[SpyreDigital]

Really hoping someone can help me to understand product variations in the latest version of CS-Cart.

I recently employed a developer to upgrade a client's website from v4.4.2 to v4.14.2 and it's so far been to biggest regret of my career.

 

I knew the model for product variations had changed, but either we've configured it incorrectly, or it doesn't make any sense any more. Here's the issues I'm having:

 

1. There's no function to adjust the position of the variations as they show on the frontend.

2. The 'catalog item' (or parent product?) is still a variation. These aren't independent items, therefore if I want a unique main product image on the product page, I can't have that.

3. If I want to disable the catalog item from the frontend, I have to disable ALL the variations as well, otherwise the frontend just displays the next available variation.

Perhaps it's to do with the fact that my client's product range does not really suit the way variations are handled in the new version of CS-Cart. Their product pages are grouped products rather than configurable products (if I may make a comparison with Magento). However we had it perfected using the old 'Options Combinations'. Essentially, we need parent and child products to be distinct.

Have we configured things incorrectly? Is it possible to return to the legacy product variations in the new version?

[soft-solid]

Hello,

 

FYI - product options, even though they're deprecated, are still accessible in latest release of CS-Cart and you can still use them to manipulate product price. Old system of variations (based on options) isn't available anymore.

 

Now, referring to your issues:

 

1. You can manipulate the order of feature variants in frontend, by setting proper positions of variants in feature configuration.

2. I do not understand this issue - what effect would you like to achieve? You want to display different image when products is browsed from category, and different one on product card?

3. Yes, however since responsive menus were introduced, you do not have to do it one-by-one - just go to the product you want to disable, go to Variations tab, mark all variations (using option Selected -> All) and mass-disable them.

 

Product variations have some flaws, but they are far more flexible than old ones, basing on options.

 

Best regards,

Robert

[CS-Cart team]

Really hoping someone can help me to understand product variations in the latest version of CS-Cart.

I recently employed a developer to upgrade a client's website from v4.4.2 to v4.14.2 and it's so far been to biggest regret of my career.

 

I knew the model for product variations had changed, but either we've configured it incorrectly, or it doesn't make any sense any more. Here's the issues I'm having:

 

1. There's no function to adjust the position of the variations as they show on the frontend.

2. The 'catalog item' (or parent product?) is still a variation. These aren't independent items, therefore if I want a unique main product image on the product page, I can't have that.

3. If I want to disable the catalog item from the frontend, I have to disable ALL the variations as well, otherwise the frontend just displays the next available variation.

Perhaps it's to do with the fact that my client's product range does not really suit the way variations are handled in the new version of CS-Cart. Their product pages are grouped products rather than configurable products (if I may make a comparison with Magento). However we had it perfected using the old 'Options Combinations'. Essentially, we need parent and child products to be distinct.

Have we configured things incorrectly? Is it possible to return to the legacy product variations in the new version?

Hello!

 

1. As Robert correctly stated, you can change the positions of the feature variants.

 

2. The product variations depend on the purposes of the features that were used to build the product variation group. For example, if the used feature had Variations as separate products purpose, each of the variations will act like separate products. Also you can tick in the Allow own images for child variations option, in the Product Variations add-on's settings, to make it possible to upload own  images for the variations, that were built on a feature with Variations as one product purpose.

 

3. In case you need to disable only the default variation of the product, without disabling the child ones, you can make any other child variation to be default. Then you can disable that one, that previously was the default one.

 

Hope it helps