Thread: Changing Classipress Without Editing Source Code?

Changing Classipress Without Editing Source Code?

Now here is a question Ive been wondering about. Ive been working on an online shop for a client which uses a shopping cart software named OpenCart. It is a simple, yet effective system that makes use of php for its core functionality. As I was doing some research, I came across an addon that one for OpenCart that would allow you to change any code in the software in anyway without having to change the source code. It uses clever process in applying these changes which are written as xml script files.

To qoute: "The script files are parsed during page load as each "source" core file is loaded with the "include" or "require" php functions. The source is then patched with the script file changes, and saved to a temp file. That temp file is then substituted for the original during execution. The original source file is never altered. This results in a "virtual" change to the core during execution without any actual modification to the core files."

In other words, using such a mod one would never lose changes made to the system during a software upgrade. The mod is called vQmod. It works on an assumption that the index.php calls other controller files to load the includes, or does the includes itself. Classipress also uses such a software structure. vQmod claims that "the class was designed to be generic enough to work with any platform. The only thing to figure is how all the include/require points of the platform so that you can make the necessary changes to install vQmod."

If this is true then implementing such a system into software such as Classipress, Jobroller etc shouldnt be too difficult. It would probably be worth it, seeing that one doesnt always want to spend the time to create a plugin or the like to make some minor changes.

I would need to get some more input on this idea though.