Messages

Hello.
If file or database structure comparison against a clean install doesn't resolve the issue, the recommended approach is a fresh install and migrating data. You can always export and import products into a new installation using the built-in export tool:
https://abantecart.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AD/pages/14647524/Export

Yes, we do plan to update the USPS extension to support the new USPS APIs.

That said, AbanteCart is an open source project and our development resources are limited. Because of that, we don't have an ETA we can commit to at this time. The recent USPS API changes require more than just swapping credentials, so it does take some development and testing effort.

If anyone in the community would like to contribute,  to help accelerate the update, contributions are always welcome.

Do I need to create a special menu item or layout block for it? And will that content page still support SEO URLs the same way categories do?

Hello. Add the new menu item after you created a page https://abantecart.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AD/pages/12320858/Storefront+Menu
Content page supports custom layouts as well as SEO Urls

Hello.
Categories are meant to list products, so AbanteCart shows the "There are no products in this category." message when none are assigned. If you want an info-only page, create it under Design > Content and add it to your menu. Otherwise, you can change that message in Language Definitions (search for the phrase and edit it).
https://abantecart.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AD/pages/15466660/Language+Definitions

To delete the scam customer: Admin > Sales > Customers, select the customer, then click Remove.

Hello,

Yes. You can delete customer accounts from Sales > Customers.
See the guide here: https://abantecart.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AD/pages/11010120/List+Customers

To minimize spam registrations, enable CAPTCHA for customer registration in the store settings.

Hello, 
Some offcanvas issue has been resolved in the upcoming 1.4.4 release. You can try applying the fix from this commit: https://github.com/abantecart/abantecart-src/commit/195ff5c14fdfbd8d09ed8a59a9d4ec00da2af1e9?w=1

As a general best practice, it's always a good idea to:
Make regular backups before experimenting
Clone the template before editing any theme files, so you can safely test changes
Temporarily disable blocks in Layout if you suspect custom CSS added to a block might be affecting scaling or menus

You may also want to try some of the other available themes, sliders to see if their responsive behavior fits your needs better.
https://marketplace.abantecart.com/templates--skins
https://marketplace.abantecart.com/index.php?rt=product/elastic_search&keyword=slider

Hello.
If the store does not have any orders, customers, or other valuable data yet, it is usually a better idea to do a fresh installation. Starting clean is often faster and safer than continuing to troubleshoot an existing setup.

Hello.
Slider can be customized

Hello.
A few general points that should help clear things up.

First, it's common practice to use the same image sizes and proportions as the original demo banners. You can always inspect the demo source and download the original images to see their exact sizes and aspect ratios https://www.abantecart.com/shopping-cart-demo

Second, since the carousel content is HTML, you do not need to upload images to any specific folder. You can upload images anywhere you like and simply reference the correct path in your HTML, replacing the original image path. The slider doesn't care about the physical location as long as the path is valid.

Also, in AbanteCart you don't need to manually upload images via FTP for this. In the HTML editor for the banner/block, there is an "Add Media" button. You can use that button to upload an image directly while editing the banner, and it will insert the correct path automatically.

In the admin panel, you should see the same forms and fields for each form under Design > Form Manager. Please compare your setup with the demo here: https://www.abantecart.com/shopping-cart-demo

Certainly, you can add it manually. Did you see any SQL errors when running the database SQL upgrade manually?

Hello,
Your SMTP server may block emails due to factors such as domain reputation, sending frequency, content or other restrictions.

Hello.
The best place to start would be a manual comparison between the working install and the affected one, focusing on:
Core files: compare the AbanteCart core directories to ensure no files are missing, outdated
Database structure: compare the database schema

Hello.
For AbanteCart 1.3.2, the correct Stripe extension version 1.1.1 can be downloaded from the 1.3.2 release package here:
https://github.com/abantecart/abantecart-src/releases/tag/1.3.2

About upgrading to 1.4.3: the database data is kept, but layouts, blocks, design, and branding may need to be reconfigured, and any changes made directly to core files or the default theme will be overwritten. Only custom extensions or custom themes are relatively safe from upgrade impact.

Please make a full backup, clone the website to the test environment, and test before upgrading.

Hello,

It looks like the manual upgrade may not have been completed correctly. Did you see any errors when running the SQL upgrade? Also, please confirm that the database table prefix was changed correctly.

In the admin panel, you should see the same forms and fields for each form under Design > Form Manager. Please compare your setup with the demo here: https://www.abantecart.com/shopping-cart-demo

Hello.
The error simply means your mail server (SMTP) is rejecting the credentials and/or the host/port combination, so authentication is failing.

The fact that you still receive the test email does not mean SMTP authentication is working. On shared hosting, this is most likely caused by the hosting mail server falling back to local delivery, especially when the message is sent to an email address on the same domain as the store.

To resolve this, you need to contact your hosting/email provider and ask them for the correct, fully working SMTP settings