Any way to skip steps when adding new Products with new Attributes +quantities?

[Computer Candy]

Hey everyone. I am pretty new here. I just really got here in the last few days. I started working with osCommerce a little over a week ago and found that it had a lot to offer people that know it well already. But for newcomers it just seemed like a bit of a mess to me. It seems like a good reputable solid project but i found it hard to navigate their contributions area and forums, etc.

After doing a lot more searching i found a few off-shoots that seemed to kind of resurrect the project in a healthy direction. So far i have settled on Zen Cart and so far i am impressed. Development seems to be more active, modifications and the forums here are easier to navigate and better organized and i noticed an instant clean, crisp difference in the Zen Cart installer and ACP.

I am feeling more and more excited with my decision to come over to Zen Cart. However, i have a small hiccup. It's not so much a complaint since i _am_ in fact happy that i can accomplish what i want to. It's just that there are so many steps involved in what seems like should be a simpler task.


...to the point...


Right now i use Zen Cart with 'Stock by Attributes' and 'Improved Attributes Controller'. Unless i am missing something, there are currently 5 steps if you want to add a new product with new attributes and values.
1. Use 'Options Name Manager' to create new option
2. Use 'Options Value Manager' to create option variations
3. Use 'Categories/Products' area to add a product
4. Use 'Attributes Controller' to add attribute variations to the product
5. Use 'Products with Attributes Stock' to assign product variation stock

Something like this would seem to make a lot more sense...
From the Add/Edit Product area it would be great if there were something that would allow you to add attributes/options right there. Something like a button that is for adding a new variation of the product. You could keep clicking the "Add Variation with Attributes/Options" button to add more variations via attributes/options. If an attribute does not already exist you could add one right there and so could you add new attribute/option values. It would save the new Attribute/Option Names and Values to the same database that the 'Options Name Manager' and 'Options Value Manager' draw from.

I hope that makes sense, i had to re-read it a couple of times myself and i wrote it.

So after all of that here are finally my questions...
1. Firstly, am i missing something that allows a few less steps?
2. If not is there a modification that can do anything at all like this to improve productivity?
3. If not are there any plans for anything like this?
4. If not could you move this to your suggestions area if you have one?

hehehe, ok, a few more questions than i had originally thought.

I imagine if there is nothing like this yet, maybe once 'Stock by Attributes' is a standard part of the upcoming Zen Cart v1.4, maybe then a modification like this might be more realistic. 5. Anyone care to comment?

Which brings up yet _another_ question, i keep reading in various topics about v1.4 and have seen a lot of, "what is the projected date of v1.4?" 6. I realize that is a harder thing to _really_ project than a lot of people prolly realize... but is there even a ball park estimate at this time?

I did a lot of reading and searching but i'm afraid that 'product*' and 'attribute*' just brought up way too many search results and i admit i stopped reading and searching after about 45 minutes. I couldn't think of better search terms. I apologize if i missed an answer already posted somewhere.

thX for everything! I number my over abundance of questions to hopefully make them easier to address for anyone willing to indulge me. It is greatly appreciated by the way.

thX again!
-CC

P.S. Sorry for such a rambling post. I really was going to just ask one or two questions and i kind of got out of control there, hehe. You'll prolly be seeing a lot more of me asking questions about this and that. I hope to try and help with as many questions as i am able to though also and i promise to use the search feature.