[ic] RE: Setting up options in v5.0.1

[Daniel Davenport]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: interchange-users-bounces at icdevgroup.org
> [mailto:interchange-users-bounces at icdevgroup.org]On Behalf Of Vera
> Vanicek
> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 4:49 PM
> To: interchange-users at icdevgroup.org
> Subject: [ic] RE: Setting up options in v5.0.1
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I need guidance in setting up options for items in my shopping cart. I am
> using v5.0.1. I carry products such as aqua shoes.
>
> The shoes are available in adult and children sizes. But some colors are
> only available for boys and others for girls. And the sizes also vary, of
> course.
>
> What I want to do is set up the options for this product to do this:
> 1. The customer can choose adult or children
> 2. If the customer chooses adults, then only those sizes are
> available. The
> same concept for children's sizes.
> 2. If the customer chooses children, then he/she can choose boys or girls
> 3. If choosing girls, some colors are available. If choosing boys, other
> colors are available. I want the colors that are unavailable to somehow be
> "disabled" so customers can't choose them.
>
> I appreciate any guidance on how to do this with v 5.0.1.

Unless you've got javascript that refreshes the flypage all the time (which
BTW is annoying, even when absolutely necessary), interchange alone can't
just up and change the content on a page after it's already been downloaded.
This is a limitation of HTTP, and interchange has to work within that
limitation.

Javascript, however, doesn't.  :)

What you might consider is writing out the options as you otherwise would,
and have some javascript on the page update the visibility and
"disabledness" of the select boxes once the page loads.  In order to appease
the noscript people, you could write out all of the boxes as initially
enabled, and have the javascript disable the appropriate ones when the page
is loaded.  That way, the boxes won't be disabled unless javascript works.

(The biggest problem would be the user's expectations.  A <noscript> tag
containing a suitable message could warn users whose options can't be
properly disabled, so they can know that certain combinations of options
might not be available.)

Either way, the cart and/or checkout pages can check the items ordered and
either warn the user or just unselect options that don't make sense, for the
sake of completeness.  (I assume you know what you're selling, so the check
is more so the customer knows what they're buying than so you know what to
ship.)  If you're selling lots of items like this, you might add a field to
the products table describing which options depend on which values of which
other options (in a form like
'colors:pink=sex:girl,colors:blue=sex:boy,...'), and consult that field when
doing your check.

Or, for a much simpler solution...

It seems that if you have options which determine the existence of other
options, what you really seem to have are separate products.  Create three
products--one each for adults, girls, and boys--and set the proper options
on each one.  (If you're concerned about people finding one of the products
and wanting another, relate the products so each one's page has links to the
other two.)  It will solve your problem with a lot fewer headaches.

/me