some basic questions

[dunchutch]

Hi,

I have a couple of basic questions regarding Zencart. If anyone can help then it would be of great benefit to me before I go off and try to get some things to work which may be either impossible or very easy!

I need to know two main things:-

1) is there a way of adding an extra variable to zencart - in this instance I want to add a variable called 'group' to all attributes.

2) Is there a way of only showing certain attributes i.e. ones who's variable 'group' is a certain value.

If someone knows how to do the whole of these and would like to help then great, but if someone just gives me a few pointers in the right directions then that would be wonderful too. I am quite inexperienced but do manage to learn what I need to in general. If I manage to get what I am doing sorted then I would hope to release it as an addon in the future sometime. What I am looking to do is a little more in depth than just the above but with those two items sorted I think it would be relatively straightforward.

Thanks in advance,
duncan

[kobra]

A bit more explanation on "What it is you are attempting" with "Group" befor a good answer can be provided

As ZenCart is "openSource" - -There is almost nothing that can not be custom coded if you are capable

[dunchutch]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

My site is basically selling a product which will have upto 70 attributes which can alter the price. The purchasers of the product will be 'guided through' the process of adding the attributes they want - however if they are all in one long list this will be very difficult and create a very long page.

The way I want to do it is to be able to put say the first 15 attributes in one place, the next 20 somewhere else etc...

Ideally I will be trying to do this on tabs (using Tabbed Products Pro probably).

Ideally I would like to be able to just tell Zencart to display all attributes in group A in one place, all in group B in another etc. - but if I have to position each individual one then so be it.

As all my products will have the same attributes even though there may be a lot of work to create the first one if I have to position each one individually I will then be able to copy the product details across (I think) to new products so it wont be too much work each time.

Hope this is enough info!

Thanks in advance

[gjh42]

The Flexible Attributes mod in Free Addons will let you style attributes individually, so you can put spaces, dividers, etc. where you want them. As far as I have been able to tell, the Tabbed Products mod can only apply to the description, not other parts like attributes.

[dunchutch]

hi,

thanks for that - I will add the flexible attributes mod and then see if I can work out a way of changing the tabbed products one to put other things on them. If I find a way I will try to put it on here so others can use or abuse it!

thanks
duncan

[kobra]

The way I want to do it is to be able to put say the first 15 attributes in one place, the next 20 somewhere else etc...

70 attributes - - but are they all the same type?

i.e. Normally, attributes are classed as specifics like

color
size
etc

All these can be accomplished - - BUT if you are attempting to base your next 20 selection upon what is selected in your first 15 - -
This is what is termed as dependant attributes.
ZenCart does not have this functionality

[dunchutch]

Hi - no, they are all of different types (the product is muesli - you choose a base mix then add any number of ingredients of your choice to it).

Fortunately they are not dependent attributes so it should all be possible within Zencart...

What I do really want to do is to put them on different tabs, and am still trying to think of a way to do this - so any ideas would be appreciated!

thanks everyone - you are all very helpful!!

duncan

[stevesh]

Just my $.02 worth, but it seems like a mistake to me to require the customer to flip through several tabs to configure a product. Generally, tabs are used to provide extra information (technical description, reviews, etc.) unrelated to the actual order process. Seems like customers may get confused.

This mod allows attributes in a grid format:

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?ma...roducts_id=876

Seventy choices would fit in a grid 8 rows X 9 columns. Proper styling might make that uesable on one page.

[schoolboy]

I have a log-standing acquaintance who is a retail consultant, and her view is that TOO MUCH CHOICE is often a bad thing. Customers don't like to be presented with too many variables... research shows that any more than 10 or 12 in most product sectors is the limit.

Perhaps you should configure your products into several categories where the BASE products are a consistent mix, and then offer a smaller range of options.

[dunchutch]

Hi Schoolboy - thanks for your input.

I do agree wholeheartedly with your friend about too much choice normally being a bad thing, however it is the essence of the product I am selling and I am basing the way I am selling it on an extremely successful company which is doing this in europe (3 years to get a turnover of €750,000 with a healthy profit margin!)

There will be options on the site for people who want less choice too, but the main element will be complete choice as that is what the product is sold on.

duncan