PHP 5 E-commerce Development

✍ Scribed by Michael Peacock

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 356
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The book promises the following:

Build a flexible e-commerce framework using PHP, which can be extended and modified for the purposes of any e-commerce site
Enable customer retention and more business by creating rich user experiences
Develop a suitable structure for your framework and create a registry to store core objects
Promote your e-commerce site using techniques with APIs such as Google Products or Amazon web services, SEO, marketing, and customer satisfaction
All of this is true, but...

1.The book does not make use of an existing framework. There are tons of them out there, so why re-invent the wheel to do specific tasks if someone already did that and tested and fine-tuned it.
2.The book does make use of a custom, application-specific framework. However, the design of the framework is not clean enough in my opinion. It is based on MVC, yet it does have some portions of code that are sitting in the wrong place... SQL code in the controllers, no real abstraction of the data layer, ...
3.Inexperienced PHP developers will not learn the best-practices from this book.
Not all is negative of course! The writing style is good and provides an easy read. Next to that, all concepts and pitfalls that go with building an online commerce site are well explained. Still, my advise on this book would not be "buy it".

✦ Table of Contents

Preface......Page 19
An overview of e-commerce......Page 25
Service-based companies......Page 26
Why a framework?......Page 27
A look at e-commerce sites......Page 28
WooThemes......Page 29
Play.com......Page 30
Products......Page 31
Our framework: what is it going to do?......Page 32
Our framework: why is it going to do it?......Page 33
Juniper Theatricals......Page 34
Summary......Page 35
Designing a killer framework......Page 37
Model-View-Controller (MVC)......Page 38
Registry......Page 39
Singleton......Page 40
Structure......Page 41
Building a killer framework......Page 42
Registry......Page 43
Singleton......Page 45
Registry objects......Page 47
An alternative: with a router......Page 72
Processing the incoming URL within our registry object......Page 73
index.php......Page 74
Configuration file......Page 76
An e-commerce registry?......Page 77
Summary......Page 78
What we need......Page 79
Category information......Page 80
Content......Page 81
Versioning......Page 82
Content......Page 83
Content types......Page 85
Content versions......Page 86
Products......Page 87
Model......Page 88
View......Page 91
Controller......Page 92
Model......Page 94
View......Page 98
Controller......Page 99
Categories......Page 101
Model......Page 102
View......Page 105
Controller......Page 107
Routing products and categories......Page 110
Embedding products......Page 111
Summary......Page 112
Giving users choice......Page 113
How will this work?......Page 114
High-level overview......Page 115
Database structure......Page 116
Template switching......Page 118
Templates......Page 121
Giving users control......Page 122
Custom text......Page 123
Maintaining uploads......Page 124
Extending our products table......Page 125
Template switching......Page 126
Stock control......Page 128
Product subtotals......Page 129
Summary......Page 130
Juniper Theatricals......Page 131
Finding products......Page 132
Controlling searches with the products controller......Page 133
Search results......Page 135
Improving searches......Page 136
Filtering products......Page 137
Product attributes......Page 138
Filter options......Page 140
Processing filter requests......Page 143
Displaying filtered products......Page 147
Providing wish lists......Page 148
Creating the structure......Page 149
Wish-list controller......Page 150
Controller changes......Page 153
Purchases......Page 155
Improving the wish list......Page 156
Related products......Page 157
Controlling the related products......Page 159
E-mail recommendations......Page 160
Help! It's out of stock!......Page 161
Out of stock: a new template bit......Page 162
Stock alerts database table......Page 163
More controller changes......Page 164
Product ratings......Page 166
Saving a rating......Page 167
Viewing ratings......Page 169
Product reviews......Page 170
Processing reviews/comments......Page 171
Displaying reviews/comments......Page 172
Any other experience improvements to consider?......Page 173
Summary......Page 174
Shopping baskets......Page 175
Per-page basket......Page 176
Considerations for our shopping basket......Page 177
Basket database......Page 178
Basket contents......Page 179
checkBasket method......Page 180
The controller......Page 182
An addProduct method......Page 183
The controller......Page 186
Adding customizable products......Page 188
Changing the model......Page 189
Adding product variants......Page 190
Model changes......Page 191
Editing quantities......Page 192
Performing the transfer......Page 195
Displaying the basket on every page......Page 196
Functionality......Page 197
Summary......Page 198
Some examples......Page 199
Amazon......Page 200
Limitations......Page 201
Useful features......Page 202
eBay......Page 203
Interesting points of note......Page 204
Play.com......Page 205
Interesting points of note......Page 206
Voucher codes......Page 207
Authentication......Page 208
Delivery address......Page 209
Off-site payment method......Page 210
Payment details......Page 211
Other points of note......Page 212
Summary......Page 213
Shipping methods......Page 215
Shipping costs......Page 217
Weight-based shipping costs......Page 218
To think about: location-based shipping costs......Page 219
Shipping rules......Page 220
Tracking......Page 222
Calculating shipping costs based on products......Page 223
Calculating shipping costs based on product weights......Page 224
Considering shipping rules, and adjusting prices accordingly......Page 225
Tax......Page 227
Separately calculating tax values......Page 228
A look at our basket now......Page 229
Summary......Page 230
Discount codes......Page 231
Discount codes data......Page 232
Discount codes functionality......Page 233
Discount codes......Page 237
Referrals......Page 238
Changes......Page 239
Summary......Page 240
Order process review......Page 241
Authentication......Page 243
Delivery address......Page 245
Payment method......Page 246
Storing orders in the database......Page 248
Orders table......Page 249
Order items......Page 250
Summary......Page 251
Our payment system......Page 253
The payment button......Page 255
Processing payment to update the order......Page 257
Storing card details......Page 260
Not storing card details......Page 261
Payment gateway tips......Page 262
Summary......Page 263
Changing details......Page 265
Changing password......Page 266
Changing default delivery address......Page 267
Listing orders......Page 268
Order model......Page 269
Cancelling an order......Page 271
Order model additions......Page 272
Controller code......Page 273
Expansion......Page 274
Summary......Page 275
Administration......Page 277
Dashboard......Page 278
Creating a product......Page 279
Creating a category......Page 283
Orders and customers......Page 284
Updating an order......Page 285
Refunds......Page 286
Shipping......Page 287
Creating a voucher code......Page 288
Summary......Page 289
Deploying......Page 291
Hosting accounts and domain names......Page 292
Hosting providers......Page 293
Setting up the database......Page 294
Uploading our store......Page 297
Automated deployment......Page 298
Software......Page 299
Passwords......Page 300
Maintenance......Page 301
Using cPanel......Page 302
Using the command line (SSH)......Page 304
Summary......Page 305
Marketing, SEO, and Customer Retention......Page 307
Buying advertising space......Page 308
Pay-per-click advertisements......Page 309
Advertisement networks provided by search engines......Page 310
Newsletter advertising......Page 311
A word of warning: search engine penalization......Page 312
Marketing materials......Page 313
Twitter......Page 314
Headings......Page 315
Meta tags......Page 316
Sitemap and webmaster tools......Page 317
Customer retention......Page 318
Coupons and voucher codes......Page 319
Summary......Page 320
Google products......Page 321
Creating the feed......Page 322
Product feed controller......Page 323
Google Analytics......Page 324
Add transaction......Page 325
Track transaction......Page 326
eBay.com......Page 327
Summary......Page 328
Extending products......Page 329
Access database......Page 330
Providing access......Page 331
Rescinding access......Page 332
What else is needed?......Page 333
Summary......Page 334
Help! I forgot my password!......Page 335
Reset the password......Page 336
E-mailing customers......Page 337
Integrating reCAPTCHA......Page 338
Tweeting about happy customers......Page 339
Other uses......Page 340
Summary......Page 341
Index......Page 343