Design snapshot

[pinbrook]

I've had a design snapshot with support for 10 days now, the original site was v6 which i upgraded to 8 and then applied my design work.

Because my design work took a couple of months, I then asked my client for another snapshot with the intention of reupgrading the v6 database, and then taking a design snapshot from my test v8 site across to just upgraded v6.

However this final stage didn't work, the theory should have worked, indeed the support people I spoke to felt it should work too.

However 10 days later I get this from support

"The 'Partial Site Design' just brings across the following:

Layouts
Layout Selectors
Variables
Conditions
Custom Tabs
Additional Files

i.e. stuff from the library.

These all come across OK in the partial site design. What's missing are the Site Option settings, the Colour settings and all the custom images referenced in the layouts. This is the reason why the import seems to not work.

So to get the design and current catalog all merged into one site the customer will need to send you a current snapshot. You can then transfer a hierarchical export from the customer’s site and pull it into the newly designed site. If you’re happy with everything you can send the customer a whole site snapshot for them to import."

This to me makes a complete mockery of the concept of the design snapshot, they are telling me to do the reverse, ie hierarcical import of product data and I shall have to do an export/import of orders to.

Any one got any comments...

[leehack]

A "design" snapshot by definitiion should undoubtedly bring anything design related into the equation in my eyes. If it doesn't then it is surely flawed like you say. I would not expect to buy a staircase and then be told, it doesn't include steps. If that is all it provides it should be called a "pretty useless but nice feature" snapshot.

I have never used one, but i was about to next week, you've just chuffed my ideas right up lol. If somebody has a v6, v7 site and they want a designer to upgrade it for them. The designer upgrades the site and then has to deploy this their end, if designer has it for a few weeks, i can't picture how you can deploy a site design if this feature does not work. In my case a hierarchical import will not work as for some reason it buggers up on fragments adding /n's all over the place, yet it works fine in the catalog.

Looks to me that only option is to run 2 versions for a period of time until all orders on the old version are dispatched and then that is an archive and the v8 starts again from scratch.

[pinbrook]

When I got the email from support, I thought I was simply in a bad mood and wanted to know why I had to do stuff backwards when I had chosen to use the design snapshot route, but the more I investigate this the more bizarre it seems.

Why are Site Options not brought across? Surely thiscontains the fundamentals of a design

the General tab defines images, add to cart, dafault productimage etc and font sizes

The Layout tab defines - this is suprising - LAYOUTS!

so why have a tool that brings across your custom layouts but doesn't bring across the info that defines where to use them.....

[los_design]

Slightly OT but I have to voice our frustration with this situation as our upgrade dev time have become somewhat bloated due to the inadequate snapshot feature to be used for this purpose.

In our mind, why can't we have a dedicated process that allows you to import/export the product data or the design data in their own right.

When we work with a php/mysql based store online, it is fab, as we know that all our design work is CLEAR OF ANY INTRUSTION to the core content of the product data.

Yes, I know that the layout will change, but that is our intention and is totally under our control but at least Jonny client can update his products as he wishes safe in the knowledge that our updates will not overwrite his product data without having to send over a new snapshot...

Impact onto the core data is a pain, I know the software can do it as when you switch internally from theme to theme the data remains, but when you import.....or am I missing something (relevant to V6-V7 updates BTW)

We should be able to choose and control before actinic without having to work with the database IMHO

[jont]

The finest feature for designers in Actinic and it fails me every blinking time.

I now resort to hardcoding any changes wherever possible eg ACTSTDWIDTH and using existing filenames for add_to_cart.gif ... otherwise you always get half a design ... even when exporting between sites on the same machine.

[leehack]

So if we have a client on say V7 using stock control for example and they send you a snapshot and you have it for 2 weeks to upgrade to V8. What the hell are your options to put your design over the top of their store which is taking orders and stock controlling?

If you can't design snapshot, i can't figure a way around that. Unless you ask them to suspend catalog and send you a snapshot after orders downloaded. You then import this snapshot into V8, let it balls it up and then import your snapshot over the top, not overwriting orders.

It still baffles me how complicated some things are made in life. Maybe i am blonde.

[pinbrook]

So how do I proceed?

Ask my client for a 3rd v6 snapshot so I can upgrade the database (so be fair actinic support have done the previous 2 upgrades cos they didn't work for me), then use hier import and import/export orders, hoping I don't mess up fragments or encounter any other "known issues".

or

use my current design snapshot and redo site options.

Seems like a rock and a hard place to me.

[leehack]

If they suspend ordering Jo and download them after half hour and then send you this snapshot, you import this snapshot into V8. This will bring in the up to date orders, products and stock. Then after it messes up the upgrade, reimport YOUR V8 snapshot and select not to bring in the orders.

The author takes no responsibility for anything going tits up lol. Can you do this today please, so i know whether it will work.

<bug>Forget that idea, that will wreck the product info and stock.</bug>

Finbers crossed they don't have stock control and they haven't been changing products.

[pinbrook]

So how do I proceed?

Ask my client for a 3rd v6 snapshot so I can upgrade the database (so be fair actinic support have done the previous 2 upgrades cos they didn't work for me), then use hier import and import/export orders, hoping I don't mess up fragments or encounter any other "known issues".

or

use my current design snapshot and redo site options.

Seems like a rock and a hard place to me.

and indeed its worse than a rock and a hard place

A day later, I took a deep breath and went back to my upgraded v6 to 8 site (which actinic kindly upgraded for me) ..... and decided to export the product info as suggested ie hierarchical data..... the export freezes (despite compacting DB) and when I click the button to let me out I get the error message "The parameter is incorrect"

So i thought OK, i'll manually update Site Options instead, but none of my layouts are visible in the library. So its not a simple case of repopulating site options.

This is enough to drive me to drink.

[cdicken]

Hi there

I'm afraid the 'Design | Deploy Partial Site Design' snapshot is just that - it is basically the equivalent of sending your customer a load of v7 templates - but it doesn't do any of the Site Options or colours.

When I've done upgrades before, I've done the following:

1. Get the v6/v7 snapshot
2. Upgrade it into a v8 site A.
3. Upgrade the design.
4. When it's time to deploy I got another snapshot from the customer.
5. I then upgraded it into a different site B.
6. I then just did a hierarchical export from site B
7. I then imported this into site A
8. Then I took v8 to the client with the up-to-snapshot and installed it on the client's PC.
9. I then used 'File | Import Orders' to pull the orders from the current live site.

I appreciate that if you are having trouble with the upgrading, this is a right pain, but I hope this gives you a path to follow.

[pinbrook]

Thanks Chris, that is exactlythe plan I'm reconcilled to having to do, but I fail at step 6.

My siteB will not export a hierarchical export, "The parameter is incorrect".

I've raised this again with support. SiteB was a V6 snapshot which support upgraded for me to V8 as it was problematical. Support also took my designsnapshot with the intention of applying it, but couldn't.

So now I'm still stuck as I can not follow their proposed route as the hierarchical export simply is not happening