X-Cart forums

[carpeperdiem]

There's more... you should be ashamed for selling this for $79 without proper documentation or a working installer!

The docs say there are 5 templates to patch for 4.5.4 - 4 are in "your skin", and one is in -- hold on there...

./customer/bread_crumbs.tpl.patch
./customer/home.tpl.patch
./customer/main/product.tpl.patch
./customer/main/product_details.tpl.patch
./modules/Customer_Reviews/vote_bar.tpl.patch

Hold on a moment -- what about ADVANCED Customer Reviews? Please dont' tell me that ACR uses the vote_bar.tpl from a module that is disabled? Seriously? No, it doesn't.

Um, did I get the most recent distribution in my file area?
Are the docs here:
http://help.x-cart.com/index.php?title=X-Cart:Rich_Google_Search_Results

But the docs want me to patch ./modules/Customer_Reviews/vote_bar.tpl
-- why not
/common_files/modules/Advanced_Customer_Reviews/vote_bar.tpl
???

Sheesh.
This is NOT a complicated install -- it's only 5 templates and 1 php file. Why do you have to patch every possible skin file and files not-used?

SHOULDN'T the install for this product be simplified to reflect how simple it really is?

1. copy files: /modules/Rich_Google_Search_Results
2. patch php file: product.php
3. patch tpl files: ./customer/bread_crumbs.tpl.patch
./customer/home.tpl.patch
./customer/main/product.tpl.patch
./customer/main/product_details.tpl.patch
./modules/Customer_Reviews/vote_bar.tpl.patch
4. Run sql

F**k the installer!!! Why can't you guys make an installer for this that's on the scale of an Altered Cart or WebsiteCM or BCSE or any other professional software --

File name: xyz
FIND: <old code>
after, INSERT <new code>

This is really not very complicated.
I think you guys have made a mess of this installer and overly complicated things.

I am 50/50 on the fence of requesting a refund simply because the installer sucks.

[carpeperdiem]

There's more...

from the module config settings:

Use Star rating instead of Socialize Like button rating.
Important: Customer Reviews module must be enabled

If using Advanced Customer Reviews, "Customer Reviews" must be disabled. What should this setting be? This module appears to know that Advanced Customer Reviews exists:

from the docs:

However, the star ratings feature can be implemented in X-Cart versions 4.2.3 and earlier by installing the add-on module Advanced Customer Reviews. With the star ratings feature enabled by Advanced Customer Reviews, the 'rich' format search results will include star ratings even on versions 4.1.12 and 4.2.3.

But that is the ONLY mention of ACR anywhere in the docs or the module or the files.

[carpeperdiem]

WHAT IF...
we don't want to display sku, weight, etc on product_details.tpl?

IN my product_details.tpl, I have this code block commented out because I don't want ANY of it to display...

{* comment out DEFAULT display of SKU and weight and extra fields *}
{*    <tr>
      <td class="property-name property-name2">{$lng.lbl_sku}</td>
      <td class="property-value" id="product_code" colspan="2">{$product.productcode|escape}</td>
    </tr>

    {if $product.weight ne "0.00" or $variants ne ''}
      <tr id="product_weight_box"{if $product.weight eq '0.00'} style="display: none;"{/if}>
        <td class="property-name property-name2">{$lng.lbl_weight}</td>
        <td class="property-value" colspan="2">
          <span id="product_weight">{$product.weight|formatprice}</span> {$config.General.weight_symbol}
        </td>
      </tr>
    {/if}

    {if $active_modules.Extra_Fields && $extra_fields ne ""}
      {include file="modules/Extra_Fields/product.tpl"}
    {/if}

    {if $active_modules.Feature_Comparison}
      {include file="modules/Feature_Comparison/product.tpl"}
    {/if}

*}

SO if my page doesn't display these properties, I have to use an alternate method to get these fields onto the page without pissing off Google. What's the best way to do this? Can we use hidden divs? Will google see this? White text? I thought that was a no-no. What's the "good" way to allow google to pick these fields up without displaying them on my page?

[carpeperdiem]

Please allow me to explain why I rant...

I am a manufacturer and merchant. My success depends on customer satisfaction and 85% repeat business. Making things is hard. Selling things is even harder. Making things that work as represented, and are easy to use requires experience in the business, and a constant fear that if you don't make the best product, your customer will buy someone else's.

My products are made in factories that require 6-12 weeks lead time. Once we approve a production master, that's it for 5000+ units per sku. If we don't get it right before it is manufactured, we don't have a 2nd chance without great expense. SO we test and test and proofread and get focus group feedback before we green light the plant. This is very common for physical goods, and for anything that is manufactured.

The problem with some software -- and it's way too common around x-cart, a "release" means it's going to be tested by by the customer.

Dammit, Jim...

This product was released 4 months ago. You would think this would all be resolved by now?

</rant>

[carpeperdiem]

SO... a few hours later, calm, but a bit hungry...

I edited the templates and the one php file based on the .patch files
Enabled the module
Cleanup.php
Cleared browser cache

OK -- let's see what this does...

1. It makes a total mess of the detailed product page.
2. It repeats the product description twice -- that is, whatever content is in the "Detailed description:" is placed on the page twice if the module is enabled. If the moduleis disabled, my site is perfect. [solved - see post #69]

Why is Rich Google Search Results messing with the visible content?

Shouldn't this be grabbing data from the database, format it the correct way for google, and then get the f**k out of the way of the page? Why is an include for the module duplicating content?

AND -- there is clearly a bad html tag -- looks like a closing "> is being left out to dry if the module is enabled.

Alexander, my distribution package must be defective -- you would never ship software that is known to not work correctly, right? Is there a possibility that the distributive from October 2012 has a known bug in it that has not been fixed?

Can you please update my file area? Please?

Thank you.
Jeremy

[rocky]

Originally Posted by carpeperdiem

SO... a few hours later, calm, but a bit hungry...

Jeremy, the installer is the same as for all other modules. First of all it checks whether files can be patches and then it patches them. Or offers to overwrite them if files can't be patched.

I reckon that it's much more professional to have an automatic installer rather than a manual one (as third-party modules). A user just need to launch a script via web and the module is installed.

As for the partial patching, we will take it into consideration and try to improve it, thank you for suggestion.


Regarding a duplicating content and ">" sign, I suppose files were incorrectly patches. I'd recommend you to contact our support team. We will be glad to perform thorough investigations and help you.


Speaking of the invisible or hidden content, as you probably know Google doesn't disclose methods of indexing websites. However, it's recommended to have visible content so that Google could grab it.

[carpeperdiem]

Originally Posted by rocky

Jeremy, the installer is the same as for all other modules. First of all it checks whether files can be patches and then it patches them. Or offers to overwrite them if files can't be patched.

I reckon that it's much more professional to have an automatic installer rather than a manual one (as third-party modules). A user just need to launch a script via web and the module is installed.

As for the partial patching, we will take it into consideration and try to improve it, thank you for suggestion.

Alexander,

The Rich Google Search Results installer is NOT like X-Cart "upgrade" installers (which I have used countless times)... The upgrade installers patch what it can, then displays a list of "can not patch" files. We can then edit the files manually, and alter the file.lst to exclude the manually patched files.

What makes the "manual" installers superior to a partial or incomplete automated installer -- it's a sure thing. There is total transparency -- we know where every file is placed or modified;

Your installer did not tell me what was installed. Then it forced me to abort the process since at least one file could not be patched automatically. I have no idea if all the files were installed or not. I don't know if the sql patches were run or not. Your installer may be fine for an unmodified xcart, but let'sd be realistic: the customer who will install this is generally NOT going to have an unmodified xcart. SO now your automated perfect installer is useless for the bulk of your customers. THIS module demands a manual installation that is professionally documented.

The 3rd parties are smart -- by providing detailed installation documentation, if you simply follow the instructions your module will install perfectly. You know exactly what files are being added. You know exactly if you've installed the patches correctly or not -- if you go down the checklist, it's a done deal. Look at a WebsiteCM or AlteredCart installation -- it doesn't get more clear. This is once again a case of "look, my son is only one in the parade marching in-step"

If your installer raises these questions, maybe the installer is defective?

[carpeperdiem]

Originally Posted by carpeperdiem

If using Advanced Customer Reviews, "Customer Reviews" must be disabled. What should this setting be? This module appears to know that Advanced Customer Reviews exists:

But that is the ONLY mention of ACR anywhere in the docs or the module or the files.

Alexander,

Can you please discuss the use/installation of this module if Advanced Customer Reviews is already in place?

Do any ACR files need to be patched? Settings? DO we still patch the original Customer Review templates? Why? If the Customer Review module is disabled, why are we patching its files and checking a config setting to use it?

This is TOTALLY unclear and an omission from the documentation.

[carpeperdiem]

Here's the reason for the duplicate content:

IN the patch file:
/x-rich-gsearch-results.patches/skin/books_and_magazines/customer/main/product.tpl.patch

FIND:

@@ -79,6 +84,9 @@
 
 {capture name=dialog}
     {$product.fulldescr|default:$product.descr}
+    {if $active_modules.Rich_Google_Search_Results}
+      {include file="modules/Rich_Google_Search_Results/description.tpl" content=$product.fulldescr|default:$product.descr} 
+    {/if}
 {/capture}
 {include file="customer/dialog.tpl" title=$lng.lbl_description content=$smarty.capture.dialog}

This displays the {$product.fulldescr|default:$product.descr}, then it displays the same thing from the module.

The code should look like this:

{capture name=dialog}
    {if $active_modules.Rich_Google_Search_Results}
      {include file="modules/Rich_Google_Search_Results/description.tpl" content=$product.fulldescr|default:$product.descr} 
      {else}
      {$product.fulldescr|default:$product.descr}
    {/if}    
{/capture}

(add the else and move the default description include)

There still is the issue of the stray html... this is NOT a defect in my patch, it's an issue in modules/Rich_Google_Search_Results/description.tpl -- please stand by, I will fix this for you.

Are you certain you tested this before you released it?

Alexander, you see - if your installer was more generic and didn't try to be everything to everyone, it would have been very obvious that there should only be a single call for the full description.

I don't like paying for software then having to not only report the bugs, fix them myself. You could have spotted this in a heartbeat too.

[carpeperdiem]

I wish it were as simple... on some of my products, the left bar disappears entirely.

This module is a mess.

Did you guys really test this?

I have to turn it off again.

I can't recommend this to anyone until you fix it.