I’m always having to Google the code for a Javascript back link; therefore, I thought I would save myself the time and post an example on my blog:

<a href="javascript: history.go(-1)">Back</a>

If you read the title of this post and you said, "What the heck is DNS Cache?". Let me recommend that you return to looking at Picture of the Day. On the other hand, if you’re interested in what I’m talking about read on:

Today I’ve been waiting for a domain to point to my web server. Furthermore, the sooner this happens the better. Well, as it turns out, a quick check of the domain at DNSreport.com shows that the DNS for this domain has been updated properly. However, when I browse the web via my office cable Internet connection, the domain is still pointing to its old name servers.

In order to confirm that I am experiencing a problem via my cable Internet connection, from a command prompt, I run:

C:\> tracert mydomain.com

The response is:

C:\> Tracing route to mydomain.com [***.***.***.***] over a maximum of 30 hops…

1. **** Request timed out
2. **** Request timed out
3. **** Request timed out
4. **** Request timed out

and so on and so forth. 

Well, what this seems to indicate is that I can’t browse to mydomain.com because my cable Internet provider’s DNS cache hasn’t been updated. Therefore, I do the following to flush my DNS cache:

1. Start > Run "cmd"
2. Do "ipconfig" to see your IP
3. Do "ipconfig /release" then "ipconfig /renew" 
4. Do "ipconfig /flushdns"
5. Now, do "nslookup mydomain.com". 

Now, if the DNS cache was your problem, you should be able to view mydomain.com via your web browser. 

Here’s a link to an off-site tutorial for an excellent way to display images on your website. Perhaps I’ll get around to implementing it around here some day:

From the website:
Lightbox JS is a simple, unobtrusive script used to to overlay images on the current page. It’s a snap to setup and works on all modern browsers.

I’ve created the following tutorial in response to topic 47148: osCommerce and WordPress at WordPress Support.

While I have been programming PHP for a while, I am new to both OS Commerce and WordPress. That being said, for this integration I have tried to follow the coding standards for creating a new OS Commerce page. If you see any refinements I need to make to my code, feel free to comment. I hope this helps all of you who are looking to integrate OS Commerce and WordPress.

1. Create a file for your WordPress blog in the root folder of your OS Commerce install. For our purposes, we’ll name this file blog.php. The contents of this file are as follows:

   <?php
   /*
   Title: Embedding WordPress into OS Commerce
   Author: Michael Wender (www.michaelwender.com)
   Disclaimer: This Software is provided "AS IS" and without warranty of any kind. The user assumes all risks associated with its use and installation.
   $Id: blog.php,v 1.1.1.1 2004/03/04 23:38:02 ccwjr Exp $
   
   osCommerce, Open Source E-Commerce Solutions
   
   http://www.oscommerce.com
   
   Copyright (c) 2003 osCommerce
   Released under the GNU General Public License
   */
   
   // turn off WordPress themes and include the WordPress</b> core:
   define('WP_USE_THEMES', false);
   require('./wordpress/wp-blog-header.php');
   
   require('includes/application_top.php');
   require(DIR_WS_LANGUAGES . $language . '/' . FILENAME_BLOG);
   $breadcrumb->add(NAVBAR_TITLE, tep_href_link(FILENAME_BLOG));
   $content = CONTENT_BLOG;
   require(DIR_WS_TEMPLATES . TEMPLATE_NAME . '/' . TEMPLATENAME_BLOG_PAGE);
   require(DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'application_bottom.php');
   ?>
   

2. Open the file oscommerce_root/includes/filenames.php.
   • Find the section that begins with the comment // define the content used in the project, and add the following code:

   define('CONTENT_BLOG', 'blog');

   • Find the section that begins with // define the filenames used in the project, and add the following:

   define('FILENAME_BLOG', CONTENT_BLOG . '.php');

   • Find the section that begins with // define the templatenames used in the project, and add the following:

   define('TEMPLATENAME_BLOG_PAGE', 'blog_page.tpl.php');

3. Create the following file: oscommerce_root/templates/your_template_dir/blog_page.tpl.php (Note: This file’s filename matches the variable you defined as TEMPLATENAME_BLOG_PAGE in filenames.php).

   The contents of this file will vary according to which template you are using (to start, I suggest making a copy of your main_page.tpl.php); however, the body content on this page will be your WordPress blog. You will display your blog using The WordPress Loop. The following file is only meant to show you how to get started. Your blog_page.tpl.php will vary according to the template you are using in OS Commerce:

   <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
   <html <?php echo HTML_PARAMS; ?>>
   <head>
   <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;
   charset=<?php echo CHARSET; ?>">
   <?php
   if ( file_exists(DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'header_tags.php') ) {
     require(DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'header_tags.php');
   } else {
   ?>
     <title><?php echo TITLE ?></title>
   <?php
   }
   ?>
   <base href="<?php echo (($request_type == 'SSL') ? HTTPS_SERVER : HTTP_SERVER) . DIR_WS_CATALOG; ?>">
   <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="<? echo TEMPLATE_STYLE;?>">
   </head>
   <body onload="preloadImages();" style="background-color: #8E8B8B;">
   <!-- warnings //-->
   <?php require(DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'warnings.php'); ?>
   <!-- warning_eof //-->
   
   <!-- header //-->
   <?php require(DIR_WS_TEMPLATES . TEMPLATE_NAME .'/header.php'); ?>
   <!-- header_eof //-->
   <?php
   	// INSERT YOUR WordPress Loop Code HERE:
   	if (have_posts()) :
   	   while (have_posts()) :
   		  the_post();
   		  the_content();
   	   endwhile;
   	endif;
   	// END WordPress Loop Code
   ?>
   <!-- footer //-->
   <?php require(DIR_WS_TEMPLATES . TEMPLATE_NAME .'/footer.php'); ?>
   <!-- footer_eof //-->
   </body>
   </html>
   

   A discussion of The WordPress Loop is beyond the scope of this tutorial; however, here are some excellent resources:

   • The WordPress Loop
   • The WordPress
     Loop in Action
4. Create the following file: oscommerce_root/includes/languages/your_language/blog.php (Note: This file must be named the same as the file you created in step 1). The contents of this file are as follows:

   <?php
   /*
   Title: Embedding WordPress into OS Commerce
   Author: Michael Wender (www.michaelwender.com)
   Disclaimer: This Software is provided "AS IS" and without warranty of any kind. The user assumes all risks associated with its use and installation.
   
   $Id: blog.php,v 1.2 2004/03/05 00:36:42 ccwjr Exp $
   
   osCommerce, Open Source E-Commerce Solutions
   
   http://www.oscommerce.com
   
   Copyright (c) 2003 osCommerce
   
   Released under the GNU General Public License
   */
   
   define('NAVBAR_TITLE', STORE_NAME. ' Blog');
   define('HEADING_TITLE', 'Blog');
   ?>
   

5. Okay, your WordPress blog should now be embedded into your OS Commerce install. Keep in mind that you will need to adjust your menus and links to point to this new page you have created. If your OS Commerce install is located in your site’s web root, and you have used the same filenames suggested in this tutorial, then the link to your blog will be: http://your-domain.com/blog.php.