Installation Instructions
Warning
ExpressionEngine should be installed first before installing CartThrob. Do not attempt to install CartThrob during the ExpressionEngine installation process if you have not set an encryption key in EE’s config file before installation.
System Requirements
CartThrob 9 has the following minimum requirements:
- ExpressionEngine 5 or newer
- PHP 7.1 or newer
- PHP Extensions:
- cURL
- Fileinfo
- GD
- Mcrypt
- XML
- PHP Extensions:
- MySQL 5.6 or newer
Note
Whether you are doing a fresh install or upgrading from a previous version, it is always recommended that you backup your site’s database and files. Always back up your database before installing or upgrading add-ons.
Upload the files
Using an FTP program, upload the CartThrob files to the appropriate folders on your website. All CartThrob folders and files found in the “system” folder are intended to be placed in your ExpressionEngine folder, regardless of its current name (system, admin, expression_engine, etc.) All files should be uploaded in ASCII/text format, except images which should be uploaded in binary format.
Place all of the directories found in the ZIP archive into a matching folder on your server.
Adjust PHP’s memory requirements
Depending on your server’s configuration, you may need to adjust PHP’s memory limit. Either change this in your php.ini file, or using an .htaccess file, add (or adjust) the following line:
php_value memory_limit 192M
Many server installations are preconfigured to use 8 Mb, or 16 Mb of memory out of the box, and that’s at the lower threshold of what’s needed to run ExpressionEngine, CartThrob and a bunch of other add-ons at the same time. If you install and see a white screen when trying to access the settings, this could be a problem.
Check the Encryption Key
ExpressionEngine should create an encryption key during installation. Before installing CartThrob, confirm that $config['encryption_key'] exists in your ExpressionEngine config.php file.
If the key is missing, add a strong encryption key before continuing. You can generate one with a password generator such as Perfect Passwords.
Install the Add-on
Go to Add-ons and install CartThrob.
Optionally, you may want to install CartThrob Order Manager as well for more robust order reporting and management capabilities.
Add Your License Code
Make sure your CartThrob purchase is attached to the correct site in the ExpressionEngine.com Site Manager. This connects your CartThrob product license to the ExpressionEngine site where it will be used.
Auto-install Templates
Access your ExpressionEngine control panel, and go to Add-ons > CartThrob. The Installation tab provides an “Auto-Install Templates and Channels” option. If you would like default templates and sample channels/sections set up to handle products and orders, we strongly recommend using these default templates the first time you install CartThrob to get a glimpse of the whole system at work out of the box. Customize from there.
Once you’ve configured the basic settings and have installed the default templates, take a look at the rest of the configuration settings to get a good idea of what the system can do.