AbleCommerce Shopping Cart Software

OK - what is the relationship between Products, Product Variants, and Options??

When I create a Rroduct, then create a Variant ("Lens"), return to the Product and "Track By Variant", return to the "Options and Variants" tab and create Options, everything appears to be OK on the client side.

BUT, looking at the database, there are no variants associated with the Product - only Options?!!

By entering stock levels and low level values the Options also appear in the Variants table, but without SKU or Variant Names..

What on earth is going on??

I've built an bespoke inventory form to allow the admin to update product variant prices from the inventory form - but the fact that variants aren't appearing with SKU, Name, or Price data in the Variants table is making a mess of this functionality.

What is a Variant, and why are they not appearing in the Variants table, but in the Options table??

From what I have been able to figure out, the options are not put into the variant table until there is a change to them, like price, sku modifier, inventory, etc.

Thanks - I see what you mean..

So - when the variant is first created, options added, and options edited (in the Edit Options form) no Variant is created in the ac_ProductVariants table.

If you "Manage Variants" and make changes, then a Product Variant record is created. And only the field that you have edited has it's value added to this Variant record, the rest remaining blank and overidden by the Options on the client-side.

Is that right?

In order to make my bespoke inventory control work, I guess that, rather than editing the options with SKU modifier etc, I could go straight into the Manage Variants form and add SKUs etc there..

Can anyone see a problem with that (i.e. never editing the options)??