Field

Meaning

View Error Log

Actinic can create an online log file of all errors encountered at the online store. This file is called 'error.err' and will be created within your 'acatalog' folder online. By clicking this button, you will open this file in a browser window. The most useful data is towards the end of each line where you will see a data and time, and the error encountered.

This button will be enabled once you have uploaded your store for the first time.

Remove Error Log

If you have a very large error.err log file at the web site, it may be useful to remove it so that any new errors will be listed in a brand new log file.

WARNING: Only do this if you are absolutely sure there is no useful information in the existing error.err log file - as there is no way to get it back once it is deleted.

Web Site Analysis

Sometimes, it is useful to see a more in-depth and technical description of how suitable your web site is for running an Actinic store. By clicking this button you will launch the 'Web Site Analysis' where Actinic will test whether Perl is installed, whether the permissions are correct, and what files have been uploaded. The results are highly technical and not designed for people that are relatively new to the Internet.

Get Server Time

If the server time is significantly wrong, then there can be problems with creating the cookies on customers' PCs that are required to manage the shopping sessions.

Click this button to query the time that the server is showing.

Purge Session Files

If customers are having problems placing orders, or if you are transferring a site from one server to another, you may want to manually end all current shopping sessions on your online store. By clicking this button you will remove all 'Session Files' from the website, which will effectively empty all shopping carts in one go.

WARNING: Only do this if you are absolutely sure you need to do this as it will interfere with customers currently at your site.

Order Number

Every time an order is placed at your store, a sequential number is added to the end of the order number (starting at '1' for the first order placed). This field tells you what the online store thinks the current order sequence number is - and the next order placed will be one higher. Click 'Query Order Number' to ensure that this field is showing the most up-to-date number.

Query Order Number

Click this button to make the 'Order Number' field display the current order sequence number from the web site.

Update Order Number

Use this button if you want to manually override the current order sequence number at the website. Enter a new number in the 'Order Number' field, and then click this button to change the number at the website. The next order placed will be one order sequence number higher.

WARNING: Only do this if you are absolutely sure you need to do this as this can cause unaccountable gaps to appear within your ordering numbering sequence.

Compare Perl Scripts

Click this button if you want to see which Perl Script templates in your site folder have been manually edited. It will compare the Perl files in your site folder with the Perl files in the 'Original' folder and display the results as a list of template names.

Version of ActinicCatalog.mdb

This field will tell you what Microsoft Access version your Actinic database (ActinicCatalog.mdb) is in.

Run ActDiagnose

'ActDiagnose' is a simple application which looks for all the Actinic-related information about your PC and lists them in a format that can be copied to an email. You can use this if you are having problems on your PC and you want to send details of your PC to someone. 

Web Site Purge and Refresh...

Click this button to see some options which allow you to strip out all the files from your online 'acatalog' folder, and all the temporary files from your 'Site' (or equivalent) folder, and then completely refresh the store.

This will disable the site for a while and should only be used if there is a persistent problem that is not fixed by going to 'Web | Refresh Website'.

Field

Meaning

Delete Perl Files and restore from Original Folder

If you select this box, then Actinic will delete all files with an extension of *.pl and *.pm from your 'Site1' (or equivalent) folder. It will then replace them within original files taken from the 'Original' folder.

Delete *.cat and *.fil files

If you select this box, all files with and extension of *.cat and *.fil will be deleted from your 'Site1' (or equivalent) folder. These are just temporary files that will be re-generated when Actinic refreshes the site.

Delete and Refresh

This will delete all the Actinic files from your website, and then it will re-upload the entire site. This will temporarily disable your site so should not be done in a busy period.