Difference InnoDB and MyISAM

[guest*]

Can you please somebody tell me the difference between the installation as InnoDB and MyISAM. I Installed 1.4. beta as InnoDB and I'm having some problems f.ex. with language on BO. Can this be due the Engine ? What presta recommends, when you install a new DB ?

[rocky]

InnoDB uses row-locking instead of table-locking, so I think it is the superior choice. It's also selected by default when you install, so I think it is what PrestaShop recommends. You can certainly set up test sites with each database engine to compare them, but I doubt the database engine would cause features to break.

[guest*]

Thks Rocky,

the first installation Presta did as MyISAM (1.3X). The testinstallation (1.4.X) I choosed manually InnoDB because it was the first option. I cannot see any difference. My problem with language and not working loyalty module on an IIS7 does also not change (I've changed all tables to MyISAM to test this). So I will let 1.4. working on InnoDB Engine at all and re-change all tables again. Should there be a problem when my "live" project is now based on MyIsam and I upgrade it to 1.4. when final ? I can change all tables too to InnoDB if there is better.

[rocky]

There shouldn't be any problems, except for a slight performance difference.

[mytheory.]

Rocky,

To clarify... older installations of PS (prior to 1.4) used MyISAM, right? And the new future version (1.4) has the option to use InnoDB, right? So, since most view InnoDB as being superior, for those that upgrade from an other version, can we opt to "upgrade" PS to use InnoDB without messing up our old data/base?

Also, this is off topic, but can we use older themes (1.2.x-1.3.x) with PS 1.4... or do will we need change our theme? Is is easy to upgrade an older theme to utilize the new features/compatible with 1.4?

Thanks!

[rocky]

That's right. PrestaShop v1.3 and earlier must use MySAM. PrestaShop v1.4 and later use InnoDB by default, but can also use MySAM. I think upgrading from PrestaShop v1.3 to v1.4 will result in you still using MySAM, since there is no option on the PrestaShop Updater to change it. You can go to the Preferences > Database tab to change all your tables to InnoDB though.

You can use your v1.3 theme with PrestaShop v1.4, but not any of the new features like one-page checkout. The PrestaShop v1.4 theme has a completely different structure, with new TPL files and a smaller global.css file with page-specific CSS in separate files, so it is not easy to upgrade. I suggest using a theme designed specifically for PrestaShop v1.4, but of course not many themes will be made until after PrestaShop v1.4 final has been released. I've written a competely new theme for my website from scratch for PrestaShop v1.4 that is much sleeker and modern-looking, so that I can utilise the new one-page checkout and guest checkout features.

[guest*]

Hi Adrian,
InnoDB needs an X-more of drive-space (MyISAM table of 2kb=InnoDB 16kb). I think on some "package"servers presta will not run. This was also the problem with Magento, some customer than choose another software, which don't need such server capacities. If this is the right way, I cannot say. For me it's not a problem, because I'm alone on my IIS7 an it has the biggest package you can get in here, but it's also not a cheap solution... If you can choose MyISAM or InnoDB this also would be a compromise...

Concerning Template: My Template is a standard 1.3.1.1 "coloured" and adapted in some new features, and it doesn't work with 1.4.X. To get it work I choose in BO smarty 2. In order to be compatible for the future the best thing ist to take the new 1.4.X tpl and colour it as I did before.

On another thread I started a poll requesting an upgrader for all coming presta versions. So it seems, that this would not possible at all for upgrades from 1.4. on. Correct ? If so, I think this is a great minus for presta, it will sort out again prestashop for some users (users like me, without good IT-knowledge). In fact if I cannot update with an automatic updater or a official german version for versions from 1.4.X on, it will be difficult to employ presta in future. I'm not a developer, not an IT-profecient. I'm only a merchant and webmaster. The time I spent for updating manually is too much. Updates ar too complicated.
The one-page check-out is not applicable for Germany and Austria. As per law you must have a checkbox for "business terms" and also "privacy terms" read and understand as mandatory field when you check-out or open an temporary account. Also the newsletter subscription included in there must be with double opt-in procedure. If you see, there are too much adaptions to be made besides the upgrade, so an upgrader is not a luxury for users. All this adaptions where already made on my version 1.3.x.