Author: 芳草苑主

Magento module 中，在哪里放置安装脚本比较好？

当然，把它放在 sql/$resourceName 目录下 $resModel.’-‘.$actionType.’-(.*)\.(sql|php) 文件里是不错的。安装脚本通常是修改数据库结构，所以放在.sql文件理所当然。但如果安装脚本跟数据库无关，放在.sql略显勉强，为此，我找了一个更好的地方。

首先在 config.xml 声明一个 setup 类：

<config>

<resources>
<mymodule_setup>
<setup>
<module>Mynamespace_Mymodule</module>
<class>Mynamespace_Mymodule_Model_Setup</class>
</setup>
</mymodule_setup>
</resources>
</config>

这个类只要 extends Mage_Core_Model_Abstract，不一定得 extends Mage_Core_Model_Resource_Setup。

然后在该类里放置 applyUpdates() 方法，把安装脚本都写到这个方法里就可以了。模块在安装时就是执行这个方法，而且是在 .sql 执行之前。

The question is raised because in my catalog_category, I have a user attribute originally 255 length varchar. Now I am told by users it was not long enough for block text. I want to change it to text type in mysql to solve the problem.

I know EAV attributes use different tables for different type. My worry is moving attribute value from varchar table to text table when changing the EAV attribute backend type. Anyway, I have to try before I know. Here is my steps:

1. go to table magento_eav_attribute, find the attribute, change backend_type from varchar to text
2. (what’s next?) I am about to change something else, but surprisingly, nothing else! All done after step 1.

I do not need to move old values from magento_catalog_category_entity_varchar to magento_catalog_category_entity_text. After change attribute’s backend_type, Magento can still read existing value from magento_catalog_category_entity_varchar, but if I save the category, the value will save to magento_catalog_category_entity_text. Old value is not deleted from magento_catalog_category_entity_varchar, but it does no harm.

I am curious at how Magento did it – Does Magento go through 5 tables (datetime, decimal, int, text, varchar) to get a value? Or Magento cache attributes’ backend type (so even I make changes in magento_eav_attribute, Magento still have records of old type)?

经历了好几个月沉寂之后，今天终于看到 Magento 一个新版 1.4.1.0。虽然我没去试用新版，但还是在第一时间关心了一下 Release Notes。我第一次逐行读完了 Release Notes，以前最多 scam it，这就是亲身体验者和旁观者的区别。

Improvements

* Added ability to use static URLs for media in WYSIWYG or image browser. Added ability to enable parsing store, skin and media directives on catalog frontend. (这个功能我已经实现了，就是在 description output 上再套一个cms filter，我称之为 text engine。当然 magento core 实现得肯定比我好，以后我就删了我的 text engine)
* URL rewrites history: ability to auto-generate custom rewrite with redirect from old to new URL when changing product URL-key (这个问题我也想过，我没 magento core 那么能干，能做 auto-generated redirect，不过我觉得即使有 auto-generated redirect，把 url key 改来改去也不是回事，所以我建议取名需谨慎，定下的 url key不要改)
* Added ability to exclude a category from navigation menu (这个功能我也实现了，不光能控制 exclude from top navigation，还能控制 exclude from sitemap)
* Various improvements in system configuration UI. Introduced ability to make actual configuration structure to be independent on the system.xml structure
* Added “Only X left” inventory feature
* Implemented Centinel functionality in iphone theme
* Upgraded TinyMCE to v.3.3.2 (不知是否有了 auto-save?)
* Improved PayPal integration, includes:
* Recurring payment profiles entity and purchasing of “subscription” products. In checkout they are treated as “nominal” items.
* Billing agreements
* “Pending Review” order state, “Pending Review” and “Suspected Fraud” order statuses and logic related with this. Triggers by PayPal IPR, FMF and Unilateral payments.
* Functionality of transactions listing/searching and fetching from gateway
* Fetching PayPal settlement reports via SFTP
* Various improvements of PayPal integration on the frontend and admin UI
* Added notice about creating offline creditmemo from order view page.
* Added getter for recurring payment methods in payment helper.
* Implemented abstract block ability to have arbitrary groups of child blocks and a method that returns such a group. Implemented a method that fetches data from child block by specified alias.
* Implemented ability to specify “sort_order” instead of “before” and “after” in the totals declaration. All nominal totals declaration utilize “sort_order”
* Added getter for specified object data by key in core/template block: method getObjectData()
* Defined payment methods grouping, implemented getter for payment method list (with option to group them). Added ability to render grouped options in the “select” grid filter.
* Moneybookers: utilized the payment methods grouping for all its methods; removed redundant “translate” attribute in the methods definition in config.
* Utilized payment methods grouping for PayPal peyment methods.
* Added more verbosity to PayPal NVP and IPN debugging

Changes

* Sales module database structure changed from EAV into flat tables (没觉得 eav 有多慢，不过 magento 这么改肯定有它道理)

* Product custom URL rewrites redirect to SEF URL, rather than to catalog/product/view/id/ (这也是我考虑得比较多的问题，不过如果一个 product 归属多个 category，此改进后的 SEF URL 时能否正确显示 main category breadcrumb，能否配合 rel=”canonical” 使用？)
* Reimplemented frontend top menu rendering logic (cross-browser and usability improvements)
* Reviewed logic of the sales reports: Orders, Tax, Invoiced, Shipping, Refunds, Coupons
* Reimplemented bestsellers report
* Implemented 3D Secure validation for Maestro International and JCB cards
* Changed Shopping cart methods output (top + bottom): removed