TOPIC: Integration with Virtuemart

Is there any chance of an integration plugin of DTRegister with Virtuemart? I would like to use JEvents and DTRegister with Virtuemart but I can't seem to find the way.

Thanks,
LC

We will never integrate with Virtuemart. It is way too buggy and is beginning to quickly lose ground as other much better shopping carts are replacing it. We are also dropping JEvents as a required integration in the new 2.7. Once 2.7 is done, we'll be adding many more payment gateway options. THAT is the way to go... NOT relying on another component. Sorry, but we just do not see the VM direction as a good one.

Well, is there any other shopping cart you suggest your extension will work with? When I bought your extension you mentioned the stand-alone future capabilities, but it's still yet to come. [comments deleted]

What I need is a way to attribute points and coupons to customers using whatever booking / payment system, just like those from AlphaPlug. I don't care if I use it with DTRegister, VM, or whatever payment system. [comments deleted]

Luis,
I looked back through previous emails and tickets with you... didn't find anything about the integration you are asking about here. We have NEVER had a plan to integrate with another shopping cart... Virtuemart or any other. The only "stand-alone" feature I told you before that we were working on was dropping the JEvents requirement. We anticipated that coming a bit sooner, but it WILL be out this month.

We have added many new features since you purchased so you can clearly see constant development. No specific features were promised to you... we don't do that. Generally, if someone wants a specific feature now rather than later, they pay to do a custom project with us. You can't expect us to develop whatever features you want, when you want, simply because you purchased the extension.

Our 2.7 version that is coming out this month will give you tons of very exciting new capabilities. If you have a specific payment option you want us to integrate, we can work on custom project. Our goal is that all possible functions be built directly into DT Register. We do not want to build any new functionality that relies on another component. We've done that for too long with JEvents and have learned that it is best to NOT have such direct integration.

Our integration with components like Community Builder and JomSocial is different... it is an added enhancement, but everything will work without it too.

OK, so, do you guys plan to do any bridge with say AlphaPlug points system? That's really my need.

I agree with you in how buggy VM is and the need to better solutions, but VM as LOTS of extensions giving it functionalities that others don’t have. Maybe you “dthadmin”, whoever you are, being a tech guy, should be a little less ticked off by your competitors and a little more concerned about your customers. I shouldn’t have the need to be losing my time with these quid pro quo’s. You should be addressing my concerns or improving your product with my suggestions. Or perhaps you think you don’t have to.

You see, Joomla is a CMS, and the essence of a CMS is integration, things that work together to a common goal, even if they belong to different vendors. When I work with a client on a project I am concerned that everything works seamlessly, without gaps. I also understand that companies are competitive with each other, but Joomla is supposed to be a cooperative project, that is, integration should be always in people's minds. Unfortunately cooperation has been replaced quite often by competition and everyone loses because the pieces don't match together. What a shame.

When I bought your extension I was in the beginning of dealing with joomla. I've done dozens of webs for clients now and I gained quite a bit of experience and know what things should be integrated and which don't really need to. If you want to be a stand alone extension that will require that you create dozens of features that your extension doesn't have just because it doesn't integrate broadly with other features - as such as Alphaplug's point system. You may think whatever you want, that such and such third party extension is rubbish but isolating your extension from most of the others will lead to a dead end.

You do whatever you want with your extension - it's your authorship, your company, your business, I couldn't care less, I'm busy taking care of my own. However, and this is a FREE tip I give you (you see, you never know who you are talking to; I may be a rookie in joomla but I have an MBA and many years of consulting experience): stop being so concerned about others' extensions, help people within limits, and specially don't gripe so much about everything. It seems you forget that I too am customer, and that I should be pleased to buy more and refer you often. Perhaps you don’t need my referrals nor my money, but the fact is simple:

Does your extension allow for:
+ Point redemption system? – You have a Coupon system, but there’s no way to gain points and use them to redeem coupons.
+ Member comments? – don’t see any system like that in your extension.
+ Member profiles (or an enhancement of joomla’s native)? – can’t see any.

Well, you extension doesn’t really have to have all this, but it should interact and seamlessly work with others that do perform these extra functions, that as we all know (or should know), are paramount for a performance website.

I look forward to receive the new DTReg version. Hope it will help me a bit. Perhaps.

LC

I'm not griping or ticked off about anything. Maybe you are reading more into what I said. Don't know... Anyway, my comments have nothing to do with competition at all. VM is not a competitor. No shopping cart is. You can't accomplish the tasks of DT Register with shopping cart. So you are a bit off track with your assessment of myself or our company. I'm not going to argue with you though. No need.

Everything we build into DT Register comes from user comments. Our customers. To say we don't care or listen to that is a bit silly. Ask the people that have used DT Register for a long time and they'll tell you the massive amounts of new features we've added... almost all based on user requests. You know what our biggest complaint has been? The requirement to integrate with JEvents. People don't want to have to use multiple extensions to accomplish one task. We are listening to that and dropping that need. That is what we base our plan to NOT add any new extension requirements. Our customer's requests. No shopping cart system will probably ever be built into integration with DT Register as we don't feel it is necessary.

For commenting... maybe we'll integrate with another system for that one day. Would likely be built in directly though. We haven't dug into that one much though yet.

For a points system... yes, integration with another system would make more sense there. There are no present plans for this in place, but it is certainly something we'd like to incorporate. A few people (very small in number) have expressed interest in this.

For enhanced member profiles... this is what Community Builder and JomSocial are for, which we already integrate with. More integration controls here are included in 2.7 too.

Thanks for your comments and tips.