In case you aquired Autostand from a pack, the first step is to unzip it. In it you'll find the component, modules and plugins folder. Autostand x_x_x.zip is under the component folder.
This is the file to install using Joomla Installer.
This documentation is under review. Bellow are some basic steps/instructions to help start and set up your site using Autostand.
I suggest start by creating the categories you'll need. Use images to identify the category content.
Define the images size for the cars. Try a few image sizes, to have general idea of the content. The "good" size is the size that looks good in your layout. By default, thumbnails are set to 123x96 px and big images to 800x600 px.
If you like, you can set up new dimensions in the settings.
Images are one important issue to consider. Users like to see images for the cars/products, and images will catch users attention when entering your site. All the information of the cars matters, but users like to see the images more then the specs. Autostand generates thumbnails and images using the uploaded image. By deafult, autostand as pre-set values for the thumbnails and main images, which means that all of the car images will be created using the size settings.
Autostand like many other extensions use categories, so it's a good starting point, and decide the categories you'll use. Of course that this will depend of the product you're showing. Estate Cars, Sport Cars, Boats, Engine Parts, Used, etc,... Images are very usefull to guide the user. We sugest to use some images when showing the categories.
As you'll see in the category form, you can select how many cars the category will show, and how many by row. NOTE:: style_002 template works better with 1 car/row.
Extras are show as simple checkbox in the car settings.To create the extras go to Autostand-->Extras, and set the name.
An extra can be anything depending on the item you're showing(Car, caravan, motocicle, boat, etc)
In this new version of Autostand we decide to let users choose what are the options they need for the car. This way you can use Autostand not only for cars, but for boats, bikes, parts, etc, etc, and because of that each product as it's own characteristics.
To create new options: Autostand-->Options --> Car Characteristics. You can choose if the option will be a list, or text. If the you choose the textfield, just fill in the name of the option. (Color; CO2 Emissions; Condition; Warranty, etc).
Additional options can be used to show some of the options the car as, but show it as an icon. This options are not available in the search. Ex: Sound Kit (radio, TV, 10 Speakers, Blue tooth); Pack Comfort (Leather seats, cruise control, GPS) - Pack Executive, etc. To create new: OPTIONS-- ADDITIONAL EXTRAS. Select the name for the "group". For example, many cars use the "packs" Executive, Titanium, Comfort, Etc, and each pack as some options, like leather seats, 17", cruise control, etc..
---UPDATE
This function is no longer available in Autostand 7.x.x
Autostand allows to select the template to use global, or by car and category. Template set in configuration will be used in all urls of autostand.
It's possible to assign diferent templates to cars and categories.