PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

[mdurkee]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

That might solve one issue...but I really really really wanted to be able to make changes through one single Attribute Template. To me it sort of defeats the purpose of an Attribute Template. It all ties back into needing to be able to have a set of reusable attributes (and master inventory) that I brought up in another post. Things that sound so simple are becoming impossible to achieve.

Yes, I agree. . . I am looking at the two ways to achieve this:
I did one with the swatches idea - http://dev.heavytshirt.com/product/SSTS/HS410.html
and another with additional images:
http://dev.heavytshirt.com/product/SSTS/HS400.html

I believe if I could just add captions to the "additional images" one that says what the colors are, that would make enough of a change for my customers to understand the strange color names that I have.

Can I add a custom field that gets added to the "additional Images", maybe a caption? Or maybe we could use one that adds a caption when the customer clicks on the large picture and the lightbox pops up?

[mdurkee]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

I have an Inventory Variant Importer that you can try, that bypasses having to do those one by one.

So, can you possibly make that Inventory variant importer available to us as well?
Thanks -

[Rick Wilson]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Email me for that.

[Rich]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Inventory Variants/image machine - Import issue/bug
The issue is this. If you already have created a bunch of say color attributes & sizes, auto generated the inventory variants and then want to add more colors for example, you can just add those colors to the attributes and then re "auto generate" - Existing variants are kept and the new are added.
To save time, I export all the products and then import all the new "inactive" inventory variant products with the new "additional images" that will be used in the image swap & swatch.

Problem
If the images are not already on the server, the products will not update. This is because the system checks to see if the image is present and when it isn't, it won't update the products even though the import said it did.

There needs to be some sort of error notification added to the import feature to alert users to this fact. I wasted a bunch of time figuring this out and first thought the import was broken.

So can you Miva chaps add this to your bug fix list. I am sure it will help a lot of people.

[mdurkee]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

[B]
To save time, I export all the products and then import all the new "inactive" inventory variant products with the new "additional images" that will be used in the image swap & swatch.
of people.

Well this sounds great, I could deal with this . . . problem is that when I export my products, that additional images field (for the inactive products) doesn't even export at all.

[Mark Hood]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Well this sounds great, I could deal with this . . . problem is that when I export my products, that additional images field (for the inactive products) doesn't even export at all.

It should show custom image fields as long as you selected the (checkbox) field when exported or at least it does for me.

The module is helpful but has some flaws as far as I can tell.
It scrambles the order of the attributes so if you have size like sm,md,lg or 8 8.5 9 10 they no longer display in the proper order on the PROD page when customers view it.

It also does not seem to be handling csv like the new export of products does. It exports product descriptions and anything with commas or html will not end up in the correct fields.

[Rick Wilson]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Mark,

Which Export module are you talking about that's having that problem?

[Mark Hood]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Mark,

Which Export module are you talking about that's having that problem?

Your variant import/export

[Rick Wilson]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Ahh, that wasn't created by us, but by eMedia Sales. We're just going to release it as a Gem and have been testing it.

[Rich]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

mdurkee Wrote
Well this sounds great, I could deal with this . . . problem is that when I export my products, that additional images field (for the inactive products) doesn't even export at all.

You may of worked this out already, but make sure you use image types and assign all additional images to a type. Otherwise it won't export as a custom image field.

[mdurkee]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Thanks Rich,
I will go through and do that. At first I was thinking I needed to do it with the one-up admin but I am finding that I can now export that field, fill it in and then import it back in there.
Time clears things up a bit. Thanks again for everyone's help.

[mdurkee]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Things to keep in mind:

2. The main product can not have additional images assigned to it, but the variant products can have multiple images assigned in additional images.

So if we don't have additional images assigned to the main product, how do we tell the CTGY, PLST, SRCH pages which image is the main image to display as the thumbnail there?

[patricksd]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Hi Maxanne,

We still need to give the main product a thumbnail image just not a "product" image or any additional images, because they will just be ignored.

[Mark Hood]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

Hi Maxanne,

We still need to give the main product a thumbnail image just not a "product" image or any additional images, because they will just be ignored.

Are you talking about the legacy image fields which are no longer needed?

I guess I'm confused by the question so my above statement may not work.

If you have not uploaded an image to the additional images tab then you will want to populate both the legacy thumbnail and full sized image.

If you have uploaded an image to the additional images tab than you no longer need to populate either the thumbnail or full sized image unless you plan on using them for something else like a sharing code.

If you upload more than one image to the additional image tab then depending on how you set up CTGY and srch pages you can have those images show up but if you choose to only display one image on those pages it gets chosen by the display order on the additional images tab.

[lesliekirk]

Re: PR8 Swatch / Main Image swap

I'd like to bring this back on point (since it's been a while). I've followed Patrick's steps, but I suspect I've missed something since I'm not getting the images to swap. If there are more "up to date" instructions that haven't gotten sidetracked, could they be linked here please?

Seems that when I deleted all of the Additional Images for the Main Product, I now have nothing displaying for a main product image. That could be the source of the problem.

Leslie

The Book actually does a pretty good job explaining it except that to have the images swap the attributes need to be inventory variants also.

1. Log into the Miva Admin
2. In the left hand menu find and click on 'Products'
3. Find and click the 'edit' button for the product you want have the feature.
   
4. Click the 'Attributes' tab.
5. Click the ‘Add Attribute’ and set the attribute up… Example: Code: COLOR Prompt: Pick Color Type: Swatch – Drop-down List Check mark R for required and I for Inventory Click Update to save
6. Add your options loading images that are 50x50 or smaller… Example Code: RED Prompt: Red Check mark D for Default if desired else the first option will be default.
7. Repeat step 5-6 until all of the options have been added.
8. Click the Inventory Tab and auto generate the variants… Example: I leave everything default.
9. Click the Edit Inventory button and set the inventory levels… Example: I set everything to 1000 just make sure there are plenty and if inventory isn't a factor.
10. Next we’ll need to add images to the variants so back to product click the 'Uncategorized' button and click edit on the first Inventory Variant product.
11. Switch to the Additional Images tab and upload the Image that is to be swapped out with the main image.
12. Click the arrow pointing to the right with out the line to go to the next inventory variant and upload the next image… repeat until complete

Things to keep in mind:
1. The 'swatch' image can not be larger than 50x50 by default but editing the CSS file can change that.
2. The main product can not have additional images assigned to it, but the variant products can have multiple images assigned in additional images.
3. If you are not seeing the swatches on the product, check the PROD pages Attribute Machine tab and make sure that Swatch Element: is set to ‘swatches’, without the quotes.