FAQs

Frequently asked questions are provided in this section to answer your queries/doubts about the X-Cart software. We have tried our best to answer all FAQs, but even if after referring this section your doubts are not cleared, please feel free to contact us.

1. What is X-Cart ?
   
   
2. Does X-Cart support PayPal ?
   
   
3. How does X-Cart compare with free shopping carts?
   
   
4. What is the difference between the GOLD and the PRO packages ?
   
   
5. Can I purchase installation and/or customization services AFTER ordering X-Cart ?
   
   
6. Which payment gateways does X-Cart support ? And which do you recommend ?
   
   
7. I already have a merchant account. Is it possible to use it with X-Cart ?
   
   
8. Can I incorporate this software into my existing website ?
   
   
9. If I purchase one X-Cart license, can I set it up at more than one website ?
   
   
10. What service package would I need from Authorize.NET to use their credit card processing services in X-Cart ?
    
    
11. If I purchase the GOLD package, is it possible to upgrade to the PRO package later ?
    
    
12. Will X-Cart run well on web server with PHP5 ?
    
    
13. Is it possible to run X-Cart with "safe_mode" PHP configuration variable turned on?
    
    
14. Do I need to have administrator (root) access rights to server in order to install X-Cart ?
    
    
15. I see that the demo site uses a list of U.S states. We are located outside the U.S., how easy is it to change the list of states to match our provinces/regions ?
    
    
16. There are so many hosting services over the Internet so I find it difficult to choose which one to use. Can you recommend some hosting services that are fully compatible with X-Cart?
    
    
17. I have several different domain names pointing to the same site. Do I need to purchase several licenses ?
    
    
18. What is Smarty ?
    
    
19. My credit card processing gateway is not present in the list of supported gateways. What can I do to make X-Cart support my CC processing gateway ?
    
    
20. Once I decide to purchase X-Cart, how do I get it ?
    
    
21. Is it possible to add options to my products (ie. sizes ,colors, etc. other) ?
    
    
22. Does X-Cart allow sale of e-goods? In other words is software sold for download only (no shipping) ?
    
    
23. Can I use Microsoft FrontPage / Macromedia Dreamweaver to edit my X-Cart pages ?
    
    
24. I will be developing my site at one URL then moving it to another when we go live. Can I assume that we will be able to change the URL under the same license?
    
    
25. What are the "Installation Services" for X-Cart ?
    
    
26. I like your demo. Is this how the cart looks before any customization ?
    
    
27. Which platform do you recommend for installing X-Cart (UNIX/Linux/Windows) ?
    
    
28. Do you have any examples of websites that use your product?
    
    
29. I want to process orders off-line. Is it possible to have the cart email order information to me ?
    
    
30. Does X-Cart support different pricing levels for different user groups ?
    
    
31. What is the "admin safe mode" in X-Cart online demo on your website? Why can't I use some functions in X-Cart online demo?
    
    
32. Is X-Cart PCI/CISP certified?
    
    

Answers

1. What is X-Cart ?

X-Cart is a PHP4 / PHP5 + MySQL-based secure shopping cart software with support for Smarty Templates technology.

2. Does X-Cart support PayPal ?

Yes, X-Cart does support PayPal.

3. How does X-Cart compare with free shopping carts?

For independent "feature vs feature" comparison please go to:
http://www.itwebexperts.com/oscommerce_zencart_xcart_comparison.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_shopping_cart_software

Also, you are welcome to contact us with any questions as X-Cart comes with tons of features and you can use combinations of those features to create new features.

Our software is developed in-house by a team of paid developers, it is tested by paid QA engineers, it is designed by paid designers, it is supported by paid techs, ... etc. Everything is paid. So we sell our software as we need to pay all those guys.

What you get in result?
1) Software designed, developed and tested by people who do their job for living, who depend on results on their job, i.e. on you, our customers.
2) Guarantee.

What happens if you find a bug in X-Cart?
You send us a ticket and we provide you with a free bug-fix at our earliest convenience. Why free? It is our guarantee, you paid for the software with that guarantee included.

Frankly speaking we don't like spending money on free bug-fixes, so we test our software thoroughly before releasing it in order to eliminate as many bugs as possible to save $$ and keep your buying price as low as possible.

4. What is the difference between the GOLD and the PRO packages ?

X-CART GOLD package is designed for small and medium internet stores. It allows you to run store with unlimited number of categories and products. In GOLD all administrators have the same access level to data and configuration settings of the e-store. The PRO package has all of the advantages of the GOLD package, but it is designed for medium or large internet stores and online malls with joint catalog. The PRO package is created to allow several different sellers sharing a web store to sell products. Also, PRO allows having separate accounts for store's personnel with restricted access to administration section. GOLD does not allow that. Read more about user types in X-Cart.

5. Can I purchase installation and/or customization services AFTER ordering X-Cart ?

If you have purchased X-Cart without ordering additional services, you can always purchase the services later.

6. Which payment gateways does X-Cart support ? And which do you recommend ?

X-Cart is integrated with almost one hundred payment gateways. For the full list please see Payment gateways supported by X-Cart page. The recommended companies you can find on the Payment gateways page.

7. I already have a merchant account. Is it possible to use it with X-Cart ?

Yes, it is possible. Please contact us for more details.

8. Can I incorporate this software into my existing website ?

Yes you can. X-Cart can be easily integrated with any look and layout. Refer to X-Cart:Customizing storefront page.

9. If I purchase one X-Cart license, can I set it up at more than one website ?

No, this is not possible. You will need to purchase a license for each site you build with X-Cart. Consult with pricing and License agreement.

10. What service package would I need from Authorize.NET to use their credit card processing services in X-Cart ?

X-Cart is integrated with Authorize.net by means of AIM (Advanced Integration Method) and SIM (Simple Integration Method). SIM is supported by X-Cart 3.5.0 or higher version.

11. If I purchase the GOLD package, is it possible to upgrade to the PRO package later ?

Yes, this is possible. The price of your original package will be subtracted from the price of the Pro package.

12. Will X-Cart run well on web server with PHP5 ?

Yes, absolutely.

13. Is it possible to run X-Cart with "safe_mode" PHP configuration variable turned on?

The "safe_mode" disables several important PHP commands, including input/output functions and file upload support. This makes it virtually impossible to run a complex ecommerce software like X-Cart. Our shopping cart software needs input/output functions in order to read the template files, needs file upload functions in order to handle product image uploads. By default, "safe_mode" is turned off on all PHP installations. X-Cart is compatible with all default PHP configurations and most of non-default PHP configurations.

14. Do I need to have administrator (root) access rights to server in order to install X-Cart ?

Administrator rights are not required. Find more info at X-Cart:Installation

15. I see that the demo site uses a list of U.S states. We are located outside the U.S., how easy is it to change the list of states to match our provinces/regions ?

You can easily change the list of states/provinces by using the X-Cart Admin Interface.

16. There are so many hosting services over the Internet so I find it difficult to choose which one to use. Can you recommend some hosting services that are fully compatible with X-Cart?

We can offer you our own X-Cart hosting solution. Also, please, have a look at the list of Recommended Webhosting Companies.

17. I have several different domain names pointing to the same site. Do I need to purchase several licenses ?

If you have several different domain names pointing to the same site with the same content, 1 license will be enough. See the explanation of ONE-LICENSE-ONE-STORE RULE.

18. What is Smarty ?

Smarty is a free open-source template engine written in PHP. In fact, Smarty is one of the best template engines available. X-Cart uses it to provide X-Cart Store Owners with access to unlimited customization of look and layout. You can get more information on Smarty at the following URL: http://www.smarty.net/faq.php

19. My credit card processing gateway is not present in the list of supported gateways. What can I do to make X-Cart support my CC processing gateway ?

Contact us and we will handle the integration for you.

20. Once I decide to purchase X-Cart, how do I get it ?

You will receive access to our Helpdesk. There is a "Files" section which holds the latest releases of X-Cart, this will allow you to have direct access to all future releases of X-Cart.

21. Is it possible to add options to my products (ie. sizes ,colors, etc. other) ?

Yes, you can add unlimited number of product options to any of your products. Supported product option types are drop-down options and text area options. Drop-down options can be assigned a price modifier (flat-fee or percent of original product cost). Text field options can be used to allow your customers to add text information with their order. For example, they can add a text they want to be engraved on their gift.

22. Does X-Cart allow sale of e-goods? In other words is software sold for download only (no shipping) ?

Yes, this feature is supported by X-Cart. Read more about Egoods module.

23. Can I use Microsoft FrontPage / Macromedia Dreamweaver to edit my X-Cart pages ?

No it's impossible. You will need HTML knowledge to edit X-Cart templates. The templates can be edited using the built-in template editor. However, you can create your design in any editor, then integrate the resulting HTML code with X-Cart or just ask us to perform the design integration.

24. I will be developing my site at one URL then moving it to another when we go live. Can I assume that we will be able to change the URL under the same license?

Yes, this is possible. You will need to mail us your new URL and remove the software from your old URL.

25. What are the "Installation Services" for X-Cart ?

Read more about installation service.

26. I like your demo. Is this how the cart looks before any customization ?

After you install X-Cart on your server, the cart will look exactly as the demo.

27. Which platform do you recommend for installing X-Cart (UNIX/Linux/Windows) ?

We recommend you choosing a UNIX/Linux server.

28. Do you have any examples of websites that use your product?

Sure. Please check the list of featured clients.

29. I want to process orders off-line. Is it possible to have the cart email order information to me ?

Yes, the cart can send order information by e-mail. It is also possible to configure the cart to make it PGP-encrypt the e-mails. You can also just log in to the admin area using secure HTTPS/SSL connection and access the order information using your web browser.

30. Does X-Cart support different pricing levels for different user groups ?

Yes, the shopping cart software does support different pricing levels for different user groups. You can have unlimited number of customer groups. You can assign a group to a customer, then define custom pricing for each customer group.

31. What is the "admin safe mode" in X-Cart online demo on your website? Why can't I use some functions in X-Cart online demo?

Since the administrator back-end of X-Cart online demo is publicly available for demonstration purposes, we limited some X-Cart administrator functions using the so-called "safe mode". This mode makes a number of sections and functions of the administrator back-end available only for viewing and does not allow any changes to be submitted.

The following sections are available for viewing only:

• News Management
• Static pages
• General settings
• Payment methods
• Images location
• Modules
• DB Backup/Restore
• Summary
• HTML-catalog
• Languages
• Users
• Patch/Upgrade

The following operations are not allowed:

• Removal of categories and products
• Usage of html tags in product and category descriptions
• Editing of the Speed Bar
• File operations (Files, Edit templates)
• Data import

We recommend that you use X-Cart free demo if you wish to test-drive the above sections and functions.

32. Is X-Cart PCI/CISP certified?

The short answer is no. But the thing is that it's not supposed to be a PCI/CISP certified product itself since X-Cart is neither a payment gateway, nor a financial organization charging credit cards, nor is it a hosted e-commerce solution.

X-Cart is a standalone e-commerce application which can be integrated with any of supported payment gateways and used on any compatible hosting server. Online merchants who use this shopping cart are supposed to get PCI/CISP compliant status themselves if they use both PCI/CISP compliant payment gateway and hosting service. Read how to implement X-Cart in a PCI compliant manner.

See also:

• X-Cart FAQs
• X-Cart Gold features
• X-Cart Pro features

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