OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

[Rick Wilson]

We've completed initial testing on our OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter.

There's 4 unique modules in here all for 4.x compiled:

1. MMUI Framework Exporter**
2. OUI Framework Exporter*

Both of these work in the same way, install them, go to Stores - StoreName - Utilities - Export and you'll see a new Export Framework option. Then go to a PR6 or MMUI PR7 and install the Framework.

3. Catalog Exporter
4. Order Exporter

Both of them create XML exports and you use the XML importer in 5.5 to upload the file and it imports.

It's important to note that specifically if you're using OUI, this Framework exporter does NOT attempt to parse the OUI tokens. This tool is not designed to make a one click 4.x OUI export/import into 5.5 that gets you all the way to a live store, but instead the goal is to get you 70 - 90% of the way there and save you time (and therefore money) in completing the final steps.

You'll need to look at your Dev site once you've installed the Framework and go look for all the un-rendered OUI tokens and replace them with something meaningful in the 5.5 universe.

*export-openui-layout5.mvc v4.2408

These are the known issues we're seeing regarding the OpenUI export module:

1) Engine versions before 5.03 will always fail, since they do not implement the "tar_create" function, which is required to generate the framework package file (no workaround other than an engine upgrade).

2) Engine versions before 5.07 will intermittently send corrupted email attachments due to an engine bug, however, the valid package file can still be retrieved from the data directory on the server.

3) Module versions 4.2404 and 4.2405 have a bug related to how "../" relative images are parsed out of some page templates, which causes any of these images to fail to be copied and their references are reduced to <img src="">. These versions also suffer from a susceptibility to crash when parsing certain types of broken HTML for image and CSS tags.

Release Notes for export-openui-layout5.mvc:

Initial version 4.2404

4.2405
- Fixed a bug where image destination path generation was causing some images
to be listed in the control file as /mm5/, or whatever the user defined target
image directory was set to.

4.2406
- Fixed a bug related to how "../" relative images are parsed out of some page
templates, which causes any of these images to fail to be copied and their
references are reduced to <img src="">. These versions also suffer from a
susceptibility to crash when parsing certain types of broken HTML for image and
CSS tags.

4.2407
- Fixed a bug that allowed non-existent CSS files that were referenced in the
"CSS Styles" input field to be included in the control file's image list, thus
causing the framework install to fail.

4.2408
- Corrected false positive in some cases when checking for a file with zero
length

- Removed code that was pulling JavaScript src files, because of tracking code eval errors

- Corrected an issue where images could sometimes be displayed in the list of CSS files

** Update to export-mmui-layout5.mvc

v1.0002
-Fixed bugs BUG#5761 and BUG#5759 where the external file parsing functions
exhibited the same issues as the OpenUI layout export module, in which they
were replacing templates that did not reference any external files with empty
strings

[lesliekirk]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

Having been part of the beta testing on this, these modules work very well!

[Siamese-Dream.Com]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

Thank You, Rick and Leslie:

Having been part of the beta testing on this, these modules work very well!

Yes, but what exactly do they export?

Order Exporter sounds pretty self explanatory, but what does exporting a "framework" mean???

Do you mean that it would create a file / files that could then be used as a "framework" in Merchant 5.5?

Also, I am a little confused by the sentence:

this Framework exporter does NOT attempt to parse the OUI tokens

Do you really mean parse (as opposed to translate or change a token into storemorph code)?

Anyway, any further explanation you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

I think what people would REALLY need is something that exports much of the data from the OUI database tables.

[wcw]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

It does not create a framework file. I am assuming it gets the previously unavailable data in some of the fields like headers and footers. The previous exporter did get the data if it was mmui, but not openui.

If you had a token in the product description, e.g. %product_name%, it does not do anything with that. The token will still be there. So you have to edit your descriptions where you embedded openui tokens inside data fields like descriptions. Otherwise when the product page displays you would see that token %product_name%, not the actual data. The reason is 1) there is no token %product_name% in mm5, 2) you can't parse tokens in the product descriptions in mm5, not even like &mvt:product:name;. You can only use tokens in templates.

[lesliekirk]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

It does not create a framework file. I am assuming it gets the previously unavailable data in some of the fields like headers and footers. The previous exporter did get the data if it was mmui, but not openui.

Actually Bill there are 4 modules in the zip, two of them will export the look & feel into a Framework package. One is for a OUI layout, the other is if you are still using MMUI. But the beta is geared towards gathering as much of the layout and content as possible.

Then you take the exported pkg file, import and install it into a non-CSSUI Wombat store. The key is non-CSSUI - it's meant for MMUI only.

Bill is absolutely correct with his explanation of

this Framework exporter does NOT attempt to parse the OUI tokens

Mark what data are you looking for? I'll peek into my dev site where I beta tested this at and see if it's there.

[lesliekirk]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

It should be noted that the notoriously missing OUI header & footer info IS exported with this Exporter.

[wcw]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

So if you don't want the MMUI wombat you skip the frameworks export, right? Does that mean you manually have to create the CSSUI store and fill in all the stuff like owners, users, etc? Or is that data part of the catalog export?

[lesliekirk]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

If you want to use the Wombat CSSUI, then no you can't use the module that creates the package. I didn't test the modules with the method you are asking about, but I can give it a shot and report back a bit later.

[wcw]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

Somebody should definitely test that. 90% (that's a WAG) of the 4x stores are going to want a 5x CSSUI store. But they probably would be happy if they didn't have to input the user, owner, etc manually. It would be nice to know just what the framework export is supposed to be doing.

[William Davis]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

Could you folks elaborate a little as to the term "Frameworks"?

We have one MM5.5 store, but have never used it. We also have another MM4.24 store, and planning on migrating to MM5.5.

[lesliekirk]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

Somebody should definitely test that. 90% (that's a WAG) of the 4x stores are going to want a 5x CSSUI store. But they probably would be happy if they didn't have to input the user, owner, etc manually. It would be nice to know just what the framework export is supposed to be doing.

The Export Catalog to Miva Merchant 5.x XML File module exports the following:

Store Settings
Groups and Users
Countries
States
Categories
Category Hierarchy
Products
Related Products
Attribute Templates
Upsold Product Settings
Affiliates
Customers
Availability Groups
Price Groups
Module Settings

It is imported via the Import Data from XML File import module. It does not include any of the look and feel.

Again the module has been designed to get the OUI look & feel exported and be able to import it into Wombat. I don't know if there are plans to include a version that would import into CSSUI - I have a feeling there is a lot more work involved to get that functionality due to all the differences between the MMUI layout and the CSSUI layout.

The Framework export did a pretty good job of recreating the OUI look & feel. It brought in all the layout images and even any CSS files being used. It wasn't "perfect" but it would save hours of work getting a MM4 look and feel moved over to Wombat IF you want to go with MMUI.

[wcw]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

Then it seems you could skip the framework export. Take the catalog export and edit the file to remove the store and user settings. Then there are some settings that mention mmui components (e.g. headers and footer). Do a find and change them to cssui components instead of mmui. This is what I did with an experimental upgrade5.mvc created provide.xml a couple months ago. It took me about 30 minutes to edit the file. Then create the CSSUI store manually, adding the store info and one admin user. Then use xml import to pull in the edited export file. Then import the orders with the same xml import.

Except for adding two modules afterwards, the result is at http://www.pinemporium.com/SFNT.html If you ever shopped at Emporium Plus since 2001, you can lookup your order history. The glitch is there are no dates with the orders. If it had not been for that minor bug, I would have converted emporium plus to 5x back in April. Now with Wombat updates I barely have time to eat.

[Rick Wilson]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

@Bill Davis,

A Framework is a term we use in 5.5 that is an installable package of all the template files. This allows you to make 5.5 Look and Feel's Portable.

[Siamese-Dream.Com]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

Hi there, Leslie, Rick, Bill and Bill:

As Bill W. mentioned, a lot of customers would want to import things into a new Wombat / CSSUI store.

Can you export ALL the data from an OUI store and inport it into a 5.5 CSSUI store?

Or would the only way to do that be to export a framework, which then won't work with 5.5 CSSUI?

As for the OUI data, preferably Category Header / Footer content and Product header / Footer content.

Thanks in advance for any clarifications.

[Rick Wilson]

Re: OUI/MMUI Store Framework Exporter Beta

So the only thing that requires MMUI is the Framework Exporter.

The Order History and Catalog Exporter can then import into any MM5 PR7 store, regardless of UI.