Associate-O-Matic v2.3    Last Updated: 3/12/2005
 
Documentation


• Requirements
• Included Files/Directories
• Installation
• Upgrades (from Demo or Previous Version)
• Administration
• Graphics
• Disclaimer
 

Requirements
  • Website/Domain
  • Ability to upload files to your web host
  • Amazon.com Associate ID   [Register at Amazon.com]
  • Linux/Unix/Windows Server
  • Apache
  • PHP 4.x 
     
Included Files/Directories
shop.php This is the main PHP script that powers Associate-O-Matic. You can rename this file to whatever you'd like so long as it ends in ".php" (e.g index.php, store.php, etc...)

NOTE:  If you rename the file, you must also edit the non-encrypted portion of the file where it says $codelock_file="shop.php" to whatever the new name is.
i.e. http://www.yoursite.com/shop.php
admin.php

This is the administration PHP script for changing Associate-O-Matic settings (The first time you access it, it will ask you to setup a username and password. On future visits you will simply be asked to login).

i.e. http://www.yoursite.com/admin.php
/aom/ Directory contains all the additional PHP files and images that make up Associate-O-Matic

i.e. http://www.yoursite.com/aom/
 
Installation
Associate-O-Matic is powered by PHP together with Amazon.com Web Services.

Setup requires a few simple steps:
 
1 Unzip the files contained in the Associate-O-Matic ZIP file to your local drive.
2 If you are upgrading from a previous version, be sure to download the cfg.saved.php to your local drive as well (see the Upgrades section below for more details). Otherwise skip forward to Step 3.
3

FTP the files/folders to your server with the modes below:

  • shop.php  [BINARY]
  • admin.php  [BINARY]
  • aom.php  [BINARY]
  • cfg.default.php  [ASCII]
  • class.os.php  [ASCII]
  • all other files should upload in the correct mode by default

Ideally, you would FTP the files to your main public site directory. Just make sure you don't overwrite any of your existing non-AOM files if they happen to be named the same.

Example Store URLs:

  • http://www.yoursite.com/shop.php (best choice, shortest URL)
  • http://www.yoursite.com/dir/dir/dir/dir/shop.php (also works, longer URL)

The shop.php and related files can be placed anywhere off your public directories so long as the hierarchy of Associate-O-Matic files remains the same.
4

Set the files/directory permissions as follows (if they're aren't already). The easiest way to set the permissions is from your FTP client.

NOTE:  You may need to modify your permissions beyond the below recommended settings. You'll know because Associate-O-Matic will give you cues that you still need to write and/or read enable a particular folder such as /aom.

  • shop.php  [CHMOD 644]
  • admin.php  [CHMOD 644]
  • aom.php  [CHMOD 777]
  • /aom directory  [CHMOD 755]
  • all other permissions should be fine by default
5 Run http://www.yoursite.com/admin.php, setup your login username and password, and save all your site information and settings.
6 Run http://www.yoursite.com/shop.php and see your site in action. You can now announce it to the world!
 
Upgrades

Upgrading from a previous version of Associate-O-Matic is simple:

Upgrading From v2.1 or v2.2
1. Upload all images fresh to the /aom directory on your server (many of them have changed)
2. Upload the new cfg.default.php file to the /aom directory (FTP in ASCII Mode)
3. Upload the new aom.php, admin.php and shop.php files to the main directory (FTP in BINARY Mode)
4. Go to the Control Panel and make note of settings marked NEW. Make any changes and save them.
5. Run your site and make sure everything looks good. You should be set!

Upgrading From Versions Older Than v2.1
1. Download your current cfg.saved.php file which is located in the /aom directory. This file contains all of your previous configuration settings and will save you time when upgrading to a new version. Though some of the settings may have been changed or removed in the latest version, any settings that are still applicable will be filled in so you don't have to re-enter them.
2. Next delete all the old Associate-O-Matic files excluding the cfg.saved.php file and existing aom folder.
3. Upload all the new files to their appropriate folders using the modes/permissions described above.
4. That will complete the upgrade.
 
Administration

The Associate-O-Matic Control Panel (admin.php) is where you customize settings for your Amazon.com Associate store.

If you uploaded the files to your main public directory, the URL would be:
http://www.yoursite.com/admin.php

 The first time you access the script it will ask you to setup a username and password. On future visits you will simply be asked to login with that same username and password. Keep them private and be sure to come up with a password at least 8 characters long (use both numbers and letters).

NOTE: Though we will probably build in a more graceful method in the future, the current method to change/update your username and/or password is to delete the file inside the /aom/ directory called, cfg.login.php. Once deleted, you should immediately go to the admin.php script as it will ask you for the new username and password you would like to setup.

Here is documentation of the various configuration settings you have at your disposal. Some are required and some are optional, but all will allow you to fine tune how Associate-O-Matic looks and behaves:

Amazon Settings
  Amazon Store Type The only option currently available is Amazon.com. Future versions might include other countries/languages which would be included here.
  Amazon Associate Id This is the Associate ID assigned by Amazon.com when you registered (e.g. associatomati-20)
Site Settings
  Site Name The name of your website. Appears in page titles and meta tags.
  Site Description The description of your website. Appears in meta description tag.
  Site Keywords The keywords/phrases that describe your website. Appear in the meta keyword tag.
  Site Slogan [OPTIONAL] Enter a selling slogan (used in the title of the homepage)
  Site Domain Your domain name (e.g. http://www.yoursite.com)
  Site Default Keyword [OPTIONAL] Enter the default keyword/phrase for your site (e.g. "Star Wars", "Mountain Biking", etc.). This would be the general topic of your site. This filters visitor searching and browsing. You would leave this blank for a general "mall" type store. If left blank, the home page will display general categories instead of products. If you supply a value, be sure to test each category you've selected below to be sure results are returned. The more general the search term you use, the more likely Amazon will have results to return.
NEW! Site Filter [OPTIONAL] If provided, these words will be filtered from the Subcategory and Related Category Boxes as well as keyword searches, etc. Enter keywords/phrases separated by a comma - not case sensitive (e.g. sex, blue, whatever).
  Site Home Html [OPTIONAL] If provided, this HTML will be used in the body section of the home page in place of the Associate-O-Matic generated content.
  Site Traffic Code [OPTIONAL] This is where you can paste code from any third-party site traffic tracking programs. If supplied it will load on each page.
  Site Custom Error [OPTIONAL] If provided your custom error will be displayed instead of the standard Amazon error. This can be text or HTML of any kind.
  Site Bg Color This is the main background color of your website. Enter a hexadecimal color directly or use the simple color picker box.
  Site Color This is the main site color. Enter a hexadecimal color directly or use the simple color picker box.
  Site Accent Color This is the main site accent color. Enter a hexadecimal color directly or use the simple color picker box.
  Site Content Bg Color This is the background color of content areas. Enter a hexadecimal color directly or use the simple color picker box.
  Site Header Html

[OPTIONAL] If provided, this is header HTML that will wrap around Associate-O-Matic content to give it the look and feel or your existing website if you have one.

Note: To include the dynamic content, created by Associate-O-Matic, in your header such as title, meta description and meta keywords, copy and paste the following text into the appropriate places in your HTML.

For the Title copy and paste the text box below and place it between the title tags...
<Title>
</Title>

For the Meta Description copy and paste the text box below and place it inside the description meta tag as follows...
<meta name="description" content="
">

For the Meta Keywords copy and paste the text box below and place it inside the keyword meta tag as follows...
<meta name="keywords" content="
">
  Site Footer Html [OPTIONAL] If provided, this is footer HTML that will wrap around Associate-O-Matic content to give it the look and feel or your existing website if you have one.
  Site Logo [OPTIONAL] If provided, this image will appear at the top of the screen (left justified). It can be any size.
  Site Bg Image [OPTIONAL] If provided, this image will appear as a watermark behind the Associate-O-Matic content. It can be any size. Note: It cancels out your Site Bg Color from above.
  Site Marketplace Options These are the condition options that will be displayed on marketplace listing pages
  Site Marketplace Default When viewing the marketplace listings, this will be the default group to show first (paginated)
  Display Tabs Whether you want to display the Tabs
  Display Accessories Whether you want to display the Accessories (where available, these would be listed on individual item pages) YesNo
  Display Similar Items Whether you want to display the Similar Items (where available, these would be listed on individual item pages)
  Display Cross Sell Links Whether you want to display the Cross Selling Links such as authors, actors, etc (where available, these would be found on individual item pages)
Text Settings
  Site Text Color The color of text on your site. Enter a hexadecimal color directly or use the simple color picker box.
  Site Text Font The font for your website. Choices include Arial, Times New Roman, Courier New, Comic Sans and Impact.
  Site Text Size Choose from various text sizes.
Link Settings
  Site Link Color These are links that have not been clicked. Enter a hexadecimal color directly or use the simple color picker box.
  Site Link Hover Color [OPTIONAL] These are links that you hover the mouse over. Enter a hexadecimal color directly or use the simple color picker box. Note: If you don't want links to change color when hovered over, simply make them the same color as Site Link Color.
  Site Link Visited Color [OPTIONAL] These are links that have been visited. Enter a hexadecimal color directly or use the simple color picker box. Note: If you don't want links to change color when visited, simply make them the same color as Site Link Color.
Categories/Subcategories
  Display This determines if the box is displayed or not (e.g. Yes or No)
  Side This sets the size on which the box is displayed (e.g. Left or Right)
  Border This determines if the box is displayed with a border (the width is automatically set to 1 pixel)
  BgColor This determines if the box uses a background color (same color as Site Content Bg Color). Otherwise it takes on the color behind it which is the Site Bg Color.
  Label If supplied, this is the text that will appear at the heading of the box (e.g. Categories, etc...)

NEW!

 Categories Select the major categories you want to offer. Customize the catogory names as desired. All applicable related categories and subcategories are automatically available inside the Related Category and Subcategory Boxes if you choose to display them.
  Category Icons Whether or not to display the small category icons throughout Associate-O-Matic. You can use your own icons (any size) so long as they have the same name as the current icons. You simply FTP them to your server and overwrite the default icons.
  Related Category Box Browsable list of related categories. Unlike previous versions, you don't have to select thousands of related categories. They are automatically visible in this box when available for the page you are visiting.
  Subcategory Box Browsable list of subcategories. Unlike previous versions, you don't have to select thousands of subcategories. They are automatically visible in this box when available for the page you are visiting.
Information Pages (Information Box with up to 10 links)
  Display This determines if the box is displayed or not (e.g. Yes or No)
  Side This sets the size on which the box is displayed (e.g. Left or Right)
  Border This determines if the box is displayed with a border (the width is automatically set to 1 pixel)
  BgColor This determines if the box uses a background color (same color as Site Content Bg Color). Otherwise it takes on the color behind it which is the Site Bg Color.
  Label If supplied, this is the text that will appear at the heading of the box (e.g. Categories, etc...)
  Link Name Text of links
  URL URL of links
Custom Content (Repeated with Custom Content Boxes 1 through 5)
  Display This determines if the box is displayed or not (e.g. Yes or No)
  Side This sets the size on which the box is displayed (e.g. Left or Right)
  Border This determines if the box is displayed with a border (the width is automatically set to 1 pixel)
  BgColor This determines if the box uses a background color (same color as Site Content Bg Color). Otherwise it takes on the color behind it which is the Site Bg Color.
  Label If supplied, this is the text that will appear at the heading of the box (e.g. Categories, etc...)
  Custom HTML Content This is where you can paste any custom HTML content you want be it Ad Rotators, Featured Items, Newsletter Subscription boxes, etc.
Advanced
  Amazon Connection Method This is for troubleshooting purposes only and should not be changed unless you are directed to do so by our support team or you are not able to connect to Amazon and get errors to this effect. Almost always you will want to let the Associate-O-Matic determine the best connection method.
 
Graphics
How do I customize the graphics in Associate-O-Matic?
Each of the graphics/icons/buttons used within Associate-O-Matic can be swapped out with your own custom graphics/icons/buttons. Your custom graphic must have the same name as the graphic you are wanting to replace. Once ready, you would simply ftp the file you created and overwrite the existing file on your server.

The only exception to this are the photos/graphics/images that are referenced on Amazon.com. These cannot be changed.
 
Disclaimer
THIS PROGRAM REQUIRES AMAZON E-COMMERCE SERVICE (ECS). IF ECS IS EVER DISCONTINUED OR BECOMES UNAVAILABLE FOR ANY REASON, THIS SOFTWARE WILL NO LONGER FUNCTION AND GYROFLY WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE.

THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. GYROFLY TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES SUFFERED AS A RESULT OF USING, MODIFYING THIS SOFTWARE.

IN NO EVENT WILL GYROFLY BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST REVENUE, PROFIT OR DATA, OR FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, HOWEVER CAUSED AND REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF GYROFLY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
 
 
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