Product options include any type of information the merchant must collect about an order for this particular product. This might be choices of color, size, finish; text messages; quantity breaks; and file uploads.
To add an option:
First determine what type of price effect an option should have. Options can do one of the following to price:
- Have no effect on price.
Example:
Colors: Red, Blue, Green
- Add a cost to the base price (default_price) of an item.
Example:
Finish: Unfinished, Glossy Black--Add $5.00, Plated--Add $10.50
- Replace the base price.
Example:
Sleeve: Short-$24.00,Long-$35.00
- Replace the base price according to quantity ordered (Volume Pricing)
Example:
1-10 $.25, 11-20 $.22, 21-100 $.20, over 100 $.15
(Customer orders 101 and is charged $15.15)
- Replace the total price and reflects quantity (Quantity Pricing)
This would be import to keep inventory amounts acurate.
Example:
1000--$25.00, 1500--$20.00, etc.
(Customer selects 1000 and is charged $25.00. One thousand is subtracted from inventory at order completion)
- Add a one-time charge (regardless of quantity)
Example:
Setup: Standard--No charge, Deluxe--$50.00
(Customer is charged product price times quanitity plus $50 for deluxe setup.
- Use base price of another inventory item. Also reduces the inventory of the item specified as the option.
Example:
Gift Basket container: Straw basket $4.50, Wood box $10.10
(Customer selects the wood box and is charged the item price plus the price of the wood box.)
Next, decide what type of input object or layout this option should be:
- Drop Down List (best for choices)
- Checkbox (Suitable for yes/no options)
- Radio (Suitable for a small number of choices)
- Short Text Entry (Used when you need to get a short message)
- Scrolling Text Entry (Used for longer messages)
- Image or file upload. The script will save the upload and store the file location as the option. If you will be specifying file upload, you must decide what directory to store the uploads in. Create the directory if it does not exist already and be sure permissions are set as to allow access by the script.
You are now ready to enter the option. Product options are added using the product option screen in the Merchant control panel. Search for the product you will add the option for (or there is an add product option link on the page following add or edit product.
On the first screen, you may notice a place to enter a productID to copy product options from. This will copy all product options of that product.
To create a product option:
- Ssupply a label if desired. Example: Color:
The label will be displayed in the shopping cart and order items as well as on the product display.
- Select the price action you decided upon in the first step.
- Choose the layout you decided in the second step that would be most appropriate
- Specify size for certain object layouts:
- For short text enter text length (max size allowed for entry)
- For scrolling text, specify rows and columns
- For dropdowns, specify rows to display (1 is most commonly used)
- For File uploads, specify a max size of upload in bytes. The default is 512000. Note, that any value specifed will be ignored if it exceeds your system setting.
- For Checkbox or radio there is no size specification.
- If you selected the checkbox layout, check the Default Checkbox status if you want to initially display as checked.
- Specify if you want your text message (short or long) to be required.
- For textareas, select wrap style.
- For File Uploads, specify the directory to store the file uploads. This does not have to be in the web viewing area, but should be accessible by FTP and the directory must already exist . Windows users please use the "/".
- If you specified that the option entry is required, enter an error message to display to customers who do not supply an entry.
- Supply optional instructions to include in the product option display. The option listing must include this variable in the list template to display.
If you selected a layout that requires choices (dropdown, radio, or checkbox) you will enter those choices on the next screen.
If your option has NO pricing effect, you will be presented with a screen that has an entry field for display value. Enter what you wish your customer and staff will see as the selected value.
If your option has a replace or add to pricing effect, you will be presented with entries to specifiy display value, price, an optional percentage rate (leave blank for flat rate) and extra shipping cost (optional).
If your option is a volume pricing choice, you will enter a display value, a beginning quantity range, an ending quantity range, and a unit price. You will also have the option here to check a box labeled "Suppress display of volume pricing". This option will suppress the display of volume options, since its choice actually relies on quantity supplied rather than customer choice. You would want to replace this suppressed option with some sort of information on the page. This option need be set only once.
If your option is a quantity pricing choice you will enter a display value, quantity field, price, and a freight price (optional).
On any of the display value entries, legal characters include HTML characters, currency symbols and variable shortcuts (especially pertinent to options that are other inventory items). For volume options, the display value typically includes the range and amount
Example: 1-100 for only $25.00 each
And that's it.
Hint: once you have entered in a few and you have quite a few to do, you might want to export product options and study the format. Then you can cut and paste into a spread sheet and import them.
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