Strap Template for Interchange

This is a modern HTML demo for Interchange, built on the Bootstrap Framework, version 3.x.

It uses the Bootstrap CSS and JS files from the Bootstrap CDN.

Alternatively, you can download a customized Bootstrap, upload it to your Document Root, and then alter the templates to use it.

jQuery is also included. Both Bootstrap and jQuery as-used support Internet Explorer 8 and above.

The Bootstrap and jQuery files are loaded from variables/CSS and variables/JS, if you wish to update the versions used.

This program is offered without warranty of any kind. See file LICENSE for redistribution terms.

Requirements

Works best with Interchange version 5.8.1 or higher.

Usage

Clone the repository (or download the ZIP file and extract, then rename "strap-master" to "strap") to your Interchange directory (e.g. /usr/local/interchange). From there, run:

bin/makecat --demotype=strap [your-catalog-name]

Note: if you previously installed the "standard" template, you should first run this command:

rm [/path/to/interchange]/code/template_tag/standard/pay_cert*

Notes

• If you want stock alerting, you need to add a cronjob for the user of your catalog, to run the 'daily' Interchange job. Something like:

  0 1 * * * /path/to/your/interchange/bin/interchange --runjobs=your_catalog_name=daily --quiet

• There may be problems with UTF-8 and recent Perls. You can disable UTF-8 by commenting 2 lines in catalog.cfg, under "Encoding". For instance, this is a known issue with UTF-8 enabled: interchange/interchange#84 If disabling, set an environment variable of MINIVEND_DISABLE_UTF8 to 1

Some of the changes include

• Product Groups and Categories use the "ncheck" subroutine in catalog.cfg to allow pretty, SEO-friendly URLs, such as /Tools/Hand-Saws

• SEO-friendly "more" paging: no more unindexable "more" pages, nor need to use PermanentMore. Now, "more" pages are: /2, /3, /Next, /Previous. Also provides canonical and "rel=prev/next" meta tags.

• All links no longer include '.html'. Configured in catalog.cfg in ScratchDefault mv_add_dot_html.

• New link for all products: /All-Products

• Searches are now sent as GET requests, not POSTs. Also now uses SearchProfile for very short URLs -- search query is sent in the "s" parameter, for easy tracking via Google Analytics.

• Use of UserDB's indirect_login by default, to allow emails as usernames (uses a new 'usernick' column).

• Password Reset page no longer emails password (bad practice). Now sends a basic encoded link to reset the password, which expires in 1 day. Requires installation of Bundle::Interchange CPAN module.

• Checkout pages have a ton of clean up, and improved with user-experience guidelines for Checkout from Baymard Institute.

• Multi-page checkout is the default. No more ord/multi.html. The Shipping Address page (ord/shipping.html) now has a login prompt at the top.

• One-page checkout is still included and accessible from the top menu. However, it is only recommended if you have a shipping setup that does not depend on a geographical location; if your shipping changes based on country/state/ZIP, etc, it will not refresh the page to obtain the correct rates. Javascript-based page refreshing is not reliable with modern browers and their auto-fill functions.

• Gift certificates (pay certs) supported out-of-the-box. Several code improvements, including ability to validate certificate's check-code and expiration, and ability to pay for entire order or part of order with a gift cert.

• Stock Alert function updated to use a database table and Job to email when item is back in stock.

• Address Book (member/ship_addresses.html, etc) and Saved Carts have been removed. We found these features were too complex and little-used in their current state.

• Admin order_view page updated to show gift_note, tracking_number, and pay_cert totals.

• Admin "Content" tab is hidden, since old Content Editor is not supported anymore.

• Basic page editor for Admin users is available to pages that include: [tmpn editable]1[/tmpn]. Login to Admin, then browse page. "Edit page data" button will be visible in lower-right corner.

• Page to reconfigure catalog: pages/test/recon.html

• Page to show shipping information: pages/test/ship.html

• Error Log now lives in logs/ directory, instead of catalog root.

• Consolidated LEFTRIGHT, LEFTONLY, NOLEFT_TOP & NOLEFT_BOTTOM variables into variables/TOP & variables/BOTTOM. Other areas, such as "CSS", are also now in variables/. Changes in templates can still be hard coded in BOTTOM, but the long-present but seldom-used display_class in individual page headers is used more often.

• Templates leftright, leftonly, noleft, formerly located in include/layout have been moved to more appropriately named templates/. This to consolidate directory structure and make location of templates more intuitive. Can be easily changed to be more backward compatible if desired by simply editing variables/BOTTOM

• No longer using THEME_CSS.

• The page title and page banner can be set anywhere before the page footer.

• Profiles moved from etc/ to include/profiles/

• All shipping files/databases moved to products/ship.

• No more etc/after.cfg -- all configuration in catalog.cfg.