TrellisCart Admin Panel How-To Guide

This guide is built from the TrellisCart 1.0.0 admin panel structure and current codebase. It is written as a practical, task-based manual that explains how to use the admin area to create products, manage coupons, update store settings, work orders, manage customers, and use the other sections of the control panel.

Important: Some admin menu items in the current package are present as placeholders or stubs. In this guide, those areas are clearly identified so your documentation stays accurate and does not promise features that are not fully implemented yet.
Getting started

1. Admin panel overview

The TrellisCart admin panel is organized into the following major sections:

Dashboard Catalog Sales Reports Store Content Admin

In the current version, the sidebar includes these menu items:

  • Catalog: Categories, Products, Attributes, Manufacturers, Featured, Reviews
  • Sales: Orders, Saved Carts, Customers, Coupons, Specials / Sales, Gift Certificates
  • Reports: Sales Report, Top Products, Customers, Low Stock
  • Store: Configuration, Shipping, Payment, Tax Rates, Zones / Geo, Currencies
  • Content: Banners, Pages, Newsletters, Media
  • Admin: Zen-Cart Import, Upgrade Center, Admin Users, Plugins, Activity Log, Who's Online
Tip: A good workflow for building a new store is usually: set Configuration first, create Categories, add Brands, create Products, configure Shipping and Payment, then test checkout with a sample order.
Dashboard

2. Using the dashboard

The dashboard is your starting point after login. It is designed to give you a quick operational view of your store and help you jump into common tasks.

What to do from the dashboard

  1. Review store activity and summaries.
  2. Check recent orders and any inventory issues.
  3. Use it as your launching point into orders, products, and reports.
Best use: Begin each day by checking orders, low stock, and any customer issues before making catalog or pricing changes.
Catalog

3. How to create and manage categories

Use Catalog > Categories to build the structure customers use to browse your store.

How to create a category

  1. Go to Catalog > Categories.
  2. In the Add Category panel, enter the Category Name.
  3. Select a Parent Category if this should be a subcategory. Leave it as top level if it should stand alone.
  4. Add a short Description.
  5. Set Sort Order if you want to control where it appears in lists.
  6. Fill in Meta Title and Meta Description for SEO.
  7. Enable Active if the category should be visible.
  8. Enable Featured if you want to treat it as a highlighted category.
  9. Click Add Category.

How to edit a category

  1. Find the category in the category tree.
  2. Click Edit.
  3. Update the name, parent, description, sort order, or SEO fields.
  4. Click Update Category.

How to deactivate a category

  1. Locate the category in the tree.
  2. Click the delete / deactivate button.
  3. Confirm the action.

In the current code, deleting a category sets it to inactive rather than permanently removing it.

Tip: Build category structure before importing or adding many products. It makes product entry much faster because categories can be assigned during product creation.
Catalog

4. How to create and edit products

Use Catalog > Products to view products and Catalog > Products > Add product or the product edit screen to create a new listing.

How to create a product

  1. Go to Catalog > Products.
  2. Click the option to add a new product, or open product-edit.php from the admin menu.
  3. Enter the Product Name. This is required.
  4. Enter the SKU. This is required and must be unique.
  5. Enter the Price. It must be greater than 0.
  6. Add the main Description and a Short Description.
  7. Select a Brand / Manufacturer if applicable.
  8. Select the Tax Class.
  9. Optionally enter Cost Price, Sale Price, and Weight.
  10. Enter Stock Quantity and Low Stock Alert.
  11. Enable Track Stock if inventory should be monitored.
  12. Enable Active if you want the product visible on the storefront.
  13. Enable Featured if you want it highlighted.
  14. Enable New if you want it presented as a new product.
  15. Set an Available Date if it is not immediately available.
  16. Fill in Meta Title, Meta Description, and Meta Keywords if you want SEO control.
  17. Set the Sort Order.
  18. Upload a product image. Supported types currently include jpg, jpeg, png, webp, and gif.
  19. Select one or more categories. The first selected category becomes the primary category.
  20. Save the product.

How to edit an existing product

  1. Go to Catalog > Products.
  2. Locate the item you want to change.
  3. Open the product edit screen.
  4. Update pricing, descriptions, inventory, image, category assignment, or SEO fields.
  5. Save your changes.

How to assign a product to multiple categories

  1. Open the product edit screen.
  2. In the category selector, hold Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on Mac.
  3. Select all desired categories.
  4. Remember that the first selected category is treated as the primary category.
  5. Save the product.

How to avoid common product setup issues

  • Do not reuse an SKU that already exists.
  • Do not leave the price at 0 unless you intentionally modify the code to allow that behavior.
  • Make sure the product image directory is writable if uploads are failing.
  • Make sure the product is marked active if it is not appearing on the storefront.
Important: The product slug is generated automatically from the product name and made unique by the system. If you rename a product later, review how that may affect links and SEO strategy.
Catalog

5. How to manage manufacturers / brands

Use Catalog > Manufacturers to create brand records that can be linked to products.

How to add a manufacturer

  1. Go to Catalog > Manufacturers.
  2. Enter the Brand Name.
  3. Add the Website URL if you want to reference the manufacturer site.
  4. Add a short Description.
  5. Set the Sort Order.
  6. Make sure Active is enabled if the brand should be usable.
  7. Click Add Brand.

How to edit or deactivate a manufacturer

  1. Use the brand list to find the manufacturer.
  2. Click Edit to update it.
  3. Use the remove button to deactivate it if needed.
Catalog

7. How to moderate reviews

Use Catalog > Reviews to approve, unpublish, or delete product reviews.

How to approve a review

  1. Go to Catalog > Reviews.
  2. Find the pending review.
  3. Click Approve.

How to unpublish a review

  1. Locate the live review.
  2. Click Unpublish.

How to delete a review

  1. Find the review you want removed.
  2. Click Del.
  3. Confirm the deletion.
Sales

8. How to create and manage coupons

Use Sales > Coupons to create discounts customers can apply in the cart.

How to create a coupon

  1. Go to Sales > Coupons.
  2. In the Create Coupon panel, enter a Coupon Code.
  3. Use only letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.
  4. Add a Description so you know what the coupon is for.
  5. Select the Type:
    • Percent Off for a percentage discount
    • Fixed Amount for a flat dollar discount
    • Free Shipping for freight-only promotions
  6. Enter the Value. For percent coupons, enter the percentage. For fixed coupons, enter the currency amount.
  7. Optionally set a Minimum Order amount.
  8. Optionally set Max Uses.
  9. Optionally set a Start Date and End Date.
  10. Make sure Active is enabled.
  11. Click Create Coupon.

How to edit a coupon

  1. Find the coupon in the list.
  2. Click Edit.
  3. Update the code, discount type, amount, limits, or dates.
  4. Click Update Coupon.

How to disable a coupon

  1. Find the coupon in the coupon list.
  2. Use the delete button.
  3. The current code deactivates the coupon by setting it off rather than completely erasing it.
Tip: For temporary sales, always set an end date. For evergreen discount programs, use max uses or minimum order thresholds so the promotion stays controlled.
Sales

9. How to create specials / sale prices

Use Sales > Specials when you want to place a specific product on sale without requiring a coupon code.

How to create a special price

  1. Go to Sales > Specials.
  2. Select the Product.
  3. Enter the Sale Price.
  4. Optionally set a Start Date.
  5. Optionally set an End Date.
  6. Click Save Special.

How to remove a special

  1. Find the special in the current specials list.
  2. Click Remove.
Sales

10. How to manage orders

Use Sales > Orders to search, open, review, and update orders.

How to find an order

  1. Go to Sales > Orders.
  2. Use the search bar to search by customer name, email, or order number.
  3. Use the status filter to narrow results by order stage.
  4. Click into the order you want to review.

How to review an order

Inside the order view screen, you can review:

  • Customer information
  • Shipping address
  • Ordered items
  • Current order status
  • Tracking number
  • Internal or customer-facing comments

How to update an order

  1. Open the order details page.
  2. In the Update Order section, choose the New Status.
  3. Enter a Tracking Number if you are shipping the order.
  4. Add an optional Comment.
  5. Enable the notification toggle if you want the customer notified.
  6. Save the update.

How to print documents

The orders section includes separate invoice and packing slip files, which indicates support for order paperwork. Use those pages when you need a printable document for fulfillment or accounting.

Suggested process: Mark new orders in a consistent flow such as Pending, Processing, Shipped, Completed, or Cancelled. That makes reporting and customer support cleaner.
Sales

11. How to manage customers

Use Sales > Customers to search customer records, review their profile, and work with customer account details.

How to find a customer

  1. Go to Sales > Customers.
  2. Search by name or email.
  3. Use the customer group filter if you have groups configured.
  4. Open the customer profile.

What you can do in the customer view

  • Review the customer’s identity and contact details
  • Review order history
  • Review account-level information tied to the shopper
  • Edit the customer record from the detail page
Tip: Before editing a customer account, review whether the issue should instead be handled through order comments or shipping notes. That preserves a cleaner audit trail.
Store

12. How to configure your store

Use Store > Configuration to control general store behavior. The page is organized into tabs:

  • General
  • Regional
  • Cart & Checkout
  • Shipping
  • Email
  • SEO
  • Display

How to set your store identity

  1. Open the General tab.
  2. Enter Store Name.
  3. Enter Store Owner Name.
  4. Enter a Tagline.
  5. Enter the Store Email.
  6. Save all changes.

How to set country, currency, and timezone

  1. Open the Regional tab.
  2. Select your Default Country.
  3. Select the Default Currency.
  4. Select the Timezone.
  5. Set the Currency Symbol if needed.
  6. Save all changes.

How to configure checkout behavior

In the Cart & Checkout tab, the current code includes toggles for:

  • Allow guest checkout
  • Enable saved carts
  • Show stock levels to customers
  • Enable product reviews
  • Show newsletter signup

You can also configure cart save duration and products per page.

Important: This configuration screen saves values by config key. Make changes carefully and test storefront behavior after altering checkout or display settings.
Store

13. How to configure shipping

Use Store > Shipping to manage shipping methods and shipping-related settings.

The shipping page is present in the current build and is intended to control shipping methods. Review the shipping screen directly in your install and document the live options you enable for your store. This is the proper place to configure storewide shipping behavior rather than editing products one by one.

Recommended setup process

  1. Set your core store configuration first.
  2. Open Store > Shipping.
  3. Enable only the shipping methods your business truly supports.
  4. Test sample carts with different weights and destinations.
  5. Verify checkout totals before going live.
Store

14. How to configure payment methods

Use Store > Payment to enable and configure accepted payment types.

The current code shows support for multiple payment modules, including manual methods such as cash on delivery and bank transfer / check.

How to enable cash on delivery

  1. Go to Store > Payment.
  2. Turn on the Cash on Delivery toggle.
  3. Edit the customer-facing instructions.
  4. Save the payment configuration.

How to enable bank transfer / check

  1. Go to Store > Payment.
  2. Turn on the Bank Transfer / Check option.
  3. Enter the payment instructions you want customers to see after placing an order.
  4. Save your changes.
Tip: Keep payment instructions short, clear, and specific. If you need the customer to include an order number or mailing reference, state that plainly in the instructions field.
Store

15. How to configure taxes

Use Store > Tax Rates to configure how taxes are applied. The current package includes a dedicated tax management page.

Recommended tax workflow

  1. Set your store’s default country and regional values first.
  2. Define any zones or geographic groups needed for tax logic.
  3. Configure the tax classes you want products to use.
  4. Verify products are assigned to the proper tax class in the product edit page.
  5. Run sample orders to confirm tax calculations.
Important: Tax setup should always be reviewed against your actual legal requirements before launch.
Content

16. How to manage pages and banners

How to create and edit content pages

Use Content > Pages for site pages such as About Us, Shipping Policy, Returns, Terms, FAQ, or other informational content.

  1. Go to Content > Pages.
  2. Create a new page or edit an existing one.
  3. Enter the page title and content.
  4. Save and review the page on the storefront.

How to create a banner

Use Content > Banners to manage promotional banners.

  1. Go to Content > Banners.
  2. Create or edit a banner.
  3. Upload the image or use the relevant banner asset.
  4. Optionally enter HTML Content for overlay text.
  5. Set the Start Date and End Date if it is temporary.
  6. Set the Sort Order.
  7. Enable Active.
  8. Save the banner.

How to manage storefront messaging cleanly

  • Use pages for permanent informational content.
  • Use banners for short promotions, deadlines, or campaign pushes.
  • Do not overload banners with too much text.
  • Use start and end dates to avoid stale promotions staying live.
Reports

17. How to use reports

The reports section helps you watch sales performance and inventory status.

Sales Report

Use Reports > Sales to review sales by period and see top product performance.

  • Choose the desired time period.
  • Review daily sales totals.
  • Review top products.

Low Stock Report

Use Reports > Low Stock to monitor products that are low or out of stock.

  • Review the Out of Stock section first.
  • Review the Low Stock section next.
  • Use this report as part of a daily or weekly inventory process.

Top Products and Customers

These menu items are present as report areas. In the current package they are documented as report pages, but some may still be placeholder implementations depending on your build.

Admin

18. How to manage admin users

Use Admin > Admin Users to create and manage backend users who can access the control panel.

How to create an admin user

  1. Go to Admin > Admin Users.
  2. Enter First Name and Last Name.
  3. Enter a unique Username.
  4. Enter an Email.
  5. Set a Password of at least 12 characters.
  6. Confirm the password.
  7. Select the proper Role.
  8. Make sure Active is enabled if the user should be able to log in.
  9. Click Add User.

How to edit an admin user

  1. Find the user in the admin user list.
  2. Click edit.
  3. Update name, email, role, or active status.
  4. If changing the password, enter a new one. Leaving the password blank keeps the current password in place.
  5. Save the update.

How to deactivate an admin user

  1. Use the remove or deactivate control in the admin user list.
  2. Confirm the action.
Security note: Give the minimum access needed. Do not hand out full admin or superadmin access unless it is truly necessary.
Admin

19. How to import and upgrade

How to use the Zen-Cart importer

Use Admin > Zen-Cart Import when migrating from an existing Zen Cart database.

  1. Open the importer.
  2. Enter the source database Host.
  3. Enter the Port.
  4. Enter the source Database Name.
  5. Enter the source Username and Password.
  6. Enter the source Table Prefix, such as zen_.
  7. Click Test Connection.
  8. Proceed to the field mapping step.
  9. Review mapping carefully before running the import.
Best practice: Always back up both systems before importing.

How to use the Upgrade Center

  1. Go to Admin > Upgrade Center.
  2. Click Check for Updates.
  3. Review the pre-upgrade checklist.
  4. Create a backup before applying any upgrade.
  5. Review what is new in the target version.
  6. Only then click Upgrade Now.

How to install a plugin

The admin menu includes a Plugins section, but in the current package that page is a placeholder. That means plugin installation workflow may not yet be fully implemented in the admin UI.

Until the plugin manager is completed, document plugin installation using your actual plugin package format and file structure once finalized. At minimum, your eventual plugin instructions should explain:

  1. Where plugin files are uploaded.
  2. Whether plugin files overwrite or add to core files.
  3. Whether any database migrations are required.
  4. How to enable or configure the plugin after upload.
  5. How to uninstall or roll back the plugin safely.
Admin

20. How to update your admin account

Use Admin > My Account to manage your own login profile.

How to update profile information

  1. Open My Account.
  2. Edit First Name, Last Name, Username, or Email.
  3. Click Save Profile.

How to change your password

  1. Open the Change Password area.
  2. Enter your current password.
  3. Enter a new password of at least 12 characters.
  4. Confirm the new password.
  5. Click Change Password.
Current build status

21. Placeholder sections currently in the panel

The following menu items are present in the admin navigation but are currently represented as stub or placeholder pages in the package reviewed:

  • Attributes & Options
  • Gift Certificates
  • Plugins
  • Who’s Online
  • Currencies
  • Zones / Geo
  • Newsletters
  • Media Manager
  • Top Products Report
  • Customer Report

These pages have menu descriptions and intended purpose, but they should be documented carefully until fully implemented.

Recommended wording for public docs: “This section is included in the admin panel and reserved for future or expanded functionality. Availability may vary by release.”
Best practices

22. Admin best practices

  • Create categories and brands before large product imports.
  • Use unique SKUs consistently.
  • Review tax, shipping, and payment settings before your first live order.
  • Use sales specials for product-specific markdowns and coupons for promotional campaigns.
  • Check low stock and orders daily.
  • Limit admin access based on role.
  • Back up before imports and upgrades.
  • Use clear customer-facing instructions for manual payment methods.
  • Review storefront changes after any major configuration update.
TrellisCart Admin How-To Guide • Built from the TrellisCart 1.0.0 admin panel structure and current package contents