Salemaker only works for entire store

I don't know if I just haven't found a certain setting in the admin or not, but our salemaker only seems to be working if we have a sale on the entire store. It has all the product categories in the salemaker admin panel, but when I put a certain category on sale, it does not show up or work on checkout.

I would like to be able to put a whole category on sale rather than making each individual product a "special" or making a coupon code for them, which is what I have had to do to make this work.

http://www.1hourscrap.com/catalog

I am using the zen cart version that was available just before this newest upgrade. (Can't find the actual version no. on it; it says that it appears to be the most current version, but I installed it before your big upgrade to 1.3).

Any ideas for this? Thanks in advance!

Sounds like your products do not have master_categories_id

Check your products table and see if you have both the master_categories_id on all products and that you have the products_price_sorter ... which is the bottom line lowest price of the products ...

Ajeh, I am helping Carol with the site and I'm not sure what you mean by the master_categories_id? Is that in the admin somewhere? What's happening is that we have many products copied to lots of categories. If we put on sale the original, first category we put them in, they show up, but if we put on sale another category, nothing shows up. Is there any easy way to fix this?

In the products table is the master_categories_id

When the product is linked to multiple categories, one of these categories is the Master Category ...

This is contained in the master_categories_id field of the products table and is used for pricing such as Sale Maker so when you put a Category on sale the products that "belong" to that Category as indicated by the master_categories_id know that they are on sale ...

If there is no master_categories_id then this relationship does not exist and the pricing cannot work correctly ...

Thanks, Ajeh, I think that is our problem, I'm just not sure how to fix it. I'm assuming the products table you mean is the one you access in the admin by clicking Catalog > Categories/Products. Once there, how do I fix it so we do have a "master_categories_id" and a "products_price_sorter"?

Ajeh, after I wrote, I found that in the Multiple Categories Link Manager, the top of it is telling us which category is the "Master Category" then it shows all the categories the product is linked to. What do I do to make it so those linked categories can be put on sale just like the master?

There is an automatic update for the Master Categories ID and the Products Price Sorter ... in the Tools ... Store Manager ...

However, what this does is "assume" that the first categories_id found in the products_to_categories table is the Master Category and uses that to update the products table field master_categories_id

Then you run the Update on the Products Price Sorter to update the field products_price_sorter in the products table ...

NOTE: Always make a backup before attempting to make these kinds of changes ...

NOTE: you should only run this when you do not have any other method of determining the master_categories_id

Don't forget to BACKUP before trying to fix these ...

ChristinaB:

Ajeh, after I wrote, I found that in the Multiple Categories Link Manager, the top of it is telling us which category is the "Master Category" then it shows all the categories the product is linked to. What do I do to make it so those linked categories can be put on sale just like the master?

The Multiple Categories Link Manager helps you see the relationship of the Categories and Products and to see which of the Categories is marked as the Master ...

You can use this to help reset all of the products ...

NOTE: v1.3 has a much better Multiple Categories Link Manager for easier navigation ...

I'm sorry to be such a dunce, but what exactly would resetting the products do to help our problem? Is there a specific master category everything should be in or what?

Resting was designed for sites that do not have master_categories_id as they import their products and do not use the Admin ...

If you already have master_categories_id in your products table ... then you do not need to reset them as they are already there ...

What you should do is determin, based on your Category structure, what Category "owns" the product so that you can set the Master Category ...

If you walk down aisle A in the store and find a widget on sale for $10 off ... then walk down aisle F in the store and find the widget ... it should also be on sale for $10 off ...

Just because it is not in its "main" aisle does not change its price ...

You need to determin what Category owns your products so when you put a category on sale ... the product goes on sale everywhere regardless of the Linked Categories that it may be in ...

NOTE: You can also use the updater on the bottom of the Multiple Categories Link Manager to set a given Category as the Master Category for all Products that are in that Category ...

Thanks, Ajeh, I think I understand that better now.

I guess the problem is we want to put the subcategories on sale as well -- is there just no way to do this? Like for instance, we want all our "blue" items on sale, whether they're widgets, gadgets or doodads. The way it's working, we can't put the "blue" category on sale, but we can make a coupon that works for all the "blue" products. We would much rather be able to put the category on sale.

Is there no way to do this without moving all the blue widgets, blue gadgets, and blue doodads into the "Blue" as it's master category?

You can put any Category or SubCategory on sale ...

You just need to assure that if the Categories are:

Widgets
Blue Widgets (only holds blue ones)
Red Widgets (only holds red ones)
All Widgets (has all widgets)

That the Blue Widgets is the Master Category for those Products and that they are Linked to the All Widgets category ...

Now when Blue Widgets are on sale, they will be on sale in both the Blue Widgets and All Widgets categories ...

Ajeh:

You can put any Category or SubCategory on sale ...

You just need to assure that if the Categories are:

Widgets
Blue Widgets (only holds blue ones)
Red Widgets (only holds red ones)
All Widgets (has all widgets)

That the Blue Widgets is the Master Category for those Products and that they are Linked to the All Widgets category ...

Now when Blue Widgets are on sale, they will be on sale in both the Blue Widgets and All Widgets categories ...

Thank you for clearing this up for us. I think we've figured it out now. We REALLY appreciate all your help!!

Thanks for the update ... and good luck with your site! :smile: