Knowledgebase

Here we take a detailed look at the various actions and steps required to setup a PrestaShop shop and manage the store This include:

1. Managing the Tags
2. Managing the Currencies
3. Managing the Tax Rates
4. How to manage the Languages your Store will support
5. How to Manage the Customers of your Store
6. How to Manage the Modules of your Store
7. How to use the Content Management System of your Store
8. How to Install a Template on your Store
9. How to Manage your Social Icons
10. How to activate the SEF(Search Engine Friendly) URLs

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Basic Steps to Take After a PrestaShop Installation

Manage Tags in Prestashop

The word “tag” means a non-hierarchical keyword or a term assigned to a piece of information. In PrestaShop, this word is used to add another classification level to your products besides their categories and in this tutorial we will show you how to fully manage the tags of your website.

To manage the Tags for the products of your Store, you need to:

Step 1: Add a New Tag
Step 2: Edit and Delete Existing Tags

Step 1: Add a New Tag

All of the tags on your website are managed in a separate page which you will be able to access via the admin dashboard from where you can navigate to the Catalog>Tags menu.

Right when you access the Tags page you will find a large table view in which all the tags added to your store will be listed.

In order to create a new tag you will need to use the Add new tag button which is located in the top action bar:

Adding a new tag

Once you click on that button you will be presented with a form which you will need to configure before you save the new tag you are currently adding. The fields required for the configuration of the new tag are the following:

Name – The name of your tag
Language – The language which this tag will be available for
Products – The products you would like to associate with this tag

Once you are done with the configuration of these options please hit the Save button so you can save the new tag.

Once the tag is saved you will notice how the same will appear at the bottom of the table view representing all of the tags you currently have configured.

Step 2: Edit and Delete Existing Tags

In order to edit or delete a tag you are provided with a dedicated drop-down menu for each of the tags you are able to see in the table view displayed on the Tags page. The menu is available with the Edit option being automatically selected and if you click on the button you will be then presented with the editing interface for the tag you have chosen:

The diting interface is nothing more than the tag adding form but with alredy filled fields which you can change based on your personal needs.

In order to delete a tag you should simply find the tag in the table view and then click on the small arrow next to the Edit button so you can be able to bring the drop-down with the delete option:

You will be then prompted with a confirmation window where you will be able to confirm the deletion of the selected tag.

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Basic Steps to Take After a PrestaShop Installation

How to manage the Currencies your Store will support in PrestaShop

If you are planning to sell products across multiple countries then most probably you would need to add additional currency support to your store the customers can choose from. PrestaShop fully enables you to add as many as currencies you would like to and of course to provide those currencies as payment options to your clients. In the next few lines of this tutorial we will show you how to fully manage the currencies of your Store.

To manage the currencies of your Store, you need to:

Step 1: Add a New Currency
Step 2: Edit and Delete Currencies

Step 1: Add a New Currency

In order to access the currencies page you will need to login into the Back Office of your store and to navigate to Localizations>Currencies. There you will be able to see a table view representing all of the currencies you have added to your online Store.

In order to add a new currency you will need to use the Add new currency button located at the top action bar.

Once you click that button you will be presented with a simple form containing all the options you will need to configure for adding the new currency to your website. The available options you will need to configure are:

• Currency name – The actual name of the currency you will be adding
• ISO Code – The text code of the currency
• Numeric ISO Code – The numeric ISO code of the currency
• Symbol – The symbol of your currency
• Exchange Rate – The exchange rate this currency will be traded based on the default currency of your store
• Currency Format – The exact format of the currency or the way how the currency will be displayed
• Decimals – If the currency should include decimal values
• Spacing – If there should be any spacing between the currency symbol and the digits
• Enable – If the currency should be enabled immediately after you save it

Once you are done with the configuration please click on the Save button so you can be able to save the performed changes.

Once the currency is saved it will be displayed in the table view of your currencies so you can be able to manage it which we will review in the next step of this tutorial.

Step 2: Edit and Delete Currencies

Now that you have added the currency to your Store it is time to learn how to edit and delete it. First let’s review the editing process. In order to edit an already configured currency you will need to click on the Edit button which is displayed next to every currency in the table view.

Once you click that button you will be presented with the same interface of options as the one you were configuring when you were adding the currency. Edit the options based on your personal needs and then save it so the changes can be immediately applied.

The second action you can perform in order to manage a currency is to simply delete it. In order to delete a Currency you will need to click on the small arrow next to the Edit button and click on the Delete option.

This will prompt a dialog window where you will need to confirm the deletion and then the currency will be deleted.

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Basic Steps to Take After a PrestaShop Installation

How to manage the Tax Rates in PrestaShop

Tax Rates refers to the actual tax rates applied for different countries or states of the same country. PrestaShop allows you to fully manage all the tax rates on your store from a single dedicated to these features page. In the next few lines of this tutorial we will show you how to fully manage the Tax Rates of your Store.

To manage the Tax Rates of your Store, you need to:

Step 1: Add a New Tax Rate
Step 2: Edit and Delete Existing Tax Rates

Step 1: Add a New Tax Rate

In order to manage all the tax rates of your Store you should login into the Back Office of your website and then navigate to Localizations>Taxes.

On the page you will be directed to you will see a list of all the currently configured Tax Rules. Note that with the default setup of PrestaShop you are provided with large amount of Tax Rules which you can take benefit from.

In order to add a new Tax Rate you will need to click on the Add new tax button and you will be redirected to the page where you will be able to configure the options for your new Tax.

The options you will find into the newly displayed interface three and you will be able to easily configure them:

• Name – The name of your Tax Rate
• Rate – The actual rate this Tax will apply
• Enable – If the Tax rate should be enabled

Once you are done with all these options you should click on the Save button located at the bottom of the page and your new Tax Rate will be added.

The newly added Tax Rate will appear in the table view representing all other Tax Rates of your Store.

Step 2: Edit and Delete Existing Tax Rates

The second step of this PrestaShop tutorial aims to provide you with more information on how exactly you should be able to edit the already added Tax Rates.

In order to begin with the editing process you will need to find the Tax Rate of your store you would like to edit and to press the Edit button next to the Tax Rate.

Then you will be presented with basically the same editing form as the one you have used when you were adding your Tax Rate in Step 1 of this tutorial. Edit the tax rate based on your needs and once you are ready please use the “Save” button so you can save all the performed changes.

The final management action you can take with your Tax Rates is to delete them. In order to delete a Tax Rate you will need to locate the Tax Rate within the table view for all the Tax Rates and then to click on the little arrow next to the Edit button. This action will bring a small drop-down list where you will be able to located the Delete functionality.

Then you will be prompted with a confirmation window where you will need to confirm the deletion. Immediately after your confirmation the Tax Rate will be deleted.

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Basic Steps to Take After a PrestaShop Installation

How to manage the Languages your Store will support

With the default setup of PrestaShop you are provided with the option to allow multiple languages for your Store. This will allow for your customers to better understand the information shown on your website and also will increase the customer engagement with your Store.

In the next few lines of this tutorial we will provide you with detailed information on how exactly you should manage the languages on your website.

To manage the Languages your Store will support, you will need to:

Step 1: Add a New Language
Step 2: Edit and Delete Language Configurations

Step 1: Add a New Language

All of the language settings can be managed via the Localizations>Translations section.

Once there you have quite a lot of options for the overall translations of your Store, however for the purpose of this tutorial we will focus on the second section called “ADD / UPDATE A LANGUAGE”. There you will be able to select the language you would like to use and to add it to the list of languages supported by your Store.

Once you click on the Add or update a language window, the language will be added to your Store and your customers will be able to select it from the Front Office.

Step 2: Edit and Deleting Language Configurations

Now that you have added the new language to your Store it is time to learn how to actually edit the configuration for that language and also how to delete the language from your Store entirely. Both of the processes are relatively easy for handling and we will begin with the editing process.

In order to edit the configuration of your language you will need to access Localization>Languages.

Once there you will notice a convenient table view representing the currently added languages to your website. In order to edit the configuration for a specific language you will need to simply click on the Edit button next to the language you would like to use.

There are few configuration options you will need to configure on the next page you will be directed to.

• Name – The actual name of the language – usually the language itself
• ISO code – The two letter ISO code of the language
• Language code – IETF language code for the chosen language
• Date Format – The short date format used by this language
• Flag – A small image to represent the flag for this language
• No-picture image – The image that would be displayed if no image for this language is found
• Is RTL Language – This should be enabled if the language should be read from right to left
• Status – The status of the language you have added. By default this status should be enabled

Once you are done with the configuration please click on the Save button so all the changes can be saved.

In order to delete a language you will need to back again to the Localization>Languages page and to click the little arrow icon next to the Edit button so you can bring the Delete action.

Once you click on that action the language will be removed from your website.

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Basic Steps to Take After a PrestaShop Installation

How to Manage the Customers of your Store

Every customer of your Store will have the option to create an account upon purchasing a product or just as a standard user. PrestaShop fully enables you to manage all of the accounts created by your customers and in the next few lines of this tutorial we will show you how exactly this should be done.

To manage the Customers of your Store, you will need to:

Step 1: Add a New Customer
Step 2: Edit and Delete Customers

Step 1: Add a New Customer

In order to be able to fully manage the customers of your Store, PrestaShop provides you with fully dedicated page. The Manage your Customers page is available in the Back Office of your website under Customers>Customers.

Once there you will notice how the list of customers is conveniently structured in a table view so you can be able to easily manage all of them if you will need to.

Sometimes you might want to add a customer manually to your Store. This can be easily achieved via the Add new customer button located at the top action bad.

The information you need to add on the next page is pretty standard and you will be able to easily configure it.

Once you are ready with the configuration please press the Save button so the new customer can be added to your Store.

Step 2: Edit and Delete Customers

In order to edit or delete a customer you will need to go back to the Customers and use the Edit button presented next to every customer in the table view located at the center of the page.

Then you will be presented with basically the same form as the one you have used for adding a new customer, however this time the fields will be automatically filled and you will need to edit them. Once you are ready with the edits please click on the “Save” button so the changes can be saved.

Deleting a customer is as easy as it sounds. The only thing you need to do is to get back to the Customers page and to click on the small arrow next to the Edit button and once the Delete action pops out you will need to select it.

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Basic Steps to Take After a PrestaShop Installation

How to Manage the Modules of your Store

Most of the functionalities provided by your Store are there because of certain modules being installed to the Store additionally. PrestaShop is a complex php applications which is enabling you to extend it as much as you would like to thanks to its modules and in the next few lines of this tutorial we will show you how to fully manage the modules of your website.

To be able to manage the Modules of your Store, you need to complete the following steps:

Step 1: Access the Modules page and Activate a Module
Step 2: Manage the Installed Module

Step 1: Access the Modules page and Activate a Module

All of the modules for your Store are conveniently stored in the Modules page which can be accessed at the Back Office of your Store via the menu Modules>Modules.

There you will be able to see a list of the currently installed modules in the “MODULES LIST” section. All the modules are separated in categories which will help you to easily find the modules you need based on the functionality you are searching for.

In order to install any module you would like to, first you will need to find the module either in the category related to the module or via the Search box located above the category list. Once you find the module you should simply use the Install button so the module can be installed to your Store.

Once the module is installed most probably you will be presented with a configuration screen depending on the module and with that the installation process of the module is finished.

Step 2: Manage the Installed Module

Once a module is installed you will most probably come to a point when you need to edit the module and in order to do so PrestaShop provides you with the Configure option located next to every module in Modules>Modules.

The option will eventually lead you to the configuration page for the concrete module where you will be able to perform further configuration and edits on the module.

Another set of options provided by PrestaShop when it comes to the module management is the additional menu available right next to the Configure button.

The menu can be displayed by clicking on the small arrow like button and it contains the following elements:

• Disable – This option will disable the module on your store entirely
• Disable on Mobile – The module will be disabled but only on the Mobile version of your website
• Disable on Tablets – The module will be disabled but only on the Tablets version of your website
• Disable on Computers – The module will be disabled but only on the Desktop version of your website
• Reset – The module configuration will be reset to the default values
• Uninstall – The installed module will be uninstalled
• Mark as Favorite – The installed module will be added to the Favorites Category of modules
• Delete – The module will be deleted from your Store

By knowing how these options actually work following the explanation above you will be able to easily modify the use of the module and also to delete it if necessary.

How to use the Content Management System of your Store

CMS stands for Content Management System and as the name suggest this feature of PrestaShop will grant you with the full privileges to manage the content of your website like pages, static blocks and many more. In the next few lines of this tutorial we will show you how to use this feature.

To be able to use the Content Management System of your Store, you need to complete the following steps:

Step 1: Access the CMS page
Step 2: Add a New Category of CMS content
Step 3: Add a New page to an Existing category of CMS content
Step 4: Edit and Modify the Content of the default pages

Step 1: Access the CMS page

Since you will be performing administration activities on your website you will need to login into the admin dashboard and then in order to access the dedicated page with settings related to the CMS of your Store you will need to navigate to Preferences>CMS.

Once there you will notice two sections of settings. The first one is called Categories and the second one is labeled Pages in category Home.

Step 2: Add a New Category of CMS content

The categories of the CMS features are a grouping structures where you can add as many as custom pages you would like to. In order to add a new category of pages you will need to simply click on the Add new CMS Category button from the top action bar.

Once you do that you will be redirected to a separate page where you will need to configure the settings for the category you are adding:

• Name – The name of the category
• Display – If the category should be displayed
• Parent CMS Category – Here you should select the parent category if for example you are creating a sub-category to one already existing
• Description – Few words describing the category
• Meta Title – The title of the category which will be displayed in the Search Engines
• Meta Description – The description of the category which will be displayed in the Search Engines
• Meta Keywords – The keywords which will be used as search terms for this categories in the Search Engines
• Friendly URL – The friendly URL for this category

Once you are done with all these settings please click on the Save button so the category can be saved and created.

Once the category is created it will be listed under the Categories section.

Step 3: Adda new page to an Existing Category of CMS content

Once you have created the category of CMS contents you mist probably would like to add pages to those. Adding a page is quite easy and the only thing you should do is to click on the Add new CMS page button located in the top action bar.

Once this is done you will be presented with the settings you need to configured in order for the new page to be created. The settings are:

• CMS Category – The category this page should be added to
• Meta Title – The title of the page you are adding displayed in the Search Engines
• Meta Description – The description of the page which will be displayed in the Search Engines
• Meta Keywords – The keywords which will be used as search term for this page
• Friendly URL – The SEO friendly URL of this page
• Page Content – The actual content of the page you are creating. The content of the page can be only static
• Indexation by search engines – If the page should be indexed at all
• Displayed – If the page should be displayed once created

As soon as you are ready with the configuration of these settings please click on the Save button so the page can be created and once this has been done you will be able to use it.

The created pacges can be assigned for example to menus in your footer via the CMS block module of the PrestaShop platform.

Step 4: Edit and Modify the Content of the default pages

Most probably you have noticed that there are few already created pages when you have accessed the CMS administration page for your first time. Those are the default static pages of PrestaShop and most probably you might want to edit them at some point.

In order to edit these you will need to go back to the Home category of CMS contents where you will be able to find the pages in question.

Now that you see the pages in the category you can click on the Edit button for each page individually so you can edit its contents and configuration.

How to Install a Template on your Store

Installing new themes on your online store is the best way to achieve the design you need and most importantly to bring more customers on your Store. In the next few lines of this tutorial we will not only explain the process of installing a visual theme on your PrestaShop application but we will also show you how to activate the installed theme.

To install a Template on your Store, you will need to:

Step 1: Upload the New Theme
Step 2: Activate the Theme

Step 1: Upload the New Theme

Assuming that you have found the theme you would like to use and the theme has no specific installation instructions different than the normal installation process PrestaShop supports, it is time for the theme archive to be uploaded.

In order for this to be achieved you will need to access the admin dashboard of your Store and then to navigate to Preferences>Themes.

There you will be able to see the currently activate theme for your store and from the top action bar you will be able to click the Add new theme button which will allow you to upload the new theme.

Once you click on that button you will be redirected to a page where you will see few sections. Each one of those sections allows you to use a different method in order for the theme to be installed on your Online Store.

Assuming that you have downloaded the theme installation archive the best method here will be first one called “Import from your computer” as with the pressing of single button labeled Add File you will be able to point the installation archive from your local computer and to upload it with the pressing of the Save button for this section.

Once this is done you will be redirected to the Theme page and you will notice how the new theme will appear in the “Select a theme for the My Store shop” section.

Step 2: Activate the Theme

Once a theme is installed it will not be activated immediately for your Store. Thus you will need to activate the theme manually from the Preferences>Theme section of your admin dashboard.

Once there you can find a list of all the currently installed themes under the “Select a theme for My Store Shop” section. Upon hovering with your mouse on every theme you will see how a button Use this theme will appear and this is the button you want to click if you would like to activate the theme.

On the next page you will be redirected to you will be able to choose the theme modules that should be enabled with the activation of the theme. Once this is done you should simply press the Save button and the activation of the theme will be completed.

How to Manage your Social Icons

The social icons will provide your users with the option to find and follow your Online Store in the Social channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and so on. PrestaShop will provide you with the option to manage these icons easily and to configure them with few clicks. In the next brief lines of this tutorial we will provide you with detailed information on how to edit the URLs behind the social icons with the URLs of the social pages for your Online Store.

To manage the Social Icons in PrestaShop, you need to:

Step 1: Install the Social networking block
Step 2: Configure the links for your Social Icons

Step 1: Install the Social networking block

As most of the Front Office contents the social icons are also managed via module. Thus you will need to ensure that it will be properly installed and configured in order for all the Social links to work on your Online Store.

With the default setup of the PrestaShop platform the block in question will be activated. However if it is not you will need to simply login into the Back Office of your Online Store and to navigate to Modules>Modules.

Once there you will need to use the search feature and to search for the Social networking block module.

Once you find it please ensure that it is properly activated and when it is you can proceed with the second step of this tutorial where you will be able to configure the module, respectively the social links.

Step 2: Configure the links your Social Icons

Once the Social networking block module is installed you can proceed with its configuration by clicking on the Configure button.

Then you will be presented with a simple section where you can input all the URLs for the social profiles you would like to be displayed on your Store.

An interesting fact we should mention here is that if you leave a field empty the social icon for the same will not be displayed. Only those which contain actual URL to a social page will be displayed on the Front Office of your Online Store.

How to activate the SEF(Search Engine Friendly) URLs

The SEF abbreviation stands for Search Engine Friendly URLs and it means that all the URLs of your Online Store will be transformed into human readable strings which will be indexed better by the Search Engines and will be better understood by your customers. Thus the importance of this option is critical when it comes to the configuration of your Store.

In the next few lines of this tutorial we will show you how exactly the activation of this feature should be handled.

To activate the SEF URLs, you need to complete these steps:

Step 1: Access the SEO&URLs page and Activate the SEF URLs
Step 2: Create a new SEF URL for your page

Step 1: Access the SEO&URLs page and Activate the SEF URLs

In order to activate and configure the SEF URLs you will need to access the dedicated page provided by PrestaShop 1.6. In order to do so you will need to login into the Back Office of your website and to navigate to Preferences>SEO & URLs.

Once there you will notice quite a lot of sections with contents, however the one you need to focus at is the SET UP URLs section. There you will be able to find the following settings:

• Friendly URL – This is the actual option which will allow you to activate or deactivate the SEF URLs on your Online Store
• Accented URL – This option should be used if you are using non-latin characters in the URLs. Please keep this option deactivated if you are using latin characters only as it will drop the SEO rank
• Redirect to the canonical URL – This option should define the type of redirect PrestaShop 1.6 will perform when a user enter your home URL in a different way than the already defined
• Disable Apache's MultiViews option – This should be activated if you are experiencing issues with the Apache Mod_Rewrite module
• Disable Apache's mod_security module – This option will allow you to disable ModSecurity in case of conflict with your application

Once you are done with all these changes please click on the Save button so you can save the configuration you have just made.

Step 2: Create a new SEF URL for your page

The process of creating a new page and respectively SEF URL for the same is relatively simple. From the page you are currently located (the Preferences > SEO & URLs page) you will be able to notice the SEO & URLs section which is the first one in the list. There you will find all the pages currently available on your website and in order to add a new one you will need to click on the Add a new page button from the top action bar.