Product Options

Xsecrets wrote:why does anything need to be a parent?
your options and values are still just options and values.

Yea maybe that is where I am stuck... my mindset thinks more like categories and sub-categories and perhaps that isn't what is needed

Qphoria wrote:Yea maybe that is where I am stuck... my mindset thinks more like categories and sub-categories and perhaps that isn't what is needed

But how could users possibly enter stock levels otherwise?

Qphoria wrote:

Xsecrets wrote:why does anything need to be a parent?
your options and values are still just options and values.

Yea maybe that is where I am stuck... my mindset thinks more like categories and sub-categories and perhaps that isn't what is needed

no think more along the lines of categories to products where you have a relational table and you can have products in multiple categories.

gocreative wrote:

Qphoria wrote:Yea maybe that is where I am stuck... my mindset thinks more like categories and sub-categories and perhaps that isn't what is needed

But how could users possibly enter stock levels otherwise?

you enter your stock quantities on the sku then the sku gets build by combining options.

I have been trying to create an SQL Query/Function that creates a complete Table/Dataset of every possible unique Product. Although my SQL isn't quite up to it, I am pretty convinced that it is possible.

This would need to be re-generated every time a Product/Option/Value was changed. If this 'Stock' Table had a quantity field, checking and decrementing item stock levels would be possible.

I don't think that the schema at the beginning of this thread is correct; I DO think that a retro-fit solution is possible with the addition of a couple of extra field in Product_Option and Product_Option_Value and an added Stock table.

The aforementioned Query/Function is the first step.

@mystifier, that's pretty much what I suggested but no one seemed too interested. Only, in my model, the combinations would be assembled as required, rather than all possible combinations being automatically assembled.

The thing that makes this problem difficult to conceptualise is that there can be any number of product_options, each with any number of product_option_values which makes a different number of 'columns per row' in the Stock table.

If you think about the problem with three fixed options and values, it is much easier to get your head round.

It may not be that non-sensical to impose a fixed number of product options that define a stock item. There can be lots of other options and values that don't actually constitute a new item so are not important for stock control.

e.g
Colour, Size, Sleeve-Length (define stock item)
Embroidered, Gift-Wrapped (no effect on stock)

I have just done a new Opencart website for a Heating Company. They have 9 product options in some cases, but only 3 of them define stock. I am beginning to sweat as it dawns on them that they have no means of checking website stock or preventing customers ordering mission critical equipment that they can't deliver.

mystifier wrote:I have just done a new Opencart website for a Heating Company. They have 9 product options in some cases, but only 3 of them define stock. I am beginning to sweat as it dawns on them that they have no means of checking website stock or preventing customers ordering mission critical equipment that they can't deliver.

And that's precisely why I think the values just need to be entered. My vision is this:

1. Set up the 'variables'
a) Add products
b) Add global options (e.g. colour)
c) Add global option values (e.g. blue, red, orange)

2. Use the variables to create product combinations
a) For product X (e.g. a shirt), choose which options are available (e.g. a checkbox next to 'colour')
b) Once that option is added, choose which values are present for this product (e.g. checkboxes next to blue and red, but not orange)
c) Once the values are added, enter the stock level for that combination (e.g. blue shirts, red shirts)
d) Repeat these steps to add child options for each root-level option (e.g. under blue shirts, add 'size' as an option and then pick from the size option values as set up in step 1c)

3. Sell products
a) When a product is sold (e.g. a large blue shirt) it simply subtracts from the 'combinations' table stock level.

This doesn't take into account dependent options, but that's probably another story (at this point). Again, I'm no expert on this subject by any means, but that's how I see it working.

gocreative wrote:

mystifier wrote:I have just done a new Opencart website for a Heating Company. They have 9 product options in some cases, but only 3 of them define stock. I am beginning to sweat as it dawns on them that they have no means of checking website stock or preventing customers ordering mission critical equipment that they can't deliver.

And that's precisely why I think the values just need to be entered. My vision is this:

1. Set up the 'variables'
a) Add products
b) Add global options (e.g. colour)
c) Add global option values (e.g. blue, red, orange)

2. Use the variables to create product combinations
a) For product X (e.g. a shirt), choose which options are available (e.g. a checkbox next to 'colour')
b) Once that option is added, choose which values are present for this product (e.g. checkboxes next to blue and red, but not orange)
c) Once the values are added, enter the stock level for that combination (e.g. blue shirts, red shirts)
d) Repeat these steps to add child options for each root-level option (e.g. under blue shirts, add 'size' as an option and then pick from the size option values as set up in step 1c)

3. Sell products
a) When a product is sold (e.g. a large blue shirt) it simply subtracts from the 'combinations' table stock level.

This doesn't take into account dependent options, but that's probably another story (at this point). Again, I'm no expert on this subject by any means, but that's how I see it working.

what you described is very similar to what the db structure at the beginning of this post describes. Yes the code would be a bit complicated, but all the data points are there you just have to be creative with the queries, and yes dependent options is a different story I've said that all along and I think it is of much less importance than the stock control.

If by dependent options, you mean that the data for subsequent dropdowns is recalculated when the previous one is selected, that would be great - but I agree, the ability to check multi-option stock is the only desperate requirement.

mystifier wrote:If by dependent options, you mean that the data for subsequent dropdowns is recalculated when the previous one is selected, that would be great - but I agree, the ability to check multi-option stock is the only desperate requirement.

well when you talk about dependent options there are two things people may be thinking about.
1) when you enter the page you can only select say the color and the size is grayed out then once you select the color it only shows the size selections that you have stock for in the selected color. This type of dependent options wouldn't be too hard to write the javascript for once you have the stock control as mentioned above in place.
2) what most carts call configurable products. Say a computer builder. You first choose the processor. If you choose Intel then you can only choose intel motherboards, this has nothing to do with stock control you have separate stock on all the processors and motherboards. This type of situation in most carts is actually done by having everything as a full product. you set the main computer product as configurable then you can select it's "options" by choosing other products and setting up rules. This situation is very difficult and complicated to code and should be handled completely separately from what is being discussed here.

One way to get around the problem as it stands now is to create seperate products for each option, make only 1 visible on the product page, but link the rest via sku and "related Products".

Create a small mod to display the related products as option dropdown list on the main product page, and modify the add to cart button to send the selected product to the cart.

A little ajax to change the product image upon selection would be a nice addition also.

Although this means you may create more than 1 product it is the only current possible way of insuring stock is accurate.

Example

product 1 Blue Shirt
product 2 Red Shirt
Product 3 Green Shirt

Product 1 Blue Shirt with sizes as options
product 2 and 3 as related products.

Every product and option will record stock levels.

The project I am on the brink of losing because of the inability to check stock, sells lingerie - they buy up a few hundred of a line which is usually never repeated.

Taking bras as an example, there are typically 9 back-sizes and 9 cup sizes. Even before you add in the other three or more parameters, that makes 81 duplications.

I can be fairly persuasive but even I don't fancy my chances of getting them to feature several hundred variations/images of the same bra.

v1.5, v1.6, v1.7... without Stock Control, Opencart is not a serious offering; the few sites I have done are starting to regret for the same reason.

mystifier wrote:
v1.5, v1.6, v1.7... without Stock Control, Opencart is not a serious offering; the few sites I have done are starting to regret for the same reason.

you're being a bit dramatic saying it doesn't have stock control. It not only has stock control, but stock control on options. It simply doesn't have stock control on option combinations. What other offering are you considering "serious" because of this shortcoming? Don't even think about saying zen or any other oscommerce based cart because they don't have it either. I think cscart does and I know magento does, but they both have serious problems of their own.

starting multiple topics on this and freaking out about it daily isn't going to help. Nobody is going to sink the time into this until after 1.5.0 comes out and we see the new global options structure and types. This isn't an easy fix by any means.

One thought I had was that you could try

Option Name: Red
Option Values: None, Sm, Med, Lrg, XL

Option Name: Blue
Options Values: None, Sm, Med, Lrg, XL

Option Name: Grn
Options Values: None, Sm, Med, Lrg, XL

That should maybe make it somewhat usable, no?
It would mean that you'd have a lot of "none" options on orders (which you could probably hide with other code) but at least it allows for 2 level relations with qty control

Hello

Since 1.5 is released does anybody have solution for dynamic dependant options? without stock control would be ok for the moment...

I cannot do something else than agree with @mystifier : OpenCart needs a "product options combination" ability.

In the real life, a t-shirt with a given design can have several :
- sizes
- background colors
- cuts (men, women, "marcel", etc.)

... but in fact, it is the same "main" product with "combination" of options.
Magento considers "configurable" product (which is the main product) and "simple" products, which are each one of the combination.

They are hundreds of these situation. Perfumes for example. In a product list, if I want to buy one fragrance called "Paris", I don't want to see all the combination, this would just be crazy, I just want to be able to select "Paris".
Then, this perfume has a description, some attributes, global things linked to the perfume (the Oil smells the same frangrance that Cologne, has the same manufacturer, the same poetical description text,...)

But when it comes to what I will buy, this depend on :
- Type : Oil, Cologne, After Shave, etc..
- Capacity : 10ml, 50ml, 100ml

Some combination are possible, means they exist as product (and can exist in stock), some other not.

Each combination must have :
- SKU ID
- Price (and not plus minus because for one combination, the price should be fix)
- Stock value

Considering this, the @d7a7z7e7d proposal is not only simple but good.

So definitely, this feature is not just a "nice to have", but must be possible with a serious e-Commerce platform.

Looking a little deeper on OpenCart before looking another solution, with regret...

Partikule wrote:I cannot do something else than agree with @mystifier : OpenCart needs a "product options combination" ability.

In the real life, a t-shirt with a given design can have several :
- sizes
- background colors
- cuts (men, women, "marcel", etc.)

... but in fact, it is the same "main" product with "combination" of options.
Magento considers "configurable" product (which is the main product) and "simple" products, which are each one of the combination.

They are hundreds of these situation. Perfumes for example. In a product list, if I want to buy one fragrance called "Paris", I don't want to see all the combination, this would just be crazy, I just want to be able to select "Paris".
Then, this perfume has a description, some attributes, global things linked to the perfume (the Oil smells the same frangrance that Cologne, has the same manufacturer, the same poetical description text,...)

But when it comes to what I will buy, this depend on :
- Type : Oil, Cologne, After Shave, etc..
- Capacity : 10ml, 50ml, 100ml

Some combination are possible, means they exist as product (and can exist in stock), some other not.

Each combination must have :
- SKU ID
- Price (and not plus minus because for one combination, the price should be fix)
- Stock value

Considering this, the @d7a7z7e7d proposal is not only simple but good.

So definitely, this feature is not just a "nice to have", but must be possible with a serious e-Commerce platform.

Looking a little deeper on OpenCart before looking another solution, with regret...

well before you complain why don't you look at the extensions there is one released for this now. And according to your logic the only "serious e-Commerce platform" available on the market is magento, because it is the only one I know of that offers this. Well I suppose there are a couple of paid ones like cs-cart, but all of them handle it the same way as magento which I believe is overly complex and hard to maintain.

@Xsecrets : Not complaining, just asking for a feature, don't take it bad. "If you're not happy with our product, just go out from my shop..." Hmm...

Anyway, would you be so kind and give me the name of this extension ?

Partikule wrote:@Xsecrets : Not complaining, just asking for a feature, don't take it bad. "If you're not happy with our product, just go out from my shop..." Hmm...

Anyway, would you be so kind and give me the name of this extension ?

http://www.opencart.com/index.php?route ... on_id=2833

note I haven't actually used this mod myself, but it looks to do what most everyone is wanting.