New / Custom Extra Product Fields

[stiggybaby]

Sorry, I was sooo involved in these file edits and trying to get zencart setup, that I completely forgot my manners...

Thank you both bislewl, and balihr for your replies, and if you have any further direction in helping me out with any or part of the above, it would be greatly appreciated. PLUS, I really want to have a more complete thread on this issue with a FINALIZED 1.5.1 step-by-step so people don't have to google their way for days and days through tons and tons of posts, only to not get the issue solved.

I've read about several other sellers, like myself, of different parts, where extra fields are an absolute MUST due to the type of product and customer needs.

[delia]

Hmm, the apsona shop manager is free and is a lot easier to use than the ezpopulate. Fields added to the product table automatically get included.
http://apsona.com/pages/ec/signup.html

Additionally, I wrote the extra product fields mod - it uses a different table because it had the possibility of adding many fields and I wanted to keep that info separated out of the products table.

I've thought about a new version since that one was actually written more to include a flash file on the product page and that's probably not happening anymore. At least I hope so.

So perhaps it would be best to rewrite the mod to include upload maybe 2 PDFs (the other reason for the mod) and several text fields. Connect them to the product table instead and that would have solved your problem, correct?

[stiggybaby]

...So perhaps it would be best to rewrite the mod to include upload maybe 2 PDFs (the other reason for the mod) and several text fields. Connect them to the product table instead and that would have solved your problem, correct?

YES, YES, YES!!!!

From what I have read from several dozen posts on the forum that would help ALL of us parts type of stores (plus have the extra fields searchable, so customers can find the part they need easily would be a big bonus too).

[delia]

Searchable is a whole 'nother thing. Though maybe if this was all pulled into the product table, that would take care of itself.

I'm updating the mod now for zc v1.5.3 but making a change like that in tables is major. I'm just going to upload this one with the small change and do another version that changes majorly. I'll let you know when I have a the fully revised mod ready.

[stiggybaby]

Searchable is a whole 'nother thing. Though maybe if this was all pulled into the product table, that would take care of itself...

Yep!

I'm updating the mod now for zc v1.5.3 but making a change like that in tables is major. I'm just going to upload this one with the small change and do another version that changes majorly. I'll let you know when I have a the fully revised mod ready.

SUH! - WHEAT! Sweet!

[DrByte]

In general I'd recommend not altering the "products" table directly, if at all possible, mostly to make things easier for upgrades.
Then adapt the search code to include your additional tables' relevant fields if search is a required component to specific fields you're adding.

[delia]

Thanks, Dr. Byte, I appreciate the input and feel better about how I set this up in the first place!

The search change - advanced search result header? The only way is to edit the header_php.php? This was the the real lack in this mod from the start.

[stiggybaby]

In general I'd recommend not altering the "products" table directly, if at all possible, mostly to make things easier for upgrades.
Then adapt the search code to include your additional tables' relevant fields if search is a required component to specific fields you're adding.

I get that, and I obviously know nothing compared to you, but I am left not understanding my options on how I can continue to use zencart, as well as anybody else that is a parts supplier that, due to the product, HAS TO HAVE extra fields, and has thousands of parts, and due to that maintains the catalog in a text file using OO Calc or Excel, and therefore has to be able to import and export (in order to maintain inventory count), so therefore needs Easy Populate 4, and therefore basically needs the extra fields to be added to the main products table directly.

Is there another or better way for us parts suppliers (who absolutely have to have extra fields and import/export)?

[stiggybaby]

At some point I did exactly what I wanted to do, but I don't know when so I don't have notes on how I did it.

Here's the CVS export:

2,Show Notes,SHOW_PRODUCT_INFO_NOTES,1,Display Notesr on Product Info 0= off 1= on,1,2,2014-07-17 15:11:30,2009-05-30 08:43:48,NULL,zen_cfg_select_drop_down(array(array('id'=>'1', 'text'=>'True'), array('id'=>'0', 'text'=>'False'))
3,Show Width,SHOW_PRODUCT_INFO_WIDTH,1,Display width on Product Info 0= off 1= on,1,3,0000-00-00 00:00:00,2009-05-30 08:43:48,NULL,zen_cfg_select_drop_down(array(array('id'=>'1', 'text'=>'True'), array('id'=>'0', 'text'=>'False'))

I somehow seem to have inserted my 2 new fields right into the 2 and 3 position between SHOW_PRODUCT_INFO_MODEL and SHOW_PRODUCT_INFO_WEIGHT

I do not want to mess up my product_type_layout but I do want to recreate the same results in my live site.

Can I please get some help on what my INSERT INTO product_type_layout sql patch should be?

THANK YOU!

[FoodSourceDirect]

I have installed ZC 1.5.3.
Installed EP 4.0
Added 13 custom product fields to the products table.They are all in TEXT format.
Installed TPP 1.10
I plan to install Image Handler 4.


I need TPP to be able to pull content / data from custom fields so that the custom data is displayed in tabs in the product information page of my store.


I read Crazy_Chris' post that was submitted in 2007 which seems to be the easiest to follow instructions so far. But. I am not sure if there have been changes in ZC since 2007, or if the TPP 1.10 Global Tabs instructions are sufficient to pull the data. Or do I need to make the changes that Crazy_Chris outlines and the TPP Global Instructions. I'm not a programmer; but, I am good at following instructions, provided they are clearly written.
I have looked at Numinix 3.0 but most of the custom field names are different than the ones I have created and it modifies ZC 1.5.3 core files.

AJ