Strong Suggestion for OpenCart Forum Community

Hello all

Firstly, please excuse me if my suggestion is not welcome, but it is based on browsing the forum, and building a few carts using OC and searching for and applying many mods/patches over the last few months.

I can see that its a bit of a mess here in these forums, and I have a suggestion on how it could run better. I know a forum is not the best way of managing a project, but we can use it to its best potential by following the below in my humble opinion.

Daniel
-Create a new forum category called something like "Opencart Community Development"
-Create 3 forums in this called "Cosmetic Enhancement Submissions", "Code Enhancement Submissions", "Bugfix submissions"
-Make this whole forum category (including the 3 forums contained) MODERATED and all new posts or replies to posts are "Approved by moderators" only. Meaning users cannot create new threads or submit replies (without approval) as they do now for all the forums.
-Display sticky thread at top of each forum letting users know format & details the user must submit for each post (eg. prefix title thread with [Pending], until daniel can change it to [Complete] for his tracking etc)
-Daniel would be third and final point of bug testing for each individual submission, which should mean by this stage its bug-free

Forum Moderators
-In your spare time, approve these posts if they are in your opinion "development implementation ready", which means, Daniel can swoop by the thread, and patch his latest beta dev build of opencart with these user submitted TESTED enhancements or TESTED bugfixes.
-Forum moderators should somehow test the submissions before approving.
-Forum moderators would be second point of bug testing for each individual submission

Users
-Submit your fully tested code enhancements, cosmetic enhancements, or bugfixes, and they should be included in future releases!
-By the stage of posting it here, all bugs should be ironed out, and you should not be taking time from the moderators in testing and finding many bugs, if one slim bug slips thru, they it should be picked up as it goes up the line, as all users have different OS, setups etc, so if you share your code in the general forums first and you dont get complains, go ahead and submit it in this forum, so Daniel can include your help in the next version! This way Daniel is the master programmer, and makes all decisions, but of course he is only one person, so lets make his life easier so he doesnt have to re-invent the wheel if you hav already solved something that someone else down the track might run across but was solved 5 versions back and not included in the most recent version!
-We all can help the progress of OpenCart, and not just sit back and complain about everything.
-User would be first point of bug testing for each individual submission, or if the code was shared in other forums first, it would even be beyond first stage of bug testing.

I can see many user submitted things that should be included in the main distro of OC, which of course is in descretion of Daniel, but at least this way, he can make a decision. Now, his decision is based on forum topics scattered throughout the board, and then the contributions pages all over the place for old versions etc.

Code enhancement example - http://www.opencart.com/index.php?route ... ion_id=384 & http://forum.opencart.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8568
Cosmetic example - http://www.opencart.com/index.php?route ... ion_id=362 & http://www.opencart.com/index.php?route ... ion_id=312 would be nice in standard release
Bugfix example - http://forum.opencart.com/viewtopic.php ... 087#p59417

I leave the rest to you. Any how, I think OC is an amazing product and has so much potential, but I also think if we keep contributing as we have been so far, in a more organised way, the admin/mods will be able to serve us, the users, much better - thus benefiting the project, and everyone involved!

Adam

20 reads, and not one point of view eh?

I will give you a point of view.

You are pissing into the wind.

Nothing personal, but similar suggestions have been made by many, virtually all of whom have more than a couple of posts.

Again, nothing personal, there are probably many who agree, or at least partially agree, but realize that nothing is going to change, so no need to get involved.

Sorry, that's how things are here.

Nice to feel welcome here with that comment "no need to get involved", when Daniel is saying he needs help and it is obvious here that the project needs more structure to achieve its fullest potential.

Sorry, that was not directed at you. It was an explanation of why you got no response.

So many have posted comments such as yours and nothing has come of them.

You were wondering why you received no response and I was simply saying to many it's "been there, done that."

Personally, I'm glad you have said what you've said. I've not been active long here myself, but I've seen quite a few come and go, simply because they are ignored or argued with. I think there should be a true roundtable discussion, but without the participation of the main man, nothing will come of any of it.

I understand you PeteVA, no problem. You are right, nothing will come of it unless Daniel decides to do something about it. My forum model as described above is not perfect, but it is a big improvement of what it currently is now.

Come on people, look for the future of OC, and lets decide on where we can all take it. From then, Daniel, please action something you believe, and importantly, what the community believes will keep OpenCart strong and pleasurable to contribute to.

Sadly, looks like you are right PeteVA

Well, I'm tempted to react, but then again I probably will be attackt for it by others.

Well, you aint living if you don't try to live dangerously

Like PeterVA says, many of your suggegstions have been made and left unaswered and not much has changed (yet).
If it ever will, the future will tell and only Daniel will know.

If you think that this community is lost without these changes? I don't think so.
It is more that those who think that they cannot live without these changes that moved on and maybe some of them leaving is a loss for this community.

Changes will effect some, but most will never notice any change, not even the smallest of changes.
Personaly I think that in the next couple of weeks to 2 months things will change.
They have to, for the obvious reasons.

Have a look at other projects, I know a few where most users are frustrated about how the project is run (PrestaShop, osCommerce), because the project does not do what they want it to do.
Some others get no comments because they are managed differendly.

Does that mean we should al leave? Why? You do not always get what you want!
I'm here for because I like OpenCart and so are some, if not all, others.
Most of you need it because you make money out of it, in one way or another.

Yes, we get frustrated if things don't go as we planned or not quick enough.
But lets not forget that most of you will leave withing 2 months if you get what you want out of this community (a new shop, a better shop or whatever else you need).
A few will stick arround longer because the "are" OpenCart, like Q, maybe even me.

So you have to take this project the way it is, wether you like it or not

I guess tl;dr is the first point
But after skimming, its just more of the same that everyone has been saying. The process needs work, we all know it. But you could talk to a immovable object all day and get nowhere or learn other ways to make it work with your own internal modding until things start happening.

Yes, I'm afraid so.

Had one of the more active members here complaining about me talking, but not acting. So, I installed v1.4.4 and have not been able to do a thing with it. Might say dead in the water, waiting for import/export to work. Can't understand why it is not integrated into the cart, but remains a mod / whatever.

Qphoria wrote:I guess tl;dr is the first point
But after skimming, its just more of the same that everyone has been saying. The process needs work, we all know it. But you could talk to a immovable object all day and get nowhere or learn other ways to make it work with your own internal modding until things start happening.

The problem is there are many who would love to use it who are not coders. And cannot afford to pay for hours or days of getting what they want.

I don't see it as a lot of people asking for special things, just working functions that are already there. And, from seeing what the people who do understand the scripting itself, a standard way of handling things.

I have had three clients in the last few days simply say they were going with something else, not because they wanted to, but because they need to get selling something and can't with OC in it's present form.

Personally, I've got 1,800 items to enter and I've got people screaming to buy them before the site is even built. While it seems a current import / export is on the way, I can't wait even a day any longer, I have no choice but do something else.

It's still the "It's my ball and if it's not my way, I'm going to take my ball and go home."

Such a pity.

because it is more to support. and Excel is not opensource.

I have been working on a more generic CSV import/export that will dynamically grab the product tables from the db to generate the file, making it much easier to maintain. That would be more like what would end up going into the core. But no promises. It would work something like the EasyPopulate mod for zencart.. which is also not part of the core and just a mod.

Personally I think there are too many "mods" already part of the core than should be. I'd rather more focus be put on the core needs than something that is a mod. Import/Export isn't "necessary".. it just makes it a little easier.

Plus nobody said you had to use 1.4.x. Use a version that supports Import Export. THere is nothing "needed" in 1.4.0 or 1.4.4 that 1.3.4 doesn't offer

Actually, I use CSVEd. Been using it for years.

Couple of reason why 1.4.4 - Main one being I do want multi-shop. I actually am waiting with bated breath for the affiliate setup for mulit-shop.

Rather than go with 1.3.4 and have to upgrade both the cart and the DB, I'd rather do it once.

I've bought an importer for CubeCart, will get that going by tomorrow. $11 will do the trick,

BTW, both the paid CubeCart, Presta and most other paid carts do include import as part of the basic package.

You are right, no one needs it, as long as they have weeks to enter items one at a time. Particularly without a "copy" or "clone this item" so you can make other items and just make a color or such change, instead of having to enter every item from scratch.

peteVA wrote:Yes, I'm afraid so.

Had one of the more active members here complaining about me talking, but not acting. So, I installed v1.4.4 and have not been able to do a thing with it. Might say dead in the water, waiting for import/export to work. Can't understand why it is not integrated into the cart, but remains a mod / whatever.

And why is it not working for you if it does work for many others?

This is not the "build for PeterVA only" cart?

If another cart does for you what OpenCart does not I suggest you go and take your constant complaints there or start doing something about it. And witht hat I do not mean even more complaing as you've already done.
Moaning and complaining about almost anything is NOT going to help anyone and will not change anything.
If I where the developer of a product you constantly complain about I would start to completly ignore you even if you would come up with something usefull just because I would be sick of it.

The import/export of PrestaShop sucks, EasyPopulate of osCommerce sucks and if you find that the paid carts does have a working import/export then use that, or pay someone to build an import/export module for Opencart and share it with us, instead of sharing you moaning all te time.
Now that WOULD make a difference.

All I was hoping to do, was to improve the forum community to in turn improve support for Daniel and OpenCart. At the moment, people are supporting, but i thought it could be a little more organised, and for features Daniel wants to turn into a core feature, its all ready for him to implement.

Particularly without a "copy" or "clone this item" so you can make other items and just make a color or such change, instead of having to enter every item from scratch.

Here's a solution that's been around for a while(attached). I just updated instructions for 1.4.4. but all versions are relatively similar. I've done a few admin enhancements, but I've just got to get round to packaging them.

A most excellent function and much needed and appreciated.