About MagNotes Series
In this blog I have always shared about what I’ve learned on Magento, which I felt is taken me one step closer to understanding Magento and Magento development. But during the course of time, I bump on some elementary things which are absolutely required. So just for those elementary things I’ve decided to create a series (MagNotes Series) , for myself as a reference or for whoever think this is helpful.

protected function _getStoreByCode($storeCode)
	{
		$stores = array_keys(Mage::app()->getStores());
		foreach($stores as $id){
 		  $store = Mage::app()->getStore($id);
		  if($store->getCode()==$storeCode) {
		  	return $store;
		  }
		 }
		 return false;
	}

About MagNotes Series
In this blog I have always shared about what I’ve learned on Magento, which I felt is taken me one step closer to understanding Magento and Magento development. But during the course of time, I bump on some elementary things which are absolutely required. So just for those elementary things I’ve decided to create a series (MagNotes Series) , for myself as a reference or for whoever think this is helpful.

             // Get all the locale options
                $locale = new Mage_Adminhtml_Model_System_Config_Source_Locale();
		$localSource = $locale->toOptionArray();

		// Change Options array to one dimentional array
		$localSourceCodes = array();
		foreach ($localSource as $source) {
			$localSourceCodes [$source ['value']] = $source ['label'];
		}

In this blog I have always shared about what I’ve learned on Magento, which I felt is taken me one step closer to understanding Magento and Magento development. But during the course of time, I bump on some elementary things which are absolutely required. So just for those elementary things I’ve decided to create a series (MagNotes Series) , for myself as a reference or for whoever think this is helpful.

Mage::app()->getStore(Mage_Catalog_Model_Abstract::DEFAULT_STORE_ID);

In this blog I have always shared about what I’ve learned on Magento, which I felt is taken me one step closer to understanding Magento and Magento development. But during the course of time, I bump on some elementary things which are absolutely required. So just for those elementary things I’ve decided to create a series (MagNotes Series) , for myself as a reference or for whoever think this is helpful.

One of the most useful method of tracking how your code is working is by writing a log of things happening between your lines of codes. Magento by default has provided a very helpful static function for this purpose in final class Mage.

public static function log($message, $level = null, $file = ”, $forceLog = false)

$message
Data you want to log. Can be string, array, object anything.
$level
Log message level. The detailed list of type of message level can be found on Zend_Log. Here are the list which you can use.

    const EMERG   = 0;  // Emergency: system is unusable
    const ALERT   = 1;  // Alert: action must be taken immediately
    const CRIT    = 2;  // Critical: critical conditions
    const ERR     = 3;  // Error: error conditions
    const WARN    = 4;  // Warning: warning conditions
    const NOTICE  = 5;  // Notice: normal but significant condition
    const INFO    = 6;  // Informational: informational messages
    const DEBUG   = 7;  // Debug: debug messages

By default the function uses Zend_Log::DEBUG.

$file
Log file name relative to var/log, if you do not provide a file name then the default value for logfile name in settings will be used. If you haven’t changed then it would be system.log.
$forceLog
This parameter defines if you want to override the log settings of the backend. So if you absolutely want to log your data whatever the condtion then this value should be set to true.

I have few blog posts regarding working with Ajax on Magento. http://subesh.com.np/category/ajax/. And I see many people visiting those pages to get the information on working with Ajax in Magento. Sensing the need of developer I came up with an idea of making the whole process into a module in an effort to give back to the Magento community. I’ve tried to make the module simple for now, which of course can be extended a lot to incorporate all kinds of needs. But for now, if I may say, there are roughly these two things you might want to do (Purely in Magento terms).

1. Request to a controller with params, do some changes in the model, set error/success message and show those message to the user.
2. Next, perform all the actions as #1 and in addition to that refresh the content of certain HTML elements.

This module has been devised just to meet these two actions. In addition, the module is loader ready and has by default a floating message block.
Followings are the ways you can perform those two actions using this module.

Overview
The core functionality implemenation is done in js/ajaxify/ajaxify.js file. If you look into that file, you will find a JS Class. The constructor for the class are:

1. URL of the request controller.
2. Parameters (JSON object) to be sent as request params to the controller.

For request and show message just call request() method, while if you want an HTML element to be updated then call requestUpdate(‘elementID’), with element ID in the parameter.

Request to a controller with params, do some changes in the model, set error/success message and show those message to the user.

This is how you initillize the JS Object.

<script type="text/javascript">
	var ajxObj =  new SpAjaxify('<?php echo $this->getUrl('ajaxify/index/test') ?>', {id: '12', value: '23'});
	ajxObj.request(); // Request
</script>

To set the message error/success you have to use ajaxify/session model, because it is from this model the messages are shown.

/**
     * Always use this session to set your error or success message
     *
     * @return Sp_Ajaxify_Model_Session
     *
     * PLEASE DO NOT EDIT THIS
     */
    protected function _getSession()
    {
    	return Mage::getSingleton('ajaxify/session');
    }

	// Set Error message .
   	$this->_getSession()->addError('Item was not added to the shopping cart.');

    	// Set Success message
    	$this->_getSession()->addSuccess('Item was successfully added to the shopping cart.');

In addition to the above refresh the content of certain HTML elements.

<script type="text/javascript">
	var ajxObj =  new SpAjaxify('<?php echo $this->getUrl('ajaxify/index/test') ?>', {id: '12', value: '23'});

	ajxObj.requestUpdate('sidebar_cart'); // Ajax request with parameter to update the HTML element.
</script>

The source also contains description of the hidden logic to manage templates/layouts required.

First of all we would like to say that this is not a fully functional module (Don’t Panic..), meaning you will not be able work with tables of external database just by configuring the settings of the module. You will have to code your associated Model/Collection classes based on the Magento External Database Connector Released.

Few things which came and we would want to clear out.

1. I tried to install the module via Magento Connect, but showed some error during installation?

We have packaged this extention using Magento 1.5.x. There are complaints on installing using Magento Downloader v1, please use Magento Downloader v2. We will try to fix this problem for v1 ASAP.

2. Which Config file do I have to use/edit?

In Magento, database connection settings can be found on app/etc/local.xml, but we are NOT talking about that settings. If we say a config file we are talking about Sp/Edb/etc/config.xml.

3. How do I configure Edb to use my external database’s table?

Edit Sp/Edb/etc/config.xml and find the [entities]. You will then find a child node there [report]. Change that to your table alias (lets say magician). Also change the value of [table]tbl_magician[/table]. The value for [table] should be the table name of the external database you want to work with. If you want to work with multiple tables of the external database, you will have to add multiple alias and its respective table name.

Note #1 that the nodes are shown in [ ], because of the rendering issue.
Note #2 that you can do the same in your own Module’s config file.

4. How to define Model/Resource/Collection?

If you follow the basic step defined http://subesh.com.np/2012/02/magento-external-database-connector-v1-0-0-released/. You should be able to set all those up. For multiple table access you must create multiple Model/Resource and Collection.

5. How do I test if it’s working?

Simplest method would be in your cron.php file found on installed Magento’s root folder. Open the cron.php file and inside the try block call the model you just created write the following. If you have followed the documentation exactly as in the link above, then

try {
$model = Mage::getModel('edb/magician');

// This data will depend on your table schema.
$model->setName('The three Tree')->save();
$model->setName('TTT')->save();
exit;
----
----

}

Then run the cron.php from your browser example.com/cron.php. After this see you external database table, a new row should be inserted.

Hope this clarifies something if not everything. Please send us feedbacks, we would be happy to address that.

Formarly Known as The Three Tree External Database Connector

Magento External Database Connector module will be helpful for the “Developers” who want to connect to the external Database server (other than the database used by Magento). This module will help the developer to set up a connection object (Read & Write) with the configuration configured in Admin Settings and use that connection to do database transactions on external database.

All you have to do is set the settings of your external database connection in your Magento Settings and extend your model/collection class with the class of this module and use other codes as you have been using in Magento to select/update/delete records.

It will be as simple as Mage::getModel(‘mymodule/mymodel’)->setData(‘name’,'The Next Tree’)->save()

Here is the explanation of how you can use the External Database Connector module’s classes to define your

1. Model
2. Resource Model
3. Collection

Lets take a simple example. Say you have a table (of course in an external database) named tbl_magician, which has two just two columns id and name. First thing set up an entity definition in the config.xml file of your module or you can add in this module’s config as well.

 <entities>
      <!-- Add As many tables config here -->
            <magician> <!-- Table alias -->
                   <table>tbl_magician</table> <!-- Actual Table Name -->
             </magician>
      <!-- Add As many tables config here -->
</entities>

Model Defination

All of your Model that uses the external source has to be extended by Sp_Edb_Model_Abstract. If you see on this class you can find that the connection has been established based on the settings you do on Magento backend. An example for your model class will be something like this.

<?php
class Sp_Edb_Model_Magician extends Sp_Edb_Model_Abstract
{
	 /**
     * Initialize resources
     */
    public function __construct()
    {
		parent::__construct();
		$this->_init('edb/magician);
     }

}

If you are wondering where to set up your connection settings go to System–>Configuration–>SP EDB and add your settings there.

Resource Model

Similary your resource model should extend one another class of the module as shown below.

<?php
class Sp_Edb_Model_Mysql4_Magician extends Sp_Edb_Model_Mysql4_Abstract
{

	protected function _construct()
    {
        $this->_init('edb/magician', 'id');
    }

}

Collection

As you might have already guessed yes..! collection also needs to be extended by one another class of the module as below

<?php
class Sp_Edb_Model_Mysql4_Magician_Collection extends Sp_Edb_Model_Mysql4_Collection_Abstract
{
	 /**
     * Local constructor
     *
     */
    protected function _construct()
    {
        $this->_init('edb/magician');
    }
}

All those parent classes used are themselves extended from the classes which Magento uses for Model or Resource or Collection. So there is no any functionality missing and you can use the same old methods for insert/update or select.

After setting up all these classes you can now just freely use these functions without keeping external connection in mind.

$model = Mage::getModel('edb/magician');
// To save
$model->setName('The three Tree')->save();
$model->setName('TTT')->save();

// Get Collection
$collection = $model->getCollection();
$collection->getSelect()->where('main_table.id = ?', 1);

If you have any confusion we would be happy to address that.The module is now available on Magento Connect.

FAQ’s

Get this extension on Magento Connect

Features

1. Uses the free API service provided by Scribd to upload and manage your document from the Magento administration area.
2. Upload as much document you want to upload, because there is no restriction on the storage limit.
3. Tag your uploaded documents on Scribd.
4. Set scope Private or Public for your uploaded document.
5. Upload and transform any file — including PDF, Word and PowerPoint — into a web document that’s discoverable through search engines, shared on social networks and read on billions of mobile devices.
6. Assign uploaded files to your product which can be shown in the storefront using a multi functional online Scribd Reader.
7. Supports all the document formats supported by Scribd. This list of the supported format can be found on This Location

Installation Guide

1. Get the extension from Magento Connect.
2. Install the extension from Magento Connect Manager.
3. Voila! Installation completed.

Setting up the Module

1. Sign up for an account on http://www.scribd.com
2. Get the API Key and Secret Key from Scribd. The procedure for getting your API key and Secret Key is described on http://support.scribd.com/entries/25453-where-can-i-find-my-api-key.
3. In Magento backend goto System–>Configuration–>MagDoc–>Settings.
4. Fill out the API key and Secret Key value you obtain from Scribd and save the settings.
5. Now the module is set up and ready to be used.

User Guide

1. Document can be uploaded on Scribd from Magento administration area. In admin area go to Magdoc–>Manage Document. You can add/edit/delete documents from here.
2. Documents can be assigned to product. Create or Edit any product. A new option for selecting the document for the product will be visible in the product edit area. But make sure the attribute “magdoc_id” is already in the attribute set of the product being edited. Select the required document and save the product.
3. Visit the product details page on the frontend. The document will be visible using Scribd Reader.

Developer Guide

To display Scribd document in the product details page. This should be placed in appropriate place. Also you can see that the height and width for the Scribd Reader can be configured from layout.

<block type="magdoc/magdoc" name="magdoc" template="magdoc/magdoc.phtml">
            	<action method="setDocumentHeight"><width>600px</width></action>
            	<action method="setDocumentWidth"><width>850px</width></action>
 </block>

Here’s a tip for showing the Scribd document on tabs on product details page.

<block type="catalog/product_view_tabs" name="product.info.tabs" as="info_tabs" template="catalog/product/view/tabs.phtml" >
                    <action method="addTab" translate="title" module="catalog">
                    	<alias>magdoc</alias>
                    	<title>Document</title>
                    	<block>magdoc/magdoc</block>
                    	<template>magdoc/magdoc.phtml</template>
                   	</action>
        </block>

I hope the module will be useful for the store owners. If you have any feedbacks, please report in the comment section below.

Disclaimer: Scribd is the property of Scribd Inc. This module is NOT the official module of Scribd.

[Note: I am describing here based on Ubuntu.]

Step 1: Download and Install Eclipse
Download and Install Eclipse. Choose the relevant package to download. Unzip the package and copy to some location. Lets say /home/user/ Please note that the Eclipse IDE requires that a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) be installed on your machine to run. Java SE 5 or greater is recommended.

Step 2: Setting up PHP Project
Next thing you have to do is to setup the project in Eclipse. Open the Eclipse IDE and it will ask for your Workspace. Browse to your workspace (Where your Magento site is running locally) or by default point it to /var/www and click OK. Now click on File–>New –> New PHP Project, and add your folder name on Project Name and click Finish. Eclipse will take few time on building your project, so take a coffee break if you want and be back in few minutes to go through the steps below.

Step 3: Installing X-Debugger

sudo apt-get install php5-xdebug

Step 4: Configure X-Debugger
Type this in your command prompt.

sudo gedit /etc/php5/apache2/conf.d/xdebug.ini

And add this settings on the .ini file

xdebug.remote_enable=1

And restart the apache server.

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

Step 5: Debug Configuration on Eclipse

On menu click Window–>Preference. Find PHP–>Debug Node in the left. When you click Debug you can see screen like this. Select PHP Debugger – XDebug.

To Set Server click PHP Servers and add new server as follows and click Finish.

Step 6: Configuring debug conf for Magento Projects

On menu click Run–> Debug Configurations. Find PHP Web Page and Right click for adding new configuration. Add something similar to like this.

Step 7: Add Break-Point and start debugging

Now almost all the settings are done. Now you can just add a break-point on your code and start debugging your script by clicking the BUG icon on the top bar.

Few tips though before you start.

1. Set up an external browser to run your debug configuation. Go to Window–>Preference and type in web browser in the top left search. And you will get a result. Click on Web Browser to select Use External Web Browser. If that is not clickable first click the restore default button and then the external web browser should be clickable.
2. You can enable multi-session debug, because you do not want to always click the debug button after each debug end. For that go to preference. Search for debug. Find PHP –> Debug –>Installed Debugger. Click the XDebug and then click configure. You can then Check the Use Multisession checkbox and save.