Category: 小小草

Long long time ago, I installed Customshippingrate module, but never made it work on my site. The module sits on the disk but disabled. Recently I took some trouble and about three days developing my own module Cush for admin panel users to charge special shipping price when creating an order.

Cush module does not override any Magento classes so it is virtually 100% compatible with other modules. Neither does Cush module override any Magento templates so basically it reuses Magento native interface. Cush is not a shipping method so it can work with any Magento shipping methods or 3rd party shipping methods.

Cush module injects customisation logic by javascript. What it actually customise are values in magento_sales_flat_quote_shipping_rate where is pool of shipping quotes. Values customised belong to an individual quote so the customisation hits its point.

When writing Cush module, I found a defect in Magento own code app/design/adminhtml/default/default/template/sales/order/create/shipping/method/form.phtml.

echo $this->getCarrierName($_rate->getCarrier());

The above code reads value from configuration and shows it as carrier title. If I was not injecting shipping method customisation logic, I would not realise it is a defect. Carrier title value, like method title and shipping rate, if read from magento_sales_flat_quote_shipping_rate using $_rate->getCarrierTitle(), will make more sense. Values from configuration will not reflect carrier title changes done by Cush. I respect Magento own templates, especially adminhtml templates. Instead of overriding this template, I wrote some additional javascript in Cush module to correct carrier title. I stick to my green principle although it costs much more time developing.

Upon installing Cush module, I removed all files of Customshippingrate module. A small accident happened – can not create shipment. It turns out during creating shipment, Magento is gathering all config paths start with “carriers/” and working out all carriers between two slashes. It is a bad logic, or I can call it a bug. It does not check whether this carrier exists or is active. So, very bad.

Just add to my Magento caveats: after removing a shipping method, remove all entries of “carriers/CARRIER_CODE/*” in magento_core_config_data.

There are three ways to override controller in Magento. They fit for various purposes.

The first and easiest way can be used to route the request to more than one module. When a request arrives on a frontName, it usually is rounted to a module. For example, /cms/page/view is routed to cms module page controller view action. If I have developed a cms related module called “faq” with a brand new controller “QuestionController”, but I want it share the same cms frontName with cms module, i.e., I want /cms/question/any_action be routed to faq module.

It is very easy to achieve by a config.xml like the following:

<config>
	<frontend>
		<routers>
			<cms>
				<args>
					<modules>
						<any_name>MyNamespace_Faq</any_name>
					</modules>
				</args>
			</cms>
		</routers>
	</frontend>
</config>

Strictly speaking, no overriding in above example because it only activates a brand new controller. In a truly overriding example, if I want PageController of faq module override PageController in cms module, I can add before=”Mage_Cms” to make sure PageController of faq module supersede the same name controller in cms module. The complete configuration is shown below:

<config>
	<frontend>
		<routers>
			<cms>
				<args>
					<modules>
						<any_name before="Mage_Cms">MyNamespace_Faq</any_name>
					</modules>
				</args>
			</cms>
		</routers>
	</frontend>
</config>

The second way can be used to mass override controllers.

<config>
	<global>
		<rewrite>
			<any_name>
				<from><![CDATA[#^/cms/#]]></from>
				<to>/faq/</to>
				<complete></complete>
			</any_name>
		</rewrite>
	</global>
</config>

The above configuration makes all controllers in faq module override same name controllers in cms module. In class Mage_Core_Controller_Varien_Front, there is

$pathInfo = preg_replace($from, $to, $request->getPathInfo());

doing path info string replacement based on regular expression. And because it is based on regular expression, I can do mass replacement at a time.

The tag flags whether requested path info should be turned into new module path info. In other words, when the request arrives on /cms/page/view, it is rewritten to /faq/page/view. Without tag, the action layout handle is cms_page_view; with tag, the action layout handle is faq_page_view.

I can use this method to route the request to a brand new controller, i.e.

<config>
	<global>
		<rewrite>
			<any_name>
				<from><![CDATA[#^/cms/question/#]]></from>
				<to>/faq/question/</to>
				<complete></complete>
			</any_name>
		</rewrite>
	</global>
</config>

Note that cms module does not have question controller, but the above configuration will not cause any error.

The third way can be used to override individual actions.

<config>
	<global>
		<routers>
			<cms>
				<rewrite>
					<page>
						<to>faq/question</to>
						<override_actions>true</override_actions>
						<actions>
							<view_action><to>new_module/new_controller/new_action</view_action>
						</actions>
					</page>
				</rewrite>
			</cms>
		</routers>
	</global>
</config>

This method is documented in class Mage_Core_Controller_Varien_Action.

* This will override:
* 1. cms_module/page_controller/view_action to new_module/new_controller/new_action
* 2. all other actions of cms_module/page_controller to faq_module/question_module

It is very handy to precisely control the request rewrite to action level, but it can not route to a brand new controller. The following code will cause an error.

<config>
	<global>
		<routers>
			<cms>
				<rewrite>
					<question><!-- Error: cms module does not have question controller -->
						<to>faq/question</to>
						<override_actions>true</override_actions>
						<actions>
							<view_action><to>new_module/new_controller/new_action</view_action>
						</actions>
					</question>
				</rewrite>
			</cms>
		</routers>
	</global>
</config>

Bxgy 0.1.0 and Bxgy 0.1.1 packaged a layout file bxgy.xml to a wrong place. Bxgy 0.1.2 is a quick release not on schedule.

Thanks to Carsten for pointing out the error. Sorry to John, Hamichok and Tsk for reporting the bug but I pointed them into wrong direction.

Down BuyXGetY.tar.gz

In the product list on Magento category page, I have a deeply nested blocks for each product in the list. The structure is something like:

<block type="..." name="product_in_category" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_options_selector" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_price_container" template="...">
 <!-- possibly more opening tags of nestings here -->
 <block type="..." name="product_prices" template="..."/>
 <!-- closing tags of nestings -->
 </block>
 </block>
</block>

If I want to add all above blocks to product list, there is a ready solution:

<my_product_list>
 <reference name="product_list">
 <block type="..." name="product_in_category" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_options_selector" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_price_container" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_prices" template="..."/>
 </block>
 </block>
 </block>
 </reference>
</my_product_list>

Once I put them together as a handle, I can easily duplicate them to 3 category layouts.

<catalog_category_default>
 <update handle="my_product_list" />
</catalog_category_default>

<catalog_category_layered>
 <update handle="my_product_list" />
</catalog_category_layered>

<catalog_category_layered_nochildren>
 <update handle="my_product_list" />
</catalog_category_layered_nochildren>

So every time I make changes to product list, I only change the content in <my_product_list> and 3 category layouts get updates automatically.

It saves me a lot of time. However, since product list is also used in search result and advanced search result, product list in the result misses updates because it is named as “search_result_list” instead of “product_list”. The instance reaction is duplicating codes for “search_result_list”, i.e.

<my_product_list_of_result>
 <reference name="search_result_list">
 <block type="..." name="product_in_category" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_options_selector" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_price_container" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_prices" template="..."/>
 </block>
 </block>
 </block>
 </reference>
</my_product_list_of_result>

<catalogsearch_result_index>
 <update handle="my_product_list_of_result" />
</catalogsearch_result_index>

<catalogsearch_advanced_result>
 <update handle="my_product_list_of_result" />
</catalogsearch_advanced_result>

I do not like duplication, because I keep forgetting when and where the duplication is when I want to make changes. So after a think, I come up with an alternative:

<every_product>
 <reference name="product_in_category">
 <block type="..." name="product_options_selector" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_price_container" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_prices" template="..."/>
 </block>
 </block>
 </reference>
</every_product>

<add_every_product_to_category>
 <reference name="product_list">
 <block type="..." name="product_in_category" template="..."/>
 </reference>
</add_every_product_to_category>
<!-- Cannot merge to the above handle! Update handle does not work in the same handle when block is newly appended. -->
<add_every_product_to_category>
 <update handle="every_product" />
</add_every_product_to_category>

<add_every_product_to_result>
 <reference name="search_result_list">
 <block type="..." name="product_in_category" template="..."/>
 </reference>
</add_every_product_to_result>
<!-- Cannot merge to the above handle! Update handle does not work in the same handle when block is newly appended. -->
<add_every_product_to_result>
 <update handle="every_product" />
</add_every_product_to_result>

<catalog_category_default>
 <update handle="add_every_product_to_category" />
</catalog_category_default>

<catalog_category_layered>
 <update handle="add_every_product_to_category" />
</catalog_category_layered>

<catalog_category_layered_nochildren>
 <update handle="add_every_product_to_category" />
</catalog_category_layered_nochildren>

<catalogsearch_result_index>
 <update handle="add_every_product_to_result" />
</catalogsearch_result_index>

<catalogsearch_advanced_result>
 <update handle="add_every_product_to_result" />
</catalogsearch_advanced_result>

You will see the code is messy. That is why I am not satisfied with the alternative, either. I would like the layout xml file recognise something like

<my_product_layout>
 <block type="..." name="product_in_category" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_options_selector" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_price_container" template="...">
 <block type="..." name="product_prices" template="..."/>
 </block>
 </block>
 </block>
</my_product_layout>

<add_layout_to_category>
 <reference name="product_list">
 <layout handle="my_product_layout" />
 </reference>
</add_layout_to_category>

<add_layout_to_result>
 <reference name="search_result_list">
 <layout handle="my_product_layout" />
 </reference>
</add_layout_to_result>

<catalog_category_default>
 <update handle="add_layout_to_category" />
</catalog_category_default>

<catalog_category_layered>
 <update handle="add_layout_to_category" />
</catalog_category_layered>

<catalog_category_layered_nochildren>
 <update handle="add_layout_to_category" />
</catalog_category_layered_nochildren>

<catalogsearch_result_index>
 <update handle="add_layout_to_result" />
</catalogsearch_result_index>

<catalogsearch_advanced_result>
 <update handle="add_layout_to_result" />
</catalogsearch_advanced_result>

Handling the layout of product list is not the worst case. Handling the layout of order, invoice, shipment, credit note is much more time taking, becuase each document is rendered in many media, such as customer screen, admin screen, email, pdf. And if I have custom documents, and custom documents are customised for suppliers, drop shipper, etc, an easy layout update mechanism will be very handy.

In a summary, I am trying to add child blocks by handle. At mement I am intended to believe there is no way to trigger the layout xml into batch adding blocks by handle without overriding Block abstract or Layout model, but there maybe some tricky way out there. If you know it, let me know please.