Getting Started with the Basics

The best way to understand the simplicity and power of CatGen is by playing with it for a few minutes.  For now, don't get hung up on the details and just follow these simple steps to create your first, very rough CatGen catalog.  Later you can enhance and expand it with rich feature set described in great detail in the Help menu.

1)  Download and Install the free 5-Meg CatGen catalog authoring tool to your computer by clicking on http://www.catgen.com/install/catgen.exe - then click "Run" and "Next" several times till "Finish".

2)  On the opening Login screen, click on "Create new catalog" and "Ok"

3)  Fill in your Vendor Code that identifies your unique catalog (for example "bandl" creates the CatGen catalog www.catgen.com/bandl).  Also input and confirm a password and copy it in a secure location.   We highly recommend that you also click on "Register catalog on-line now" to make sure that your Vendor Code is not already taken on our server.  There you fill in the same password (twice) and input an e-mail to where the CatGen server will send an e-mail that you have to open and click on the link to verify your account.  If you have a referrer, also input their code and submit.  Then return to the CatGen application and click "Continue".

4)  From the left of the screen, choose your Initial Master Template and Style for your Website by experimenting with combinations of Templates, Color Scheme, Font Scheme, and Background.  However, don't spend too much time there for now (you can always go back and choose a new combination) - click "Ok" at the bottom left.

5)  The main CatGen screen contains a row of tabs across the center top (Web Page Properties, Links, Meta Tags, Design, HTML, Preview) - click on "Design" and type in a few words (such as "Hello World, welcomed to my new web catalog!").

6)  On the top row of menus (File, Edit, View, Catalog, Web, Report, Help), click on Web > Publish Website to Online Server > Continue.  The program will display a box while it synchronizes the data on your computer with our server and then publishes this first simplistic to the web site www.catgen.com/yourvendorcode as you can see on your browser.  Congratulations!!! You're on the air.

7)  Back on CatGen, turn your attention to the Web Tree on the left that describes the structure of your site.  Click on "Home" and then click right above on the icon of the circle with the "+" to create a Product Line.  Type in the name of the product line (or category) such as "Furniture" and then click on "Save" on the bottom left.

8)  Now click the "Add New Product" icon (the box above the Web Tree) and "Select" a product image from your hard disk by clicking on the box besides the "Picture file name".  Just click "Ok" on the bottom left and then click on the "Product Info" tab.  For now just input a "Product Code", "Product Name", and a short description, and maybe the retail price.  Save at bottom left.

9)  On the Web Tree, click on the product line and then on the box icon again and input another product with the instructions in (8).  Add a. couple more products into that line

10)  On the Web Tree, click on "Home" and then add another product line by following the instructions in (7) and (8).

11) As you did in step (6), publish your catalog on-line by clicking on Web > Publish Website to Online Server > Continue.