AbleCommerce Source Code Availability
AbleCommerce is a composed of ASP.NET scripts, built using the objects provided
by the CommerceBuilder® API. The source for all web scripts is included with
the standard AbleCommerce purchase. In virtually all cases, this is the only source
code you will ever need – even for complex customizations.
Do I need to purchase the source code?
Highly unlikely. The CommerceBuilder® API provides an object-oriented framework
for interacting with your store. Website customizations of all kinds can be done
purely through the ASP.NET web scripts and/or your own custom libraries. You can
leverage the classes and methods of the CommerceBuilder® API in the same way
that our developers do. By using the binaries as provided by AbleCommerce, you will
be able to benefit from updates with a minimum of hassle. When new builds are released
– whether for bug fixes or new features, you can simply update your binaries and
know that the custom ASP.NET code will continue to function.
Why might I want source code?
There are a few reasons you might want the source code option. You may be a developer
that needs to implement custom business logic which can only be done by altering
the core libraries. Or perhaps you are a merchant who feels more secure knowing
you have the source code to a proprietary library. Or you may be a developer interested
to see the inner workings of the objects to assist in your customizations.
What does the source code include?
When you purchase the source code option, you will receive our source code for each
of the core DLLs provided in source form: CommerceBuilder, CommerceBuilder.Data,
CommerceBuilder.DataClient.Api, and CommerceBuilder.Web.UI. These will come in both
Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 projects featuring C# source code. The code is compiled
against the.NET 2.0 framework. This will allow you to build your own custom versions
of our binaries, such as CommerceBuilder.dll and the provider assemblies.
There is also a CommerceBuilder.Providers folder. Within here are various solution
files that contains the projects for our integrated payment and shipping provider
projects. However these solutions are only provided in VS2005 format. You can easily
convert them to 2008 using the upgrade wizard of Visual Studio if necessary.
What are the pros and cons of building a custom library?
If you make customized builds of the CommerceBuilder® assemblies, you can change
virtually anything about the application. If you can’t achieve your needs any other
way, then the source code is for you! However, keep in mind this will affect your
upgradeability. Once you go down the path of customized builds, upgrading your libraries
will become a manual task. If we release an update to the library, you will be able
to receive refreshed source code. Then it will be your responsibility to merge the
updates from our code into your custom library.