Better Text Editor & More FREE Extensions/Templates + Other Stuff

[AmberWV304]

While AbanteCart is GREAT and definitely includes some very powerful and needed features for an e-commerce site to be successful, it is lacking in some areas compared to other popular e-commerce platforms. I feel with some minor improvements, releases of some new extensions and templates and implementation of some new core features would put AbanteCart at the top of the list of e-commerce platforms.

1. I dislike the text editor available with AbanteCart greatly. How much editing you can do to the text is extremely limited. I don't understand why something like TinyMCE editor is not incorporated into AbanteCart instead of the mini editor with minimal features that available with it. Surely something better and more powerful can be incorporated to give us that use AbanteCart more text editing options than the few available with the current editor.

2. Most of the Extensions and Templates available for AbanteCart cost money and none of them are what I would personally consider cheap. Most seem to be at least $35.00 plus there's not all that many available. Other e-commerce platforms have hundreds and hundreds of extensions and lots of those are FREE. Some of us don't have money to buy the extensions we need to be successful and personally, I need quite a few extensions available, that seem to be $35+. I'd have to invest over $500 to get the extensions/templates I need for my store and starting out is tough enough financially, let alone having to pay for features other cart systems already have. Due to this, I may eventually be forced to switch to another cart software and I hate to. I understand that it takes time to develop extensions and templates but why not LOWER the price and offer some more free or offer BASIC versions of the paid and expensive extensions free? I'm yet to find A SINGLE FREE template other than the boring included one for my AbanteCart and I can't afford to buy one just getting started.

3. There are some features that should really be a part of the main package of AbanteCart like Gift Certificates. I'm yet to see another e-commerce platform charge for gift certificates feature, it's already included in most and all I've ever used. AbanteCart also needs to include more payment methods and also allow the store owner to set a COD fee for the Cash on Delivery payment method because there IS A FEE that must be paid when items are shipped COD. This shouldn't be something we must pay extra for, it needs to be included FREE. There also needs to be some other features incorporated that other e-commerce platforms have included with their software free of charge.

4. If Templates cannot be provided free of charge, at least a few anyway, then a detailed guide needs to be written and available publically so people can create their own Templates for AbanteCart. I would create my own templates if I had a clue where to even begin.

If we could see just some small improvements to AbanteCart, some new features, some more free extensions and templates or cheaper extensions and templates, it would be a wonderful thing for everyone. I do not mind paying for features I want but some of the prices are excessive and as I stated earlier, it is hard for those of us just starting out to afford a $35.00 extension or $65.00 template!

[abantecart]

Thank you for the feedback. We do work on massive improvements in v2.0.

1. FYI, There is a TinyMCE editor in AbanteCart now. You need to click "Visual" tab.

2. We do not set prices on extensions. This is up to developers to set the prices.
Keep in mind that we also need to "buy fuel to power AbanteCart dev". Marketplace fees are source for the fuel.

3. Features are reviewed for v2.0 and more will be there.

4. Template can be placed for free on the marketplace. MP tools are freely available for anyone.
There is a manual with template creation:
https://abantecart.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DOC/pages/17957130/Template+development+guide

In v2.0 Other template engines will be available. 

As stated in many places, we are welcoming contributors to help with features development and free extensions.
Feel free to contribute.

Let's keep this discussion open to see what we can do to improve