Pre-populating product description

[Ryk]

The answer to this was published 2 or 3 years ago (before we moved to the new forum) - but I've forgotten how to do it!

I have a client who has the same table of information going into every product description. How can I pre-populate the htmlarea text box to save him having to cut and paste each time? Or more specifically, which is the file I need to edit to include this html?

[fairestcape]

tpl_product_info_display.php (perhaps)

hard-code your html into this part...

<!--bof Product description -->
<?php if ($products_description != '') { ?>
<div id="productDescription" class="productGeneral biggerText"><?php echo stripslashes($products_description); ?></div>
<?php } ?>
PROBABLY PUT IT HERE... CREATE DIVS WITH STYLE ID'S SO YOU CAN CONTROL LAYOUT USING CSS
<!--eof Product description -->

[barco57]

This might be of use in this case: http://www.thatsoftwareguy.com/zenca...scription.html

[Ryk]

I didn't explain myself properly but thank you both (and that is a good pointer barco57)

When entering product data, the client wants a consistent table where he can enter different content depending on the product, so it's a case of the text editor (HTMLarea) displaying the description data entry box already containing the table layout.

[barco57]

Ahhhhh I see now.....nope don't know how to pull that one off......My wife suggests using http://www.shortkeys.com/ depending on how long the code block is for the tables you could drop the code in with some sort of key combination.....my wife uses it all the time when entering products cause she has a standard description that only needs a few changes, so she decided its much faster to use a odd letter combination to drop it in and then she only has to change a couple of things.

[Ryk]

Found it! 17 Apr 2005... started to write the instructions and obviously never finished it

The original guidance came from DrByte, but for anyone else who wants to do something similar, the file to edit is admin/includes/modules/product/collect_info.php and around line 412 you should find

          echo zen_draw_textarea_field('products_description[' . $languages[$i]['id'] . ']', 'soft', '100%', '30', (isset($products_description[$languages[$i]['id']])) ? stripslashes($products_description[$languages[$i]['id']]) : zen_get_products_description($pInfo->products_id, $languages[$i]['id'])); //,'id="'.'products_description' . $languages[$i]['id'] . '"');

replace this with

          $textarea_content = (isset($products_description[$languages[$i]['id']])) ? stripslashes($products_description[$languages[$i]['id']]) : zen_get_products_description($pInfo->products_id, $languages[$i]['id']);
if ($textarea_content == "") {
   $lines = file(DIR_FS_CATALOG . 'extras/default_html_content_for_products.html');
   foreach ($lines as $line) {
     $textarea_content .= trim($line);
   }
}
         echo zen_draw_textarea_field('products_description[' . $languages[$i]['id'] . ']', 'soft', '600', '20', $textarea_content);

REMEMBER the above is a core file so keep a backup - it will be overwritten in an upgrade (as mine was, but I did have the backup...just couldn't remember where the heck it was! LOL)

Create your html content in a file such as that named in red above and place in your extras directory.

[fairestcape]

Rick, now you need to write it down on a PostIt and stick it on your forehead.