Import and Configure Characteristics Help Needed

We have converted a site from VirtueMart to HikaShop and we are now importing characteristics. We have imported some but they will not show in the site...unless we go to each product in the admin and click Manage Variant. Is there a way that we don't have to do this? And also we need step by step instructions on how to do this.

Thank you,

John

There is no import from VM of characteristics. S I don't see how you can do that ?
Via a CSV ?
In that case, you're probably missing the lines corresponding to the variants of the products in the CSV as the system in HikaShop and the one in VM is quite different on characteristics (attribute).
I'm afraid that the method you found is the simplest to generate all the variants of the products.

We have all the products in from VM. That is not the problem. We have already entered the characteristics in (i.e., Sizes, S, M, L). And we have been able to link the characteristics to the products (Taking the list of products and putting the characteristics id...for example Size is ID 18...and putting 18 next to product id and importing it to the characteristic table). But on the front side, we are NOT able to see the characteristic until we go into each product and click Manage Characteristic.

Are we doing something wrong? And if so...please explain how to do it correctly.

Linking a characteristic to a product via the variant table is not enough.
A variant product has to be generated for each variant of the characteristics of the product. So if you have 3 characteristics with 3 values each, that's 27 variants to add in the product table with their product_parent_id pointing to the main product. But that's not all, you also need to link each variant with each characteristic value via the variant table. That's what is done automatically by HikaShop when you save a product to which you just added a characteristic (our click on the manage variants button which also saves the product).

Without the variant data in the tables, the system won't be able to display the characteristics dropdowns on the front end.

Since we have the characteristics in the table now...could we import the products again and it would link them with characteristics?

No the import from VM does not import attributes, regardless of the characteristics you have in HikaShop.

I understand that.

Now we are trying to import the characteristic sub ids (Size-18, S-17, M-16, L-15) for each product...so 200 products would connect to 18 and 200 products to 17, etc. with 18 as a 1 and the rest as 0). Will this make it show up?

This is what we get. Is this correct?

Sorry...have attachment now.

Is this correct?

Yes. That CSV is fine.

Okay. Those characteristics are showing up because I clicked Manage for each product. But the ones in the attached file are NOT showing up. What is the difference and how to make the characteristics show without clicking Manage for each and every product?

This CSV looks fine too.
I can see the variants for the products (did check all of them but for example, for the first product "ZENGARA Z30165 SHOES DK BROWN" I can see 13 variants in the CSV.
Did you send the correct CSV ?