Improving Virtuemart extensibility

[Erik P]

At the moment, extending virtuemart, beyond just customizing the templates, very often requires hacking the core files. I don't like that, because it makes upgrading difficult.

For example, if I create an invoice in pdf when the order status goes to shipped, and add it to the status notification email for the customer, I need to hack the core files seriously. There's no way around it.

Or another example, if I want to search by anything else that is not supported in html/shop_browse_queries.php, I need to hack that file, in order to add the additional $where[] clauses.

I would really appreciate a extension system of components (back end additional menu items) and plugins, which handle interceptions in the code, where people are well known to add things by themselves; such as in shop_browse_queries and other places.

In an ideal world, there would also be an installer for these components and plugins.

Such strategy would also allow to turn a lot of functionality that is now present in the core files, into components and plugins, and therefore drastically reduce the size of the core, and make it therefore easier to understand.

I am quite confident that it would also trigger an avalanche of new extensions, that extend virtuemart in one interesting way or another, just like the extension system in Joomla itself has encouraged the production of thousands of additional extensions, many of which are mediocre, but some of which are brilliant.

It would also reduce the pressure on the virtuemart core dev team, because outside developers would more easily be able to contribute their extensions, so that the virtuemart core dev team can focus on the core of VM, without having to add functionality all the time.

Of couse, the extension system that handles shipping and payment methods, already does that for shipping and payment methods.

But I think, more extensibility would make other types of addons possible, some of which are now figuring high up the list of users' feature requests, but that require hacking the core files, and therefore, will create upgrade issues.

[aravot]

Version 1.2 of VirtueMart which is in development has extension management if I am not mistaken only for payment and shipping plug-ins, version 2.0 of VirtueMart will have full extension management however due to lack of coders we are at total halt, if you are a coder and can help by committing few hours a week/month let me know.

[Erik P]

Version 1.2 of VirtueMart which is in development has extension management if I am not mistaken only for payment and shipping plug-ins, version 2.0 of VirtueMart will have full extension management however due to lack of coders we are at total halt, if you are a coder and can help by committing few hours a week/month let me know.

Gosh. This is a chicken and the egg problem.

Without an expanded extension system, it is difficult to attract massive outside development, and without new outside developers, it is difficult to expand the extension system :-)

Ok. I'll try to commit a few hours a week.

[aravot]

Glad you decided to join and help improve VirtueMart please take few minutes to read and complete development registration once done contact me with your user name.