Magento Development

What is magento connect?

• Marketplace for magento extensions

Some free, some commercial

• Extensions are typically :

Language packs
Design packages and themes
Add-on functionality
Custom modules

• Why would use it?

Allows you to extend or customize your magento installation without doing custom design or dev work yourself.
Extension sources and licenses

• Magento core extensions:

Open source extensions created by the magento core team, release under an OSL 3.0 license and distributed for download through PEAR.

• Magento community extensions:

Open source extensions created by magento community members, released under an open source license and distributed for download through PEAR.

• Magento commercial extensions:

Magento commercial extensions are custom extensions contributed and offered for sale by magento community members.
Sale distribution and licensing of the commercial extensions is managed by the seller and is not supervised by magento in any way.
May or may not be open source.





How magento connect works

1. 1. Find extensions you like on magento connect

Get an extension key

1. 1. From admin panel log in to magento connect manager to download the extension

Enter the extension key

1. 1. Enables the extensions and use it

Magento connect manager:

• Is a pear downloader

PHP extension and application repository.
Framework and distribution system for reusable PHP components.

• Connect manager does

Get tar.gz file for the extension package from the repository.
Downloads and extract it.
Moves individual files and directories from the package to the correct locations in this magento installation.



Separate your dev store from your live store
Dev environment: server environment where you develop and test your magento store. Accessible only to your developer. Download extensions here if possible.
Staging environment: server environment where you stage and QA your code changes before the go live.
Production environment: server environment from which your live store runs. Visible to your customers.




In magento connect:
Go to www.magentoCommerce.com/magento-connect
Find your extension
Read installation and use instructions
Check the compatibility, licensing, and stability level of the extension
If you still want the extension get the extension key
Downloading an extension
In the magento admin panel:
Must log in to the magento admin panel and magento connect manager with administrator access
Disable your cache before you download (system->cache management)
Go to system->magento connect->magento connect manager
Might need to change setting tab if stability of your desired extension is beta
Enter extension key and click install


Getting an extension to show up


After you download you may need to
Refresh the cache
Refresh indices
Log out of admin panel and log back in to see admin changes
Manually delete magento/var/cache and magento/var/sessions directories
Activate the extensions
Test, test
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