Question

I am trying to essentially create a split screen view, one grid of a remote repository full of products, and another alongside it showing the local repository in a grid.

I think that essentially sums it up, I’ll give partial credit if you can tell me how to simply incorporate the remote source into the grid… I think I could handle it from there even. Please be thoughtful, I don’t really want to hear how to configure my resources in the config.xml, I already can do that with a remote database, i just can’t get the objects/collections to load from it.

Thanks guys.

Answer 1

OK– So for those of us who’ve tried something like this, the first thing you realize is that when you want more than one database as a source in your module… you actually need 2 modules to do so (someone chime in and correct me if i’m wrong).

Step 1: Create a “dummy” module to connect with your remote database. This module should pretty much just contain etc/ and Model/ — there’s no real need for anything else. My config.xml looks as follows:

<config>
<modules>
    <Mage_RepoDummy>
        <version>0.1.0</version>
    </Mage_RepoDummy>
</modules>

<global>
    <resources>
        <repodummy_write>
            <connection>
                <use>repodummy_database</use>
            </connection>
        </repodummy_write>
        <repodummy_read>
            <connection>
                <use>repodummy_database</use>
            </connection>
        </repodummy_read>
        <repodummy_setup>
            <connection>
                <use>core_setup</use>
            </connection>
        </repodummy_setup>
        <repodummy_database>
            <connection>
                <host><![CDATA[localhost]]></host>
                <username><![CDATA[brandrepo]]></username>
                <password><![CDATA[*******]]></password>
                <dbname><![CDATA[brandrepo]]></dbname>
                <model>mysql4</model>
                <type>pdo_mysql</type>
                <active>1</active>
            </connection>           
        </repodummy_database>                 
    </resources>      
     <models>
        <repodummy>
            <class>Mage_RepoDummy_Model</class>
            <resourceModel>repodummy_mysql4</resourceModel>
        </repodummy>
        <repodummy_mysql4>
            <class>Mage_RepoDummy_Model_Mysql4</class>
            <entities>
                <product>
                    <table>catalog_product_entity</table>
                </product>
            </entities>
        </repodummy_mysql4>
    </models>
</global>

<adminhtml>  
</adminhtml>

Now you’ll need the following model and resource files:

/Model/Product.php
/Model/Mysql4/Product.php
/Model/Mysql4/Product/Collection.php

In Product.php:

class Mage_RepoDummy_Model_Product extends Mage_Catalog_Model_Abstract
{
    public function _construct()
    {
        $this->_init('repodummy/product', 'entity_id'); 
    }
} 

In Mysql4/Product.php

class Mage_RepoDummy_Model_Mysql4_Product extends Mage_Catalog_Model_Resource_Abstract
{
    public function __construct()
    {
        parent::__construct();
        $this->setType(Mage_Catalog_Model_Product::ENTITY)
             ->setConnection('repodummy_read', 'repodummy_write');
        $this->_productWebsiteTable  = $this->getTable('catalog/product_website');
        $this->_productCategoryTable = $this->getTable('catalog/category_product');
    }
} 

And In Mysql4/Product/Collection.php

class Mage_RepoDummy_Model_Mysql4_Product_Collection extends Mage_Catalog_Model_Resource_Collection_Abstract {

    protected function _construct()
    {
            $this->_init('repodummy/product');
    }
} 

Just barebones type stuff, like you’d do for any basic model in Magento. Now from another module, that’s rigged to any other database, probably/possibly your local instance, you can access this remote data store by invoking your dummy object, if you wanted to test this just do something simple like:

    $test = Mage::getModel('repodummy/product')->load(10367);

    die("::".$test->getSku()."::");

…and this model should function just like your typical product model for the most part, except you’re using a remote database, happy coding!