Pizza attributes - second opinion requested

[Ryk]

Price of pizza changes according to toppings.

Toppings are option values.

All toppings same price.

The logic behind the toppings should be:
a = Total amount of removed toppings added together
b = Total amount of extra toppings added together

If b=0 or b=a or a>b the price does NOT change.
if b>a then price=price+(b-a)

Can ZC be coded to do that with the option value prices without re-writing the whole thing?

I know we normally say just about anything can be done with the right skill, but this is proving a bit of a tricky one . I have asked someone who I know to be an expert and their response was no, but I'm just wondering if anyone else can think of a way to achieve this.

Or - thinking aloud - possibly a workaround ignoring the actual value (because they are all the same) and "simply" adding up the numbers of attributes applied and doing the calculation based on that?

[kobra]

Ryk,

Why the need for "remove" toppings??

Have std offerings and a build you own with

add 1
add 2
add 3
etc

[Kim]

... gotta' have the remove - I want a Cowboy pizza minus the onions plus olives and extra mushrooms

[Ryk]

Kim's got it in one!

You should see the trouble we're having with the "Special Deals" ... Any 3 pizzas (from a range of 22) with choice of 3 sizes with the ability to add any of 32 toppings (at different prices depending on size) and remove any of an average of 4 toppings ... works out at a LOT of attributes...so many that the page grinds to a halt...oh how we long for attribute dependant attributes!

[fairestcape]

Hello Rick!

Where've you been hiding?

Have you opened a PizzaHut?

[Ryk]

Not hiding, just busy, busy, busy ... and not PizzaHut but a small chain of 100 stores in the London area.

It's been a very interesting project with ZC!

[bigbadboy]

Have 2 options for each attribute:
'No onions' + 'With Onions'

'No Onions' would be the default and act as a 'remove' option.

[Ryk]

Ah, if only it were that easy!

Part of the problem is that there are 32 different toppings available which could be added to any pizza, but each pizza starts with a different set of toppings (about 4 or 5).

And that still doesn't get around the calculation problem of only changing the price when the extra toppings > removed toppings when above the basic price.

But thanks for the suggestion - there may be a direction to go in here.

[swguy]

Rick, are these guys retired actuaries or bond traders? I've never heard of a pricing scheme this complicated (for pizza, for heaven's sakes!).

[fairestcape]

Rick, have you ever taken a kid into a major sweetshop? They can't see the wood for the trees when there are 100000000's of options...

... take them to the corner shop where there's only a handful of options, and they're just as happy.

... why not offer a range of pizzas - say, 15 or 20 - where the composition of toppings for each pizza option is standard for that option.

Then allow a smaller range of additions / subtractions per pizza...

I can't see somebody ordering a Hawaiian pizza (pinapple) with extra mushrooms, pepperoni, chicken, olives, anchovies, artichokes, butter, ice-cream, cod-liver-oil, baking powder, cream, persil, linguini....