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Test Installation.


Nik Grey

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My developer is about to send me a folder with the new Tool I have been waiting months for, we had a few days where he wanted me to edit everything and do it myself which I was of course not happy about and refused to do.. thats what I am paying him for after all.

 

Anyway, he claims I will be able to upload the folder to my root and after enabling the tool it should all work - no editing but I an skeptical.

 

Would it be a good idea to install a test Cubecart on the same domain, I think my license number should work on the same domain ! that way I can update the test installation each time we get an update to ensure the tool will continue to work, and if not try to fix the test installation if I have problems.

 

 

Just wondering if this is the most efficient way of going about this?

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I believe a CubeCart license does not discriminate against www.example.com/ and www.example.com/quigybo_test/. This is an efficient way of testing changes.

 

License:

"...it will be possible to install as many development stores as you want on the same website domain / IP address. Development stores must not [be] publicly accessible through search engines, hyperlinks or advertising. This can either be achieved with the use of password protection or by ensuring no hyperlinks are made to it."

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Nik

 

If your developer has written the new tool correctly as a true plugin then what he is saying is correct.  What he could also mean is that he has included changed copies of each of the core files that he has changed.  Subtle difference but one that you need to know about as it will make a HUGE difference when you come to upgrade !

 

It is always a good idea to have a test installation / staging area where upgrades and changes can be tested first before applying to live.  The problem is that few people do this and many of those that do do it, dont keep the staging area up to date which negates any benefit.  generally it is a very good idea though and your licence will work as long as it is on the same domain.  Make sure you have the various entries in robots.txt to prevent search engines from crawling the test site and I would always suggest closing the store as well.

 

Thanks

Ian

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Make sure you have the various entries in robots.txt to prevent search engines from crawling the test site and I would always suggest closing the store as well.

 

 

You do mean to be sure the TEST store is closed to the public, right?

 

Our core code is full of tweaks and mod changes. This would be the perfect way for me to test each upgrade before going live. My license is on a subdomain - so I'd need to make the test store at dirtybutter.com/plushcatalog/test - is that correct?

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You do mean to be sure the TEST store is closed to the public, right?

Yes, close the test store - not the live !

 

Our core code is full of tweaks and mod changes. This would be the perfect way for me to test each upgrade before going live. My license is on a subdomain - so I'd need to make the test store at dirtybutter.com/plushcatalog/test - is that correct?

Yes it would be the best way to test each upgrade but also each new tweak and mod change that you do in future (these should be done by plugins and then you wouldnt have this problem :))

 

Your current store is in a sub-directory, not a sub-domain, so it actually makes no difference where you put it - it could go in dirtybutter.com/test - in fact I would suggest that it doesnt go below your live store.  You can use a CubeCart licence on sub-domains (such as test.dirtybutter.com) but this needs the CubeCart staff to specifically allow this

 

Thanks

Ian

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Assuming there will be no reference to the sub-directory in the main store, no bot or person should be able to find it -- unless they do a very good job at guessing!

 

But here is my concern: the store does pull jQuery API files from Google. Does Google then come to "know" about this location (via the HTTP_REFERRER?)? That concern is not critical -- I'm not going to lose any sleep over it -- but I do download the API files and make my installation call them from the local server.

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But what do I need to change in the robots.txt to stop any crawling at all ? The last thing I want is people being taken to that test installation.

 

I'm sure Bsmither is right, but I'm paranoid when it comes to dealing with Google - so I did this in the domain robots.txt file for my plushlite test store:

 

Disallow: /plushlite/

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But what do I need to change in the robots.txt to stop any crawling at all ? The last thing I want is people being taken to that test installation.

 

I'm sure Bsmither is right, but I'm paranoid when it comes to dealing with Google - so I did this in the domain robots.txt file for my plushlite test store:

 

Disallow: /plushlite/

 

 

Dont ever think that Google cannot find that test installation - you would be amazed and it doesnt have to be a link from another area of your website !  The robots.txt file using the disallow as above and closing the store should always be used.

 

Does /plushlite/ indicate that you have only installed the Lite version ?  You should be able to licence the test installation using the same licence code as the main live site

 

Thanks

Ian

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Actually, Ian, it is a subdomain - but the person who originally setup our store said either CC couldn't handle plushcatalog.dirtybutter.com OR it was something the host couldn't handle - I don't remember, and it's too late now.

 

Yes, the plushlite is lite version - so I can create a stock version of our store on dirtybutter.com, and have another test store on dirtybutter.com with all my edits - all on the same license?

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The test store will be closed apart from when testing, that is what I was intending.

 

The test store should be closed at all times - there is no need to open it when testing.  When logged in as an admin user you can still view the store as normal but nobody else can

 

Actually, Ian, it is a subdomain - but the person who originally setup our store said either CC couldn't handle plushcatalog.dirtybutter.com OR it was something the host couldn't handle - I don't remember, and it's too late now.

What sub-domain is your store on ? dirtybutter.com is a domain and anything in front of that such as plushcatalog.dirtybutter.com (including strictly speaking www.dirtybutter.com is a sub-domain). CubeCart can certainly handle sub-domains and it would be a strange hosting account that didnt allow sub-domains. Your store appears to be installed in a sub-directory http://dirtybutter.com/plushcatalog/

 

Yes, the plushlite is lite version - so I can create a stock version of our store on dirtybutter.com, and have another test store on dirtybutter.com with all my edits - all on the same license?

You can have as many installations in sub-directories underneath your main licenced domain as you want although the CubeCart licence only allows these for testing / dev purposes and NOT for multiple live stores

Thanks

Ian

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I can't really answer your question, Ian. I didn't set up the site originally, and I had NO experience at all with hosting or store management software at that time. I barely understand any of it now. It doesn't matter - everything is working as expected. Didn't mean to hijack Nik's thread.

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I want to be able to reset the cubecart (test version) back to a certain state each time, as at the moment I am getting revised versions of my tool so I need to test it again from scratch each time - have no remnants of previous version of tool lurking anywhere.

This is so I can be sure the whole things works as w hole and not just because it's been cobbled together.

 

SO, I have the latest version installed in a /test/ folder on my main domain - should I ad a couple of products and make a backup of the database and a backup of the whole site? and then after trying a version of my tool just re-instate the cubecart that way to its clean state? so I can try again with a fresh installation ?

 

Hope I'm making myself clear enough here.

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SO, I have the latest version installed in a /test/ folder on my main domain - should I ad a couple of products and make a backup of the database and a backup of the whole site? and then after trying a version of my tool just re-instate the cubecart that way to its clean state? so I can try again with a fresh installation ?

 

Haven't you made other changes to your skin, etc? If so, it seems to me that the best test of this Tool would be on a copy of your own setup. And yes, if I were you I would add a few products to my test store, but I would not use my real store database.

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I just set up a sub domain and waiting for it to become live as having a 'Test' folder in amongst the files for the main domain was, well - a mistake could have been made with ease..

 

So, I havent made many changes - just colours maybe but still havent settled on the look of it yet.

 

How would I make it a clone of my live site ? I think that would be the best way to go.

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If you download your site via FTP, you can then upload it to the test directory. Do NOT upload the includes folder, and I'm guessing you would not want to upload the images folder, either, as you'll want to be sure the Tool works correctly with the test products you add.

 

Please, if Bsmither, Ian, or any other CC expert says do something different - their advice trumps mine.

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Ah, Thanks DB this is exactly the kind of info I am after.

 

I have created a 'Test' on a sub domain test-store.greyprint etc and am waiting/hoping for it to be allowed by Al (message sent) - then I can begin.

 

So, I need to download my entire directory from the main site - upload it all again to the test sub-domain but NOT the 'Includes' folder.

 

Will also not include the 'Images' folder - will start this now as ti will take all night.

 

Thanks again DB - Much appreciated :)

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NO - I assumed you had already setup CC on the test site. If not, do NOT upload your current files until the stock CC is installed on your test.

 

Hmmm - I use CuteFTP and Hostgator as my host. I can download/upload my site, including over 3k images in an hour or so. I wonder why the difference...

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I wanted this on a sub domain as I use a Stylus and Pen rather than a mouse and a rogue stroke could cause havoc in FIlezilla, my live cc is only 117mb but my main personal site was 15gb so got that too in the night. I have a 2mb connection as I am in the countryside.. things online happen slowly for me - that includes getting software developed :)

Still cant do anything until my sub domain is in my list of allowed sites.

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ok, My sub domain has been added to my 'Allowed List' (Thanks Al).

 

The 'Test Store' now has the default clean installation of the latest version of CC and is working.

 

I am about to try to make a clone of my live site, so I get this right (as it will take a while to upload) I need to upload everything to the root of the 'Test Store' APART from the 'Includes' folder and 'Images' - is this correct ?

 

.. I am using a separate database.

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I'm coming back into this and want to make a few points -- only make sure Nik is fully aware of why he is doing the things he is doing.

 

Please refresh our memory of why you think it important to overwrite the standard CC525 installation with whatever you may have done to your 'live' store.

 

I would say there is no reason to make a "clone" of your existing site. Create one, maybe two products. Create one, maybe two customers. I think it will far quicker to create these records than to "clone".

 

A 2Mbps connection downstream could mean a hideous 512Kbps upstream. Please do not try to upload all your images.

 

There is nothing, except the appropriate global.inc.php file, in the includes folder that you would have had any reason to customize. The effect of not uploading the includes folder is simply to avoid overwriting the appropriate global.inc.php file with an inappropriate file from your 'live' store.

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I want to be sure that I can test the tool I am having made before using it in the Live store, each time we get a CC upgrade I am sure something will happen to my tool - as it stands the developers can make it work on their test installation which is:

 

5.2.3

 

But when trying it with my 5.2.5 it will not work.

 

Here's what they sent me earlier after I asked if they had ANY idea why things werent working:

 

Your version of cubecart is different than ours.

And when we are setting it up with your version its not working with url rewrite function.

 

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His thinking and mine was that he wanted to be sure the Tool worked with all the modifications he has made to his store already. BUT if it's not working in 5.2.5, it would be better to use the stock CC until the Tool is working in that environment, and then do the clone as a final test of the project.

 

MY FTP can be set to only upload changed files, skipping all identical files. If Nik's will do that, he can get a clone when he's ready without uploading everything again - since he has such a slow connection.

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Your sig suggests that you are running a store on an iMac. I think that is misleading. I'm sure you are simply running a Mac-based browser on an iMac to see your store, and the store is running under Linux with the Apache web server.

 

If your hosting site is not running Apache web server, then the URL-Rewrite in the ,htaccess file will be no joy. But let's assume your site is running Apache.

 

I have not found any difference in CubeCart code (523 vs 525) that would cause CubeCart to behave differently from the data being passed in on the rewritten URL.

 

If the rewritten URL is suspect, we can look at the querystring part (the GET array) by switching on debug mode in admin, Store Settings, Advanced. Please disable caching as well.

 

Of course, you will need to mention the debug and cache setting to your programmers -- what the debug block will show may not be familiar to you.

 

We would like to see the GET: and POST: sections of the debug block.

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