SleepingSalesman.com • User Manual • Components

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Components

This page describes the components that make up the SleepingSalesman system. Not all the components are physically part of the SleepingSalesman system however they all combine to make up the system as a whole.

Front End

Web Server

This is a system provided by a web host on which to run your website. The web server has special access specifically for you which allows you to change the content of your website. This is known as "FTP Details" and consists of : -

FTP Host
FTP Port - Usually "21"
FTP Username
FTP Password

If you don't have a Web Server, which will also mean you don't have a web site, then opcs can help you with both these items. We have a close relationship with reputable web server provider and can help and advise you with any question you may have about this.

PHP

This is a web "programming" language which is used by SleepingSalesman to allow users to directly link to a product in their virtual showroom. For example: -

http://www.sleepingsalesman.com/flash_demo.php links directly to the demonstration virtual showroom
http://www.sleepingsalesman.com/flash_demo.php?start_vehicle=2 links directly to the second item in the virtual showroom

However to use this feature of the SleepingSalesman your web server must support PHP. Contact your Web Server provider and ask them if you Web Hosting Account supports PHP

SleepingSalesman - Virtual Showroom

The Virtual Showroom is the interface between your customers and the SleepingSalesman system. This is the only part of the SleepingSalesman your customers see. It has been specially designed to be small, fast and very easy to use.

The Virtual Showroom is written 100% in Flash and works with over 90% of customers who visit your site. The other 10% are offered a very simple upgrade option to allow them to view your showroom.

The real beauty of using Flash is that any upgrade required by your customers will actually benefit them on other sites on the Web. Flash rapidly became the de-facto standard for all media rich interactive content development due to it's impressively small size and ease of use for users.

In terms of your Web Server, you don't need to do a single thing to run a Flash component on your Web Server thereby saving you potentially vast sums of money back end (Web Server) technologies.

Figure 1: SleepingSalesman Front End Virtual Showroom

Back End

A Windows PC

In order to run the SleepingSalesman Administration Module (SSAM) you'll require a PC running Windows 2000 or later.

Through the copy protection in SSAM, it's tied to update your Web Server and only your Web Server. Once you tell it your FTP Login Details you can easily run it to read and write new products to the Front End virtual showroom. Because of this copy protection you are licences to run SSAM on as many PC's as you want. Just be aware that if you are running it on multiple PC's, be sure not to do it at the same time.

You will also require Internet Explorer 5 or above on any PC running SSAM. Given that it's very difficult to remove Internet Explorer we don't envisage this being an issue for most users.

Internet Access

Internet Access is required on any computer which is used to update the Front End Virtual Showroom. Internet speeds are not crucial, although to avoid frustration when reading and writing to the Front End Virtual Showroom we recommend, at a minimum, a broadband connection of 512kbps. Contact your Internet Service Provider if you are unsure about your Internet Access Speed.

SleepingSalesman Administration Module (SSAM)

The SSAM software isn't 100% required however trying to update the Front End Virtual Showroom by hand is a very long, fiddly and tedious task. We only really recommend delving into the mechanics of SSAM if you have a pressing need and are technically literate with XML and HTML source code.

SSAM gives you the power to very quickly and easily perform the functions required to add, edit and delete products on you Virtual Showroom.

What's more, SSAM can also inform you of any important updates to the SleepingSalesman system - both front and back ends.

Go here for more closer look at the components of SSAM.

Figure 3: SleepingSalesman Administration Module Main Window.