question about general structure

[dirthawker]

I was wondering if someone would show me an overall diagram of the purpose of each directory in \catalog.

 

I get kinda confused by the cross-directory filename duplication and it would give me a better sense of how to understand a modification (and create my own) if I understood why things go where they go. For example there is a file /catalog/includes/languages/english/account.php which seems to set up certain constants for catalog/account.php. This much I get, but as for the other directories, I'm presently lost.

 

Can anyone help me with this? Thanks...

[firfin]

I am experiencing the some problem. I would be very helpful if some kind of overview or some sort of 'nuts and bolts' document was available.

Really appreciate the program how it looks and feels, but I like to understand what I work with. That way I can extend it to what I want it to do (and maybe even contribute to the project.)

[Guest]

Sorry to bump an old topic but I feel that this would be of benefit to a lot of members. Without meaning to sound critical of the guys who do this (they do a great job AND it's for free), "newbies" can feel left out in the cold about the whole structure of the project. For example, where to go to edit such and such or how page X affects page Y.

 

I do appreciate though that this would take a huge amount of effort and so I would not expect this to happen in the near future, and maybe even the distant future at that!

 

But a suggestion all the same...

[chuck252]

I too could use this.

 

I have found some references on how to work with osCommerce to customize or add custom theme, howevever they all point to the wiki documentation. As I am sure everyone knows, this is no longer around.

 

So, anyone have any useful sources of info for us noobs?

 

I would specifically like to learn how all these files work together, and how I can change the look and feel of the page.

 

Thanks for any help.

[tobycatlin]

Is the knowledge base meant to address these issues? or is meant as a instruction manual for users of a finished OSc store, or a mix of both?

 

I was hoping the knowledge base would describe how certain classes/functions worked and gradually build up into a developer resource. I think we need a user manual and a developer manual. Mixing the two only confuses the non-techincal user and slows down the developers. Out of the two a developer manual seems more useful to the whole community.

 

The developer manual could be made up of articles that would describe how to achieve certain goals, outline coding conventions, describe overall systems (how functions fit and interact together). each article would be aimed at a level, beginner, intermediate and advanced.

examples

beginner: making layout changes, adding/moving infoboxes, installing contribs

intermediate: customising infoboxes, adding custom fields, customising contribs and base functions

advanced: Writing new modules, implementing ideas from scratch conforming to current standards.

 

A lot of this information is contained in the install documents that are supplied with contribs.

[wlpywd]

http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,2565

[firfin]

http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,2565

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That was somewhat helpful. Especially the bit at the end about directory structure. But I still haven't found. Any description of the standard functions, variables etc that osC uses.

Where are all the tep_xxxx defined? Where do the c.xxxx and cd.xxx andsoforth come from in database queries ? I know the last two stand for categories and categories description tables in the db . But i wanna know how en where these things are defined. Is there an overview available for these kind of things?

[Guest]

That was somewhat helpful. Especially the bit at the end about directory structure. But I still haven't found. Any description of the standard functions, variables etc that osC uses.

Where are all the tep_xxxx defined?  Where do the c.xxxx  and  cd.xxx andsoforth come from in database queries ? I know the last two stand for categories and categories description tables in the db . But i wanna know how en where these things are defined. Is there an overview available for these kind of things?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The best way to learn about these is to read through the directories and files themselves - they are extensively commented :D

 

A good start IMO is catalog/includes/functions/general.php

 

Matti

[dwatson]

Has anything more been documented along these code-summary-doc lines since the last post here?

 

Sorry if I am beating a dead horse on this thread, but I'm trying to make it as easy as possible as I get in and read all the code. I got the contributions on the overall layout of the programs and the one on the db schema. Both are very helpful.

 

As I go though all the code, I was thinking of adding comments to a sample/document copy of the code that follows PHPDocumentor style -- and produces a documentation/walkthrough of the code through that program. Would this be useful to anyone as a contribution?

 

Thanks,

David Watson

[talk2troy]

...adding comments to a sample/document copy of the code that follows PHPDocumentor style -- and produces a documentation/walkthrough of the code through that program.  Would this be useful to anyone as a contribution? - David Watson

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, PLEASE!

 

I just started my first store and will eventually do it again.

I am making notes on my own process for future personal reference.

It's my cheat sheet! I've barely begun, but it might be useful to beginners.

This is part time for me, so my progress on a doc of this type will be slow.

 

I just got the doc listed above, so maybe my notes won't be necessary.

Thanks to everyone for the info in this thread!

[Guest]

Is there a chance that the project admins can open up the knowledge base in a wikiopedia fashion? I'd love to contribute as I learn, but I can't add to the less-than-adaquate documentation in the knowledge base.

 

Something like a "wiki" would allow the version control so that no one did anything too stupid and blew a section away. It would also allow the distributed effort to contribute to the documentation set.

 

I'm with the people that I'd like to know things like the pathway by which a page is built or what the various classes do... And I bring challenge to the folks who say, "read the code; it's documented" because it's not.

 

Now, if we wanted to comment the classes and such JavaDoc style, that's awesome and should be done anyway, but there's still the need for the architect's view of how the system works.

 

So, is there a chance to open up the knowledge base or should one of us fire up a renegade wiki?

 

- Ray.

[talk2troy]

Wa-hoo! I just read the "short installation guide" available here:

- http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,2565

 

It's not about installaion at all... The actual document title is "A very short beginning guide to modifying osCommerce". I would like to politely suggest renaming the "contribution" header and the docs actual title... to something like:

 

"Getting Started - Beginners Guide to osC - file locations, editing the layout, objects, titles & text"

 

Anyway - as a new USER - it answered 95 of my initial 100 questions!

YEAH BABY! Thanks to - dirthawker & Andrea Chen!

 

BTW - I also printed some sections of the KB and found them pretty tough to actually USE... until after I read the doc (linked) above. I am getting a LOT more out of them now... they are more like tag/field/object definitions/descriptions - at least to me. I'm grateful to have them, and now I can make better use of the plain jane data provided in them.

 

I think this Getting Started Guide could be made better and we could find a way to improve collectively improve it... I'm not familiar w/ wiki's, but I will go read about them.

 

When I started snooping around in the osC files and looking at all the tags I was pretty lost - until I found the above doc. As one of the authors wrote in there: "Jump in, the water'll feel warmer after you've been in it a while!"

 

So, for me - I just needed a good Getting Started Guide and I hope now I can transition to using the commented code and KB, so it would be great if the coders/contributors would continue to add comments and KB info as well!

 

PS - Thanks to everyone who has added to this amazing product/project!

[dwatson]

This is a fantastic lead. It is just what I was looking for. Your suggestion on renaming the contribution is a great idea. Thanks to the people who wrote this -- as Bill Clinton said: "I share your pain," or something like that.

 

 

Wa-hoo! I just read the "short installation guide" available here:

- http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,2565

 

It's not about installaion at all... The actual document title is "A very short beginning guide to modifying osCommerce". I would like to politely suggest renaming the "contribution" header and the docs actual title... to something like:

 

"Getting Started - Beginners Guide to osC - file locations, editing the layout, objects, titles & text"

 

Anyway - as a new USER - it answered 95 of my initial 100 questions!

YEAH BABY! Thanks to - dirthawker & Andrea Chen!

 

 

I think this Getting Started Guide could be made better and we could find a way to improve collectively improve it... I'm not familiar w/ wiki's, but I will go read about them.

;)

[scubaninja]

Here is a quick page diagram I did. It shows, at a very high level, which parts of a page come from which files.

 

I basically just opened up catalog/index.php and followed all the includes. There are very likely a few that I didn't catch, feel free to add anything that's missing.

 

I made this to help me get more familiar with the program, and thought maybe someone else would benefit from it as well.

 

This was taken from the catalog/index.php page, using oscommerce-2.2ms2.

 

Page Layout Diagram, osCommerce-2.2.ms2

[talk2troy]

scubaninja - funny name! :lol:

 

That simple image is GREAT! I am a visual (vs. auditory, etc.) person.

Thanks for showing me - it makes it a lot easier - vs. just telling me.