Creating a direct link for a category/product

[Lordzoabar]

We recently started offering an online photo product service for customers who want custom products such as photo-printed mugs, photo books, puzzles, etc. and I am trying to insert direct links for specific products from our website. IE: We offer custom printed Christmas ornaments, and I want when a customer clicks the link for them, it just redirects them to the photo product creation page, directly. I know the banner images have this capability, but can we do it for individual products?

For reference, here is the Category page with the ornaments, and here is where I want it to link to.

[mc12345678]

If understand the question correctly, and honestly I don't think I do. When in one of the products that are listed in the category, you want a link that will go to where they can personally customize the product? There is a uri link associated with each product that could be populated to click and go to that link. Or there is the possibility to add the link into the description.

All that said, I don't think that I fully understand what is desired considering it both seems like the solution is already shown (two different links) but also that there is still some middle step not shown/represented in the question. At the very least wanted to try to answer and if unsuccessful at least get more conversation started.

[Lordzoabar]

I mean, that when the customer clicks on the "Metal Ornaments" link, instead of it taking you to the ZC product listing page, it redirects you automatically to the second link I provided, allowing the customers to go straight to designing and ordering their ornament.

[dbltoe]

I'm confused as well since neither example allows the customer to pick a style or customize the inscription. I like the first link but would add a required dropdown for the shape that changes the main image when a different shape is selected. Also, add a required text box for the inscription (if able to customize) or a required dropdown of pre-determined phrases. That way, it's all done there. If I get what you are wanting, it's that all can be done in one location.

An example of what I mean is seen here. Add Flavor 1, then 2 (note image change), then 3 for another image change. The first flavor is required along with the Gift Message. If you really wanted to make sure the customer did not want 2 and/or 3, you could add a No Thanks to the dropdown and make it required as well.

[Lordzoabar]

To be honest, I'm confused by what you're confused by...? The current page that the category links to is this, which, as you stated, does not allow for product customization. That is why i am trying to get it to link to THIS. That link allows you to pick whatever variation in shape, material, color, text, etc. All of our photo products are being handled through that website now, and so I need to link the product from our website to the design site.

[mc12345678]

Other parts of my confusion are in this process, how would they "complete" the order? How is the data from the two sites linked together to complete the order?

When saying want to link from say a category listing directly to the design instead of to see product information, is there then nothing in the product information that supports product selection/purchase? From what dbltoe outlined it seems that there is, but from what was described above it seems that Zen Cart isn't to do anything other than provide some listing information, an image and a link to this other design site...

How these two are to integrate with each other identifies information to offer further suggestions of ways to accomplish the desired task.

[Lordzoabar]

They are not linked, integrated, or connected in any way shape or form whatsoever. Two entirely different sales platforms that we run. Zen-cart is for anything that we provide ourselves, the other is a third-party interface for ordering photo products that are made by Fuji Film, that we host on our site. All I want, is to place a page redirect link for when you click on the particular product tab in Zen, it automatically takes you to the ornaments page for Fuji, or any other such photo-product.

You would complete the order through the Fuji side, information is sent directly to us through their own interface on our photo print server, we verify and submit the order, and the finished product is shipped to us.

[mc12345678]

So, ez-pages offer the ability to provide a link that redirects outside the site as an external link. With that concept, there are things that could then be done such as creating a category that has a lengthy description in it (no specific product) where the link would be used for each described product. That would at least offer an option in the category listing to get to this external location (though would also basically end up dropping things from the cart if they take longer than the session time out and hadn't logged in while they had their items in their cart.).

Alternatively an ez-page could also be created that could contain the list to the other ez-pages, etc...

You could also create, find or modify a product type that sets the product link to go to a defined link location associated with that product. Ie. The products url could be used in place of the product information page link in all places that the specific product is presented or where such default link is parsed that the products url is applied/processed.