying out Bob Hinman's method.

tinyurl.com/metrolinedesign/products


Eorisis said:all I am saying here, is why to gt into this mess, and not jsut use normal Joomla Articles for the catalogue, and custom link them to each product like we did on this site I gave. once the reason to use K2 is the way it customizes the catalogue list etc, dod you find it way better than the traditional Joomla Articles ? I would say no, cause k2 has limited functionality.

well that's just my opinion.

i dont use wysiwyg editors. regarding k2, what custom linking issue are you referring to?

Eorisis said:checked you site,
well all I mentioned in previous post, is that I started using k2 in order to take advantage of it's nice finctionality and easy to use for noobs etc. But I found out that it has great limits such as custom linking (VERY IMPORTANT !!)

this was the reason I uninstalled it.

so custom designing Joomla Articles is unlimited.
Try a good Editor for Joomla such as JoomlaCK and you are done with it.

which thumbnails do you mean? the catalog pages? k2 is pretty flexible, you dont even need to use their category landing pages. the linkbar on the left has nothing to do with k2, the mainpage spread links to multiple items, some categories, some products. i prefer k2 to standard joomla because of the organizational hierarchy and the templating which is k2 specific and doesnt have to be governed by the site.

but anyhow, back to it, this is a k2 forum, and im i think we should focus on the topic of integrating k2 and joomla.

My overall reason for wanting to use a CCK is that I will not be the only person who will be contributing to the site. A CCK like K2, etc. can help to provide some standardization to the presentation. Yes, I too have modified CSS' and VirtueMart templates, and I know about and have used Joomla articles in order to create my catalog. For me, and my use alone, that is fine, but for multiple users, it allowed for too much flexibility. It isn't just about the NOOB's. It is trying to create some rigidity in the presentation so that there isn't a noticeable disparity between offerings by those who are very terse from those who like endless embellishments. Creation and Updating of the content can be documented. This is important for a consistent corporate "image".

i agree, this is the same reason for me, and the reason for joomla in the first place. i havent had a chance to try out your solution yet. but once i do, and its working ill put it online. im not expecting a huge stumbling block, but if i run into anything ill pm you.

Bob Hinman said:My overall reason for wanting to use a CCK is that I will not be the only person who will be contributing to the site. A CCK like K2, etc. can help to provide some standardization to the presentation. Yes, I too have modified CSS' and VirtueMart templates, and I know about and have used Joomla articles in order to create my catalog. For me, and my use alone, that is fine, but for multiple users, it allowed for too much flexibility. It isn't just about the NOOB's. It is trying to create some rigidity in the presentation so that there isn't a noticeable disparity between offerings by those who are very terse from those who like endless embellishments. Creation and Updating of the content can be documented. This is important for a consistent corporate "image".

i still dont understand your problem with k2, more so i mean to say, i dont see it as a problem with k2. if you dont want to use the k2 lightbox then you dont have to use the image gallery they provide. nothing stops you from using your own lightbox, of any other number of scripts or galleries that you want to include.

joomla core is not an e-commerce solution by itself. k2 is not an e-commerce solution by itself. adding e-commerce is always going to be an addition, whether hand written, or added as a component/plugin/whatever. k2 is no obstacle in this, i dont see how its a problem. i dont see k2 as any more an impediment than joomla core; in so much as that neither has a built in e-commerce function. Virtuemart fills that void, but assume a lot of control over the layout in doing so. It is bloated in that sense, and I don't want to turn over everything to VM when I just need the cart, checkout, and order handling. Simplecaddy is too simplistic, and VM is too bloated. if bob's solution works, it cuts out that bloat. i havent tried it yet, and as i said i will tonight; and ill post the site link.

if your comment was regarding lightboxes, they have no purpose on the site im building so the feature is not used.

If you had used K2 longer maybe you would have realized K2 has templates, you can either modify those templates or create own, which I have done. Nothing prevent you from adding images to a K2 article, you can use the built in K2 features or just plop in an image yourself to the content of the article. No different than a Joomla article. This is not a 'hack' nor am I changing K2 beyond its upgrade-ability.

Integrating VM and K2: I do not think this will take more than a few hours to figure out; hardly weeks, months or years. After which the solution can be shared with others in this forum.

I have no reason to argue for you to use K2 or not use K2, that is your decision. But using K2 is why I am here, and adapting VM to work with K2 is the goal of this thread. Your input regarding how I run my business is completely off base and outside this discussion.

Pardon the confusion regarding the second part, I inferred incorrectly.

Regarding this topic, who cares how long it was open, I just got here, and along with others I am keen on finding a solution. And to stay on topic I won't post again unless I have it. Further, if you have nothing to add working towards a solution, and are no longer a K2 user I am not sure why you continue to post.