将代码分布到多个位置

Question

bit of a theory questions leading to possibly a bit more practical. I currently have a web application developed using PHP within a codeigniter framework.

The application is now in use by 5 separate customers each with their own specific amendments that extend the base/core code I have created. I'm now at the time that whenever I make any updates to the development version I am having to painstakingly hand copy each of the separate files/directories to each customer.

I'd like a bit input on how best to automate this process. The scenario is that the applications are running on a windows server with php 5.4 connecting to a mysql database. All domains/applications including the dev version are on the same server and use the same IP Address.

Would I be correct in thinking a batch file would be the best way to do this, if so can someone point me in the right direction for creating a batch file. Other thoughts I've had are possibly a download button on each site that starts the process of updating itself but again i'm not entirely sure how to go about this.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Answer 1

It really depends on how extensive your modifications are for the individual clients. Is 90% shared code? 50%?

If 90% of the code is common code: I would put my core codebase in one folder and then just use custom files for the modifications.

In the core code you need a way to tell the clients apart. Let's assume you have a 'clientid' that is unique to the client.

Example: Let's say we are in the core code and going to include a file called user_admin.php but this file is different for some of your clients but not all

function custominclude($file,$clientid){
    $customfile='/custom/'.$clientid.'/'.$file;
    if(file_exists($customfile)){
        include ($customfile); 
    }
    else{
        include ($file); 
    }
}
custominclude('user_admin.php',$clientid);

EDIT based on your comment below.

To sync two folders (or more) on a windows server. Use a utility like GoodSync http://www.goodsync.com/ . It lets you sync folders one way/both ways on the same machine or between different ones. It should handle your task easily. You can set it up to do it on a schedule or you can manually tell it you sync when you want.