Can I change default directory structure for product images?

[gweber]

The default admin interface for updating Categories / Products is somewhat limited in setting the product's image. I can create a subdirectory with the file manager and then with the osc admin interface (Categories /Products) specify that subdirectory location in the Product's Image entry field (e.g., products/tshirt02.jpg), however the browse button only goes to my local machine - not the existing website. Ok, sometimes that's useful, but I'd rather upload the whole products directory of images all at once and then reference them there rather than from my local machine. Can I get the admin utility to browse the files on my web host rather than my local machine?

 

Ultimately, it seems (from a newbie's point of view) like a decent goal to separate the product stuff (images) from the rest of the look-and-feel graphics for the oscommerce store. That way it is easy to copy or move just those graphics when changing templates or testing in another test store.

 

Does anyone have any best practice examples for managing the product data so that I can switch out oscommerce templates easily or simply copy them to a test store? It seems that most templates replace the entire .catalog tree with a new complete oscommerce installation - including wiping out the product images in ./catalog/images. What's the best way to retain product data (e.g., images) during a template switch? Separate directories, graphics naming conventions for easy filtering, ...? Any recommendations?

 

Thanks in advance.