I'm starting to wonder if AC7 is setting itself up for some real confusion with inventory and variants.
Currently when a child product is added as a variant to a master product, the in-stock value of the child product record is no longer used. The variant record has an in-stock value and that is used from then on. Same for the stock warning value.
But the product screen for that child product still shows an in-stock quantity field. And worse, the admin has no visual way of knowing that the product is a child variant to a master product and its instock values should be ignored. Technically, that child product now has a stored in-stock value in two completely different AC7 tables.
I think that's going to lead to some real confusion when people go to update stock quantities. Both for programmers and non-programmers alike.
I don't see the advantage of having the stock values stored in the variant record. Perhaps there is more back-end code which was made less complex because of this design. It would seem easier to just pull the stock quantity value from the existing child product instock field.
From a progrmmers standpoint, my job just got harder. My update routines that electronically synchronize product quantities with the distributor now have to scan two tables instead of one. Once through the ac_products table for all non-variant products, and another through the ac_productvariants to update variant child quantities.
Guess everything has to have a tradeoff somewhere
Inventory in-stock quantity management with variants
Inventory in-stock quantity management with variants
Joe Payne
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Thanks Mike. I think it'll head off alot of questions early on.
If it's not a huge change, it would be incredibly helpful if the child product page could show somewhere which master SKU it's associated with. The reason being if a product has a SKU change. It's not often, but it does happen at least once a month with one of my distributors.
Descriptions should help the admin determine what the master product is, but in my case that's getting harder and harder. I have 3,000+ items and I'm about to go to 18,000+.
In a perfect world, the child product page could have the last button down the left side labelled with the master product SKU, colored different and linked to the master product URL. Then the admin could quickly jump to the master product - wow would that be helpful!
I'll put a post in the feature request forum for it.
If it's not a huge change, it would be incredibly helpful if the child product page could show somewhere which master SKU it's associated with. The reason being if a product has a SKU change. It's not often, but it does happen at least once a month with one of my distributors.
Descriptions should help the admin determine what the master product is, but in my case that's getting harder and harder. I have 3,000+ items and I'm about to go to 18,000+.
In a perfect world, the child product page could have the last button down the left side labelled with the master product SKU, colored different and linked to the master product URL. Then the admin could quickly jump to the master product - wow would that be helpful!
I'll put a post in the feature request forum for it.
Joe Payne
AbleCommerce Custom Programming and Modules http://www.AbleMods.com/
AbleCommerce Hosting http://www.AbleModsHosting.com/
Precise Fishing and Hunting Time Tables http://www.Solunar.com
AbleCommerce Custom Programming and Modules http://www.AbleMods.com/
AbleCommerce Hosting http://www.AbleModsHosting.com/
Precise Fishing and Hunting Time Tables http://www.Solunar.com
- Shopping Cart Admin
- AbleCommerce Admin
- Posts: 3055
- Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2003 8:41 pm
- Location: Vancouver, WA
- Contact: