PrestaShop 1.4
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  • /admin: contains all the PrestaShop files pertaining to the back-office. When accessing this folder with your browser, you will be asked to provide proper identification, for security reasons. Important: you should make sure to protect that folder with a .htaccess or .htpasswd file!
  • /cache: contains temporary folders that are generated and re-used in order to alleviate the server's load.
  • /classes: contains all the files pertaining to PrestaShop's object model. Each file represents (and contains) a PHP class, and its methods/properties.
  • /config: contains all of PrestaShop's configuration files. Unless asked to, you should never edit them, as they are directly handled by PrestaShop's installer and back-office.
  • /controllers: contains all the files pertaining to PrestaShop controllers – as in Model-View-Controller (or MVC), the software architecture used by PrestaShop. Each file controls a specific part of PrestaShop.
  • /css: contains all CSS files that are not attached to themes – hence, these are mostly used by the PrestaShop back-office.
  • /docs: contains some documentation. Note: it should be deleted in a production environment.
  • /download: contains your digital products, which can be downloaded: PDFs, MP3s, etc.
  • /img: contains all of PrestaShop's default images, icons and picture files – that, those that do not belong to the theme. This is were you can find the pictures for product categories (/c sub-folder, those for the products (/p sub-folder) and those for the back-office itself (/admin sub-folder}}.
  • /install: contains all the files related to PrestaShop's installer. You will be required to deleted after installation, in order to increase security.
  • /js: contains all JavaScript files that are not attached to themes. Most of them belong to the back-office. This is also where you will find the jQuery framework.
  • /localization: contains all of PrestaShop's localization files – that is, files that contain local information, such as currency, language, tax rules and tax rules groups, states and the various units in use in the chosen country (i.e., volume in liter, weight in kilograms, etc.).
  • /log: contains the log files generated by PrestaShop at various stages, for instance during the installation process.
  • /mails: contains all HTML and text files related to e-mails sent by PrestaShop. Each language has its specific folder, where you can manually edit their content if you wish.
  • /modules: contains all of PrestaShop's modules, each in its own folder. If you wish to definitely remove a module, first uninstall it from the back-office, then only can you delete its folder.
  • /override: this is a special that appeared with PrestaShop 1.4. By using PrestaShop's regular folder/filename convention, it is possible to create files that override PrestaShop's default classes or controllers. This enables you to change PrestaShop core behavior without touching to the original files, keeping them safe for the next update.
  • /themes: contains all the currently-installed themes, each in its own folder.
  • /tools: contains external tools that were integrated into PrestaShop. For instance, this were you'll find Smarty (template/theme engine), FPDF (PDF file generator), Swift (mail sender), PEAR XML Parser (PHP tool).
  • /translations: contains a sub-folder for each available language. However, if you wish to change the translation, you must do so using the PrestaShop internal tool, and not edit them directly in this folder.
  • /upload: contains the files that would be uploaded by clients for customizable products (for instance, a picture that a client wants printed on a mug).
  • /webservice: contains files that enable third-party applications to access PrestaShop through its API.

Moving PrestaShop

A PrestaShop installation does seldom remain at the same physical place. There are many reasons why you would need to move your PrestaShop files and data around:

  • Moving your shop from your local computer to your online server.
  • Moving your shop from a test sub-domain to the main domain.
  • Moving your shop from a server to another.
  • Moving your shop from a domain name to another.

In all of these circumstances, you have to be careful to properly move both all of your files (including the custom images, your themes, the modules you bought...) and all your data (which is contained in your MySQL database).

Moving PrestaShop Within Your Site

Here are the main steps when changing server/domain, or copying from the local hard-drive to the online server:

  1. Put your shop in maintenance mode, so as to not lose new customers or orders will moving the data.
    Go to your back-office, and under the "Preference" tab, set the "Enable shop" option to "No".
  2. Move your files
    1. Make a backup of all the files: connect to your FTP server, and copy all the files and folders to your local hard-drive.
    2. Transfer your files to your new host: Connect to the FTP server for your new host, and copy all the files and folders that you just downloaded to your local hard-drive, as is.
  3. Move your data
    1. Make a backup of you database (a "dump"): connect to phpMyAdmin, click on the "Export" tab, select the database of your PrestaShop installation, and click the "Go" button. Save the downloaded file on your hard-drive. If phpMyAdmin times out before it is able to export all your data, contact your host.
    2. Transfer the SQL dump on the new database: connect to the new server's phpMyAdmin, click on the "Import" tab, click the "Browse..." button and find the SQL file you just downloaded, and click the "Go" button to upload it. If phpMyAdmin times out before it is able to import all your data, contact your new host.
  4. Setting things right
    1. On the new server, open the /config/settings.inc.php file and enter the parameters for the new database server.
    2. Log-in to your back-office, go to the "Preferences" tab, sub-tab "SEO & URLs", and change the domain name for the new domain. Do the same for the SSL domain.
    3. In your back-office, go to the "Tools" tab, "Generators" sub-tab, and regenerate both the .htaccess and robots.txt files.
  5. Connect to your new FTP server and delete the whole content of the following folders (excepts their index.php files):
  • /tools/smarty/cache
  • /tools/smarty/compile
  • /tools/smarty_v2/cache
  • /tools/smarty_v2/compile
  1. Go to your back-office, and under the "Preference" tab, set the "Enable shop" option to "Yes".

You should be good to go! Check that all the links are functioning, that all your products, images, modules and themes are still there, and try to make a full account creation and an order in order to make sure your shop is working as expected.

Moving PrestaShop to a New Server

Here are the main steps when moving PrestaShop within the same server. They are mostly a simpler version of the above steps – we do not touch the data, which supposedly stays on the same MySQL server.

  1. Put your shop in maintenance mode, so as to not lose new customers or orders will moving the data.
    Go to your back-office, and under the "Preference" tab, set the "Enable shop" option to "No".
  2. Move your files
    1. Make a backup of all the files: connect to your FTP server, and copy all the files and folders to your local hard-drive.
    2. Transfer your files to your new host: Connect to the FTP server for your new host, and copy all the files and folders that you just downloaded to your local hard-drive, as is.
  3. Setting things right
    1. Log-in to your back-office, go to the "Preferences" tab, sub-tab "SEO & URLs", and change the domain name for the new domain. Do the same for the SSL domain.
    2. In your back-office, go to the "Tools" tab, "Generators" sub-tab, and regenerate both the .htaccess and robots.txt files.
  4. Connect to your new FTP server and delete the whole content of the following folders (excepts their index.php files):
  • /tools/smarty/cache
  • /tools/smarty/compile
  • /tools/smarty_v2/cache
  • /tools/smarty_v2/compile
  1. Go to your back-office, and under the "Preference" tab, set the "Enable shop" option to "Yes".

You should be good to go! Check that all the links are functioning, that all your products, images, modules and themes are still there, and try to make a full account creation and an order in order to make sure your shop is working as expected.