Download HikaShop
To use the free version of HikaShop, go to Download HikaShop Starter and click on the button "Download the install zip". The same package installs on Joomla and on WordPress.
If you purchased HikaShop, you should have received a confirmation e-mail with a direct download link.
This download link will always be linked to the latest version of HikaShop so you can download new versions that way as well.
Install HikaShop
HikaShop is a Joomla component and, like any other, it is installed in a few clicks. You don't have to extract the package first: HikaShop installs its own plugins and modules.
Log in to the Joomla administration and go to System > Install > Extensions.
On the Upload Package File tab, drag the HikaShop package onto the dotted area, or click Or browse for file and pick it. The upload and the installation start by themselves.
Joomla uploads the package to your server and installs the HikaShop component. This can take more than one minute. Then Joomla opens HikaShop to finish the installation: it installs its modules and plugins, and creates the default categories, so that you can add your products right away. If you purchased a commercial edition, HikaShop connects to hikashop.com to validate your license.
Set up your shop
On a new installation, HikaShop then shows a page to set up your shop. Every choice can be changed later in the HikaShop configuration.
- Pages and modules: creates the menu items of the shop (all products, categories, your account) and the modules of the sidebar (cart, categories, best sellers).
- Your shop: the address, country and main currency of your shop, how your taxes are handled, and whether you sell shippable goods, downloads or both. On this page, you can also connect your PayPal account to accept payments.
- Sample data: adds a few example categories and products, and optionally customers and orders, to see how a shop looks like. You can delete them afterwards.
Click Set up my shop, or Skip to go to HikaShop without changing anything.
On WordPress
HikaShop is also a WordPress plugin, installed with the same package. Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin, choose the package, click Install Now and then Activate Plugin. The page to set up your shop is displayed when you open HikaShop.
Update/Upgrade HikaShop
If you want to install the latest version of HikaShop or upgrade to a commercial edition, the process is as easy as the installation.
You don't have to uninstall HikaShop. Simply install the new package as explained above, and HikaShop is upgraded without losing any of your data. Make a backup of your site first, as you would before any update.
To know if your version is the latest one, open the Documentation menu of HikaShop and click Update / About.
If your HikaShop is not up to date, the page says so and gives you the link to download the latest version. Download the package on your computer and install it via the Joomla installer. Joomla also lists the updates of HikaShop in System > Update > Extensions, as long as your license is valid.
Installation Errors
Most installation errors come from the server, not from HikaShop. Check the following points, then try again.
- The folders are writable. HikaShop installs files in the administrator/components, components, modules, plugins (with its subfolders), language and media folders of Joomla, and Joomla unpacks the package in its tmp folder. They must be writable by the web server. You can check them under System > System Information > Folder Permissions. A message such as "It was not possible to copy the selected file" almost always means that one of them is not.
- The package is not too big for your server. The upload area of the installer shows the maximum upload size. If your server refuses the package, raise upload_max_filesize and post_max_size in your php.ini, or install from a folder.
- PHP has enough memory. If the installation stops without a clear message, raise memory_limit in your php.ini.
Blank page
A blank page (an entire white screen without anything written on it) does not tell what the problem is. To see the error, set Error reporting to Maximum or Development in System > Global Configuration > Server, and try again. If your server hides the errors, turn display_errors on in your php.ini, restart the server and try again. Then change the settings back once the problem is solved.
The error message gives the file and line, and helps us a lot if you ask for support. If you cannot see any error, install HikaShop from a folder: it solves many installation issues.
Install from a folder
Installing from a folder does not need the upload through the browser, so it works around the limits of the server, and it is also much faster. It is also the solution when Joomla cannot extract the zip file, which happens with some server settings.
- Extract the HikaShop package in a folder called "hikashop" on your own computer.
- Open your FTP software (FileZilla for example), connect to your website and upload the folder "hikashop" into the tmp folder of your website.
- Go to System > Install > Extensions on your website backend, open the Install from Folder tab and specify the path of your folder: "/home/.../tmp/hikashop". The path of your tmp folder is shown in System > System Information.
- Click on the button "Check & Install".
An installation that failed
If an installation stopped halfway, a retry can fail because of what the first one left. Go to System > Manage > Extensions, search for "hikashop", select the HikaShop component and uninstall it, then install HikaShop again.
If the component cannot be uninstalled from there, make a backup of your database, then open phpMyAdmin and run these queries, replacing the prefix #__ by the prefix of your tables:
- DELETE FROM #__menu WHERE link LIKE '%com_hikashop%';
- DELETE FROM #__extensions WHERE element = 'com_hikashop';
- DELETE FROM #__assets WHERE name = 'com_hikashop';
Then install HikaShop again.