DisplayCart: The main interface within any ecommerce solution, .netCART's, displaycart functionality is both advanced and developer friendly.  As a powerful server control you are free to make dramatic changes to the appearance, layout and behavior of the cart with simple settings.  For example, you can control the columns included and their headers with a simple comma delimited string - likewise with the footer.  Advanced integrated option handling lets users edit options directly within the cart.  Again, with a simple setting you can choose if options can be edited in place, should be displayed with name, value or both.  Watch as options load automatically from the database or your own form inputs.  Add an unlimited number of custom columns in your cart and your data is automatically pulled from the appropriate table in the database.  Format columns as image types and see images inline, set as currency and watch the integrated currency functionality format values appropriately, even converting to the customers currency of choice.  Integrated per item address functionality enables customers to specify addresses on a per item basis and the integrated shipping functionality automatically aggregates like items into packages for automated shipping calculation.  .netCART intelligently groups items before and after addition down to a matching option states, for example if you added a large t-shirt and a small and changed them both to large the items would aggregate automatically.  Displaycart also intelligently displays or removes unused columns such as adjustment or options.  If no items in the cart have options, the column is not displayed, as soon as an item with options is added, it will be available.  DisplayCart offers two unique modes, edit and display.  In edit mode customers are free to update, remove and modify item and options.  In display mode the previously selected values are displayed - ideal for summary and invoice pages.

Object based cart: A cart is composed of a number of objects and collections.  You can add to the cart through 3 main mechanisms: programmatically in script, through a form / querystring, or from the database - the choice is yours.  Cleanly build up the cart by adding items, specifying options, adding choices with price and weight adjustments.  Set per item address details, taxes, and more.  The object based cart can be programmatically modified at any time or accessed for your own custom formatting - anything is possible.  For example, iterate through the items collection to get any information you wish, access the bill address, ship address or any defined custom address.  Extend .netCART with ease with an unlimited number of custom fields at every level.  Access values with a simple method to get the value by name.  For example add delivery instructions for addresses, member type for cart, age for items etc.  The entire cart with all data can be saved to XML at any time.  In addition, just the item specific details can be saved.

Flexible dataflow and data addition:  The powerful add method allows you to add items to the cart, record billing and shipping details, payment, shipping, customer and more.  You are not tied into a specific architecture - no more 6 page checkouts in the order the developers envisioned - you can implement the store as you intended from true 1 page stores to any number of pages that cleanly provide your customers with the experience you want them to have.  You can even accept address details before the cart is populated, do direct assignments between billing and shipping, you have full control on when you acquire data from your customer, what data you acquire and how it is obtained.  Furthermore, the item level addition supports multiple items being added at the same time, with or without options.  Items can be added from the database by passing only the itemid, they can be added by passing the full item details from your own hardcoded or scripted page, legacy system etc, or add programmatically from any customer system or datasource.  You can even add options from an without displaying options for selection ahead of time since options can be selected within the cart.  Since the cart can be saved to XML at any time there is no dependence on a single server system, you can pass the cart between servers, outside of session scope or across the country to a secure processing server.  This flexibility also affords seamless use with dedicated and shared secure certificates.

Data Storage:  As detailed in the dataflow section the entire cart can be saved to XML at any time.  Methods are also provided to save complete orders to a relational database.  .netCART implements a generic database implementation which uses the most optimized provider available for a given RDMS.  Currently access is supported through native OLEDB and SQL Server through SQL Client.  Order details are saved in a tiered database architecture which ensures historical data integrity.  If item names, customer details, prices or other details change in the future the order records will not be altered.  In addition to .netCART's powerful programmatic controls, methods are also provided for database integration.  For example, taxes and shipping details can be set programmatically in script or you can set them in the database and use the LoadTaxesDB method to populate .netCART with the approprate tax information. 

The Component Advantage:
.netCART does not enforce application specific rules on your ecommerce implementation.  Most ecommerce solutions are applications, not components.  This means they were architected to work in a specific way, with a specific dataflow and code developed within this mindset.  .netCART, like its predecessor, was designed from the ground up to be abstracted from the application.  For example, in an application system it would typically be tied to a database backend to work at all as a basic requirement.  While useful for many stores, if you wanted a simple store with hardcoded items in HTML and orders sent directly via secure email you can accomplish this with .netCART!  No database, no hassles.  Of course for most implementations you want to use a database but you are not tied into saving specific information at a specific time that is dependent on other details.  To customize the display of the cart in an application you would typically have to rearchitect modify HTML etc to change header or footer details or move the column order around.  With .netCART you can do the same with a simple string and no coding.  .netCART also works very well in tiered architectures for example where you have a legacy or established catalog but want to add shopping cart functionality - use your existing system for the frontend and pass .netCART the information for the items through add, you can use .netCART for the order storage, statistics and reporting and maintain your existing investment.

Template Based Catalog:
A template based catalog control is provided for both users and administrators.  You literally browse your store as a customer would and add categories and items visually based on your location.  Search for items and edit your search selection categories or items.  .netCART supports paging for items and categories.  It supports mixing items and categories on the same page.  It even supports independent paging sets for groups of items and categories and when someone copies a URL to email to their friend they will end up on the exact same category page and item page they should be on.  Entire categories can be configured for multiple item addition, this means that users can just modify quantities and add many different items and quanltities to their cart with a single click.  The template based catalog allows for item listings with item details where the items can be added with options, item can be added directly with no item details including all item options and fields displayed within the regular item natigation with addtocart functionality.  Item options can be post added in such a case so only the addtocart is required without any detail.  The catalog manges linkback to where the item was added.  Items can belong to more than one category.  There is no limit to the number of items or categories.

Advanced Option Handling:
Options are key to any store implementation and provide a method to modify an item with specific choices from the customer.  .netCART supports an unlimited number of options, each with an unlimited number of choices that can modify the items weight and price. Option types includes drop downs, radio buttons, text boxes, text areas, and check boxes.  Radio button options are special because in addition to support text values for choices, they support image file names.  This allows for eloquent in cart and catalog display of fabric swatches, color samples or any other options you would want to show visually.  As mentioned in the displaycart section options can be managed eloquently from within the cart or catalog - .netCART even supports adding items without option selections but having the default option choices load in the cart for post addition modification.

Image Handling: .netCART was designed to save time with your ecommerce implementation, both as a developer, and as a store administrator.  The integrated image functionality shows our commitment to this goal.  Exposed both in the administration, and programmatically through the image class, this system provides an eloquent image management solution.  4 different item images can be created automatically on upload, each with their own settings to control cropping, proportional scaling in x or y, border size and color, and padding size and color.  The best fit is used for any sizing option and cropping intelligently scales to ensure the maximum area of the original image is displayed.  With a single click you can perform 10 minutes of image editing, uploading and maintenance!

Image Buttons: .netCART incorporates the complete .netBUTTON fuctionality for advanced dynamic button generation.  So feature rich, this product stands on its own merits and is also sold individually and used commercially.  An image section based skinning system allows you to quickly and easily convert any button into .netBUTTON inputs.  Create stunning buttons you can not tell apart from those created in an image editing program, in real-time, with advanced caching features.  Scale button images based on font style, size and character set.  Over 30 properties for advanced button generation alone, exposed in one easy to use web server control!

And many more features: This document touches on only a few of .netCART's many unique features and will continue to be expanded.  If you have a suggestion for a new feature please let us know.  The product continues to be enhanced to meet customer needs!

See for yourself how .netCART can power your ecommerce implementation.  Download the free trial, developer documentation, or use the live demo today.