Template Branches

[Mark Hood]

Congratulations!

[RTHOMASDESIGN]

Hey Everyone,
I figured I'd take some time and write about what is and what isn't branch-specific with Miva's Template Branches. Miva's documentation on this is limited. Practically every developer and store owner I work with doesn't realize the power behind template branches. Half the time they don't realize that the majority of editable code is branch-specific. I think part of the confusion is due to the fact that many settings are inherited when adding a new branch (as they should be). They see that the settings are the same across branches and assume that they're global – which is not always the case!

So what is branch-specific?

USER INTERFACE
(In order of what a typical store owner accesses most frequently IME)

Global = A change made within the branch affects all branches.
Branch-specific = A change made within the branch is specific to the branch being worked on.

1. User Interface > Theme Components
   1. Settings
      1. Look & Feel (logo, etc.): Branch-specific
      2. Social Icons: Branch-specific
      3. Trust Symbol: Branch-specific
   2. Images
      1. Images are branch-specific. The enabling & disabling (active status) of images is also branch-specific.
      1. Name: Branch-specific
      2. Image: Branch-specific
      3. Alt Text: Branch-specific
      4. Link: Branch-specific
      5. CSS ID: Branch-specific
      6. CSS Class: Branch-specific
      7. Code: Global. Be careful changing codes if the tag is referenced in templates.
   3. Banners
      1. Message: Branch-specific
      2. description: Branch-specific
      3. CSS ID: Branch-specific
      4. CSS Class: Branch-specific
      5. Code: Global. Be careful changing codes if the tag is referenced in templates.
   4. Content Sections
      1. Name: Branch-specific
      2. Description: Branch-specific
      3. Content: Branch-specific
      4. Code: Global. Be careful changing codes if the tag is referenced in templates.
   5. Product Listings
      1. Name: Branch-specific
      2. Description: Branch-specific
      3. Template: Branch-specific
      4. Settings: Branch-specific--e.g. product links, custom fields, product images (and size), default sort method, number of products, and products to display are branch-specific.
      5. Code: Global. Be careful changing codes if the tag is referenced in templates.
   6. Navigation Sets
      I see a lot of confusion here. Navigation sets are branch-specific.
      1. The name, description, layout, and template are branch-specific.
      2. Navigation items ARE branch-specific. Yes, you can have completely new and different navigation sets from branch to branch. The possibilities are endless (if only they could be copied/imported somehow).
      3.Code: Global. Be careful changing codes if the tag is referenced in templates.
2. User Interface > CSS/Javascript Resources
   Resources are branch-specific. You need to make sure that the resources are referencing the correct assets.
3. User Interface > Global Settings
   1. Settings: Branch Specific. Everything contained within settings is branch-specific (yes, even the Mailchimp layout).
   2. Search Settings: Branch-specific
   3. SEO: Branch-specific
   4. THE FOLLOWING ARE GLOBAL
      - Image Types: Global (if one is created, it’s created across all branches)
      - Error Messages: Global
      - Searchable Fields: Global
4. User Interface > Templates
   1. Pages
      1. Names: Global -- you need to be very careful if you intend on using page names for SEO purposes.
      2. Templates are branch-specific across the board. This includes product list layouts, category layouts, content items, etc.
      3. Items: Global. If an item is assigned to a page in one branch, it’ll be assigned in all others.
      4. SEO: Global. SEO settings for pages are global.
      5. URIs: Global

UTILITIES/ORDER FULFILLMENT

1. Template Based Emails: Templates are branch-specific, settings are global.
2. Template Based Batch Reports: Templates are branch-specific
3. Google Analytics Tracking Code: Branch-specific

CATALOG (primarily global)
(In order of what a typical store owner accesses most frequently IME)

1. Products: Product settings are global. If the intent is to make major catalog changes, it’s best to do so in a dedicated developer store, or prepare changes in a spreadsheet for upload upon completion of a project.
2. Categories - Everything is global , other than:
   1. Title Image: Branch-specific
   2. Tree Image: Branch-specific
   3. Header: Branch-specific
   4. Footer: Branch-specific

MARKETING
Feed templates are branch-specific. However, Miva will always process the primary branch’s template for a feed. Everything else under marketing is global.

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I work within many different branches on a daily basis and have redesigned multiple sites from the ground up just using template branches. It’s possible! A dedicated development store is not always needed. Hopefully some of the insights above benefit those who read it.

*If in doubt, make a change in a dev branch and check. It's very easy to bounce back and forth between branches.*

For Miva: The implementation of template branches was the biggest improvement as a dev to the platform I’ve seen. It's been amazing! However, I have a huge complaint... In the admin there is no indication of the branch you're in outside of “User Interface.” Developers NEED something like this visible at all times:

Developers should easily be able to switch between branches at anytime while in the admin. This would save a lot of time, energy, and confusion.

In the unlikely event that you read this far/unrelated news:
I got married last month :)
Here’s a link to our highlight video if you’d like to watch: https://youtu.be/i70oMNvOG7k

-Ryan