Compliancy and code cleaning

[Hater]

So I've gotten to poking around the code to make it fit and be compliant with the rest of my XHTML compliant site, and I must say that the OSC code is just a mish-mash of styles all over the place.

 

My questions to the main programmers are...

 

1.) How come the columns are loaded in each and every page? Wouldn't it make more sense to load them in the header and footer files? Converting all of your files to this type of format helps ensure that the pages themselves are totally seperate from the boxes, as they should be considering the boxes themselves never change based on the page that is being displayed.

 

2.) Why is there no enhanced template system? echoing the HTML when needed and not having a template engine to allow for category specific templates seems rather remedial and hind sited for a project of this size and nature.

 

3.) Why are there just spacer GIFs everywhere in this thing on every page? This can EASILY be solved by writing correct code and utilizing the true power of CSS. Why do more than you have to and rely on 5 year old coding techniques on a relatively unique and capable opensource project?

 

4.) Are there any plans on changing or implimenting any of the above things in the future? As OSC is the most capable of any store I've seen so far, I feel almost forced into using something I consider on the back-end to be sub par for what the audience expects. Front end it delivers exactly as advertised, however watching this mammoth do what it does makes me cringe while the extra needless queries are done without being cached, the template being stuck into a hard-coded design, and the code itself looking almost hastily put together.

 

I do not want this post to be taken negatively, however I can already see it happening after proof reading it. OSC is the best opensouce store out there and a fantastic idea. I hope to be able to contribute sooner than later, however I am still learning the ins and outs of it so I am truely not one to criticize.

[Guest]

Hi this is a good post, some of the points raised almost forced me to find a simpler solution for my projects, I am not a programmer, but a designer and I was unable to figure quickly enough the front end design fast enough for my needs, until I found a contribution called Simple Template System, this has opened up all sorts of possible design doors, I now use TemplateMonster themes on most sites.

 

2.) Why is there no enhanced template system? echoing the HTML when needed and not having a template engine to allow for category specific templates seems rather remedial and hind sited for a project of this size and nature.

 

I dont think posts like this are negative, but more a prompt to the folks that know, maybe to look in alternative directions and maybe see something they havnt. :thumbsup:

 

I do not want this post to be taken negatively, however I can already see it happening after proof reading it. OSC is the best opensouce store out there and a fantastic idea. I hope to be able to contribute sooner than later, however I am still learning the ins and outs of it so I am truely not one to criticize.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[boxtel]

Hi this is a good post, some of the points raised almost forced me to find a simpler solution for my projects, I am not a programmer, but a designer and I was unable to figure quickly enough the front end design fast enough for my needs, until I found a contribution called Simple Template System, this has opened up all sorts of possible design doors, I now use TemplateMonster themes on most sites.

I dont think posts like this are negative, but more a prompt to the folks that know, maybe to look in alternative directions and maybe see something they havnt. :thumbsup:

 

I do not want this post to be taken negatively, however I can already see it happening after proof reading it. OSC is the best opensouce store out there and a fantastic idea. I hope to be able to contribute sooner than later, however I am still learning the ins and outs of it so I am truely not one to criticize.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well, all good points but they all miss the basic point.

OSC is open source software and as such subject to development over time.

If you have good ideas, as you seem to have, post your improvements in the form of contributions.

[Hater]

What OSC seems to lack is developmental structure in the form of who gets to do what with what where.

 

Basically what's stopping me from doing something about it, is how quickly any changes I make will be overruled by a new update or change. I can change it for my own use quite easily, but to support hundreds or thousands of users is quite a daunting task. I will attempt to post what I can if and when I feel the changes I've made are acceptable, however by that point I'm sure milestone 3 will be here and I will be behind again.

 

:blink:

 

But I surely will be trying my best to help everyone with what I can. :D

[Mark Evans]

1.) How come the columns are loaded in each and every page?  Wouldn't it make more sense to load them in the header and footer files?  Converting all of your files to this type of format helps ensure that the pages themselves are totally seperate from the boxes, as they should be considering the boxes themselves never change based on the page that is being displayed.

 

IMHO its more logical to load them in the pages, since the colums are controlled using the include files it doesnt matter where they are loaded. The boxes also do change depending on the page being viewed... IE if you look at the default page then try and checkout you notice the boxes change.

 

2.) Why is there no enhanced template system?  echoing the HTML when needed and not having a template engine to allow for category specific templates seems rather remedial and hind sited for a project of this size and nature. 

 

Time :)

 

3.) Why are there just spacer GIFs everywhere in this thing on every page?  This can EASILY be solved by writing correct code and utilizing the true power of CSS.  Why do more than you have to and rely on 5 year old coding techniques on a relatively unique and capable opensource project?

 

Since CSS isnt widely standardised it was in the past hard to write CSS which would work in both older browsers and the latest browsers. Since this is less of a problem these days we will be moving to a more CSS based layout during this release cycle.

 

 

4.) Are there any plans on changing or implimenting any of the above things in the future?  As OSC is the most capable of any store I've seen so far, I feel almost forced into using something I consider on the back-end to be sub par for what the audience expects.  Front end it delivers exactly as advertised, however watching this mammoth do what it does makes me cringe while the extra needless queries are done without being cached, the template being stuck into a hard-coded design, and the code itself looking almost hastily put together.

 

MS-3 will be a great improvement in terms of performance and also layout ease of use. See the workboard for info on what we are working on.

 

http://www.oscommerce.com/community/workboard

 

If you ask when MS-3 will be released we will be forced to kill you though :P

[boxtel]

IMHO its more logical to load them in the pages, since the colums are controlled using the include files it doesnt matter where they are loaded. The boxes also do change depending on the page being viewed... IE if you look at the default page then try and checkout you notice the boxes change.

Time :)

Since CSS isnt widely standardised it was in the past hard to write CSS which would work in both older browsers and the latest browsers. Since this is less of a problem these days we will be moving to a more CSS based layout during this release cycle.

MS-3 will be a great improvement in terms of performance and also layout ease of use. See the workboard for info on what we are working on.

 

http://www.oscommerce.com/community/workboard

 

If you ask when MS-3 will be released we will be forced to kill you though :P

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display the column boxes as you desire :

 

if (

(!stristr(basename($PHP_SELF),'account')) and

(!stristr(basename($PHP_SELF),'checkout')) and

(!stristr(basename($PHP_SELF),'logoff')) and

(!stristr(basename($PHP_SELF),'login')) and

(!stristr(basename($PHP_SELF),'service')) and

(!stristr(basename($PHP_SELF),'article'))

) {

include(DIR_WS_BOXES . 'currencies.php');

}

[♥bruyndoncx]

isn't the whole point that if the column left and right were loaded by the header and footer respectively, you would only need to change these files when you want to get rid of columns or make other significant changes to the table layout. Currently, you have to edit each and every single file.

We'd just need to include Amanda's code in the columns to tweak things on a page by page basis. But atleast, it is then all in the same set of php files.

 

Anyhow, guess this is a pointless discussion as MS3 introduces a templating system, and if you can wait for MS3, then MS2 plus STS will get you pretty close to this too.

Me personally, I'm editing all my files where I want to use the space on the right :D, for the others where the whitespace is nice, I just make sure nothing shows.

[snakerboy]

Since CSS isnt widely standardised it was in the past hard to write CSS which would work in both older browsers and the latest browsers. Since this is less of a problem these days we will be moving to a more CSS based layout during this release cycle.

 

Thank god, and please let it be sooner rarther than later.

[Top_Speed]

A bridge between osC and phpbb would be (like the beer comercials says) "brilliant!" "simply brilliant!"

Cheers, KJ