Split add to cart process into steps

[colinr]

I am trying to find a way to split the process of adding a product to the cart into two steps.

This is so that the customer can select product specific attributes in the product info page (eg: 'colour' as per usual) followed by global attributes in the second stage (which could be skipped if not required for any reason).

Has anyone of the forum done anything like this?

ColinR

[IGD]

I have done this once before with a client, there are two ways to this.

1. You can create a second product_info for your specific product_type. Take the attributes section from your product_info_display page and put into a file called something like product_info_display_attributes. Then just carry your product info from your first page, to the next using standard form practices and display the attributes selects for that item and the add to cart button. This can get kind of cumbersome though if you have allot of product_types, but also it is bit of an outdated method.

2. The second way, which I think would be the ideal method would be to use a bit of javascript, maybe with an ajaxian flare to it. Simple divide the same page into to pages and hide the pieces of the product info you don't want to show until they click on a continue to attributes or similarly named button that will then switch between the product info and the attributes giving the feel of a step two but instantaneous without having to wait on the page to reload. This is actually a great way if your attributes have drop downs with many values, this where the ajax would come in allowing you to call in the info of attributes only when a customer decides to proceed to cart. That is if you don't feel that that the customer needs to see the options available to them on the product info page.

Hope some of these ideas help. As far as I know there are no 3rd party modules available for something like this, but i may be wrong.

Dan.

[colinr]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the reply.

Option 1 was the sort of thing I had in mind - though I'm not sure how to actually achieve it. Would you have any php I could play around with from your previous project?

Option 2 is an interesting suggestion, however. I have already implemented some javascript functions to show/hide some of the attributes in the product page and enhance the interface a little. Extending this may certainly provide a solution.

ColinR

[IGD]

unfortunatley no longer have those files, was a year or so ago.