Quickstart

Already familiar with ExpressionEngine and know how to install CartThrob? Take the fast path to get started in a hurry:

Install CartThrob

1. Upload the files via FTP
2. Go to EE Add-ons and click “Install” for both CartThrob and the CartThrob Order Manager
3. Go to CartThrob settings > Install, and run the auto-installer
4. Add basic store details in the general settings

Set Up Products

1. Add products to the product channel configured in Products settings
2. Go to your new cart page to see your product (http://example.com/store), then add this product to the cart

Test a transaction

1. Add a product to the cart, then check out

Look at reports

1. Once you’ve run through a test transaction, go to CartThrob Order Manager from the Add-ons page (or use the menu item: “Ecommerce” to navigate to it) and take a look at the dashboard
2. Then look at the Orders tab, and check out the 3 main order views: quickview, manage, and view entry (will show order channel entry)

Configure

Now that you’ve seen the whole thing in action, review CartThrob’s control panel settings from the Add-ons page (or use the CartThrob menu item to navigate to it).

1. Create notification email templates
2. Adjust General Global Settings for default locations and currency types
3. Adjust payment settings for your gateway

Modify templates or start from scratch

The default templates are great for testing, learning the basic store flow, and seeing how CartThrob connects products, the cart, checkout, and orders. Once you understand the basics, you will probably want to build your store around your own HTML and front-end structure.

A typical custom build starts with the external markup first: product pages, cart layout, checkout form, account screens, and order confirmation pages. Once the HTML is in place, add CartThrob tags where the store needs behavior, such as cart tags, checkout tags, add_to_cart_form, and checkout_form.