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Index Getting
Started
Once you have setup your Miva Merchant account you
will have two important URLs that you should both write down, and
bookmark in your browser. The first one is the
Administration page. This is the brain center for your
shopping cart. You will need to login to this using the Username and
Password you selected during setup. The URL for this will be
http://www.yourdomainname.org/Merchant2/admin.mv
(replace yourdomainname.org with your actual domain name)
The other URL will be the Miva Merchant cart. You
may wish to open this in a separate browser window so that you can
see for yourself the results of changes/selections you make in
Admin, such as colors, font sizes, and product displays. The URL for
this page will be:
http://www.yourdomainname.org/Merchant2/merchant.mv
(replace yourdomainname.org with your actual domain name)
Admin
Main Page--Overview
Once you have logged into your Admin area you will
see a page divided into three parts. Since this is the
control center for your entire Miva Merchant system you
should take some time to become familiar with the layout and how
it works.
Header
At the top of your screen you will see a header
section containing links that you may find helpful.
 | Miva Icon Clicking on this
will take you to Miva Corp's home page. |
| Main Clicking on this
link at any time will take you back to the Main Admin
page. |
| Docs
This will take you to Miva Merchant's online help
files. (different from this manual) |
| Support This will take you to
Miva Merchant's support message board. |
| Logout When you are finished
working in your Miva Merchant you should logout. This will
prevent anyone else who may use your computer from accessing
your account without logging in. |
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Menu Panel
The menu panel on the left side of the screen
lists all of the functions of the cart in an expandable
file format. With a little practice you will soon be able to
navigate these options quickly and easily.
| Blue Text |
Blue text indicates an active option. Clicking
on one of these will pull up the page or form indicated in the
Main Frame of your screen.
| Black Text |
Black text indicates an inactive option. This
means that there is currently nothing available to pull up for
the item
| Arrow Icon |
The small blue arrow icon next to a directory
indicates that there are sub-directories within that
directory. Click on the arrow to expand the
directories.
| Dot Icon |
A small dot icon next to an item indicates
that it currently contains no sub-directories
| Spider Web Icon |
Some forms will display a small black web
icon. Click on this to have a window pop up displaying all of
the relevant links you can use in your web pages. This
is very helpful for integrating Miva Merchant into an existing
web site.
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Main Frame
This is the large portion of your screen. Items
selected from the Menu Panel will open in the Main Frame of your
screen. You will make selections, enter information and
save your work from there. Once saved, the Menu Panel will
update to reflect any changes you make.
| ? |
The large blue question marks next to many
form entry fields will, when clicked on, open a small help
window.
| Lookup |
The blue Lookup link will be found next to
some items to help you make selections from current
lists. For example, clicking on the Lookup link
next to the Manager field when setting up your store
will open a window which will display all of the Users
you have entered. Simply select the desired User from
the list to have the name automatically entered into the field
for you.
Miva
Merchant Functions
All of the functions, options and selections that
are available to you will be listed in the Menu Panel. At
first glance you will see only a half dozen or so items listed here.
However, once you begin expanding the directories by clicking on the
blue arrows you will see the list grow rapidly.
Please take a bit of time to explore the options
in your Menu Panel to familiarize yourself with how it works, and
what is available. You may also wish to read the Before You
Start section of this online manual before you begin adding your
products and setting up your cart. Return to Main Index Back to Top
Refresh
Click this link at any time to update your screen
to the most recent saved version. Remember that the more of
your Menu you have expanded, the longer it will take for the
Refresh to take place because you will have more files open.
Mall Settings
This will contain the current mall settings as
entered by you when you setup your account.
| Mall Name |
The Mall Name is used by your modules and other
settings to identify your Mall. The Mall Name does not
have to be the same name as your Store Name.
Note--Your license allows you to setup
one Mall, with one store in it. To add more stores to your Mall
you will need to purchase additional licenses.
| Owner |
The information entered here is, by default, the
same information you entered when creating your store. The
name here will also be used for contact emails and
notices. You may change/update this as needed.
| URLs |
These are the specific URLs the system will
point to within your domain. If these URL's are entered
incorrectly, they will not work.
| Administration
Timeout |
This will automatically log you out of your
Administration page if there is no activity for the specified
number of minutes. This is a security precaution for your
benefit.
| User
Interface |
These settings allow you to customize the look
and feel of your Miva Merchant pages and forms.
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Users
You may give administrative access to as many users
as you like, each with their own login and password. You may
also remove users.
| Add User |
The Username and Password entered here will be
needed for the User to login to the system.
Administrator?
Check this box to give User access to all
areas of your Miva Merchant store, overriding other security
settings.
Note: If you do not check this box the
User will have NO privileges at all until you create a Group
and assign them to it. To create a Group expand the
sub-menu under your Store Name and click on the small blue
arrow next to the sub-title "Group".
Create New Users?
Check this box to enable
User to create new Users.
Add
You must click on the Add button to Add the
new User to the system.
| Edit User |
All current Users will be displayed in a list
below Add User. To edit any settings for a User, click on
their name. Once you have made your changes, click on the Update
button.
Delete User
To delete a User click on the Delete button on
the Edit Users form.
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Back to Top Modules
The word "module" is used to indicate a
specific set of programming which performs a specific
function, or set of functions. The use of modules allows for a
greater degree of flexibility and upgrade ability to the system as a
whole. New modules may be added and implemented without
effecting the rest of your system. You may change modules if you
like as well...for example, you may wish to change from Flat Rate
Shipping to UPS Shipping. This is done by simply changing your
module selections.
Module Paths
| Root Directory for Modules |
Your modules are stored by default in a
directory named Merchant. Miva Merchant uses this
directory path to configure links for the modules. In most
cases, this default should not be changed.
path should be /Merchant2/
| Secure Root Directory for Modules |
Your modules are stored by default in a
directory named Merchant. Miva Merchant uses this
directory path to configure secure links for the modules where
needed. In most cases, this default should not be changed.
secure path should be /your-userid/Merchant2/
Note: your-userid is your domain name with no extension.
example- fred.com would be fred.
Add Module
| You can add modules created by either Miva
Corp or third party vendors to increase functionality of your
Miva Merchant. You may upload modules from here using the
Upload option, or place your new modules in a directory on
your server manually and enter the path here. |
Module Listings
All of the modules you currently have
installed in your Miva Merchant will be listed here.
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