Two variants: with and without a test environment
With a master concept with a test environment you receive a test environment in addition to your existing shops. In a test environment, you have the option to, for example, test product and category imports in advance under live conditions. In addition, you can introduce release processes for text changes and features.ERP and other external systems often do not take test environments into account. In such a case, do without a test environment, because it would be useless.
Template master concept with a test environment (standard)
One CommonID is a live shop environment, and the other CommonID is a test environment that cannot be accessed by shop customers. (Of course, this concept also works for more than 2 CommonIDs.) With this concept, the test environment is the master. It is used, for example, to test product data imports in advance: first you import the new products into the test environment, then you test them, and once everything is okay, the product data is copied into the live shop. It is important that the organization and presentation of products and categories in the test environment exactly matches that of the live shop; otherwise the test is only of limited value or not meaningful at all.Advantages at a glance
- Online payment methods can be tested “live”.
- Release processes for ws-customer areas.
- Release processes for texts of the text maintenance platform.
- Test brackets can be omitted.
- Testing new features under real conditions, for example area products or Web2Print.
- Building a new design in parallel with the productive shop.
- One text maintenance platform for all (main) shops and their subshops.
- Testing product data imports
- Testing customer data imports
- Testing new category structures
Setup
To set up the template master concept with a test environment, proceed as follows:1
Setting up the master shop
In addition to your existing (main) shops and their subshops, WEBSALE provides you with a template master shop. To ensure a unique assignment between the master subshop and the live subshop at all times, give the template master shop an individual name that differs from those of your live shops.Please discuss the naming of the template master shop and the naming of the associated live shops with your WEBSALE contact.
2
Switching over the text maintenance platform
With the setup of the master shop, the text maintenance platform is deactivated for all live shops.All languages and texts of the live shops are assigned by WEBSALE to the text maintenance platform of the master shop. This means that editing and publishing texts is done exclusively via the master shop.Of course, the permissions for editing the individual languages remain in place.
3
Adjusting the template source directory
With the setup of the template master concept with a test environment, the template source directory for all live shops is the translation template directory below the master shop. This new source directory must be assigned in the text maintenance platform.All translation template directories of the live subshops must be deleted.For more information, see Translation template directory and Subshop template directory.
4
Graphics, styles, and JavaScripts
WEBSALE sets up a shopdata directory in the root of the master shop.You must move all graphics, styles, and JavaScripts of the live subshops into this directory. Afterwards these files are deleted below the live subshops. All subshops (live and master) now access one directory for graphics, styles, and JavaScripts.
5
Adjusting the relative paths
With the move of the graphics, styles, and JavaScripts to the shopdata directory, all relative paths in the templates must be adjusted as well.You will receive the new paths from your WEBSALE contact.
6
First publication via the text maintenance platform of the master shop
Once you have completed the previous steps, you can start the first publication via the text maintenance platform of the master shop.From this moment on, all live subshops access the templates and texts of the master shop:
7
Release processes
In the Online Service Area, on the “Administration” tab under the “Subshops” column, both the master and the live shop(s) with subshop(s) are listed.By allowing your employees to publish texts and new features only for the master, new features and texts are displayed exclusively in the master shop. Only after your release do you allow publication in the live shops.
Template master concept without a test environment
With a master concept without a test environment, you do not receive an additional shop in addition to your live shops; instead, an existing live shop is converted into a master shop. Both CommonIDs are live shop environments. This template master concept is used when 2 CommonIDs have an identical design but should be independent with regard to customer and product data.Advantages at a glance
- A uniform appearance for multiple (main) shops.
- Adding features to only one set of templates.
- One text maintenance platform for all (main) shops and their subshops.
Disadvantages compared with the master concept with a test environment
- No testing of online payment methods in a “live” environment.
- No release processes for ws-customer areas.
- No release processes for texts of the text maintenance platform.
- Test brackets must be used for tests.
- New features can only be tested in test mode.
- A redesign can only be built with test subshops.
- No testing of product data imports.
- No testing of customer data imports.
- No testing of new category structures.
Setup
To set up the template master concept without a test environment, proceed as follows:1
Defining the master shop
Decide which of your existing (main) shops is to become the master shop and inform your WEBSALE contact accordingly.The shop ID and the subshop IDs of the live shop remain the same when it is converted into the master shop. No subshop IDs of further live shops are added to the master shop either.
2
Switching over the text maintenance platform
Once the master shop has been defined, the text maintenance platform is deactivated for all other live shops.All languages and texts of the other live shops are assigned by WEBSALE to the text maintenance platform of the master shop. This means that editing and publishing texts is done exclusively via the master shop.Of course, the permissions for editing the individual languages remain in place.
3
Adjusting the template source directory
If a shop uses the text maintenance platform, the source directory of the templates is always the translation template directory (benutzer/templates/translation).Once a live shop is defined as the master shop, its templates become the template source directory for all other live shops. This template source directory of the master shop must be assigned in the text maintenance platform for the other live shop(s).All translation template directories of the live subshops must be deleted.For more information, see Translation template directory and Subshop template directory.
4
Graphics, styles, and JavaScripts
WEBSALE sets up a shopdata directory in the root of the template master shop.You must move all graphics, styles, and JavaScripts of the live subshops into this directory. Afterwards these files are deleted below the live subshops. All subshops (live and master) now access one directory for graphics, styles, and JavaScripts.
5
Adjusting the relative paths
With the move of the graphics, styles, and JavaScripts to the shopdata directory, all relative paths in the templates must be adjusted as well.You will receive the new paths from your WEBSALE contact.
6
First publication via the text maintenance platform of the master shop
Once you have completed the previous steps, you can start the first publication via the text maintenance platform of the master shop.From this moment on, all live subshops access the templates and texts of the master shop: