Stocks by attributes

Hi all, this is my 1st post, and i'm new to zen, so apologies if this question sounds silly!
I have just successfully installed stock_by_attributes_v4_4 patch, and modified the attribute stock levels, all works fine. My only issue is the fact the customer only realises that the product is out of stock when they click add to cart. Is there any way of letting the customer know as soon as they choose colour/size?
Sorry if this has been asked before, I can't seem to find an understandable response. I'm relatively new to this, used to dreamweaver and photoshop, haha, thanks,
Chris

bodybangles:

I downloaded and installed Stock By Attribute 4.4 with Zencart 1.37 and everything seems to be working. However, we are having issues with it allowing customers to check out with more items than are available without giving our "insufficient stock" message. Customers who try to check out with more than the total quantity of all the attributes get the usual error message. It may be easier to give an example.

I have an item at http://bodybangles.net/index.php?mai...oducts_id=2350

that has 5 colors - I have 4 in stock of each color - for a total quantity of 20. If a customer chooses 5 of any particular color, they do not get an "Insufficient Stock" message as they should, because there are only 4 in stock. It is only after I place 21 in the cart that I get an "insufficient stock" message. It appears that the program is not checking individual stock - only total.

I am having exactly the same problem - i have seen many posts like this that haven't been answered, I'd imagine it's prob something that's quite easy to fix - anyone care to advise?

Hi

I know it might not be the right place to post my problem. But I can not add my SQL patches cause I do not have an option for it in Admin ... Tools. There just is not anything that would help me upload my patches.

Should I first download this option before I can use it. and if so, what is it called and where can I find it.

Thank you

This might sound like the stupidiest question on this thread, but where can I find this mod? I really wish there's a search feature in the download section.

ok found it, apparently its under "other modules" directory

I dont know if there is a way around this...

I have alot of products that are unlimited in stock.
(Because they are from companies that drop ship for me..)

So I just had them set Small Medium Large

But now, the problem I am having is the products that I did not set each stock level to, now marks them out of stock!

What I was hoping that would happen is if I didnt enter any stock by attribute level, then it woudn't do anything to it allowing the user to purchase any size.

Arrgghh. Lots of products to add... Do I have to do this all manually? It can take forever...

:frusty::frusty:

I need a mod for something like... If no attributes are assigned, and there is a quantity entered allow purchase of any size.

milobloom:

What I was hoping that would happen is if I didnt enter any stock by attribute level, then it woudn't do anything to it allowing the user to purchase any size.The mod works the other way round and deliberately. If no stock is entered, it assumes that there is no stock.

Although this doesn't suit your specific situation, it is both logical and extremely helpful to people with sparsely populated attribute matrices who don't have to go through entering lots of zeros.

So is there nothing I can do?
For all the items that I have an unlimited amount of stock,
I have to go in and enter stock levals for everything???

I am just trying to think this through...

Here is my problem...

I have 1000's of products that I have from drop shippers.
I also have 100's of products of our own stock.
So after I put in all of my own stock by attributes is when I noticed
I cannot check out with the other ones from the dropshippers.

I was thinking about just allowing the option of allowing products to
be purchased if the stocks are showing 0. But that will also create another
nightmare, (And alot of angry customers)

I seriously thought if there was a quantity with no break out of attributes it
would revert to allowing any of the attributes to be purchased. Wouldn't that have made more sense???

When is the new version expected to be released? i tried to find a read for it but couldn't find anything!

milobloom:

I seriously thought if there was a quantity with no break out of attributes it would revert to allowing any of the attributes to be purchased. Wouldn't that have made more sense???Having effectively unlimited stock is not the situation that most store owners are in, or the default for which Zen Cart is built. So, although what you propose would work for you, it would be a disaster for many other store owners who would have the opposite problem, i.e. the need to create an unnecessary stock record for every possible combination of attributes and put a zero in it. It's to avoid that scenario that the mod defaults the way it does.

gtcman:

When is the new version expected to be released? i tried to find a read for it but couldn't find anything!There are no more versions of this mod planned. The functionality is scheduled to be included in Zen Cart's core code for release 1.4.

I have a problem with Stock by Attributes.
It is showing only one option name and its respective values.
But it is not showing another option which I need.
Is there a way to add an option name to it?
Thanks.

ckosloff:

Stock by Attributes ... is showing only one option name and its respective values. But it is not showing another option which I need. Is there a way to add an option name to it?Stock by Attributes will let you add stock for all combinations of attributes available to a product. To add another option, you must first add it the product, then Stock by Attributes will pick it up.

kuroi:

Stock by Attributes will let you add stock for all combinations of attributes available to a product. To add another option, you must first add it the product, then Stock by Attributes will pick it up.
First, thank you very much indeed for the fast reply.
Your explanation makes it useless for me to add anything.

ckosloff:

Your explanation makes it useless for me to add anything.<puzzled> Why? Are you saying that you want to record stock for combinations of attributes that don't actually exist in your product attribute set up?

kuroi:

<puzzled> Why? Are you saying that you want to record stock for combinations of attributes that don't actually exist in your product attribute set up?
No, Kuroi, it's just that I figured it out while driving home.
I pushed the panic button before giving it a thought.
Yes, I was looking at a product that did not have two option names, and I was going to post the solution to my own problem, but you beat me to it.
Thanks again.

milobloom:

I am just trying to think this through...

Here is my problem...

I have 1000's of products that I have from drop shippers.
I also have 100's of products of our own stock.
So after I put in all of my own stock by attributes is when I noticed
I cannot check out with the other ones from the dropshippers.

I was thinking about just allowing the option of allowing products to
be purchased if the stocks are showing 0. But that will also create another
nightmare, (And alot of angry customers)

I seriously thought if there was a quantity with no break out of attributes it
would revert to allowing any of the attributes to be purchased. Wouldn't that have made more sense???
It's a tough problem, and I experience difficulties too.
But...you also have to play around with settings in the Admin --> Configuration --> Stock.
Like allow checkout, check stock level, products satus in catalog when out of stock.
I also found out that it is useful to add sometimes a "none" or 0 option value, so that it can be combined with other option names when they are exclusive.
I am also looking into other custom solutions, but I think that the built-in functionality of Zen Cart and this mod should take you a long way.

ckosloff:

It's a tough problem, and I experience difficulties too.
But...you also have to play around with settings in the Admin --> Configuration --> Stock.
Like allow checkout, check stock level, products satus in catalog when out of stock.
I also found out that it is useful to add sometimes a "none" or 0 option value, so that it can be combined with other option names when they are exclusive.
I am also looking into other custom solutions, but I think that the built-in functionality of Zen Cart and this mod should take you a long way.

If you leave the Allow Checkout when stock is low, The checkout box is red and tells the customer that is the case. Now I figure that could be over rid, however I kinda like the feature that stops the customer from ordering and saying its out of stock. It still allows the item to be listed etc...

The thing I am thinking about is this...
Now I don't know if Everyone lists things the way I do.
But here is what I do.
I List everything from a datasheet using easypopulate
I put every attribute combination into a different category as a category name.
Like --- s,m,l m,l,xl
Why do I do this?? So that I can make 1 set of attributes then copy the whole set of attributes to the rest of the category.
Then I use Quick Updates and move all the products to their appropriate categories.

Soooo... What I was thinking... Would there be a way to say.. Make the copy of the attributes quantities when I copy all of the attributes over.
Maybe Not. But Its just a thought. (And perhaps the insight of how I am listing can spark some other ideas.)