Product Specifications Bulk Entry

In Catalog > Attributes > Specification Attributes, click Add Products per list item. This will start the process of allocating the attributes for the selected specification attribute, if an attribute in the list does not have any options allocated to it.

This is compulsory for the attribute to be seen and used in the product area. If an attribute does have options allocated, you will see Options required to add options in.

Product specifications have 4 different types. These have different properties which can be added to the Product_SpecificationAttribute_Mapping table. When adding to this table, follow the rules outlined here:

Each screen has a variation based on the types of data that can be entered based on the above table.

The Option type is set for the Product Specification Attribute as part of the template. These options are to be selected via a drop down and cannot be entered in as text. If a new option is needed a user would need to add this through the original interface. Options can be filtered, and this can be allocated via the filters checkboxes.

With the Custom text selection a text value can be entered. This can be performed for all products that are selected with the Use Custom text value for all entry point .

The Use Custom HTML text value for all entry point is expanded with a flexible gripper on the bottom right corner to allow the text entry area to further expand.

Hyperlink is very similar to the Custom text selection with only the wording of Use Hyperlink value for all being different.

A global display order function is to be added to the existing design. This is to show below the Filter and View global functions. It is to contain a numeric entry field with an “Apply” button to the right of it.

The table ID is based on the Specification Option, not the specification itself. This means that, even though you may not choose an option in the interface, you still need to refer to an option belonging to that specification to add the data to the mapping table. Any Product specification template without an option is dealt with below in the validation section.

The following is for all entries other than the Option screen.

When entering the mapping table entry, determine the first option ID available for the product specification and use it to enter the data. This will not be seen by the user.

Product specifications can be provided by suppliers in spreadsheets and can also be quite complex. This data can be uploaded into a specific product specification screen and will populate a product list with the allocated options or other value types of data.

The table above shows the Excel fields that will be presented in a downloadable template. This template will be a static Excel preset file to start with. These fields represent the specification data that can be imported into the system. The first field representing the SKU is the only required field. This is because the global option or value can be set and applied to all products (or individually).

The Attribute type needs to be set at the point of import to show if the data needs to be set to an Option. This allows checking on matches or just adding the values. Once imported in the Type will be greyed out.

▪Products that do not exist in the system will not be included in the list (will be reported in the top panel).

▪Products with non matching options will show in red, and can be individually corrected with a selectable option from the list. The product will be deselected.

▪Products that are duplicated with the same option will show in yellow. This will be deselected, but can be updated and selected. (Sometimes it is desired to allocate two different values to the same attribute, typically one for filtering and one for viewing of the specification that contains more detail.

If the type is set to Options when uploading the data, and Options are present that do not exist in the system, an Option Checking screen will appear as an intermediate step. This screen will apply for the specification that was initially selected. The new option can be either added by selecting a checkbox, or it can be mapped to an existing option.

Any option that is not selected or mapped will not be included in the system. In the next step, included product associated with that option will not be selected and will show the option drop down as blank, coloured red. This indicates to the user that they will either allocate an existing option to the product or not upload it as part of the process.

1.List of product SKUs only

A user could have just a list of product SKUs (nothing else) and upload them into the system. This will be the equivalent of doing a product search and coming up with a list of products. all the other functions of the system can be used to allocate the attribute details to the products from that list. Some features:

▪The Type (Option/Text Values) selected in the upload dialog is selected in the interface.

▪Can filter out existing products still with the attribute (allowing large lists to be handled step by step).

▪Listed products can be unselected as per normal.

2.List SKUs and options

In this case, the upload file contains the SKU/Value:

▪Same as above.

▪Depending on the type selected in the interface the value will be:

–Options – matched to the existing options

–Text based – populate the Value field.

▪Filter and view switches are defaulted to off (ready to have a global change applied)

3.Full list

▪This handles all the above.

▪Filter and view flags per product populated.

▪Display order if present populated.

4.Duplicate Scenario

If an exact duplicate of an option or value is present, the specification is to be updated – not added again. The items settings such as filters, view and display order will be updated with the new information.