Here are some changes I would like seen for the Product Options section:
In addition to modifying the cost, I would like to have it modify the weight. For example, one of my items is paint. I can sell paint by the qt, gallon, or 5 gallon jug. Right now I have to have them in 3 different products because they each weigh differently, but if there was a weight modifier, I could set the size of the paint as a Product Option, and have each option change the total weight of the product. This will allow me to consolidate my paint products from 3 down to 1.
In addition to modifying the cost and weight, one more thing I would like to modify and that is the default image. This will look pretty sharp because lets say I have a product that comes in different colors. I can put the colors as a Product Option for the customer to select, every time they select a different color, a different default image will show up reflecting the color they want! Wouldn’t this be an awesome addition?
You can change pictures according to color selections (or anything else) already. It’s ‘option images’ in the product options section.
Product options is a great feature in cs-cart, but there are too many alterations that are needed with each ‘option’. Such as having the same looking product in many different colors. They are still seperate products and each should have their own product code, because the ‘blue’ product may be out of stock but not the ‘red’ for example.
It may be better cloning them as seperate products and input everything seperately, then including the whole product as an ‘option’ in another product.
Resurrecting an old thread. For some reason I thought I’d read extensive discussion on this and even participated in it, but I can’t seem to find it. In fact, I had convinced myself that this was in the works for the new release, but I’m obviously mistaken and that was just wishful thinking.
[quote name=‘Tail’s’]Product options is a great feature in cs-cart, but there are too many alterations that are needed with each ‘option’. Such as having the same looking product in many different colors. They are still seperate products and each should have their own product code, because the ‘blue’ product may be out of stock but not the ‘red’ for example.
It may be better cloning them as seperate products and input everything seperately, then including the whole product as an ‘option’ in another product.[/quote]
I really think the product number (product_code) per option is critical, at least for me. I think product inventory can be tracked in CS-Cart per option now, but integration w/ Quickbooks (where I track my inventory, generate PO’s, etc.) needs each ‘version’ of a product to be defined separately w/ it’s own unique product number.
So … has anyone managed to do as Tail’s suggested, and include separately defined products as ‘options’ in another product? This makes total sense to me, I’m just not sure offhand how to ‘include’ multiple products when defining the generic product.
[quote name=‘arlen’]I really think the product number (product_code) per option is critical, at least for me. I think product inventory can be tracked in CS-Cart per option now, but integration w/ Quickbooks (where I track my inventory, generate PO’s, etc.) needs each ‘version’ of a product to be defined separately w/ it’s own unique product number.[/QUOTE]This would be a great addition. I use a different product code depending on the color in Quickbooks, but in CSC, I must look at the Options field to manually enter the product number into Quickbooks.
Yeah Larry, I do too. I really feel I have to automate as much as at all possible and soon, and this is one of those things. Manually entering anything is such a waste of time, I’m not getting to a lot of important stuff because my time is whittled away by little incidental things like this.
The problem with options as currently configured, is that they really can’t be separate products, and they need to be. I think from a db perspective as well as an integration one, it really makes most sense to handle things as Tail’s suggested, configure options as ‘unavailable’ products (excluded as individual products from the catalog) and include them in a more generic product that is made available. Unfortunately right now that’s likely beyond my programming skills. Any idea how we could accomplish this in a straight forward manner … i.e. including a form in the long description or something?
actually, would it be possible to start w/ a stripped down copy of ‘related products’? Again, currently beyond my abilities, but I’m trying to learn this php stuff as best I can as I go.
Thinking about this a little more, I think the “dumb” (non-automated) way to handle it is to generate an html catalog and steal that html form code, mod it as req’d and add it to the long and descriptions in the ‘generic’ product definition. I haven’t tried this, but think it would work IF you could turn off the add to cart button (zero out the qty of the generic product) without getting the “out of stock” prompt. It would however be best if you could zero out the price of the generic product and disable the “contact us for price” prompt when relying on the html form to submit that info. Sounds doable, though it’s a real hack, but isn’t possible currently as far as I can tell w/o work to the basic product functions.
The better method would be to include an “add product” feature on the options screen which would allow you to include specific products as options of a generic one … a different and additional type of ‘option’ beyond the current one. That would give people the choice of using things as they currently are which would work ok if they didn’t need to integrate w/ other software or the new way if the needed to. But that of course req’s programming.