Web Funda

Zen Cart Blank Page Error Before Or After Installation

2011-03-18T03:07:00.000-07:00

The problem -

1. After uploading the files and pointing the browser to the Zen Cart folder blank page is shown.
2. After installation is complete by going to the zc_install folder manually, the store front end is blank
3. Following error is shown -

Warning: include(includes/configure.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in

The solution -

1. Open the php.ini file
2. Search for include_path
3. Add '.:' in the value (If Unix/Linux System) or '.;' (If Windows System)
4. Restart your web server

That should solve the issue. If you do not have access to the php.ini ask your Server Administrator

Magento - Get Product Stock Quantity

2011-03-03T05:03:00.000-08:00

To get the quantity in stock for a particular product in Magento use the following code -

$qtyStock = Mage::getModel('cataloginventory/stock_item')->loadByProduct($_product)->getQty();

Magento - Show Error Report On Browser

2011-01-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

The new versions of Magento do not show the error report on browser. Instead they are stored on separate files and the file name is shown on browser. This is a great feature which is done for safety.

However while developing it becomes a little irritating to open the error files every time. So, if you want to print the error reports on browser during development do the following -

1. Open the file errors\local.xml
If you do not get a file with the same name, look for local.xml.sample and rename it to local.xml
2. Look for the tag. Between and write print, if not already written.

print will show the error on browser and email will mail it.

Magento - Changing Admin Path

2011-01-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

For security reason we should change the admin path from the very obvious admin to something else. Like for example it can be backend or back or even abracadabra. Whatever you think will be secure can be set as admin path by the following steps -

1. Open file \app\etc\local.xml
2. Look for the line
3. Change admin to the name you have chosen. Save and close the file
4. Delete the contents of \var\cache and \var\session

Now you can access the admin with the new path like www.yousite.com/index.php/back/ or www.yousite.com/back/

Enjoy the added security :)

Magento - Fetch All The Products Under A Certain Category

2011-01-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

If you want to fetch all the products under a certain category in Magento, use the below code -

$catObj = Mage::getModel('catalog/category')->load($catId);
$prodObj = $catObj->getProductCollection()->getData();

Here $catId is the id of the category whose product you want to fetch. And $prodObj will return the array of products, each of whose values will be an array like -

Array(
[entity_id] => 1
[entity_type_id] => 4
[attribute_set_id] => 4
[type_id] => simple
[sku] => product-a
[has_options] => 0
[required_options] => 0
[created_at] => 2011-01-12 19:01:24
[updated_at] => 2011-01-12 19:01:24
[cat_index_position] => 1
)

Magento - How To Get All the Products

2011-01-12T15:54:00.000-08:00

To fetch all the products in Magento you can use the below code -

$prodobj = Mage::getResourceModel('catalog/product_collection')->getData();

$prodobj is an array which will contain all the products, each as an array. The values returned for the products are -

Array(
[entity_id] => 1
[entity_type_id] => 4
[attribute_set_id] => 4
[type_id] => simple
[sku] => product-a
[has_options] => 0
[required_options] => 0
[created_at] => 2011-01-12 19:01:24
[updated_at] => 2011-01-12 19:01:24
)

Magento Problem In Creating New Product

2011-01-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

In the last few Magento releases (I have personally faced the issue in versions 1.4.1.1 and 1.4.2.0) when trying to create a new product in the back end Magento returns an error and products are not created.

The error message is

Fatal error: Call to a member function deletePriceData() on a non-object in \app\code\core\Mage\Catalog\Model\Product\Attribute\Backend\Tierprice.php on line 238

Solution

This error is given because in these Magento releases one file is missing. Actually it is present but the extension is .ph in place of .php
The file is located at
\app\code\core\Mage\Catalog\Model\Resource\Eav\Mysql4\Product\Attribute\Backend
In this folder rename Tierprice.ph to Tierprice.php

Its funny how this error persisted across versions but with the above solution you can forget about that :)

Div Center Aligned And Margin Auto Problem For IE6 Fixed

2010-11-28T15:38:00.000-08:00

If you want to place your div in the center of its container with the help of CSS, you can do so following below process -

Hi

margin 0 sets the margin to 0px and auto sets equal space on either side of the div making it center aligned.
Here both the outer and inner div will be center aligned. The borders are given so that the div blocks can be identified easily.
If we remove margin:0 auto; from the outer class, the outer div will be left aligned with inner div center aligned within it.
For the margin auto to function properly the div must have lesser width than its container.

Problem in IE6

In IE6 sometimes the div gets left aligned even after setting margin auto. This happens if the DTD is not defined properly. If you face this problem in IE6 please provide a valid doctype and the div should be aligned center.

Magento - Form Not Submitting In Backend - Formkey

2010-11-05T02:10:00.000-07:00

In Magento back end to properly submit a form, a value called formkey must be submitted with the form. Or else the form will never submit itself.

The formkey can be submitted with a hidden field as below -

$formKey = Mage::getSingleton('core/session')->getFormKey();

Magento - Load A Product By Any Attribute

2010-09-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

While generally we load a product in Magento by its id, it is also possible to load it by any of its attribute. To do that use the following code -

$_p = Mage::getModel('catalog/product')->loadByAttribute('attr_name', $attrib);

Just replace 'attr_name' with the name of the attribute and $attrib with the value and then Magento will fetch matching products.

Change CSS Class With JavaScript

2010-07-20T21:22:00.001-07:00

If we need to change the CSS class of a div or any other element with onclick or onmouseover etc. dynamically using JavaScript, you can do so using className. Follow the below example -


Click here to see the class change
Mouse over to see the class change

Style HR Tag With CSS

2010-07-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

There are pages which have a few hr tags thrown here and there. If the page is designed nicely, the hr tags look ugly, if not styled properly. To make them look fine use the following CSS properties.

1. border:none;                                         - Will remove the border
2. background-color:#000000;       - Add color as required
3. height:1px;                                             - Adjust the height as required

The above properties will create a fine black line. Adjust the settings to get exactly what you need.

Open Thickbox With Onclick

2010-07-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

There might be certain times when you would want to open a thickbox with onclick instead of the regular a href. Say you want to make a whole td cell clickable. To do so follow the below steps.

1. Open thickbox.js

2. Find the line -
tb_init('a.thickbox, area.thickbox, input.thickbox');//pass where to apply thickbox

3. Add td.thickbox. The line would look like -
tb_init('a.thickbox, area.thickbox, input.thickbox, td.thickbox');//pass where to apply thickbox

4. Next look for the line -
var a = this.href || this.alt;

5. Add the abbr attribute which would contain the link to open. The line would look like -
var a = this.href || this.alt || this.abbr;

6. Now add thickbox to td like
td class="thickbox" abbr="openthis.html"

Enjoy :)

Double Dollar Or Variable Variables In PHP

2010-06-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Apart from the normal variables in PHP, which we write like $a, there is also a variable variable which is written like $$a.

The problem is when someone wants to search what does this double dollar mean, they do not know how to search. Well searching will be a lot easier if they search by variable variables in PHP, and the best resource as always is at php.net.

To give a short explanation here it is used to give variable / dynamic names to variables.

Lets see a quick example. Say a value increases by a fixed amount everyday of the week. To enter and output the value for each day the code can be like -

$dyn = array("Sunday","Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday", "Friday","Saturday");
$i=0;
foreach($dyn as $eachDyn){
 $$eachDyn = $i;
 $i+=2;
}
foreach($dyn as $eachDyn){
 echo $eachDyn ." = ".$$eachDyn;
}

If the fixed amount changes later we need to just change the line $i+=2; to maybe say $i+=5; and that would be sufficient. No need to change each day individually.

Import large database in MySQL

2010-06-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

We generally use phpMyAdmin for importing database / tables from mySQL dump files. But when the file is large (can be 50 MB or even 700 MB) it is not possible to import it via a web interface. We can import such large files from the command prompt.

1. Open the Command prompt.

2. Go to folder where MySQL is installed. If you are running WAMP the path can be like D:\wamp\bin\mysql\mysql5.0.51b\bin (I do not install my WAMP in the drive where my OS is, hence D: :) )

3. Login to MySQL by typing
mysql -u [username] -p
You will be prompted to enter the password in the next line. Type it and press Enter.
If you are working on local generally you wont need a password and can hence type
mysql -u root

4. From the MySQL prompt to select the database type
use [database_name]

5. Now to import the file type
source [file_name_with_full_path]
Like if the file is in drive F and is named test.sql, you need to type
source F:\test.sql

That would import the file. Hope you find the post useful. Njoy :)

Shortcuts Not Working In Dreamweaver

2010-05-29T00:44:00.000-07:00

While using Adobe Dreamweaver many a times the short cuts ( Ctrl+b , Ctrl+i etc.) refuse to work.

To solve follow the below steps -

1. Under Window top menu select Workspace Layout

2. Under Workspace Layout the different layouts are listed. Select a layout apart from the one used currently. Then again switch back to the layout that was set before.

That solved the issue for me. Hopefully it will work for you too :)

New solution added on 21st Jan 2010

As suggested by Gibby in the comments section, you can also try the following solution -

1. Close Dreamweaver
2. Go to folder {Drive}:\Documents and Settings\{User}\Application Data\Adobe\Dreamweaver{Version}\en_US\Configuration\Menus\Cache
3. Delete the cache folder
4. Restart Dreamweaver

That's it. Enjoy :)

Handle Quotes In MySQL Query Using Zend Framework

2010-05-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

When a value that needs to be inserted into database, contains a mix of ' and " , problem will arise with normal MySQL query.

We can handle the situation when using plain PHP with this solution.

But if we are using Zend Framework the solution will be -

$db = Zend_Db::factory('PDO_MYSQL', $params);
$sql = "Insert Into table_name (key, value) Values (".$db->quote($valueWithQuotes) .")";
$result = $db->query($sql);

Open And Convert CDR , PSD Files For Free

2010-03-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

Many a times it happens that as the developer of a certain project you will get a PSD (Photoshop) or CDR (Coreldraw) file from either the designer or the client. And as a developer its more than possible that you wont be having software like Photoshop or Coreldraw installed in your desktop. So if you want to view the files or convert it to formats like Jpeg or BMP there is a great free solution. Its the free image viewer IrfanView.

You can download the software here.

With IrfanView you can view a lot of file types and even create slideshows. Find the complete list here.

File Conversion

To convert the PSD, CDR etc. files to JPEG do the following -

1. Open it in IrfanView
2. Go to File -> Save As
3. Choose the file format in which you want to convert the file to.

Magento Format Price To Default Currency

2010-03-03T23:28:00.000-08:00

Use the below code to format a price according to default currency in Magento

$price = $_product->getPrice() /// This is in product details page. Replace it with necessary price value according to your requirement.

$formatted price = Mage::helper('core')->currency($price);

How To Change Value Of OnClick Event Dynamically With JavaScript

2010-03-02T22:45:00.000-08:00

The following script changes the onclick event of the button "Test" dynamically according to which radio button is selected. The JavaScript function changeOnClick() changes the event dynamically.

 Hi!


 Hello!


 Bye!

"Flex Library Not Loaded" Error In Magento

2010-02-19T01:21:00.000-08:00

The Problem

Image upload not working in Magento backend. Whenever entering product details getting an error alert saying Flex Library Not Loaded

The Solution

This happens due to improper Magento installation. Just give full permission to the following folder

/js/lib

That should solve the problem. Njoy :)

Magento :: Images Not Showing In Front End

2010-02-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

It is a common issue in Magento. After uploading images from back end, the images are shown in back end, but are not displayed on the front end. To solve follow the below steps. Any one of them might solve the issue for you, or even you might need to apply all. Try your luck :)

1. In back end go to System -> Cache Management. Click all check boxes. Choose 'Refresh' option from 'All Cache' drop down. Click 'Save Cache Settings'. Once the page reloads select 'Disable' from drop down and again press 'Save Cache Settings'.

2. On the same page you will find a button 'Clear' beside 'Images Cache'. Click it.

3. Go to Catalog -> Manage Products. Click the specific product. Go to 'Images' tab. Beside the image there will be 3 radio buttons (Base Image, Small Image, Thumbnail). See if the required radio is selected or not. Also check if Exclude is checked or not. If checked uncheck it and save product.

4. Upload another image. Assign all radio to that image. Save the product. Then reassign the required radio options to the actual image and save again.

And yes also clear your browser cache. I hope by now the image is showing in front end. If not just add a comment.

Magento Customize Error Page

2010-02-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

After spending a lot of time and energy creating a beautiful Magento theme, once you get an error somewhere, you would notice that you are shown the default vanilla Magento theme. Whats worse is that it still has the Magento logo!!!
Actually the error page Magento shows is not placed inside the theme folder. To customize the Magento error page and make it look like the rest of your site follow the below steps -

1. In root folder of Magento you would find a folder named 'report'. That's where the error page is stored. Open that folder.
2. The index.php here is responsible for showing the error details. For the design the file /report/skin/default/index.phtml is used. It is better to create a new template file for you. Make a copy of index.phtml and rename it to {your_theme_name}.phtml
3. To tell index.php to use {your_theme_name}.phtml create a file design.xml in folder 'report'.
4. In design.xml write the following


<'?xml version="1.0"?'>

*** Remove the ' from the first line of xml declaration. They are placed to avoid parsing the line and print it on browser.
5. Now change the {your_theme_name}.phtml file to make the error page look like your theme.

The default index.phtml uses CSS styles writen on the file itself. You can copy the css folder from appropriate folder in your skin directory. And then include the css files in your own phtml. After that just placing the structure from your actual theme pages would make the task easier. So try and Njoy :)

jQuery Useful Links Of Tutorials, Manual, Examples

2010-02-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

jQuery with its huge number of plugins is a Javascript framework that can do everything ... well, almost everything :P

So I list below few links that will help people working with jQuery

1. http://jquery14.com/ (14 consecutive days of new releases for jQuery 1.4)
2. http://api.jquery.com/visual/ (A jQuery Manual that is helpful and stylish)
3. http://jqueryui.com/demos/ (jQuery UI)
4. http://plugins.jquery.com/ (Plugins)
5. http://www.noupe.com/jquery/50-amazing-jquery-examples-part1.html (50+ jQuery examples)

There are thousands of resources. I will keep adding the links. So do check back

Drupal Database Installation Problem Solved

2009-12-31T13:35:00.000-08:00

While installing Drupal sometimes you might get stuck on the database configuration page. After entering the data and submitting, the page just reloads and nothing happens. Follow the below steps for the solution.

1. I know you have already done this step, but just to mention, please go through the database details once again and confirm they are all OK. The username, password, database name, host everything.

2. Open sites\default\settings.php
Search for $db_url =
Enter the database details manually. The format is described below

mysql://username:password@localhost/databasename

Replace username, password, localhost and databasename with database user name, database password, database host and database name respectively

If no database password is set (mostly when using local installation) the format would be

mysql://username@localhost/databasename

Hope that solves this issue. Njoy :)