OSCommerce hacking

[carrja99]

I'm pretty experienced with php/mysql. I've enjoyed using OSCommerce, but I've found alot of custom stuff I need on carts for different clients, and these usually have no contrib that satisfies my needs. I often do ad hoc implementations, but I would like to conform to OSCommerce's 'interface' with all that tep_submit, tep_query crap so i could release my contributions for others to use.

 

For example, on a recent cart we had over 500 attributes in the admin section, and by default OSCommerce only numbers pages, and leaves you no option of just searching for an item's attributes!!! So naturally, I added my own search function to search for items.

 

compared to the rest of the code, it feels nasty... while the rest of the php conforms to an overall feel, mine is very natural use of forms, mysql_query and while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result) stuff... and sticks out like a sore thumb!!

 

So, uh... anywhere I could read up on all the different functions pre-defined by oscommerce? I'm sure it would make my life easier.

[devosc]

Couldn't resist this one, yeah sure there is, read the code!

 

Seriously though, if you want to get a better feel for osC's methodology, look in the includes functions and classes directory. For example, general.php, html_output.php would be a good place to start. If you do decide to add extra functions there I would suggest that you don't prefix them with 'tep' but something else so that you can distinguish them / identify them as beind aside from the core osC application.

 

MS3 should have some good revisions and I think customization / reusage of code will become that much more easier.

 

IMHO.

[carrja99]

Yeah, I was guessing that to, but I was wanting to see if there was some documentation for it before I went ahead and read through the source to read what they do.

 

Well, thankfully I could understand enough to create a simple search function, and just now I just made my first (of hopefully many) contributions to OSCOmmerce!