Variants and Dropdown Menu

-- HikaShop version -- : 2.4.0
-- Joomla version -- : 3.3.6
-- Error-message(debug-mod must be tuned on) -- : N/A

Hello,
I finally have my new site looking like I want it (graphically speaking - all pages including Hikashop pages). Adding a product is easy, now I want to learn the process of adding multiple variants for each product and having them displayed in a dropdown menu on the product page. I've spent many hours trying to figure this out and haven't made much progress. I do not find the Hikashop documentation to be very helpful and I only get bits and pieces of useful information if I search the forum or the web. I'm looking for step by step directions on how to accomplish this task. If they do not exist I will write them once I learn the process, but I need to learn the process first and would appreciate your help.
Best Regards
Scott

Hello,
Thank you for your reply. There is some useful information in the "Display by Color" tutorial, but not really enough to help me get going in the right direction. To be more specific I want something similar in function to what my current website has.

Here is an example page from my current website:
image-circle.com/gal/wide?page=shop.prod...id=198&category_id=1

There is a dropdown menu with sizes and prices. You select the size and quantity then click the "Add to Cart" button.

Hello,

I finally figured out what will work for me. I created a characteristic called “Size” and added all possible size options for all products. Then in each individual product I can delete the options that do not apply to that product. Very simple, but it took a long time to sort out.

The next problem is how to give each characteristic a price? On the demo site the HDD has 3 characteristics, each of which has a price (and several other descriptions). How is this accomplished? I don't have a clue from looking at the demo site or reading the documentation.

Thanks,
Scott

Hello,
Thank you for your reply.
It must have been a cache issue or similar. I restarted my browser and Wamp server and those options are now available - when they weren't previously. Very frustrating - but I'm learning.
Thanks,
Scott

Hello,

Here's what I've done: I created a list of characteristics (size A,B,C,etc.). I added those characteristics to a specific product. Then I went into manage variants and individually assigned the correct price to each size. So far so good and it works in my cart.

However, I have 250 products and need to assign the same or similar to all of them. After many hours messing around with this and a lot of reading I have not been able to figure out how to accomplish this task in a more efficient manner.

I must be missing something and would appreciate your help.

Thanks,
Scott

Hello,

Thank you for your reply. I had a look at what you suggested (copy product) and if I had started out that way to begin with - I would follow that procedure and it would save me a lot of time. However, my products (photographs) are already created (images, text, etc.) and I don't think I would save any time now by trying to employ that method and would probably be more likely to make a mistake vs just grinding out the variants on each product. At least when modifying each variant (which in my case means just adding the correct price) I get a dropdown of previously used prices when I enter the first character and I can simply click on the one needed.

It will take me a while, but that's the way it goes when you are learning how to do this stuff. Maybe in the future there could be a copy characteristics function? I will use the above procedure going forward when adding new products.

I also looked into creating a csv file, but that would take me longer to accomplish and be far more prone to mistakes. The data from my current VirtueMart website is also too difficult to re-configure (at least for me).

Best Regards,
Scott

Hi Nicolas,

I like the idea of using the product template import. If you would - please review the attached csv files. The first is unmodified from the Hikashop export. The second I modified to try as a product template. I would appreciate your input before I try this as I'm sure it will improve my chances of success. 2 variables are important - the size and corresponding price.

I have the site backed up and will await your reply.

Best Regards,
Scott

Hi
I misunderstood - my apologies.
Attached is a csv of all the products that are not configured properly yet. I've tried several times to import it - but I keep getting this error:
Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 39083987 bytes) in C:\wamp25\www\J3xHK\libraries\joomla\application\web.php on line 717

I did increase the post_max_size and post_max_size substantially (to 750M) in the Apache php.ini, but that did not seem to help. Would appreciate your advice.

Thanks,
Scott

Hi Nicolas,

It looks as if this will work if the CSV is correctly configured. In it's current state the import works correctly for some products, partially for others and not at all for the remainder. In addition a number of products never made the CSV import to begin with and were eliminated.

I exported a new CSV and it looks a lot cleaner than the last one I sent you (I have been using only Open Office Calc). I removed a few lines and it imports now without error, but it does not make any changes to the characteristics when used with the correct template file.

Please have a look if you will.

Thanks,
Scott

Hello Nicolas,

I keep trying and still can't figure this out. On the CSV you modified for me I had not previously noticed that you had deleted the product_parent_id column. That was part of the problem I was having. Now when I import the CSV I get the characteristics/variants names to display in a dropdown on the product page, but when I go to manage variants - they aren't any installed to manage.

Reading the documentation hasn't helped me. I've been trying to find a CSV that is correctly configured so that I can adjust mine accordingly but have not been able to do so. Is there such a thing? I've copied what you did to the best of my ability but can't get it to work correctly. The CSV you modified for me has so many other errors not related to the characteristics issue that I would not be able to fix it if I tried.

Would appreciate your advice.

Thanks,
Scott

Hi Nicolas,

Quick update.:
I did a test and deleted 1 product - then imported it - and it worked correctly. I then deleted all of the 190 products I need to finish variants for and then imported them and all appear to have worked correctly. I have to reload the images, but I'd rather do that than manually load all the variants.

Not the best solution, but not too bad and easier for me to accomplish.

Cheers,
Scott