Next update and roadmap?

[bemara579]

Is there a roadmap anywhere for the next release of AbleCommerce? I think it would be great so the community can contribute code and feedback to intended features.

[sohaib]

I can not say much about the expected release of the next update (7.0.3) but I can briefly tell you what has been slated for this upgrade.

• Product Kitting feature is going to be improved significantly.
• Just like payment and shipping gateways we will now have a tax providers interface in merchant admin
• Allow ability to add custom URL Re-writers
• Merchant place order feature significantly improved
• Convert all inline/codebeside pages to the codebehind model
• Email Templates will now be maintained in files rather than database fields
• Implement a comprehensive admin search feature
• Implement SQL Full Text Search
• Provide a way to specify rounding rule for tax calculation
• Scriptlets will now become part of the theme instead of being shared for all themes
• Improved internationalization support. Externalize the embedded string resources to satellite assemblies
• Lots of bug fixes and minor enhancements

[Robbie@FireFold]

Glad to see Implement SQL Full Text Search. That has to be one of our biggest complaints.

[AbleMods]

•Email Templates will now be maintained in files rather than database fields

What about existing applications written to pull email templates from the table(s)??

[sohaib]

What about existing applications written to pull email templates from the table(s)??

The upgrade script will automatically and seamlessly convert them to templates on the file system.

[AbleMods]

The upgrade script will automatically and seamlessly convert them to templates on the file system.

(Joe repeatedly pounds the PRINT-SCREEN button on his keyboard as page after page flies off his laser printer)

[sohaib]

The upgrade script will automatically and seamlessly convert them to templates on the file system.
(Joe repeatedly pounds the PRINT-SCREEN button on his keyboard as page after page flies off his laser printer)

Makes me rethink about the word 'seamlessly'
you know why

[Logan Rhodehamel]

Glad to see Implement SQL Full Text Search. That has to be one of our biggest complaints.

If I say we are going to support Full Text Search in SQL Server 2005 and up, what will be the reaction?

[jmestep]

My reaction would be that I'd better find out how to use it because I would probably want to use it!

[AbleMods]

My reaction would be the question "How good is your SQL 2000 to SQL 2005 AC7 database migration documentation?"

[kastnerd]

I can not say much about the expected release of the next update (7.0.3) but I can briefly tell you what has been slated for this upgrade.

• Product Kitting feature is going to be improved significantly.

Can you give an example of the changes in kitting? Will it be more like product options?

[Logan Rhodehamel]

Can you give an example of the changes in kitting? Will it be more like product options?

Some examples... Items within a kit can have taxes calculated, Kits can work with the "reorder" button on an invoice, UI improvement so you can add several products to a kit in a single page.

[heinscott]

How about cost of goods being recorded for kit items in the orderItems table??

[Logan Rhodehamel]

How about cost of goods being recorded for kit items in the orderItems table??

Yes. As well as item prices in the orderitems table.

[kastnerd]

What about kits having variant's so you can control possible combination of parts that are incompatible.

[kastnerd]

Any update on time line for this?

[Mike718NY]

I have a question about the SQL Full Text Search:

Will we be able to change the SQL statement (used in the Full Text Search) in the code
without having to get the full source code?
I wrote some SQL that I'm using now that I would like to
transfer over when I convert the site because that SQL code works perfectly.

Also, when will this upgrade be available?

[ZLA]

My reaction would be the question "How good is your SQL 2000 to SQL 2005 AC7 database migration documentation?"

Upgrading from SQL 2000 to 2005 is pretty much a non-event as far as an application is concerned. Particularly for AC where the database is just the tables and not much else. With one small application, I created a 2000 backup, created a new 2005 db and just restored the 2000 backup to the new 2005 db. Then I just had to fix up / synchronize users / logins.

The biggest issue is how you work with SQL 2005 vs SQL 2000. Sql Server Management Studio had differences from Enterprise Manager and takes some getting used to. Most importantly, the database scripting options are very different and some would say (many posts out there about this) that scripting is less user friendly and is lacking some features in the new version.

[Logan Rhodehamel]

Upgrading from SQL 2000 to 2005 is pretty much a non-event as far as an application is concerned. Particularly for AC where the database is just the tables and not much else. With one small application, I created a 2000 backup, created a new 2005 db and just restored the 2000 backup to the new 2005 db. Then I just had to fix up / synchronize users / logins.

But in AC7, we have slightly different schemas in place for 2000 and 2005. For example in 2000 we use the nText field type, but in 2005 we use the nVarchar(max). This doesn't affect the Full Text Search feature, but regardless we have prepared an upgrade script to convert the schema. This is currently being tested.