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CRE Loaded File Structure Introduction |
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IntroductionCRE Loaded is an osCommerce based E-Commerce product which includes shopping cart functions, content management functions and much more. This document outlines pertinent programming information including but not limited to file system standards, API details, coding standards, and MySQL Schema details.The system is written in PHP, HTML and JavaScript , with data managed by a MySQL database. It is specifically targeted for Linux based systems using the Apache web server, though it has been used on other systems and with other web servers including Windows (tm), MacOS, IIS and others. We will confine ourselves to the supported LAMP server structure.As with any other system which depends upon creating HTML to accomplish input and output of data across the World Wide Web, CRE Loaded must constantly maintain congruency between web based URL's and local files. Further, as it is an ecommerce platform, it must generate secure links whenever and where ever necessary in performing its various functions. It is also desirable to be able to change the URL's presented to the world in order to attain a certain amount of security through obscurity. This is accomplished by assigning the name of each directory to a configuration constant in two files named configure.php. There is one file each for the Catalog and Administration tools.NOTE: change the following paragraphs to be driven by configure.php file contents instead of the default directory names. DMG. General File Structure and File ConfigurationThe CRE Loaded file structure standard is based upon and expands the file structure standards of osCommerce 2.2 MS2.The system is divided into two fundamental tool sets - The Catalog and the Admin Tool.The entire code set is stored within a single root directory, named "catalog" in the default, distribution file set.The Administration Tool resides within the first subdirectory found inside the cart root and is named "admin" by default.The entire file structure appears to the novice to be rather complex, with numerous nested directories. It is however tied together with a configuration system which makes it possible to create a complete, absolute path to any file in the system quickly, consistently and efficiently. We will begin by discussing specific directories and describing the general function of their contents, and finish up with a discussion of the configuration files, their contents and utilization in generating standards compliant CRE Loaded osCommerce code. Inclusion File StorageIt is common practice in most programming languages to store useful constants and configuration values in separate files which may be quickly included into all of the various files which make use of those values. These files are generally referred to as header files. It is standard practice in generating HTML based web pages to place the HTML code used to generate a page header into such a file, and to refer to it as the header file. To reconcile these potentially confusing naming conventions osCommerce follows the standard practice of referring to a programming header file as an "include file". As you might expect, these files are located within the "includes/" directory. This directory presents a complex subdirectory set intended to make selecting the correct file for a given purpose a straightforward if not uncomplicated process. This structure also supports the practice of using the same filename for multiple components of a given system, which tends to make locating scattered components of a system rather more straightforward than might be expected. Box GeneratorsIn osCommerce, both the Catalog and Administration Tool includes directory the first folder seen is named "boxes/". These directories are intended to hold files which generate boxes to be placed in columns on the side of each page. In CRE Loaded the Catalog boxes are no longer contained in this location and this directory no longer exists. See Basic Templating System and Advanced Templating System documentation (pending) for further details. API ClassesAn includes/classes directory can be found in both the catalog root and the Admin Tool root. Each directory contains files which hold class based code which provides various serviced. The class organization and API are documented elsewhere, in their respective API sections. API FunctionsLocated in both the Catalog and Administration Tool "includes/" directory, the "functions/" folder holds discrete functions which are not part of any class. This folder is deprecated by the osCommerce project and may be expected to be removed in osCommerce 3.0 and in CRE Loaded 7.x series carts. In the meantime however, it contains a number of files which will be documented in the API section of this document. Language FilesAn includes/languages directory can be found in both the catalog root and the Admin Tool root. Each contains a series of files which contain high level language definitions used in almost all files throughout the cart, and is named for the language in which the constants contained within are defined. Thus, english.php contains high level definitions for the English language, french.php for the French language and so on.These directories also contain a number of subdirectories also named for the language their contents service. Thus, files which contain definitions in English are in the "english/" directory, French definitions in the "french/" directory and so forth. Further subdirectories in each of these folders contain language definitions specific to various modules and components. Javascript FilesThe "includes/javascript/" directory contains javascript files holding widely used functions for both Catalog and Admin. Local ConfigurationThe "includes/local/" directory is intended for use in adding local modifications and configuration overrides. Such overrides should be placed in a file named configuration.php and contain PHP code. This feature is little used. The potential implicit in this capability is dramatically enhanced by CRE Loaded's Runtime Code Inclusion system, documented in the API section of this document. Module filesThe "includes/modules" directory tree holds all files related to complete, self contained modules dedicated to managing Payment, Shipping, Order Totaling and extending features at Checkout Success. |
