Uploading Images

There are several places in Miva Merchant where you might want to upload images. Here are a few of them:

A product can have both a full-size image that appears on the product screen, and a thumbnail image that appears where the product is listed.
Categories can also have images to represent them in the category tree.
Attributes, like shirt color, or wallpaper pattern, can have images that illustrate the option.
The logo and buttons in the top navigation bar can be replaced with your own images.
You can even upload images to replace the buttons customers see in your store (like Search, or Add to Basket).

How to Upload an Image

In each place where an image can be used, there is a space for the path/file name, and an Upload button. Use the following process to upload an image:

Click Upload to display the Upload File dialog box.
Click Browse to find the file on your computer
Your standard file selection dialog box will appear. Select the image file you need
The path to the file on your computer will be entered in the File field of the Upload File dialog box
If you have uploaded a file with the same name before, and now you want to use this new image instead, select Overwrite
Click Upload to copy the file to your store and close the dialog box, this will enter the path and file name in the image field on your administration screen
Click Update to save your changes

Specifying an Image That Has Been Uploaded Previously

If you already have the image on the server you only need to specify the path and file name. You do not need to upload the same image again. The path will be something like graphics/00000000/Prod1234Thumb.jpg, depending on how your domain is configured, and how many stores you have.

If you are ever uncertain about where images are located for your store, look at an existing example, like the image for another product.

Kinds of Images to Use

Any image format that can be displayed in on a web page can be uploaded and used in your store or domain.

Miva Merchant does not scale images. If you want all of your product thumbnail images, to be the same size, crop or scale them in an image editing program. Full-size and thumbnail images do not have to show the same graphic. You might want to show a close-up of the product in the thumbnail image, then for the full-size image, which will appear on the product screen, show a wider view.

Images with smaller file sizes will load more quickly, which is especially important when many are displayed on one screen. File type, and level of compression, can affect image quality, and file size. Before creating and uploading many images, do some research to determine the best type to use in your case.

Limits on File Types

It is a good idea to limit the types of files that can be uploaded. This helps prevent users from accidentally uploading large, or potentially harmful, files.

Limits on files types are set at the domain level, on the Domain Settings/Upload Settings screen, at Image Extension Types. List the file types you will allow users to upload, like gif,jpg,jpeg,jpe,xbm.

If you try to upload a file of a type that is not included in the Image Extension Types list Miva Merchant will not accept it as a valid image type.

Displaying Images Using HTML

You can display images using <img> tags, in any of the HTML you use to format screens in your domain or stores. In this case there is no Upload button.

The usual way to copy image files to your server is to use an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program which works very much like copying selected files from one folder to another on your local computer. But some users have devised a handy shortcut for uploading images from within Miva Merchant.

Create a placeholder "product" (within the same store, of course)
Call it something obvious, like For Uploading Images
Clear the Active checkbox, so no shoppers will see the product
Now you can use the Upload buttons on the Images screen for this "product" to upload image after image to the graphics directory for your store

This is much slower than using an FTP program if you need to upload large collections of images, but is useful if you have just a few images to upload from time to time.