Table of content

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Overriding default behaviors

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Classes and controllers are usually built following a certain norm. Here is the the Product class and controller:

• /classes/Product.php
  This class would be called ProductCore.
• /controllers/front/ProductController.php
  This controller would be called ProductControllerCore.

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In order to override the Product class, your file needs to be called Product.php and must feature a Product class that the then extends ProductCore class.

The file can be placed in either of these locations:

• /override/classes/Product.php
• /modules/my_module/override/classes/Product.php

Overriding a controller

In order to override the ProductController class, your file needs to be called ProductController.php and must feature a ProductController class that the then extends ProductControllerCore class.

The file can be placed in either of these locations:

• /override/controllers/front/ProductController.php
• /modules/my_module/override/controllers/front/ProductController.php

Overriding other behaviors

PrestaShop has certain folders files you can use to override elements such as displaying redirections (_Tools.php) and measuring hook execution time (_Module.php), etc. you can enable them by removing the "_" prefix. For instance, rename _Tools.php into Tools.php. If there already exists a Tools.php override, you will have to merge it with yours.

Overriding a module's behavior

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• /themes/my_theme/modules/my_module/my_module.tpl
• /themes/my_theme/css/modules/my_modulesmodule/my_module.css
• /themes/my_theme/js/modules/my_modulesmodule/my_module.js

Since PrestaShop 1.5, the path is slightly longer

• /themes/my_theme/modules/my_module/views/templates/front/my_module.tpl
• /themes/my_theme/css/modules/my_modulesmodule/views/templates/front/my_module.css
• /themes/my_theme/js/modules/my_modulesmodule/views/templates/front/my_module.js

In general, the proper path to override a .tpl, .js or .css file depends on the module's own path. That is the reason why if PrestaShop 1.5 has to work with a module without a view folder, it will need the same override path.
In short, you can keep overriding code in 1.5 just as you did in 1.4.

The new files will be used when the customer loads your shop.

Manipulating the override code manually

Modules and themes may add an override to a default behavior, and PrestaShop takes care of reseting the /cache/class_index.php file.

But sometimes you need to add that overriding code yourself, manually uploading the file to your server. In that case, you need to trigger the regeneration of the /cache/class_index.php file yourself. This is done simply by deleting the file: if PrestaShop cannot find the file, it will regenerate it, taking all the overrides into account.

It is the same when manually removing an override: in order to reinstate the default behavior, you must delete the /cache/class_index.php file.

Sample code

Example 1

Using the MySQL.php data class is simply impossible while trying to enter data into a different database from PrestaShop's on the same MySQL Server. (Really!)

The solution is to use the following override of the MySQLCore class:

<?php
class MySQL extends MySQLCore
{
	public function __construct($server, $user, $password, $database, $newlink = false)
	{
		$this->_server = $server;
		$this->_user = $user;
		$this->_password = $password;
		$this->_type = _DB_TYPE_;
		$this->_database = $database;

		$this->connect($newlink);
	}
	
	public function connect($newlink = false)
	{
		if (!defined('_PS_DEBUG_SQL_'))
			define('_PS_DEBUG_SQL_', false);

		if ( $this->_link = mysql_connect($this->_server, $this->_user, $this->_password, $newlink) )
		{
			if (!$this->set_db($this->_database))
				die(Tools::displayError('The database selection cannot be made.'));
		}
		else
			die(Tools::displayError('Link to database cannot be established.'));

		/* UTF-8 support */
		if (!mysql_query('SET NAMES \'utf8\'', $this->_link))
			die(Tools::displayError('PrestaShop Fatal error: no utf-8 support. Please check your server configuration.'));
		// removed SET GLOBAL SQL_MODE: we can't do that (see PSCFI-1548)
		return $this->_link;
	}
}
?>

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The last parameter forces the creation of a MySQL connection.

Example 2

/*
 * This override allows you to use ajax-tab.php to make any admin action.
 * Use it for crontask for example
*/
class AdminTab extends AdminTabCore {
		public function ajaxProcess()
		{
			return $this->postProcess();
		}
}

Example 3

/*
 * Create a cron task to make periodical database backup
 * (please test before use, I have not tested it yet in a real-world situation!)
*/
class AdminTab extends AdminTabCore{
	public function ajaxProcess()
	{			 
			// Here we call the same thing as if we did the old way
			// + with "if": maybe we want to limit its use to only adding backup
			// note: find yourself a way to get the file link if you want to send it by mail!
			if (isset($_REQUEST['addbackup']))
				return $this->postProcess();
	} 

	public function displayAjax()
	{
		if (sizeof($this->_errors) > 0)
		{
				// handle errors 
				// for example, send mail with all error msg
				$content = '';
				foreach($this->_errors as $errorMsg)
					 $content .= $errorMsg;
				
					 $lang = Configuration::get('PS_LANG_DEFAULT');
					 // here we send a mail to give the result of the process
					 // notice: you have to create template mails files
					 Mail::Send($lang, 'backuptaskdone', '[autobackup] report backup error', array('backup_link'=>)), $to); 
		}
		else
		{
				// no error, but maybe we want a mail ?
				if(Configuration::get('PS_NOTICE_SUCCEED_BACKUP')) 
				{
					// fileAttachment available, see 9th param of Send() method in classes/Mail.php
					// + we can add a condition "if (Configuration::get('PS_AUTOBACKUP_SEND_FILE'))"
					 Mail::Send($lang, 'backuptaskerror', '[autobackup] report backup error', array('vars to use in tpl'), $to); 
				}
		}
	return true;
	}
}

Example 4

/*
 * This override allows you to use ajax-tab.php to make any admin action.
 * Use it for crontask for example
*/
class AdminTab extends AdminTabCore {
	public function ajaxProcess()
	{
		return $this->postProcess();
	}
}

Example 3

/*
 * With this override, you have a new Smarty variable called "currentController" available in header.tpl
 * This allows you to use a different header if you are on a product page, category page or home.
 */
class FrontController extends FrontControllerCore {
	public function displayHeaderinitHeader()
	{
		self::$smarty->assign('currentController', get_class($this));
		return parent::displayHeaderinitHeader();
	}
}