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Gazza
Moderator
United Kingdom
633 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Mar 2008 : 02:27:18 AM
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Hello Keith,
Great to hear from you again and to hear that your site is working to the point of expansion.
Since taking over NebuCart, I've spent my time developing bespoke code for many users and trying to make it easier to configure and setup in an effort to generate more sales.
One of the main things I've been trying to do is develop a template driven way to offer products for use with NebuCart. Six years ago I developed and integrated my very own JavaScript driven database functionality that I wrote from scratch and deployed on my lingerie site which holds 2,307 products.
At that time, only Internet Explorer could handle the advanced functionality I created for displaying the products dynamically, but since then, modern browsers now support something called Ajax, which is a modern twist on the standard JavaScript language.
It's a combination of JavaScript and XML, which in conjunction with modern browsers, now allows an asynchronous call to a server XML file that can then display the results in the browser window.
What this means is that an XML file can hold the structure of your products like a flat file database, along with all the details like description, prodID, weight, price and options etc. which can then be called by a script on the web page to load the data into a JavaScript variable which in turn can be queried to display the data.
My original JavaScript Database script simply uses a .js file to hold an array of all the products and my functionality then queries and displays the results dynamically on the page as it loads.
In an effort to make this available to everyone, making it a paid downloadable module add-on for NebuCart, I was working on code using the Windows Scripting Host, Internet Explorer and ActiveX to help users create the product code in a browser window.
The downfalls of most database driven sites is the inflexibility... You buy the content managment system (CMS) which normally comes with built-in e-commerce and then you set about making it act the best way you can within the parameters of the software itself.
What I am trying to do is allow the basic site to be written and designed how you want, then with the integration of my DB Mod, you simply put a call to a function which can then display the product data using a template which you design.
Now with standard modern browsers, Ajax can perform this operation without too much hassle using XML, but there still comes the time to input product data in such a way that it's easy to update and maintain.
So in answer to your question, there are wider implications you must consider prior to making a decision on DB driven pages.
Downloading a CMS will probably mean you will need to design your site from the ground up using the preset parameters offered within the software itself. Alternatively, if you can find a CMS that just offers the back-end functionality for displaying the products, you could integrate that into your site and then code the required NebuCart source files into the <head> and the necessary <inputs> within NC_form on the page.
The other option and something I've already coded for others and is still in use on my lingerie site, is to hold your product details in a JavaScript array which you can then dynamically display on the page. It involves only editing one file for all your products, although as your site has different categories, to make this simpler, you could split them into your different categories and pull them from there.
You would have to replace ALL your product code for a JavaScript call, so all your inputs and description and other stuff that you normally code for a page ie:<td class="container1" style="height: 30px; width: 248px">
<input type="hidden" name="HIK-M2_desc" value="Helicoil Insert Kit M2"/>
<input type="hidden" value="1"name="HIK-M2" style="text-align: center"/>
<input type="hidden" name="HIK-M2_price" value="58.43"/>
<input type="button" onclick="AddItem('HIK-M2')" value="58.43" style="width:90px"/>
</td>Could be replaced with just:<script>writeProd('HIK-M2')</script>Of course, this assumes that your product display is the same for each of your products and pages, although there's no reason why you cannot display your different products using a different layout which you can design in JavaScript and call it from within the function:<script>writeProd('HIK-M2',design1)</script>Options are a little more difficult to write out, but can still be added in, it's up to you how you want to display your products, I can code whatever you need.
This type of flexibilty is only available using bespoke code, but it will allow you to update your product details by editing just one or multiple category JS files and will not impact on your site's loading or execution time. It also puts you in direct control of your site layout and design, something you simply will not get with any other CMS or database driven software.
If any of this sounds like what you are looking for, then do contact me via email so we can discuss your requirements and time frame for deployment.
Speak soon,
Gary
Former user, now NebuCart owner... |
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