View Overrides

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8 years 7 months ago #252734

-- url of the page with the problem -- : elevateyoursole.co.uk
-- HikaShop version -- : 2.6.0
-- Joomla version -- : 3.6.3

Hello,

I have a Templaza template that has supposedly been updated to be compatible with Hikashop 2.6.4. I've downloaded it today and all the view override files are all based on the version 2.5.0. Can you please confirm that I'm correct in thinking that I will not be able to make use of all the features of 2.6.4 without them updating the views override files?

Thanks,
Hal

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8 years 7 months ago #252774

Hi,

I can confirm you that.
For example the microdata on the product page required modifications in the view files of the product view. If you're using 2.5.0 overrides, then you won't get the microdata tags.
You could try using the instead the deprecated microdata plugin, but it would be better to update the view files.
And that's just an example.

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8 years 7 months ago #253002

Hello,

Thanks for your reply. I choose that template as it was recommended on your website. I wanted an easy time, it was supposedly compatible with Hikashop and Joomla . I didn't know that I wouldn't be able to update for months on end!

Recommended developers should surely already know that the view overrides need updating? I obviously don't know anything about the relationship that you have with the developer/s. In this instance I would ask you to please work with the developer to make sure that it's updated correctly, to make use of all new features of Hikashop.

Many thanks,
Hal

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8 years 7 months ago #253026

Hi,

We don't have oversight on what each template developer does with their templates and how they handle the support of their templates on their end. We just list all the templates that have customizations for HikaShop.
On each release, we publish the list of features/improvments/fixes and the list of files that have been modified on our change log. So anyone can know about that, partners or not.
We don't know what each template overrides and how they do it. If done carefully, it should be possible to reduce the potential issues to the bare minimum but I also understand that they can't keep updating and checking their view overrides every 2/3 months when we do a release. If they had to do that for all the extensions their templates are integrated with, they wouldn't be able to move forward.
So if the template has view overrides that are out of date for a problem you found, it's better to contact the support of that template provider and see with them if they can do something about that problem.
You said that Templaza updated their template recently so it seems that they are willing to update it when necessary.

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8 years 7 months ago #253097

The fact is, that you are recommending a template on your website that isn't compatible with the current Hikashop release. It's compatible and has the same 'Feature list' as 2.5.0.

It's not about discovering problems with the views/overrides and correcting them as and when. You have specifically said in your post above that it's imperative that the views are updated to take advantage of new features. i.e. microdata on the product page required modifications in the view files of the product view..

There must be a good solution for both you and the template provider to ensure that the updates are compatible. Would you be able to send them a list of changes that need to be made to the view files (if any) from one release to another?

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8 years 7 months ago #253100

Hi,

As I said, we publish for each release the list of files that are modified, including the list of all the views that have been modified.
So if you're a template developer, you can check that list against the view files overrides that you have on your template and compare the files of the new version with the one on your end with something like winmerge and see if it is necessary to update the view override.
I can't see what more we could do on our end.

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8 years 7 months ago #253154

I'm not qualified to tell you the best way to fix this problem, but I can identify it as a serious problem.

If I have an issue with Hikashop in the future and you or one of your colleagues provide the solution to delete the override, I will have to accept that it can't easily be fixed. I will then have to engage with a developer, just to make sure that I can continue using my website. Extra time and extra money, that's ludicrous..

In the short term, you could let me know which features I'm missing out on by not having the views updated (from 2.5.0 to 2.6.4). I'd also be very grateful if you could let me know which files need updating to take advantage of these features.

I need a progressive website that's simple to use, this seems to get more complicated every time I log in! Also, can you please tell me this. If the template developer has said that it's "Update Hikashop v2.6.4", what can that possibly mean? If the view/overrides aren't updated, what has been updated?

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8 years 7 months ago #253162

Hi,

I will have to accept that it can't easily be fixed

No, you just have to ask the support of the template to fix that. When you report us a problem in HikaShop caused by something used in HikaShop that has changed in Joomla, we update HikaShop to make sure it works fine. That's the same here. It's up to the template provider to update its template and provide a new version for you to get the problem fixed. So for you, it should be "easy" as you just need to notify them about the problem so that they can add the necessary patch.

Regarding the features you're missing, it's not much as we try as much as possible to reduce the possibility of a conflict with customizations so that people can update with as less trouble as possible.
Looking at the changelog you might be missing:
- We replaced the effects (fade, slider, etc) on category listings from javascript to css3 code
But it should still work even with the overrides so you wouldn't see the change.
- We added new restrictions to display item, order and product custom fields so that you have a better control on where the fields are displayed on your website.
- The microdata attributes and tags are now directly in the views of the product page so that it is less resources hungry and will work with any template in the future while the previous method, through a system plugin could only work if the views were not too much modified by the Joomla template.
- We added a new quantity input dropdown type to let the customer select the quantity based on the min quantities of the prices of the product.
- The current category image on the products and categories listing now has a title and an alt tag for better SEO.
- We now resize all the divs in a categories or products listing to the same height for a more homogeneous interface
Remember also that the 2.5.0 is one year and a half old and that the only feature which might break something in a vies upon update og HikaShop since then is the microdata feature that we had to do to make it easier for template providers to freely override the product page layout without breaking the microdata.

I can't answer to the question on what the template developer means when is said that as I don't know. I can only try to guess. Maybe they've updated the CSS specific to HikaShop ? The views should also be updated.
Also, if nothing was customized in the view files, they shouldn't include the overrides. That way, it would reduce the amount of potential problems.
And finally, instead of overriding the view file with a full copy of the view, they should instead try as much as possible to use CSS and use the default views with str_replace on the generated code from the original view files. That way, they would avoid potential breaks and allow for future features to be usable without much issues.
But again, that's up to the developers of the template to do that.

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8 years 7 months ago #253230

Thank you for your detailed response, it's much appreciated.

I think that you must understand that for the end user (me), it's going to be extremely difficult to recognise a missing feature and how this might be fixed. Problems are generally easier to identify, explain and get fixed.

From those new features listed, the one that I would be particularly grateful of is Microdata, as it should allow me to set up dynamic remarketing.

I'm glad that you agree that the views should definitely be updated. I don't seem to be getting this message across. I will continue to try and I'll include this string of messages with your recommendations. If I'm unsuccessful, I'd appreciate if you'd consider only including templates in your 'Templates for Hikashop' section that are actually compatible with the latest version of Hikashop. It could save people an awful lot of time and money.

Thanks,
Hal

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8 years 6 months ago #255005

Hello,

I hope that you've had a good week.

Have you had time to think about this?

It's going to be very confusing to new users if they download hikashop and a recommended template and then aren't able to make use of all the features.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks,
Hal

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8 years 6 months ago #255017

Hi,

I don't understand what you mean. Reading your previous message, I had understood that microdata was the feature you were missing and you understood that it was due to the template provider not updating yet their view overrides for the product page in their template, and that you would talk with them so that they would update them. So I don't see why you mean by "Have you had time to think about this?".
How did it go ? Did they provided you with a fix ?

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