Back to Main Miva Merchant Manual Page

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.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/miva?Merchant2/admin.mv+ (replace yourdomain.com 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.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/miva?Merchant2/merchant.mv (replace yourdomain.com 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.
    
    
    1. Miva Icon
       Clicking on this will take you to Miva Corp's home page.
    2. Main
       Clicking on this link at any time will take you back to the Main Admin page.
    3. Docs
       This will take you to Miva Merchant's online help files. (different from this manual)
    4. Support
       This will take you to Miva Merchant's support message board.
    5. 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.
  
  
  
  • 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.
    
    
    
    1. 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.
    2. Black Text
       Black text indicates an inactive option. This means that there is currently nothing available to pull up for the item
    3. 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.
    4. Dot Icon
       A small dot icon next to an item indicates that it currently contains no sub-directories
    5. 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.
  
  
  
  • 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.
    
    
    1. ?
       The large blue question marks next to many form entry fields will, when clicked on, open a small help window.
    2. 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.
       

  Back to Top
  

• 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.
  
  • 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.
    
    
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. User Interface
       These settings allow you to customize the look and feel of your Miva Merchant pages and forms.

Back to Top

Back to the Department Index Page