Change default home to any page in magento or create a new landing page for magento

First go to CMS -> pages -> Add New page.

After saving details of new page,
go to system -> configuration -> Web -> Default pages

Save this Configurations as show in screen-shots.And go to your homepage url

e.g. http://localhost/magento

PHP Extensions "0" must be loaded.

It appears that one of the configuration XML files, namely magento/app/code/core/Mage/Install/etc/config.xml isn't parsed correctly by PHP 5.4

To fix this error, open above file  and replace
         <extensions>
            <pdo_mysql/>
        </extensions>
with
        <extensions>
            <pdo_mysql>1</pdo_mysql>
        </extensions>

Now, you will be able to proceed the installation.

Session management in Magento

To set the value of Magento session variable:

$theValue = 'Bhavana';
Mage::getSingleton('core/session')->setMySessionvariable($theValue);

You can retrieve the value of session variable as following:
Mage::getSingleton('core/session')->getMySessionvariable();

To unset the value of session variable:
Mage::getSingleton('core/session')->unsMySessionvariable();

can not login into magento admin Panel

I have installed magento 1.6.2.After installing fresh magento,I could not login in to admin panel of magento.It is even not throwing any exception message.Although Password and username are correct,I am not able to login in magento admin panel.After providing correct username and password,it only generates a new URL ,something like:


http://localhost/magento/index.php/admin/index/index/key/f1585bj4de664ab83db50940e058a/


Solution:
\magento\app\code\core\Mage\Core\Model\Session\Abstract\Varien.php


change line no 84 to 87


from:
 // session cookie params
        $cookieParams = array(
            'lifetime' => $cookie->getLifetime(),
            'path'     => $cookie->getPath(),
            'domain'   => $cookie->getConfigDomain(),
            'secure'   => $cookie->isSecure(),
            'httponly' => $cookie->getHttponly()
        );
to:
 // session cookie params
        $cookieParams = array(
            'lifetime' => $cookie->getLifetime(),
            'path'     => $cookie->getPath()
            // 'domain'   => $cookie->getConfigDomain(),
            // 'secure'   => $cookie->isSecure(),
            // 'httponly' => $cookie->getHttponly()
        );
Reason:
Magento do not store cookies.We run it on localhost which is actually not a true real domain But to store cookies we generally need a domain.Becasue of that we can not login  and even not getting any exception or error message.

Add Address fields in customer registration

To show all address fields in create account page for customer,you have to comment following lines in:


\magento\app\design\frontend\base\default\template\customer\form\register.phtml


replace line no:77
from:
  <?php if($this->getShowAddressFields()): ?>
to
  <?php / /if($this->getShowAddressFields()): ?>


replace line no:149
from:
  <?php endif; ?>
to
  <?php // endif; ?>


As well,to get the list of states,you need to comment same line in java script too.

\magento\app\design\frontend\base\default\template\customer\form\register.phtml


replace line no:178
from:
  <?php if($this->getShowAddressFields()): ?>
to
  <?php / /if($this->getShowAddressFields()): ?>

replace line no:180
from:
  <?php endif; ?>
to
  <?php // endif; ?>

Now,You can see address fields in,create account form.


If you are still not able to see the address fields in create account form,means you have activate persistent cart.In that case you need to comment the same lines in
\magento\app\design\frontend\base\default\template\persistent\customer\form\register.phtml

Template/Block Hints in Admin Panel

Magento’s admin panel uses the exact same design pattern as the front end ( blocks/layouts/templates).If you have done any modification at admin side and you need to turn on template/block hints for the admin panel,you need to do following steps as there is not built in support from magento.

step 1:

Go to Magento Database

step 2: Turn on

INSERT INTO core_config_data (scope, scope_id, path, value)

VALUES ('default', 0, 'dev/debug/template_hints', 1),

('default', 0, 'dev/debug/template_hints_blocks', 1);

Now,you can check at admin panel for template/block hints.

step 3: Turn off

To turn off hints,delete above record from the table or if you are thinking to turn on it again then simply update its value field from 1 to 0.

Logic behind this is:

 /app/code/core/Mage/Core/Block/Template.php

public function getShowTemplateHints()

{

    if (is_null(self::$_showTemplateHints)) {

        self::$_showTemplateHints = Mage::getStoreConfig('dev/debug/template_hints')

            && Mage::helper('core')->isDevAllowed();

        self::$_showTemplateHintsBlocks = Mage::getStoreConfig('dev/debug/template_hints_blocks')

            && Mage::helper('core')->isDevAllowed();

    }

    return self::$_showTemplateHints;

}


The “Mage::getStoreConfig” method checks for config values that are set in the current scope (ie, default, website, store, store view). In the admin panel, only values set in the “Default Scope” are loaded.

Magento only allows you to turn on hints when you’re in the configuration scope of a Website or Store View. This means that when the code above tries to load the configuration, it returns “null” because that config value isn’t set in the “Default Config” scope. Running the MySQL query above adds the hint config values to the “Default Config” scope. Here is a screenshot showing the settings for turning on the hints – notice that the “Main Website” configuration scope is selected.

Get child categories in Magento

to get all the child categories of the required category id



<?php    

    $category_model = Mage::getModel('catalog/category'); //get category model

    $_category = $category_model->load($categoryid); //$categoryid for which the child categories to be found        

   $all_child_categories = $category_model->getResource()->getAllChildren($_category); //array consisting of all child categories id

?>

Call Custom Model method/function

For example,I have created a custom module UserProfile .
i.e
magento\app\code\local\CustomerProfile\Userprofile

and my model in Userprofile is
magento\app\code\local\CustomerProfile\Userprofile\Model\Customersettings.php

Customersettings.php is as following:


class CustomerProfile_Userprofile_Model_Customersettings extends Mage_Core_Model_Abstract
{

protected function _construct()
{
$this->_init("userprofile/customersettings");
}

function getmessage()
       {
              echo "Hello From Custom model method:";
       }
}


I can call the method of custom model anywhere as following:

Mage::getModel('modulename/modelname')->modelmethod();

i.e.
Mage::getModel('userprofile/customersettings')->getmessage();

Birth date issue while creating new customer account

when i try to create a new customer account and i enter birth date as 09/30/1987(mm/dd/yyyy) format.it shows me an error message as:"Please enter a valid full date".
To Resolve this error:



I changed line 437 in /js/varien/js.js


from: 
var error = false, day = parseInt(this.day.value) || 0, month = parseInt(this.month.value) || 0, year = parseInt(this.year.value) || 0;


to: 
var error = false, day = parseInt(this.day.value, 10) || 0, month = parseInt(this.month.value, 10) || 0, year = parseInt(this.year.value, 10) || 0;


Now,Customer account created successfully.

Add a new custom link to top header links

You can add a new link in header along with my account,my cart,login.To add a new custom link along with this you have to do as following:

Step 1:

Create CMS Page that you want to open from the header link.

For example,i want to open About us page,then go to Magento Admin.

Magento Admin>CMS >Pages>Add New Page>("Fill the info related to Page.i.e.about us")>Save Page.

Step 2:

Go to:
\app\design\frontend\base\default\layout\customer.xml
add a new default reference in <!-- Default layout, loads most of the pages --> section.

 for example,i want to add a new page as about us


<default>
<reference name="top.links">
<action method="addLink" translate="label title" module="customer">
<label>About us</label>
<url>about-us</url>
<title>About us</title>
<prepare>true</prepare>
<urlParams />
<position>10</position>
</action>
</reference>
</default>

Thus,you can add a custom link in top header links and open new custom page too.