By extracting the code from the cache management controller I was able to build a custom script that can be called via command line on the server and that will allow you to do a full cache refresh without any kind of time limit or connection timeout issues. The only requirement is shell access to your website files by SSH, Telnet or a terminal of some sort.

Put this file inside /app/ right next to the Mage.php file. To use it, you can simply navigate to the /app folder with your SSH client (or terminal if you run the website on your local PC) do php -f clearcache.php or for fastcgi adepts php-cgi -f clearcache.php

Call the file clearcache.php and you can comment out the parts you don’t need if you only want to refresh one kind of resource (ie: comment out the stock status try/catch block if you don’t want to refresh product stocks).

<?php

ini_set('memory_limit', '512M');

require './Mage.php';

Mage::app('admin');
Mage::setIsDeveloperMode(true);

if (!Mage::app()->isInstalled()) {
    echo "Application is not installed yet, please complete install wizard first.";
    exit(1);
}

// Only for urls
// Don't remove this
$_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'] = 'index.php';

try
{
    // CLEAN CACHE
    Mage::app()->cleanCache();
    echo 'Cleared all caches' . "\n";

    // CATALOG REWRITES
    try {
        Mage::getSingleton('catalog/url')->refreshRewrites();
        echo 'Catalog Rewrites were refreshed successfully' . "\n";
    }
    catch (Mage_Core_Exception $e) {
        echo $e->getMessage() . "\n";
    }
    catch (Exception $e) {
        echo 'Error while refreshed Catalog Rewrites. Please try again later' . "\n";
    }

    // IMAGE CACHE
    try {
        Mage::getModel('catalog/product_image')->clearCache();
        echo 'Image cache was cleared succesfuly' . "\n";
    }
    catch (Mage_Core_Exception $e) {
        echo $e->getMessage() . "\n";
    }
    catch (Exception $e) {
        echo 'Error while cleared Image cache. Please try again later' . "\n";
    }

    // LAYERED NAV
    try {
        $flag = Mage::getModel('catalogindex/catalog_index_flag')->loadSelf();
        if ($flag->getState() == Mage_CatalogIndex_Model_Catalog_Index_Flag::STATE_RUNNING) {
            $kill = Mage::getModel('catalogindex/catalog_index_kill_flag')->loadSelf();
            $kill->setFlagData($flag->getFlagData())->save();
        }

        $flag->setState(Mage_CatalogIndex_Model_Catalog_Index_Flag::STATE_QUEUED)->save();
        Mage::getSingleton('catalogindex/indexer')->plainReindex();
        echo 'Layered Navigation Indices were refreshed successfully' . "\n";
    }
    catch (Mage_Core_Exception $e) {
        echo $e->getMessage() . "\n";
    }
    catch (Exception $e) {
        echo 'Error while refreshed Layered Navigation Indices. Please try again later' . "\n";
    }

    // SEARCH INDEX
    try {
        Mage::getSingleton('catalogsearch/fulltext')->rebuildIndex();
        echo 'Search Index was rebuilded successfully' . "\n";
    }
    catch (Mage_Core_Exception $e) {
        echo $e->getMessage() . "\n";
    }
    catch (Exception $e) {
        echo 'Error while rebuilded Search Index. Please try again later' . "\n";
    }

    // STOCK STATUS
    try {
        Mage::getSingleton('cataloginventory/stock_status')->rebuild();
        echo 'CatalogInventory Stock Status was rebuilded successfully' . "\n";
    }
    catch (Mage_Core_Exception $e) {
        echo $e->getMessage() . "\n";
    }
    catch (Exception $e) {
        echo 'Error while rebuilded CatalogInventory Stock Status. Please try again later' . "\n";
    }

    // CLEAN CACHE
    Mage::app()->cleanCache();
    echo 'Cleared all caches' . "\n";    

    echo  "\n" . 'Cache clear complete!' . "\n";

    exit(0);
}
catch (Exception $e) {
    Mage::printException($e);
}

exit(1);

Theres an easy way to add your own theme folder and use it to customize the look of your admin control panel. All files that aren’t included in your theme will fall back to the default Magento theme, thus avoiding any problems with missing templates and making it a lot easier to change only a few files.

Add a new adminhtml theme

Start by adding a new folder inside the app/design/adminhtml/default folder. To start out, the folder should also contain one sub-folders called template.

So, for example, you add a folder called mytheme, and inside it you add another folder called template.

Overriding Magento configuration

All you have to do is add a new config.xml file inside app/code/local/MyCompany/Adminhtml/etc. Add the following code inside the file:

Note: if you created this file by following one of my earlier guides you don’t have to create it again and you would simply add the <stores> section at the appropriate location inside the existing file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<config>
    <modules>
        <MyCompany_Adminhtml>
            <version>0.1.1</version>
        </MyCompany_Adminhtml>
    </modules>
    <stores>
        <admin>
            <!-- override default admin design package and theme -->
            <design>
                <package>
                    <name>default</name>
                </package>
                <theme>
                    <default>mytheme</default>
                </theme>
            </design>
        </admin>
    </stores>
</config>

You will also have to tell Magento about this new module in an XML file placed inside /app/etc/modules. This file could be called MyCompany.xml and inside you would copy/paste:

Note: if you created this file by following one of my earlier guides you don’t have to create it again.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<config>
    <modules>
        <MyCompany_Adminhtml>
	    <active>true</active>
            <codePool>local</codePool>
            <depends>
                <Mage_Adminhtml />
            </depends>
        </MyCompany_Adminhtml>
    </modules>
</config>

Changing template files

Now to change the default Magento templates you basically copy the .phtml files from the app/design/adminhtml/default/default/template folder into your own template folder and change the contents of the .phtml file to suit your needs.

For example, if you want to change the login box and remove the Magento copyright message:

Copy app/design/adminhtml/default/default/template/login.phml into the app/design/adminhtml/default/mytheme/template folder and then change the <p class=”legal”></p> to put your own legal note.

Create a new package under app/code/local , for this example lets make a “MyCompany” package. If you already have an existing package for your magento mods you can use that one but you will have to change all references to MyCompany in the following code.

Create folder app/code/local/MyCompany

Create a new module called “Adminhtml” containing a “Block” folder and a “etc” folder.

Create folder app/code/local/MyCompany/Adminhtml

Create folder app/code/local/MyCompany/Adminhtml/Block

Create folder app/code/local/MyCompany/Adminhtml/etc

Add a “Notification” folder inside the Block folder.

Create folder app/code/local/MyCompany/Adminhtml/Block/Notification

Create Toolbar.php inside the MyCompany/Block/Notification folder.

<?php
/**
 * Block all notifications
 */
class MyCompany_Adminhtml_Block_Notification_Toolbar extends Mage_Adminhtml_Block_Template
{
    public function isShow()
    {
	return false;
    }

    public function isMessageWindowAvailable()
    {
        return false;
    }
}

Create Window.php inside the MyCompany/Adminhtml/Block/Notification folder.

<?php
/**
 * Prevent popup window
 */
class MyCompany_Adminhtml_Block_Notification_Window extends Mage_Adminhtml_Block_Notification_Window
{
    public function canShow()
    {
        return false;
    }
}

Create config.xml file inside the MyCompany/Adminhtml/etc folder

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<config>

    <modules>
        <MyCompany_Adminhtml>
            <version>0.1.0</version>
        </MyCompany_Adminhtml>
    </modules>

    <global>

        <blocks>
          <adminhtml>
              <rewrite>
             	  <notification_window>MyCompany_Adminhtml_Block_Notification_Window</notification_window>
		  <notification_toolbar>MyCompany_Adminhtml_Block_Notification_Toolbar</notification_toolbar>
              </rewrite>
          </adminhtml>
        </blocks>

    </global>

</config>

Last but not least, you have to create a new Modules XML file to load your module. Create MyCompany.xml inside the app/etc/modules folder.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<config>
    <modules>
        <MyCompany_Adminhtml>
	    <active>true</active>
            <codePool>local</codePool>
            <depends>
                <Mage_Adminhtml />
            </depends>
        </MyCompany_Adminhtml>
    </modules>
</config>

1. Click File->New…->Other…

2. Click on the Java folder and select Existing project using Ant buildfile….

3. Click next

4. A message should popup asking you if you want to enable Ant, click OK

5. Close the new project wizard, you don’t have to actually create a project.

Go to Window->Show View->Other…, the Ant view should now be in the list.

Enjoy

This is a list of API functions discovered by reading plugin.c in the mysql_proxy SVN source. The list may be incomplete or not entirely accurate.

Bear with me as I try to get better <pre> tag stylization, right now this is the best I can do.

[i] = integer based index

[s] = string based index

[proxy]

proxy.global - data structure shared amongst all lua state machines

proxy.global.config - sub structure (possibly added for esthetical reasons only)

proxy.backends - array of backends (shared)

proxy.connection - mysql connection object

[proxy.backends[i]]

proxy.backends[i].connected_clients - connected clients

proxy.backends[i].address - server Address

proxy.backends[i].state - status {BACKEND_STATE_UNKNOWN, BACKEND_STATE_UP, BACKEND_STATE_DOWN}

proxy.backends[i].type - type {BACKEND_TYPE_UNKNOWN, BACKEND_TYPE_RW, BACKEND_TYPE_RO}

proxy.backends[i].pool - connection pool object

[proxy.backends[i].pool]

proxy.backends[i].pool.max_idle_connections - max connections

proxy.backends[i].pool.min_idle_connections - min connections

proxy.backends[i].pool.users - hash table containing sockets hashed by username

[proxy.backends[i].pool.users[s]]

proxy.backends[i].pool.users[s].cur_idle_connections - number of sockets currently in the pool (meaning they are idle)

[proxy.connection]

proxy.connection.backend_ndx - id of active backend (magic value, setting it can trigger server socket changes, i.e: setting it to 0 returns the socket into the connection pool)

proxy.connection.server - server socket object

proxy.connection.client - client socket object

[proxy.connection.client]

proxy.connection.client.default_db - database

proxy.connection.client.username - user

proxy.connection.client.address - ip address (?)

proxy.connection.client.scrambled_password - password as it was sent from the client

[proxy.connection.server]

proxy.connection.server.default_db - database

proxy.connection.server.username - user

proxy.connection.server.address - ip address (?)

proxy.connection.server.scrambled_password - password as it was sent from the client

proxy.connection.server.mysqld_version - mysql version

proxy.connection.server.thread_id - connection id as set during the server handshake

proxy.connection.server.scramble_buffer - password hash (?)

The cacerts keystore is a file located at $JAVA_HOME/lib/security/cacerts

How to import a self generated SSL certificate

First, export the self-generated key 'mywebsite.com' to a file called mywebsite.com.cert on the server
keytool -export -keystore ~/mywebsite.com.keystore -alias mywebsite.com -file mywebsite.com.cert

Then download the cert file with FTP or SFTP to your local computer.

Finally, import the certificate 'mywebsite.com.cert' into a local cacerts keystore:
keytool -import -keystore $JAVA_HOME/lib/security/cacerts -storetype jks -alias mywebsite.com -file ./mywebsite.com.cert

References

keytool export command ˆ
keytool import command ˆ

I just spent over two hours figuring out how to get my microphone to work under windows vista 32bits with my new Soundblaster Audigy SE so I’m writing this blog post in the hopes that it will help someone in my situation.

I started by letting vista install the driver by downloading it from the windows update website but that proved to be a big mistake. The sound actually worked great but my microphone input was way too low to be usable on ventrilo. What you usually do in that case is activate mic boost but there was no +20db check box in my sound control panel and there was absolutely no way to increase the volume of my microphone.

What I tried next is downloading official drivers from the creative website. The file is 60MB and took a while to download but since it was gonna fix all my problems it was worth it. Guess what: Installer doesn’t work; it just tells me that there is already a more recent version of the driver installed. So I then proceeded to uninstall the driver through the Windows Device Manager and restart the installer. This time it tells me no supported hardware is found…

This is where I was only inches away from just taking the card out of my PC and return it to the store where I bought it. But there was one last hope, the files extracted by the installer could provide me with a way to install a working driver. I searched for those files, found the driver and installed it et voila, suddenly there is a +20db mic boost check-box and everything works fine.

So here is how I got my sound card to work:

(I give no guarantee that this will work for you and it might even go wrong so save any open documents)

1. download driver from http://us.creative.com/support/downloads/

2. double click SB24_VTDRV_LB_1_04_0077.exe and let it extract the setup files.

3. wait until installer window is shown, once you see a window where you are asked to chose the setup language go to step 4 DON’T CLOSE THE INSTALLER WINDOW.

4. use “windows key” + R to bring up the run dialog, type %WINDIR%\Temp and hit enter.

5. look for a folder called CRF000, the modified date of that folder should be only minutes from your current system time.

6. open the CRF000 folder and inside open the Drivers folder, inside that folder is file called setup.exe that will happily install the official creative diver.

7. when asked if you want to replace your existing drivers say yes obviously

8. Back on the original installer window, click close to cancel the installation because you are done installing already.

Enjoy!