AbleCommerce Source Code Availability

AbleCommerce is a composed of ASP.NET scripts, built using the objects provided by the CommerceBuilder® API. The source for all web scripts is included with the standard AbleCommerce purchase. In virtually all cases, this is the only source code you will ever need – even for complex customizations.

Do I need to purchase the source code?

Highly unlikely. The CommerceBuilder® API provides an object-oriented framework for interacting with your store. Website customizations of all kinds can be done purely through the ASP.NET web scripts and/or your own custom libraries. You can leverage the classes and methods of the CommerceBuilder® API in the same way that our developers do. By using the binaries as provided by AbleCommerce, you will be able to benefit from updates with a minimum of hassle. When new builds are released – whether for bug fixes or new features, you can simply update your binaries and know that the custom ASP.NET code will continue to function.

Why might I want source code?

There are a few reasons you might want the source code option. You may be a developer that needs to implement custom business logic which can only be done by altering the core libraries. Or perhaps you are a merchant who feels more secure knowing you have the source code to a proprietary library. Or you may be a developer interested to see the inner workings of the objects to assist in your customizations.

What does the source code include?

When you purchase the source code option, you will receive our source code for each of the core DLLs provided in source form: CommerceBuilder, CommerceBuilder.Data, CommerceBuilder.DataClient.Api, and CommerceBuilder.Web.UI. These will come in both Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 projects featuring C# source code. The code is compiled against the.NET 2.0 framework. This will allow you to build your own custom versions of our binaries, such as CommerceBuilder.dll and the provider assemblies.

There is also a CommerceBuilder.Providers folder. Within here are various solution files that contains the projects for our integrated payment and shipping provider projects. However these solutions are only provided in VS2005 format. You can easily convert them to 2008 using the upgrade wizard of Visual Studio if necessary.

What are the pros and cons of building a custom library?

If you make customized builds of the CommerceBuilder® assemblies, you can change virtually anything about the application. If you can’t achieve your needs any other way, then the source code is for you! However, keep in mind this will affect your upgradeability. Once you go down the path of customized builds, upgrading your libraries will become a manual task. If we release an update to the library, you will be able to receive refreshed source code. Then it will be your responsibility to merge the updates from our code into your custom library.