LemonStand Documentation

Developer Guide

• Creating pages - explains how to create pages, and how to build an eCommerce website
  • Themes
    • Enabling Theming - explains how to enable Theming feature in existing LemonStand installations.
  • Creating pages basics - learn the basics about page anatomy in LemonStand
    • Creating your first page - explains how to create a page
    • Adding a layout - explains what templates are and how to use them
    • Creating a partial - explains partials and how to use them to reuse code in your pages.
    • Using the page Head Declarations field - explains how you can output page-specific elements in the page HEAD element.
    • Using the page blocks feature - explains how to inject page-specific blocks into page layouts.
  • Combining and minifying JavaScript and CSS files - explains how you can reduce the number of JavaScript and CSS resource requests on your pages
  • Creating editable blocks - explains how to create editable content blocks on a page
  • Global content blocks
  • Managing Resources - explains how to manage a website's CSS, image and JavaScript files.
  • Security - explains how to protect your website pages and force HTTPS protocol for specific pages.
  • Programming Pages - explains how to program your pages and the simple programming model behind LemonStand pages.
    • Actions - learn how to use actions and how to make LemonStand work for you.
    • AJAX - learn how to update page content without reloading the whole page.
  • Handling errors - explains how to handle form validation errors on pages.
  • Page Not Found (404) page - explains how to create a 404 error (Page Not Found) page.
  • Creating site maps, dynamic menus and breadcrumbs - explains methods of creating dynamic website navigation.
• Using file-based templates - explains how to enable and use file-based templates.
• Building your online store - explains how to build pages for your shop to display categories or product groups content, how to build a cart and checkout page and so on.
  • Displaying a list of categories - explains how to output a list of product categories.
  • Category Page - learn how to create a page to output a category name, description and contents.
  • Displaying a list of products - explains how to output a list of category products, custom group products or related products.
  • Product page - explains how to create a product page and display its attributes, options, related products and images
    • Displaying a list of grouped products - explains how to display a drop-down menu for selecting a grouped product.
    • Displaying a list of product attributes - explains how to display a table with product attributes.
    • Displaying product options - explains how to create page controls for selecting product options.
    • Displaying product extra options - explains how to create checkboxes for selecting extra options.
    • Displaying related products - explains how to display a list of related products.
    • Displaying product manufacturer information - explains how to output product manufacture name, description, logo and other details.
    • Displaying product rating and reviews - explains how you can display product rating and reviews and how to implement the Post a Review form.
    • Displaying product bundle items - explains how to output user interface for displaying bundle items on the product page.
  • Cart page - learn how to create a cart page and allow customers to manage the cart content.
    • Implementing the Shipping Cost Estimator Feature - explains how to add the Estimate Shipping Cost feature to the cart page
  • Checkout Pages - explains how to implement the checkout process.
    • AJAX-driven single-page checkout - explains how to implement a single-page AJAX-driven checkout process.
      • Creating the Billing Information partial - explains how to create a partial for gathering customer billing information.
      • Creating the Shipping Information partial - explains how to create a partial for gathering customer shipping information.
      • Creating the Shipping Method partial - explains how to create a partial for selecting a shipping method.
      • Creating the Payment Method partial - explains how to create a partial for a selected payment option.
      • Creating the Order Review partial - explains how to create a partial for reviewing an order content.
      • Skipping the Shipping Method step for downloadable products or services - explains how to configure LemonStand in such a way that the Shipping Method step is automatically skipped for downloadable or service-type products.
    • Allowing customers to enter order notes - explains how to create a text field for entering customer order notes during the checkout process.
    • Implementing the Step-By-Step Checkout - explains how to implement a checkout process with one page per one checkout step.
    • Custom checkout scenario - the One-Step Checkout - explains how to create a one-step checkout, where the customer does not need to enter the most part of the usual checkout information.
  • Pay page - explains how to create a Pay page to accept credit cards or redirect to an external payment page.
    • Creating the Bank Transfer and other similar payment methods - explains how to create payment methods which should display some textual information instead of a payment form.
  • Payment Receipt page - explains how to create an order payment receipt page.
    • Payment receipt for inclusive tax environments - explains how to modify the order receipt page to work in inclusive tax environments.
  • Customer orders page - learn how to output a list of customer orders and their statuses.
  • Order details page - learn how to display details about a specific order.
    • Order details page for inclusive tax environments - explains how to modify the order details page to work in inclusive tax environments.
  • Customer login and logout - explains how to organize customer login and logout process.
  • Customer registration page - explains how to create a customer registration page.
  • Password restore page - explains how to create a page where customers can restore forgotten passwords.
  • Change Password page - learn how to create a page where your customers can change a password.
  • Creating the Search page - explains how to create the product search page.
  • Creating the new products RSS channel - explains how to add the RSS channel representing a list of recently added products.
  • Implementing the Compare Products feature - explains how to add the Add to Compare links to your products and how to create a Compare Products page.
  • Manufacturer List page - explains how to build a page displaying all manufacturers created in your store.
  • Implementing customer payment profiles - explains how to create user interface allowing customers to store and reuse credit card data.
  • Manufacturer Details page - explains how to build a page displaying all manufacturers details and a list of manufacturer's products.
  • Tips and Tricks - demonstrates some Shop API tricks which you may want to implement on your website.
    • Displaying products on sale - explains how you can output a list of discounted products.
    • Allowing customers to provide order item specific information - explains how you can add form fields to the Cart page, allowing your customers to enter item-specific information.
    • Allowing visitors to customize products - explains how to allow visitors to customize products before adding them to the cart.
    • Supporting file uploads on the product page - explains how you can allow buyers to customize your products with their own files.
    • Automatic customer registration - explains how you can extend the checkout process with automatic customer registration and signing in.
    • Using partials instead of flash messages - explains how you can display partials with rich HTML formatting instead if standard flash messages.
    • Implementing the "Ship to the billing address" checkbox on the checkout page - explains how you can add the "Ship to the billing address" checkbox to the Billing Information page to skip the checkout Shipping Information step.
    • Simplifying the checkout process - explains how you can combine the Payment Method, Pay and Order Review checkout steps.
    • Displaying a list of active product discounts - explains how to display a list of catalog price rules applied to a specific product.
    • Leaving the cart content after placing the order - explains how you can leave the cart content non-emptied when a customer places the order.
  • Caching pages and partials - explains how you can cache pages and partials using the built-in caching system.
• Managing email templates - explains how to create or edit templates of email messages which LemonStand sends to customers.
• Managing compound email variables - explains how to create new or manage existing email variables.
• Reference - learn about PHP Classes which work behind the scenes on LemonStand-driven websites
• Caching API - describes LemonStand caching features.
• Using third party software with LemonStand - explains how to install a third-party software, like a forum, on a same domain with LemonStand.
• Troubleshooting during the development and learning process - describes the detailed error information page and how to disable it.
• Customizing Invoices, Packing Slips and Shipping Labels - explains how you can create invoices, packing slips and shipping labels consistent with your company identity.
• Customizing the Administration Area - explains how you can customize the look of LemonStand back-end area.
• Extending LemonStand - learn how to develop modules, payment and shipping methods, dashboard indicators and reports.
  • Developing LemonStand modules - describes the module anatomy and explains what tasks you solve with custom modules
    • Developing a simple module - describes a process of developing a simplest LemonStand module
    • Creating and updating database tables - explains how you can create or update module-specific database tables
    • Working with the database - describes methods of working with database tables and creating model classes
      • Creating data relations - explains how you can organize data relations using ActiveRecord - "many to many" and "one to many"
    • Adding a back-end user interface - describes the process of adding new pages to the Administration Area
      • Structure of a view document - explains the internal structure of a view document
      • Partials - explains how you can re-use common page elements using the partials concept
      • Standard page elements - describes the standard Administration Area page elements like breadcrumbs, toolbars, indicators and buttons
      • Handling errors and displaying status messages - explains how you can throw exceptions and display error and success messages on the pages
      • Extending the Administration Area menu - explains how you can add new items to the main menu and new tabs to the top menu in the Administration Area
      • Using AJAX - describes how you can use AJAX in the Administration Area
      • Lists and forms in the Administration Area - describes the process of implementing lists and forms
        • Lists - describes the process of implementing lists in the Administration Area
        • List filters - explains how you can add the filtering feature to a list
        • Forms - explains how you can create forms for adding, modifying and deleting database records
      • Working with checkboxes and drop-down menus - explains how to work with customized controls in LemonStand Administration Area.
    • Programming module CMS actions - explains how your modules can add new items to the CMS action list and extend the front-end website with new functions
    • Using module access points - explains how you can register a module access point for invoking module features them through specific URLs
    • Handling LemonStand events - explains how you can customize LemonStand by handling system events
    • Extending existing models - explains how you can add new fields to the customer, product and order models
      • Extending models with related columns - explains how you can add data relations in run-time and extend existing models with columns which refer to another model
    • Sending email messages - explains how you can send email messages to LemonStand customers or system administrators.
    • Creating module settings pages - explains how to add new links to the System/Settings and My Settings pages and how to implement settings forms.
  • Developing payment modules - explains how you can implement integration with payment gateways not supported by native LemonStand payment modules
    • Redirection integration method - explains how you can implement payment modules for redirection integration methods like PayPal Standard
    • Server-to-server integration method - explains how you can implement payment modules for server-to-server integration methods like PayPal Pro
  • Developing shipping modules - explains how you can implement integration with shipping services not supported by native LemonStand shipping modules.
  • LemonStand module templates - this section contains some module templates which you can use as a basement for your own modules
  • Accessing LemonStand API from third-party scripts - explain how you can access any LemonStand class and function from a third-party PHP script
  • Extending the Discount Engine - explains the process of developing new discount engine conditions and actions.
  • Authoring for LemonStand Marketplace - explains the process of becoming an author and developing themes and modules for the Marketplace.
    • Becoming an author - explains the process of becoming a Marketplace author.
    • Creating themes for Marketplace - explains the process of creating themes for LemonStand Marketplace.
    • Creating modules for Marketplace - explains the process of creating and publishing modules on Marketplace.

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