Where to install for development?

[Guest Shipz]

H i guys.

I bet this is a real simple answer.

I have set up a hosting package and i have created a holding page with index.htm.

What i want to do is to install a copy of cubecart with a view to developing it in the background.

If i install Cubecart on the same level as the index.htm page will the store be visible to everyone. Does the index.php file for the store take over from the index.htm page? I am hoping to use the index.htm page as a holding page until the store is complete then when completed rename the index.htm or delete the file so that the store becomes live. Is this possible?

As you can tell it's all a bit new to me so i apologise if its a bit of a noob question.

Thanks

Dave.

[Robsta]

This might help... Moving store location.

[Guest]

Easiest thing to do is create a subdirectory for cubecart like "store" and install it into it. Then when you are ready, just do a redirect from your existing index page to the store/index.php (or move the store to the root directory).

[bsmither]

1. If i install Cubecart on the same level as the index.htm page will the store be visible to everyone.

2. Does the index.php file for the store take over from the index.htm page?

2. That depends on the configuration of the web page server. The server has a list of all document names that it will look for in the order listed. The first one it finds, that's the one that will get sent. So, if the list enumerates the following and is in this order: "index.htm, index.html, default.asp, index.php", and you have both index.html and index.php, then index.html will be searched for and found first and index.html will get sent out. NOTE: the list is used only if the URL does not specify a document. That is, www.site.com as opposed to www.site.com/index.php. If the URL specifies a document, that document will get sent (provided it exists at that folder).

1. As explained above, if the page is on the server, it is callable by the public, unless... There are ways to deter access.

* Use an .htaccess rule that resets all .php to .html except for your IP address (or like, index.php?mysecretcode) - but that's getting way too tricky for it's own good.

* Put the store in OFFLINE mode. If you are signed-in as Administrator, you can see the store and anyone else will get the simple Store is Offline message.

[Guest Shipz]

Thanks for your responses guys.

I had planned to develop the site locally by using Wampserver and then when i'm happy with it upload it . That looks like it could be problematic if you have to change files. I am not the most computer savvy person in the world so i am trying to do this the easiest way.

I'm also aware that to get the functionality i need for my shop i will need to use some mods. If i develop locally and pay for the mods so i can see how they work before going live is it possible to copy the mod files across without having to pay for them again?

I am swaying more to the response from bsmither at the moment. I need to check which files my host looks for first. Although Mysty's solution is also a good option.

Slighlty off track now. With v5 being out sometime soon if you were new to CC which version would you recommend. I was looking at v3 mainly because it is free but when v5 comes out will it be cast aside totally.I understand it won't be supported anymore by CC. Would i be better off going for v4 and be safe knowing that if anything goes wrong help will be available.

Any help will be much appreciated.

[bsmither]

"Develop local then upload it."

That's what I do. I am careful to make certain that any files that need to stay local do not get copied over to the production server.

There is one file, /includes/global.inc.php, that establishes a $glob array and holds database access and store location variables. I added a test based on the value of the __SERVER variable that assigned the appropriate set of values to $glob for "localhost" or "mydomain.com".

"Use mods locally then use again on production server."

Of the mods I have purchased, almost all locked to a domain name and that name is retrieved from the __SERVER variable. What many of the mod authors do is to advise you to purchase the mod under "localhost", then when ready to deploy, contact them for a reissuance of your license key under your domain name.

If you run a full-blown server locally, then you probably have the skill at configuring that server to answer as mydomain.com and have your development workstation to query your server's DNS first.

Certainly, the mods could be coded to permit use when __SERVER says it's a "localhost" server. Only one mod I bought actually did that.

"I was looking at v3..."

Grab your copy of v3 now as when Devellion boxes it for deep storage six feet under, legally you won't be able to find it anywhere. How much the community will support it remains to be seen. Will mod authors continue to sell v3 mods? Will the altruistic community continue to donate? For myself... yes.

If you are starting out as a store owner, a store manager, a site developer, a php programmer, I see v3 as a low-cost way to learn what it is to be a store owner (marketing, product development, finances, etc), a store manager (customer relations, product fulfillment, inventory), a site developer (application installation, database management, traffic analysis), and a php programmer (code tweaks, mod installation, troubleshooting).

If running a store doesn't fit well with you, or it never seems to get out of the hobby stage, then not much has been lost. On the other hand, when you are ready to quit your day job, then obligate two or three thousand dollars into your business and get the appropriate level of sophistication of your applications, development environment, and the outside services you need.

"Will I be better off going with v4?"

I suppose that depends on your rate of commitment to getting into this. Personally, if I can teach myself what I need to learn (with respect to above) at $50 as opposed to $250, that's what I will do. I'm not necessarily overly frugal, but I don't plunge headlong into unfamiliar waters either.