AbanteCart Array/XML/CSV DATA Import/Export Engine (AData class)
What is AData Import/Export Engine or Class?
To provide maximum data flexibility, quick access and update of the database in abantecart, we have create easy and flexible class AData. This class helps get quick access to any database table or record in the database and receive easy to read XML, CSV or Array formats. Similar way, XML, CSV or Array records can be saved back to the database.
AData is easy, fast and robust to deal with any database aspect of AbanteCart. You do not need to deal with database selects, updates and deletes. Data can be accessed in the batch with complete inset or with partial update. Important aspect to mention that data is imported (updated) in the same format is it is exported. To see format of the data, you can simply export the data, review, update or add in the same format and import back to the database.
Where AData is used
AData is used in the data import/export feature of AbanteCart and load of load of extension data. It can be used in any other part of future application development for import and export of data to and from various data formats.
Using AData data can be connected and mapped to any other third party application or service as SOAP, XML feed or other.
Opportunity
With use of AbanteCart AData, there is a number of applications that can improve AbanteCart data management and communication processed. Applications can have quick data read and save with any AbanteCart database table using relationship based on primary key and foreign key.
How it works
Below are main interface functions to AData
Export Methods:
exportData
(request array, [ skip display of relationship IDs ])
Function to produce multidimensional associative array with data based on the request input array.
-request is an array providing list of tables and restrictions to the data to be exported from the database. See below is example of the request array structure. Request array can contain special parameters to set limited data extract (similar to SQL where clause).
Additional parameters: filter and start_id / end_id filter can contain any SQL (where) like portion to limit the result. start_id / end_id are 2 parameters to set a range of unique table IDs (if applicable)
- skip display of relationship IDs. By default, result array will not show relationship ID key and value on each nested element. This is not needed for the export, since all nested nodes of data gets relationship ID key and value from parent node. If pass as FALSE relationship ID key and value will be added on each node.
- result array. Result array is returned in a form of multidimensional associative array where each nested level represent child table and rows for related table. See below is example of the return array structure.
$request = array (
'categories' => array
(
'start_id' => 30,
'end_id' => 50,
'tables' => Array
(
'category_descriptions' => 'category_descriptions',
'categories_to_stores' => 'categories_to_stores',
)
),
'products' => array
(
'start_id' => 60,
'end_id' => 80,
'tables' => array
(
'product_descriptions' => 'product_descriptions',
'product_options' => array (
'tables' => array (
'product_option_descriptions' => 'product_option_descriptions',
'product_option_values' => array (
'tables' => array (
'product_option_value_descriptions' => 'product_option_value_descriptions'
)
),
)
),
'product_specials' => 'product_specials',
)
)
);
$request = array (
'categories' => array
(
'start_id' => 30,
'end_id' => 50,
'filter' => 'status = 1 order by sort_order desc',
'tables' => Array
(
'category_descriptions' => 'category_descriptions',
'categories_to_stores' => 'categories_to_stores',
)
),
}
Array
(
[timestamp] => 05/14/2012 19:08:28
[tables] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => categories
[rows] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[category_id] => 36
…
[tables] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => category_descriptions
[rows] => Array
(
…
)
)
[1] => Array
(
[name] => categories_to_stores
[rows] => Array
(
…
)
)
)
)
…
)
...
)
)