I need to set up hundreds of products, each of which need an drop down that has from a few to twenty or thirty options so I refuse to use configurable products to set these up. I just want a product to use all the options in an attribute.
For example, I want to let customers pick from colors and sizes for a product, but I don't want to have to individually create products for each option. The pricing is the same for everyone and I don't need to track inventory for the options, so there's no benefits in using configurable products.
Is this possible?
Either use simple products and utilize the custom options tab (you will not be able to track inventory of each variant if you go this route). I have seen a number of ways to do this programatically via magento's product creation API or custom code. There is also a number of extensions that make it easier to to do but they do not fully automate the process. One of the automated ways to do it very fast can be found here.
The tutorial is setup exactly the way you want (color & size). Once you create this page make sure you are logged into the admin and open it with your browser. It will work it's magic.
Here are most of the extensions that do it, but they are not as automated as the custom coding methods such as the one linked above:
Product Creator
Automatic Configurables
Better Configurable Products
Perhaps instead of configurable products you could use simple products with custom options instead. There are even ways of importing products with options intact, most of the work is done by copy & paste in a spreadsheet which is much quicker.
If you're looking for a more programmatic way of doing things then you might think of making a custom product type which adds the same options every time so you never need to specify them again. Modifying the product type would modify all options at once too.
Yes, this is possible, just make attributes and note that this is a programming forum, for general questions head to magento forums
Simple product with custom option is not === configurable product as each option do not have Magento stock control, as you can never say Size "Small" sold out as there is no stock for options, that is the main reason why Magento has to use simple product to be the option of the configurable product as simple has stock.
If you have unlimited stock then using simple product plus custom option is the best solution for performance.
Related
I want to sell a product with 8 colors and two sizes.
Making a configurable product means making 16 simple products!
When I need to update the prices, I have to update the price of 16 products!!
Using the bundle product and adding the size and colors (for the customer to choose) has the limitation of quantity (I need to know how many products with the specific color is left).
Is there any other way to handle that?
For this i think creating a custom option for the product would be the best idea. It is easier to create and very helful in these type of situation. Think about that. If you have same options for other product than there is an extension called Custom Option replicator which will help you to replicate the custom options.
Hope this will help.
Is there any way to do this with Vanilla magento? I know I can create a configurable product with simple products "Product A - Option1, Product A - Option2 etc". Is it more beneficial to create simple products for colors and sizes? Maybe from a reporting standpoint?
I found this http://www.mageworx.com/advanced-product-options-magento-extension.html
Would there be any drawbacks from using an extension like this?
if you want to be able to properly track stock etc then proper configurable products based on simple products to represent SKUs is the best way.
in my mind, custom options are really meant for non stock related options such as custom printing services, extra gift wrapping or other options like this.
the extension you mention is really for managing sets of custom options across multiple products and makes custom options easier to manage but does not meant that you should use custom options to track different SKUs such as products coming in a variety of colours that you hold in stock.
The quickest way to create the simple products for a configurable product via the Magento admin is to create the configurable product first then use the "quick simple product creator" option to create the simple products quickly and easily.
http://www.magentocommerce.com/wiki/welcome_to_the_magento_user_s_guide/chapter_3#creating_a_configurable_product (scroll down a bit)
I’m setting up an online clothing store and have come across a huge problem:
When I make at product (a t-shirt for example), I want to be able to add the available sizes and colors, without having to create a product for every single option.
When I add a color or size, I need to be able to enter a SKU for each product, so I can tell which option the customer chose in the store. First I tried making 2 sets of attributes: “Color” and “Size”, so I could multi-select when adding a product. But the attributes didn’t show up as options in the store, as I had hoped.
I did a lot of searching, and found that some people used the “Costom Option” tab, to make fields for the available sizes, colors etc. - but I don’t want add those options every time I add a product. The multi-select feature I accomplished with the attributes, would have been perfect.
Also I found that someone was forced to pay for an extension to accomplish this - but as I am running on a very tight budget, so I really don’t want to pay anything to achieve this.
You can achieve this programmatically, observing the product save and generate all simple products of a configurable product. Unfortunately, you will have to manage stock for those items separately.
You can do this by creating a configurable products. For more information on how to create configurable products please refer to http://www.magentocommerce.com/knowledge-base/entry/tutorial-creating-a-configurable-product. You can refer to http://www.srota.co for an example.
I want to implement the functionality in magento, the link of this is below :
http://ledflashingwatch.com/clocker-watch-illuminati-series/
when you click on strips, it changes strips image but when click on dial, it changes separately. And also add to cart will differentiate the product on these two values.
Can anyone advise me on how to proceed towards approaching this idea. And which type of products to use for this.
You can ask me questions if it's still not clear to you. And do tell me if it is not possible.
This feature is not available in Magento out of the box.
There are several possible approaches, but the user interface component will have to be custom built by you.
If you want the selected products to appear separately in the cart (like in the example you linked) choose simple products.
You could also use a grouped product with a custom interface.
If you want them to be added to the cart as a single product, but internally they are separate, use a configurable product. This is the option I personally would prefer.
You could also use a bundled product - It all depends what exactly you need.
I suggest first getting a good idea of the differences between the product types. Then study how they are reflected in the quote as quote items, i.e. visibility, parent and child items etc.
Once you know that, the implementation will be rather straight forward.
Build the UI. Build the request parameters for the add to cart call. Done.
i’m new to magento and was wondering if someone can help me.
i have a product that comes in multiple colors, but if i set it up as a configurable product it just gives the user the option of choosing a different color (but doesn’t show an image to him/her)
what i would like to do is have the other colors appear underneath just like up sells would (the same design)
if anyone can help me i would greatly appreciate it
Use the Simple Configurable Products extension by Organic Internet, as available for free on Magento Connect and your problem should be solved.
One way to accomplish this is to store images for each color of the project. With JS, you could auto-select color options on the page, and still make use of a configurable product for this purpose. You'll need to do significant template alteration to make this work.
Another approach is to use simple products (which you've already created in this case), and list them directly in the catalog. With Magento's cross-sell functionality, you can tag the products to each other and provide links between product pages for each color. Obviously, this involves more navigation for the user, but does allow you to manage each product independently.
Both of these methods will retain normal product relationships and track inventory for each color of a product, so they are preferable to solutions that involve hacking the framework.
Hope that helps!
Thanks,
Joseph Mastey