Post by bleggee » Fri Feb 26, 2016 6:20 am

Hi All -A bit of an OC newb question here, though we are switching from another ecommerce platform to OpenCart.
Specifically for Opencart 2.0, can anyone explain these:

1) Meaning of Theme vs Templates.
(I was thinking that Themes only change the look & feel of an Opencart 2.0 site, but that Templates provide functionality, to the point where many/most of your store changes are done in the Template's control panel within Opencart. True or ?)

2) Meaning of Modules vs Extensions vs ???

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Post by IP_CAM » Fri Feb 26, 2016 10:29 am

To make it short, just download an OpenCart Version, and look into it.
And, if you know anything about Code, you will find out easy, how complicated this thing works. :crazy:

Sample: You won't find any 'complete' HTML/PHP Page Templates, you will just find Templates,
containing a Part of a Theme, Section, kind of, like header, Footer, and each and everything,
what possibly belongs in between this header and footer.

By example, this would be a HOME (FIRST SITE VIEW) Template:

Code: Select all

<?php echo $header; ?>
<div class="container">
  <div class="row"><?php echo $column_left; ?>
    <?php if ($column_left && $column_right) { ?>
    <?php $class = 'col-sm-6'; ?>
    <?php } elseif ($column_left || $column_right) { ?>
    <?php $class = 'col-sm-9'; ?>
    <?php } else { ?>
    <?php $class = 'col-sm-12'; ?>
    <?php } ?>
    <div id="content" class="<?php echo $class; ?>"><?php echo $content_top; ?><?php echo $content_bottom; ?></div>
    <?php echo $column_right; ?></div>
</div>
<?php echo $footer; ?>
As you see, not much of anything, to really see much out of it! :D
Exept, if one know's, where to find the Stuff, required to make all this work, what belongs too this, in order to finally have a 'ready to send' html - Source.

Details
Theme = a Set of subs/files, used to give a Shop another Face/Look, possibly including some Custom Extensions as well.

Template = THEME Source Files, used to 'Place/combine' all OC 'Code_Stuff' ,used/related to this task, into their places, on the 'to be created' page, and carrying the file Extension xxx.tpl
May commonly be used as well to name/call other files, like the .php files in the other Sections, beeing part of OC.

Extensions = Add-On's, Mod's, Modules, Modifications, anything, adding something, in order to do, add, remove, or just hide/avoid, whatever Job, not included by OC Default.

As I understand it, at least ! ::)

From Beginner To Advanced in OpenCart: Understanding MVC
http://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/from ... -cms-21627
http://menonjats.com/understanding-mvc- ... -opencart/
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1347 ... ncart-guru
http://venkatphp.blogspot.ch/p/open-cart-tutorial.html
http://www.janes.co.za/guide-to-open-cart/
http://code-gossips.blogspot.ch/2013/04 ... cture.html

That should do, I assume, for the coming weeks ! ;D
Good Luck !
Ernie
openshop.li

My Github OC Site: https://github.com/IP-CAM
5'600 + FREE OC Extensions, on the World's largest private Github OC Repository Archive Site.


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Post by Burt65 » Fri Feb 26, 2016 11:30 am

bleggee wrote:Hi All -A bit of an OC newb question here, though we are switching from another ecommerce platform to OpenCart.
Specifically for Opencart 2.0, can anyone explain these:

1) Meaning of Theme vs Templates.
(I was thinking that Themes only change the look & feel of an Opencart 2.0 site, but that Templates provide functionality, to the point where many/most of your store changes are done in the Template's control panel within Opencart. True or ?)

2) Meaning of Modules vs Extensions vs ???
You will appreciate all this a lot more when you start to realise that:

I download a Theme that did contain modules, that required to change the template and it did came as an extension.. :laugh:

It does sound confusing but it is only because there is so much interaction between components. I found always easy to think as Opencart is your new empty home. The extensions are the tools in the toolbox use to change anything structurally to the house, the theme is the stile of the house (paint, colours...)and the template are the furniture that I arrange in each room of the house the way I want. However it gets a bit more complicate because of the interactions...
Those are the plumbing and the electrical ... Just wait that you get to the kitchen and the bathroom ;)

Then you have the two way driveway to your new home (VQMod and OCMod) but I think you get the gist by now...

Over 95% of all computer problems can be traced back to the interface between the keyboard and the chair...


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