The Database I/O Manager (DbIO) enables you to input (or import) and output (or export) information to and from your database using a .csv file as the "transport method".
It seems like I spent a significant portion of time this year providing clients with "import/export" scripts and DbIo is the culmination of my effort to create an extendable I/O script. Yes, there are other I/O scripts (like EZ-Populate and Apsona) but I wanted a script that holds to these principles:
- Use Zen Cart's built-in processing, especially the database interfaces.
- Use a class-based approach, enabling a higher degree of code reuse.
- Let the database drive the data; use the database settings to guide "proper" input processing.
- Keep the data-pool consistent; broadly define the character-encoding of the .CSV repositories.
- Keep to, where possible, the EP-4 interface described in its wiki.
- Multi-language awareness.
- Be data-driven. If you've installed a plugin that simply adds a field to an existing table (like products or orders), that field is a candidate for any I/O operation on that database table without additional coding.
Like any process that changes information in your database: Make a backup of your database prior to performing a "full-import" (which actually changes your database)!
Check out the readme for operational details, but my goal is to make the on-screen instructions "good enough" for most users.
I'll post the plugin's download link once I receive it.
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