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TechOrbit installs through nopCommerce’s own Upload plugin or theme page. You don’t need to edit any nopCommerce source files. Plan about 30 minutes, plus time to add your own homepage content.
Requirements
- A nopCommerce 4.90 store on .NET 9. Other versions are not supported.
- An administrator account that can upload, install and configure plugins.
- Access to restart the application (from admin, IIS, your hosting panel or the server).
- A current backup of the store database and files, and ideally a staging copy to install on first.
- The TechOrbit ZIP, downloaded from My purchases with the email you used at checkout.
Right-to-left languages
TechOrbit does not support right-to-left storefronts. Many storefront labels are written in English in the theme templates.
What’s in the ZIP
One upload installs three items. The ZIP’s uploadedItems.json tells nopCommerce where each one goes.
| Item | Type | Installed to |
|---|---|---|
| TechOrbit Electronics Theme | Theme | Themes/TechOrbit |
| TechOrbit Theme Manager | Plugin (required) | Plugins/Themes.TechOrbit |
| Cartenvo Advanced Search | Plugin (optional) | Plugins/Widgets.CartenvoSearch |
The Documentation folder holds the README and third-party notices.
Install
1. Back up and use staging first
Back up the database and the application files. Install on a staging copy, check it, then repeat on production.
2. Upload the ZIP
In admin, go to Configuration → Local plugins, choose Upload plugin or theme, and upload the TechOrbit ZIP as it is. Don’t unzip it first.
3. Restart and install the plugins
Restart the application and reload the plugin list. Install TechOrbit Theme Manager. If you want guided search suggestions, also install Cartenvo Advanced Search. It’s optional; the theme’s normal search works without it.
4. Restart again and select the theme
Restart the application after installing the plugins. Then go to Configuration → Settings → General settings and select TechOrbit Electronics Theme as the store theme. In a multi-store installation, choose it for each store that should use it.
5. Check the storefront
Open the storefront in a private window. On a fresh install, promotional homepage sections start switched off and testimonials and statistics stay hidden until you add content, so the homepage starts with your categories and products.
Set up the homepage
In admin, open Plugins → TechOrbit → Homepage. These pages control the homepage; Category Banners sits one level up. Settings apply to every store in the installation, and products still follow their own visibility and store restrictions.
| Admin page | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Hero Feature Cards | The two large cards at the top of the homepage: titles, subtitle, button text and link, images, alt text and two feature labels. |
| New Arrivals | Pick products for the list with the product picker, and choose the spotlight product with an optional custom image, text, button label and link. |
| Apple Promo Cards | Two promotional cards, each with its own title, image, alt text, button text and link, and its own on/off switch. |
| Special Offers | Choose which products appear in the special-offers grid. |
| Category Banners | Under Plugins → TechOrbit directly. Choose a category, then give it a banner image and formatted banner text. |
| USP | The benefits strip. Add, edit or delete items with a title, description and optional SVG icon (static SVG up to 64 KB), and switch the section on or off. |
| Testimonials | Customer quotes with name, photo and a 0–5 rating, plus a section heading and visibility switch. |
| Statistics | Value-and-label cards such as “500+ / Products”, with their own visibility switch. |
Add only real content you have permission to use: real customer quotes, accurate statistics and images you own or license. Brand logos in “Brands We Love” come from published manufacturers that have pictures in your catalog.
Store content and contact
- Set the store name, address and phone number in nopCommerce’s store settings. Empty contact fields are hidden.
- Under Plugins → TechOrbit → Homepage → Store content, set the public contact email and an optional footer description.
- On the same page, edit or hide the delivery, refund and payment notes shown on product pages, so they match your actual policies.
- Before offering the newsletter signup, configure nopCommerce email accounts. The signup uses nopCommerce’s own subscription and confirmation emails.
Set up Advanced Search
Open Plugins → Cartenvo Advanced Search. Start with Default nopCommerce search, which searches your catalog directly and needs no external account. Then:
- Switch on the sections you want, set their headings and item limits, and use Preview to see where each appears.
- Add popular search terms, quick-access cards and help items with Add item. Quick-access cards have six layouts and a live preview.
- Save, then check the search box on the storefront on desktop and mobile.
To use Algolia instead, you need your own Algolia account; Algolia charges for its service separately. Choose Algolia as the active provider and enter the Application ID, a search-only key and a separate indexing key. Restrict both keys to the index prefix shown on the settings page, and give the indexing key only the addObject, deleteObject, settings and editSettings permissions. Never use an Admin API key. Restart the application after installing or updating the plugin so its synchronization task starts.
Search history
Recent searches stay in each shopper’s browser. Sending recorded store search terms to Algolia is off by default; review them before you switch it on.
Upgrade and roll back
- 1Back up the database and files, and keep a copy of your current TechOrbit ZIP.
- 2Stop the application, upload the new ZIP through Upload plugin or theme, then restart.
- 3Follow nopCommerce’s plugin update process. Your saved homepage settings and selected products are kept.
Don’t uninstall to upgrade: uninstalling removes the plugin’s settings and translations. To roll back, restore the previous ZIP together with the matching database backup.
Uninstall
First select another theme in General settings. Then uninstall TechOrbit Theme Manager in Local plugins. This removes its settings and translations; your products, categories, manufacturers and media stay, and category banner data is kept. Advanced Search removes its own settings, scheduled task and tables when uninstalled, but leaves any Algolia indexes for you to delete in Algolia.
Getting help
During your 12 months of updates and support, email contact@cartenvo.com with your order reference, your nopCommerce version and a description or screenshot of the problem. See the licence terms for what support covers. Installation and customization can be quoted separately.