cxw Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 Hi Everyone, I'm confused and having trouble figuring out how all the pieces of osCommerce fit together and am looking for sort of a roadmap. I can see the final result of all of the various .php and .htm files from folders in the Catalog hierarchy when I "view source" of the displayed page. However, that display shows all of the parts from various places substituted and merged into the one page being displayed. What I'm trying to find out is how to identify where the individual pieces that make up the final single page that is displayed come from.... what folders they are in and what the file names are. Sort of like I can see the whole leg but where did the shinbone come from and is it named shinbone or tibia? Any and All help will be really appreciated!!! Thanks! cxw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spax Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 Basically, any page you are viewing has 5 elements for the layout. The page - index.php for example includes/header.php includes/footer.php includes/column_left.php includes/column_right.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 Basically, the way how osCommerce is laid out is basically like your metaphor. It's a body that has different systems that help it function. Think of all the files in the catalog folder as the skin. It will display what the user sees, depending on the commands that the user sends it. The images folder is basically like tattoos on the skin. They hold all of the key images that are needed to give a proper presentation for the user. You don't have to deal with this folder too much, which is nice. The includes folder is basically your guts. It holds all of the functionality that runs your site. This divides up your body into the seperate systems. The boxes folder = arms. This is just showy stuff that can be altered as needed. The classes folder = blood. This help get information to the various parts of your site quickly. The functions folder = muscles. This moves everything that needs to adjust or be added to your site. The javascript folder = immune system. You don't have to do a lot in here, but it makes sure that there are no errors when your users input info. The languages folder = lungs & voice. This holds all of the text to your site, helping you convey welcome messages or errors to the user. The local folder = hair. Not to sure what this one does really... The other files that are in your includes folder help you put all of these other folders together, as well as configure you site to direct itself to the right spots. Finally, you need a brain. Something that will tell each of these files how to act, and what to display. This is your admin folder. You shouldn't be doing too much altering to these pages, because it is the backend of your site. I hope that helps explain things a little better. Your initial analogy helped me come up with this way of explaining it. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New 
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.