Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

15 Aug 2015, 17:04

#1

New Zenner

Join Date:: Jul 2015
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Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

We need the ability to not track inventory on certain products, so that it never says out of stock.

I know I can set it to do this for the entire store, but I only want this for certain products. Is there a way to do that?

Thanks!

15 Aug 2015, 17:33

#2

lat9

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

Blenderite:
We need the ability to not track inventory on certain products, so that it never says out of stock.

I know I can set it to do this for the entire store, but I only want this for certain products. Is there a way to do that?

Thanks!

Yep, it's called custom programming!:P

Note: Yours is not the first request to move Zen Cart's default stock management (i.e. Stock->Allow Checkout, Stock->Subtract Stock) down a notch so that the handling could be configured at the category- or product-level.

15 Aug 2015, 18:59

#3

blenderite

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

I am surprised that there is not an add-on for this.

Is there any direction that you could send me to help me 'fix' ZenCart? Or is this an adventure I should endeavour on my own?

15 Aug 2015, 19:40

#4

lat9

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

Me, too!

The two store-side settings are housed in the database configuration elements named STOCK_ALLOW_CHECKOUT (values 'true' or 'false') and STOCK_LIMITED (values 'true' or 'false'). You can use your admin's Tools->Developers Tool Kit to see where those store-wide settings are used.

The first setting (as its name implies) identifies whether or not to allow checkout with a quantity greater than that in stock. The second setting (where its name came from is anyone's guess) identifies whether or not the product's database-held quantity value is to be reduced by any quantity checked-out.

15 Aug 2015, 22:11

#5

blenderite

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

I wonder if STOCK_LIMITED or STOCK_ALLOW_CHECKOUT would be able to be added to the spreadsheet I have for EasyPopulate 4.0. Hmmmmmm.

16 Aug 2015, 11:13

#6

lat9

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

Before you head down the EP4 path, you'll need to think about how to update your database to allow product and/or category-specific override values for the two site-wide settings and then to update your products' configuration to display/update those settings.

16 Aug 2015, 13:45

#7

mc12345678

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

Blenderite:
I wonder if STOCK_LIMITED or STOCK_ALLOW_CHECKOUT would be able to be added to the spreadsheet I have for EasyPopulate 4.0. Hmmmmmm.

lat9:
Before you head down the EP4 path, you'll need to think about how to update your database to allow product and/or category-specific override values for the two site-wide settings and then to update your products' configuration to display/update those settings.

Agree, will be something to address down the line, but if/when you get whatever equivalent field into the products table then it would be easy for EP4 to provide further support. Just have to get through all the coding to which lat9 was referring based on the homework she's already done... (Would surprise me though if she doesn't already have a full solution already. :) )

29 Aug 2015, 15:48

#8

blenderite

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

I tried adding STOCK_LIMITED to the EP4 configuration page, exported the complete product list, with no success. I am working on gaining access to the database (another guy set it up and is trying to figure out the password).

Can anyone confirm the proper heading in a stock database for me, sounds like it might be a while before he can get back to me with the login info. Thanks!!

30 Aug 2015, 01:16

#9

rodg

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

Blenderite:
I tried adding STOCK_LIMITED to the EP4 configuration page, exported the complete product list, with no success.

I don't use EP, so I've no idea what this is referring to/

Blenderite:

I am working on gaining access to the database (another guy set it up and is trying to figure out the password).

This is easy to find. It is stored in the configure.php files.

Blenderite:

Can anyone confirm the proper heading in a stock database for me, sounds like it might be a while before he can get back to me with the login info. Thanks!!

The stock quantities are stored in the 'products' table, with the field name 'products_quantity'

I'm not sure if this is what you are really asking for though.

Cheers
RodG

30 Aug 2015, 01:54

#10

mc12345678

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

Blenderite:
I tried adding STOCK_LIMITED to the EP4 configuration page, exported the complete product list, with no success. I am working on gaining access to the database (another guy set it up and is trying to figure out the password).

Can anyone confirm the proper heading in a stock database for me, sounds like it might be a while before he can get back to me with the login info. Thanks!!

The field STOCK_LIMITED is not in a default installation of ZC. It appears that there is some misunderstanding of facts provided earlier in the thread.

What appears to be requested is to have one or more fields associated with each product that holds information similar to STOCK_LIMITED and STOCK_ALLOW_CHECKOUT. Currently, STOCK_LIMITED and STOCK_ALLOW_CHECKOUT are each a single database entry and apply to the entire store not dfferently to each product, category, etc...

So untill something is done to add and use a field that can be independently populated for each product into the database, there is not much that EP4 could do to help and "changes" to those constants will apply store wide...

30 Aug 2015, 05:40

#11

gilby

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

Blenderite:
We need the ability to not track inventory on certain products, so that it never says out of stock.

I know I can set it to do this for the entire store, but I only want this for certain products. Is there a way to do that?

Thanks!

Working on the KISS priciple...
Why not just give these products a ridiculously high quantity of stock so that they never run out?

If the question is then "I don't want to show this quantity to the public"

The edit product_info.php something like
if quantity > 100000 then display "something else" otherwise display quantity

31 Aug 2015, 02:33

#12

rodg

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

gilby:
Working on the KISS priciple...
Why not just give these products a ridiculously high quantity of stock so that they never run out?

If the question is then "I don't want to show this quantity to the public"

The edit product_info.php something like
if quantity > 100000 then display "something else" otherwise display quantity

That is *exactly* what I did for my 'infinite quantity' products. This also has a side benefit of giving a quick indication of how many have been sold (As long as I remember what my starting count was).

Cheers
RodG

31 Aug 2015, 03:08

#13

mc12345678

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Re: Setting A Product to Not Track Inventory

Yeah it can be tough to remember kind of all sides: that cutoff might be 1000, that started with 10,000 (without the comma) or 100,000, or even larger... When if ever did the quantitiy get reset, etc... :) but still better than trying toadd anadditional field to "track" for eachand every product... But that's considering an existing store and having to figure out which product had to be controlled which way.

Have to remember (if using something that tracks attribute quantities) to also consider some form of cutoff quantity there as well when considering which "product" should show quantities and which should not...