Customfields and product customfields
Customfields extend the attributes and logic of products in your store.
As the range of business types that VirtueMart supports is so large, customfields provide a flexible solution to meet most every store's product needs without making the general product too cumbersome to configure.
Customfields can be extended with plugins to meet almost any requirement.
Customfields "masters" are created independently of products and then added to products and further edited if required.
The master customfield configuration decides the type and attributes of the customfield:
- how the attribute is handled.
- where it will display in the product description.
- if it will be treated as unique identifying attribute in the cart.
For example, we want to sell a product with the attribute "colour".
- Create a new customfield.
- Of type "String".
- Named "Colour".
- Now edit the product(s).
- From the customfield tab we add the customfield "colour" and type the colour option
The product has now the information of the colour stored in the database in an extra table as extra row and gives the possiblity of writing filters like "show me all red items" or all "13 inch laptops".
Customfields can also be used to create product variants or to combine product children to a variant of a product.
Types
- S: String For text
- P: Property Displays a selected property of the product
- B: Boolean Legacy, same as string
- D: Date Displays a date
- T: Time Displays a time
- M: Image Displays images
- X: Editor The same as string, just with editor for the input in product edit
- Y: Textarea The same as string, just with a textfield
- C: Multi Variant a sophisticated customfield to combine children as variant, the ramifications are serial/parallel
- A: Generic child variant Combines children as variant, but the ramifications are serialised
- E: Plug-ins displays a plugin
- G: Custom Group Customfields can be assigned to groups, for faster adding to products
- R: Related Products displays a related product
- Z: Related Categories displays a related category
Generic child variant and Multivariant
Both customfields create variants by using derived products (child products). Changing the variant is done by an ajax reload of the whole product description. So both customfields allow to reload the product completly. Derived products are complete products and able to be extended with all other normal customfields. Using generic child variants or multivariants can fine grain the stocking options between variants. They also offer better SEO options, because any variant is really handled as own product, which is a variant of the main product (optionable).
The generic child variant is very handy, when the first option influences the following options. A generic child variant attached to a parent with child variant, creates a simple decision tree.
The Multivariant works better when more than one dropdown is used, which influences all the other choices. At the end it is a matter or taste and purpose to use the right customfield.
More tips and tricks here PRODUCT CREATION