Moving your Zen Cart folder

Switching between subfolder and root deployment, or changing subfolder name

You can install Zen Cart in the root folder of your hosting account or in a subdirectory. See deployment configurations for examples.

If you change your mind, you can move your cart (from a subfolder to root or vice versa); you just have to update some settings when you do so.

Scenario:

I have been building my cart behind the scenes at: http://www.mysite.com/shop/ I am nearly ready to go live with it at: http://www.mysite.com/

What steps do I need to follow to move my site to another folder on the same server?

Answer:

  • Determine the new foldername where your Zen Cart files will be running from
  • In the case above, move your files from /shop/ to the root level.

If you are moving from /shop/ to /store/, rename the folder.

  • Modify your /includes/configure.php and /admin/includes/configure.php files to point to the right folders. Update
DIR_FS_CATALOG
DIR_WS_CATALOG
DIR_WS_HTTPS_CATALOG
DIR_FS_LOGS (if present or uncommented)
DIR_FS_SQL_CACHE (if present or uncommented)

Note that the configure.php files are normally “read-only”. You’ll need to change their permissions to “writable” before you can upload your changes. Be sure to note level the permissions were at before changing, so that you can put them back to the read-only permissions again after updating.

Older Versions (Zen Cart 1.3.9 and below)

In older versions (ie: v1.3.9h and older) you’ll need to also adjust these in your /admin/includes/configure.php file.

DIR_WS_ADMIN
DIR_WS_HTTPS_ADMIN (in admin)
DIR_FS_ADMIN (in admin)
  • If you could not set the Session Write Directory in step 1 above, you can use a utility to do it for you. The goal is to make sure that the new path information (specifically the DIR_FS_SQL_CACHE setting in your new configure.php file) matches the Session Write Directory setting. If it doesn’t, you may end up with difficulties logging in to the Admin area or maintaining login sessions in the store. The Fix Cache Key Utility will help you to do this if you need assistance. There is no harm running it to have it check that things are set properly. Be sure to delete the file from your server when done.

NOTE: This FAQ handles moving a cart to a new folder on the same server. If you need to move your cart to a new server, please see the FAQ on changing hosters.



Still have questions? Use the Search box in the upper right, or try the full list of FAQs. If you can't find it there, head over to the Zen Cart support forum and ask there in the appropriate subforum. In your post, please include your Zen Cart and PHP versions, and a link to your site.

Is there an error or omission on this page? Please post to General Questions on the support forum. Or, if you'd like to open a pull request, just review the guidelines and get started. You can even PR right here.
Last modified March 22, 2023 by Scott C Wilson (8ed4304c).