VirtueMart 2 STABLE launch date?

[PRO]

VM does not do incremental updates, i updated from G to H today and spent 2 hours putting the styles back together, would of been much longer but i had the sense to do as many of the modifications as i could in an alternate style sheet. Your database will remain in tack, but any custom styling you implement will be replaced.

Thats why you dont change the "default" files.

Then you can also uncheck include virtuemart css in the backend. Then include the file you want in your template.

I did a J1.7 to 1.7.1 upgrade on a development site, and it wrote over my beez_20 template that I had modified a lot, and hadnt renamed.

Its just a matter of learning what to do.

[Hammerhead]

VM does not do incremental updates, i updated from G to H today and spent 2 hours putting the styles back together, would of been much longer but i had the sense to do as many of the modifications as i could in an alternate style sheet. Your database will remain in tack, but any custom styling you implement will be replaced.

It was my understanding that the new VM was built  using Acyba's update engine.  Perhaps I was mistaken.

However, I think you focused on only one aspect.  I'm not going to be doing any CUSTOM styles right now.

So, back to the question again

Would there be any downside to installing and configuring H now?  If all I am going to do is use default styles, configure payment gateways and populate with various manufacturers, categories and items (which are stored in the DB) would upgrading to the official release 'break' any of that?

[CranialBlaze]

VM does not do incremental updates, i updated from G to H today and spent 2 hours putting the styles back together, would of been much longer but i had the sense to do as many of the modifications as i could in an alternate style sheet. Your database will remain in tack, but any custom styling you implement will be replaced.

Thats why you dont change the "default" files.

Then you can also uncheck include virtuemart css in the backend. Then include the file you want in your template.

I did a J1.7 to 1.7.1 upgrade on a development site, and it wrote over my beez_20 template that I had modified a lot, and hadnt renamed.

Its just a matter of learning what to do.

Currently VM only works with the default template, i also never ever ever use the default Joomla Templates, that's just wrong.
I used my CSS for the styles i needed to change, a lot of VM's stuff is fine where it is so its more work to not use their file especially seeing as that option was not their for G

[jjk]

If you install VM2 RC 1.9.8.H locally on your PC and then connect it to the SVN, you can update it any time you want with the latest fixes or new features.
I have a VM2 shop with 500+ products almost ready to go live. (just didn't enter prices and individual product specifications yet, but that's something I have to do, not the VM2 developers). All basic features are working and I can work around a few minor issues.

In other words, If I had my shop content complete, I could go live immediately. At present I don't do this, because I hate going live with "sorry, but most provided information about my products are still incomplete".

[CranialBlaze]

VM does not do incremental updates, i updated from G to H today and spent 2 hours putting the styles back together, would of been much longer but i had the sense to do as many of the modifications as i could in an alternate style sheet. Your database will remain in tack, but any custom styling you implement will be replaced.

It was my understanding that the new VM was built  using Acyba's update engine.  Perhaps I was mistaken.

However, I think you focused on only one aspect.  I'm not going to be doing any CUSTOM styles right now.

So, back to the question again

Would there be any downside to installing and configuring H now?  If all I am going to do is use default styles, configure payment gateways and populate with various manufacturers, categories and items (which are stored in the DB) would upgrading to the official release 'break' any of that?

Akeeba is a backup application, not an update application and their were bugs with VM when using it, nothing more. It has its own updater for itself as well as joomla and a snapshot backup similar to windows system restore but it does not do the updates, even if it did, VM releases a complete build not just the patched files, that they may start doing after its official, but even then any file updated will still be replaced.

Version H is still not truly ready for commercial use, the shipping for 1 still needs to be sorted out, so if you selling physical products you may have some trouble their, their are still bugs in the Products Module.

It depends more on your specific needs, the only way to truly answer that question is for you to download an install a copy onto a test site and confirm that it does everything you need, as i said the database remains in tact so if you do not change a single file and can work around the remaining bugs then you will be fine, provided they do not make any changes in the table.

[Hammerhead]

@CranialBlaze, Thanks for that clarification.  It helps.

@JJK, thanks... never used SVN, and not sure if I'm confident doing so at this point.  Seems an additional learning curve and time to get up to speed.  I'm not a 'developer' by rights, so much as a sole entrepreneur who's looking to Joomla and VM as a solution.  So back to the question... would it be safe (assuming no changes to default styles) to begin installation and configuration?  Or, is the official release close enough (under 2 weeks) that it would be better to wait?

[PRO]

you should start now, learn it etc.

Its not going to mess up your products when you update. Just keep backups

[jjk]

@CranialBlaze
VM2 has a built in 'Akeeba release managment system' (Live Update). 'Akeeba Backup' is a completely different piece of software.

[CranialBlaze]

@CranialBlaze
VM2 has a built in 'Akeeba release managment system' (Live Update). 'Akeeba Backup' is a completely different piece of software.

Ok kool, still overwrote my template file.

[jjk]

Ok kool, still overwrote my template file.

If you customized the original template, that's your fault. Make a copy of the orginal, rename it, then customize the renamed copy to what you need and use that one instead of the original.  - This way updates will never overwrite your customizations. 
...also you might keep a backup copy of your configuration file.

[CranialBlaze]

Ok kool, still overwrote my template file.

If you customized the original template, that's your fault. Make a copy of the orginal, rename it, then customize the renamed copy to what you need and use that one instead of the original.  - This way updates will never overwrite your customizations. 
...also you might keep a backup copy of your configuration file.

Of course I did, point still remains, that's y it took 2 hours and not 2 days like it did first time round.

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[Milbo]

CranialBlaze sorry to say that, but RTFM.

Read the ***obscenity removed*** manual of joomla and learn template overrides, read here http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=90935.0 and there are other links, like pointing to http://dev.virtuemart.net/projects/virtuemart/wiki/Hints_for_the_use_of_the_template_system

I would start with vm2 to learn it now and to bring my shop online next 2-3 weeks.

The installer is also an updater. That means all old files get overwritten and the database get adjusted and that is incremental. You can update a rc2 b version with the H installer and you have the latest version.

[CranialBlaze]

CranialBlaze sorry to say that, but RTFM.

Read the ***obscenity removed*** manual of joomla and learn template overrides, read here http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=90935.0 and there are other links, like pointing to http://dev.virtuemart.net/projects/virtuemart/wiki/Hints_for_the_use_of_the_template_system

I would start with vm2 to learn it now and to bring my shop online next 2-3 weeks.

The installer is also an updater. That means all old files get overwritten and the database get adjusted and that is incremental. You can update a rc2 b version with the H installer and you have the latest version.

No a word meaning manure scherlock, I was expecting it to overite my files, pretty much why I made backups and did all my styling outside of the vm stylesheet.

The overwriting of template file started a few posts back explaining it to someone else and now u want to jump in on the arse end of a topic and give ur meaningless 2 cents worth.

Its an effing beta, id be more worried if it not overwrite my files. Hell if it was not for the beta id simply just of replaced the new template files with my edited ones, or better yet, renamed my styled one so that I don't have to worry, but as its its a beta little things like that don't work just yet, or at least it did not in revision G. Even then id ovewrite my files as its not final yet and just by the notes you can see thiers plenty left to still fix/add in

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[jjk]

The overwriting of template file...

Just curious - which template file exactly are you talking about ? (I've updated my VM2 shop many times since the first beta was released and my templates don't get overwritten)

[CranialBlaze]

The overwriting of template file...

Just curious - which template file exactly are you talking about ? (I've updated my VM2 shop many times since the first beta was released and my templates don't get overwritten)

Default.php for the category and details page as well as the virtuemart-ltr.css (could b a lil off on that filename).  But I have also completely changed it, as far as moving elements and renaming and adding div's as well as adding classes in to some of the h and p tags, have a very specific design layout that required such serious changes.

As I had an external style sheet most of it was as I left it, just had to go back and reorganize and not break anything after the changes.

Was not planning on making such drastic changes when I started so I had not marked off all my changes.

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