Tips for Twits

Prepare the database

Next we’ll create the installation script that installs the twits table into the database.

1. Once again, we begin with updating the file structure

   app/
     etc/
       modules/
         - SavantDegrees_All.xml (Or what ever your company name might be)
     code/
       local/
         SavantDegrees/ (Or what ever your company name might be)
           Twits/ (Or whatever your module name might be)
             Block/
               - HelloWorld.php
             controllers/
               - AdminController.php
               - IndexController.php
             etc/
               - config.xml
             Helper/
               - Data.php
             sql/
               twits_setup/
                 - mysql4-install-0.2.0.php
                 - mysql4-upgrade-0.1.0-0.2.0.php

   We simply included a sql folder that will house the eventual table creation sql code.

2. Next up, updating the config.xml again. This time to add the setup declarations.

   <?xml version="1.0"?>
   <config>
       <modules>
           <SavantDegrees_Twits>
               <version>0.2.0</version>
           </SavantDegrees_Twits>
       </modules>
       <global>
   	<blocks>
               <twits>
                   <class>SavantDegrees_Twits_Block</class>
               </twits>
           </blocks>
            <helpers>
               <twits><class>SavantDegrees_Twits_Helper</class></twits>
           </helpers>
           <resources>
               <twits_setup>
                   <setup>
                       <module>SavantDegrees_Twits</module>
                   </setup>
                   <connection>
                       <use>core_setup</use>
                   </connection>
               </twits_setup>
               <twits_write>
                   <connection>
                       <use>core_write</use>
                   </connection>
               </twits_write>
               <twits_read>
                   <connection>
                       <use>core_read</use>
                   </connection>
               </twits_read>
           </resources>
       </global>
       <adminhtml>
           <menu>
               <twits translate="title" module="twits">
                   <title>Twits</title>
                   <sort_order>100</sort_order>
                   <action>twits/admin</action>
               </twits>
           </menu>
       </adminhtml>
       <frontend>
           <routers>
               <SavantDegrees_Twits>
                   <use>standard</use>
                   <args>
                       <module>SavantDegrees_Twits</module>
                       <frontName>twits</frontName>
                   </args>
               </SavantDegrees_Twits>
           </routers>
       </frontend>
   </config>

   Here we’ve added a global > resources section that tells the setup script the folder for installation. We’ve also changed the version number to 0.2.0. When the page is initiated and Magento detects that the version has been upgraded, it will run the appropriate install script.

3. Lastly the install script itself: mysql4-install-0.2.0.php

   <?php
   $installer = $this;
   $installer->startSetup();
    
   $installer->run("
   CREATE TABLE {$this->getTable('tips')} (
     `tip_id` int(10) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment,
     `title` varchar(250) NOT NULL default '',
     `author` varchar(250) default NULL,
     `contents` text,
     PRIMARY KEY  (`tip_id`)
   ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8;
     ");
    
   $installer->endSetup();

4. Copy the same file contents to mysql4-upgrade-0.1.0-0.2.0.php. Why? because the code above is correct. But since this HOWTO is going through the phases in version 0.1, 0.2, and etc. Magento has already a record of twit_setup in its core_resource table bound to the previous version of 0.1 (its first run). So what we need now is a upgrading script instead of an installer. But if/when you do package your extension, you shouldn’t need the upgrade code. Just install straight to version 0.2 (or higher)
5. Once again, wake up the Magento installer by logging into the admin backend, System > Configuration > Advanced. Click on Save Config. Clear your cache at /var/cache too just to be sure.
6. Check to see if your table is created.
7. Once your table is created, you can delete the mysql4-upgrade-0.1.0-0.2.0.php file. As explained above, you dont need it anymore!

» More Intangibles! … Part 4 – Model