Important Considerations for Extensions Development

The initial steps in developing extensions for SuiteCommerce require understanding several crucial factors that impact the development process significantly.

What to Consider Before Starting Extension Development?

Before you dive into extension development, keep the following points in mind:

• The gulp extension:fetch command retrieves:

  • HTML and Sass files related to the active theme for the specified domain.
  • Development files for custom extensions that are currently active on the domain. Note that files for published extensions cannot be downloaded.

• Your login parameters, such as NetSuite email, account, role, and domain specifics, are securely stored in the .nsdeploy file when you create an extension. To reset your login and deployment details, simply delete this file located at:

  • <LOCAL_SOURCEFILES_ROOT>/gulp/config/.nsdeploy

• Key extension details—including the extension name, fantasy name, version, and description—are documented within the Manifest.json file. This manifest file is situated here:

  • <LOCAL_SOURCEFILES_ROOT>/Workspace/<EXTENSION_DIRECTORY>/manifest.json

Development API Considerations

When building extensions, developers should leverage the Extensibility API available for both SuiteCommerce and SuiteCommerce Advanced (SCA). Here are some best practices and requirements:

• For SuiteCommerce and SuiteCommerce MyAccount, using the Extensibility API is essential for creating extensions.

• With SuiteCommerce Advanced (Aconcagua and later), extending functionalities using this API is highly recommended. However, if your SCA customizations require deeper access to JavaScript or SuiteScript functionalities beyond what this API offers, explore utilizing SCA developer tools for optimal customization practices.

• Note that SuiteCommerce Advanced (Kilimanjaro and earlier) implementations do not support the Extensibility API. For accessing advanced features like themes and extensions, migrating to the latest SCA release is necessary. Alternatively, utilize SCA developer tools for your site customizations.

Conclusion

These considerations help ensure a smoother development experience when creating extensions for SuiteCommerce, providing essential guidance on file management and API utilization.