Yes, I've been working on my Canadian Retail Sales Tax extension for Tienda.

The exercise has raised many questions.

The single biggest question raised is: do I modify core PHP files?

The single biggest answer is: yes.

The idea that Tienda supply generalized tax handling, and TPD provide the necessary tax localization, is a good idea. It just doesn't work for Canada.

Tienda calculates taxes, then launches the event for TPD's Joomla plug-ins to over-write the Tienda taxes.

Nope. I do not want Tienda to calculate taxes at all!

So I'm going to make one little itty-bitty surgical incision into one Tienda source PHP file to stop the Tienda tax calculation before it starts.

Messing with the source code is something I really don't want to do. I am scarred by my Virtuemart programming. But.. yes, there's a but... for everything there is a season. With Virtuemart I had to insinuate my code into the source, no way around it. If all it takes with Tienda is a precise surgical incision into one single solitary place within one function within one PHP file, then fine. Huge payoff, small cost.

Of course, one thing led to another, and I was having a lot of fun with my own "Bob" files alongside the native Tienda files. Not touching more source files, but mimicking Tienda core processing by using "tax_bob.php" instead of "tax.php" (which is completely fictitious, no such files exist). An incision here, an incision there -- what's a few incisions into the source code to direct the core processing to use my own "Bob" files instead of the Tienda files?

As fun and wonderful as this is, it's a lousy precedent. I do not want to grow an entire portfolio of Tienda extensions that require parallel php files. This will become unmanage-able; and, becomes quite a risk when things change around in Tienda. Then I have to change things around in my extensions -- yuck.

Now, why don't I just write a feature request in the Tienda project tracker asking for the creation of the "beforeOnTaxCalculation" event and an IF statement based on that event to prevent Tienda from calculating taxes?

Well, I could. And I might. But what about the existing version? What do we do until the fix is released? Do nothing?

Doing nothing is not an option. My Canadian Tax extension is part of my Software Club in my new http://SouthLaSalleADVISOR.com site. All my extensions will be treated the same way, for the same reason. I'm in the midst of setting up my Advisor Site with my Software Club, so I'll have more info on this -- probably within new site.

Canadian consultants using Tienda will find my Advisor Site extremely worthwhile. If we've not corresponded before, introduce yourself.

-Bob

I am starting three new sites:

SouthLaSalleAdvisor.com

SouthLaSalleMedia.com

LaSalleCRM.com

My Club site is already set-up, but I've delayed its launch for 2+ months due to experiencing "angst" about it. Something just didn't seem right, and I couldn't figure it out. Until I did figure it out, no way I was going to launch it.

Well, my angst evaporated last Thursday. I had the epiphany I needed to get out of my funk.

I will focus on Joomla ecommerce as an industry; instead of focusing on my favoured Joomla ecommerce technologies.

SouthLaSalleAdvisor.com is my Club subscription site for Joomla ecommerce professionals.

A must-have resource site for consultants with Joomla ecommerce clients, my site will include:

• Learn-to-Earn;
• Practice Management;
• Software Club.

There has been continued resistance to my dropping Virtuemart. My clients have been very vocal, so there is a very select few that are receiving continued Virtuemart love from me. My Canadian Tax add-on is still in demand, and in response to the continuing stream of emails I have re-posted my add-on (see my "Fellow Canadians" box on the right).

I've been mulling over conversations that go something like this: one cannot install that which is not yet available, so how might a Virtuemart installation today be accomplished with Tienda Enterprise in mind for tomorrow? Well, you know, that's a heckuva question! 

Despite my biases, and my wish to "move on", it just does not make sense to have a site catering to Joomla ecommerce consultants that is silent about Virtuemart.

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My "Advisor" site will also be the site people will visit to learn about Joomla ecommerce consultants. There will be listings, and other accroutements, for the public. My "Advisor" site will boost the perception of Joomla ecommerce in general; and, will help match clients with my Club consultant members.

My new "Media" site will also enhance Joomla ecommerce in general and my Club members in particular. My last BlogTalkRadio show will be August 12th. Then I will start podcast only shows on my new "Media" site in the fall. One of the four weekly shows I'm considering is a show featuring my Club consultants.

The portfolio of Joomla ecommerce offerings has one glaring omission: Customer Relationship Management. I'm so frustrated that I'm kick-starting this project myself. Hence, the birth of LaSalleCRM.com.

LaSalleCRM is unabashedly made for Joomla ecommerce consultants, who will use it on their client sites in order to make recurring incremental income for their clients. From a consultant's point of view, the lifecycle of a Joomla ecommerce site inhibits revenue growth. Almost all revenue potential is skewed to the front-end site initiation.  LaSalleCRM fills this gaping hole for consultants, and builds revenue for site owners.

There's so much to explain! First things first, I have to rebuild my Club site. My July 22nd BTR show with Alice Grevet will be about my new sites (and Alice's new adventures in Joomla-land). There will be more to come!