3. Product Attributes Management

fmProducts_Zen, fmEditAttributesExt, AttributeEdtDialog_Zen - Product Attributes Management Section

Zen Cart Product Attributes section allows you to define attributes that can be applied to specific products, such as color, size, style as well as additional cost if necessary. Ultimate Zen Cart product attribute management allows you to quickly add, remove and edit product attributes in a couple of seconds with a few mouse clicks. Store Manager also provides you with an easy populate feature - using simple clipboard copy/paste, product attributes can be copied to multiple products in a few seconds.

If you have any products you'd like your customers to download (some software, games etc.) Store Manager allows you to set the specific Zen Cart Attributes of Downloadable Products. All you need is to set the downloading resource file and the time you want this download to be available for customer.

Extended Attribute Editor helps you to manage and select any attribute as all possible combinations are listed here. So if you need to make some changes to all product attributes, just find them here and make updates.

Store Manager can handle all kinds of Zen Cart product attributes based on freely definable product characteristics - no matter whether it is color, size or anything else - you name it!

You can find exactly the same options to edit Attributes in two places. The first one is Zen Cart Attributes page in Edit product window (see below). The other you should look in the Product Attributes Section on the main Categories& Products page.

However, you can hide this section if you wish or bring it back out at any time.

Attributes section of Store Manager

Basic Operations

In product attributes section you can find some options similar to Basic product operations (add, edit, delete) which you can perform with the help of Product attributes toolbar.

Attributes toolbar

Basic operations:

Add attribute
  1. "Add new product attributes" calls blank Edit Attribute form, which is used to create a new product. "Edit Product" dialog pages are described below.

2. To edit Zen Cart product attribute you can double click on it in the Zen Cart Product Attributes Section. "Edit attribute" form will appear.

First of all, you can "Enable drop list editing"

If you want to add any Zen Cart Attribute parameter value to the drop-down list click on a drop-down, press [Insert] button and type new option or value. Please note, that inserted Option/Value name in a drop-down can not only be deleted, but also edited. Just double-click on it or press [Enter] button.

An attribute is basically a specific value of some option. So Option is the first attribute parameter to be set. Every option has its own values. You cannot set a value unless you chose an option. Store Manager has some default Zen Cart Options and their Values that you may use.

"Prefix" option sets price modification if any. It can be "+" : if this product attribute is selected, some extra charge (specified in "Price" field) will be added to basic product price;

"-" prefix will subtract the amount specified in "Price" field from the basic product price. If you don't need to make any price changes, simply leave the prefix field blank.

"Price" option has a calculator in a dropdown list for your convenience. If prefix value is left blank, the amount you specify here will be subtracted from the regular price for selected product. Also you can set "Max days" and "Max count" parameters to limit this attribute.

Additional fields pane allows you to specify additional Zen Cart product attributes.

Also you can "Delete Selected Attribute(s)" from your store. You won't be able to undo delete this action, unless you've made a Database backup.

Copy and Paste Attributes Using Clipboard

You can copy the selected attribute to the Clipboard and paste it at any other product attribute page. In case you have multiple stores you can Paste this attribute to any product in any store (after you change the connection in Tools -> Quick connection switch). Please note, that you need to use special icons on Attributes tool-bar.

Copy-paste attributes button

Extended Attribute Editor

Extended attribute editor allows you to make changes to all Zen Cart product attributes at once:

Check specific attributes, which you want to be applied to this product. Zen Cart Attribute and value names cannot be edited in this window, since all the possible combinations are already listed. To edit other features double click on the cells where they are placed.

At the bottom of Product Attributes page you can find standard Up and Down buttons. Such Attribute order feature is not available in standard Zen Cart store, so you need to install a contribution in order to have this option. You can find Attribute order update here. If you've installed it already, click Attributes Editor button. You can move selected attributes using [Up] and [Down] buttons in Extended Attributes window that will appear.

To the particular attribute you can add the appropriate illustration from local file or by using the external URLs to the necessary image:

Attribute images

Attributes of Downloaded Products

This option is useful if you have the products your customers need to download (some software, games etc.). By default this option is disabled. To enable it, please, open Advanced -> Store Configuration -> Attribute Settings and find "Enable Download" field. Make sure it's value is set on "true", click on accept changes and then refresh. Go back to your Categories and Products page and click Refresh data button. After you open Edit Attribute window, it should look like the following:

You may need to restart Store Manager in case the changes were not effective.

Downloadable attributes have 3 additional options. They are:

"File" and 'Image' options allow to download resource file and necessary image. There are two buttons:

Attribute image local

is used to browse contents of your local folders. When you press OK button on product attributes edit form it will be uploaded to "Downloads directory" on FTP. When local file is selected, this field will display local image path, that should look like as shown in the example C:\My Products\some_download.rar. Local file path will be replaced with file name some_download.rar right after upload.

External image attribute

is used to select some remotely-stored file. It's performed by browsing contents of FTP folder specified as "Downloads directory".

- "Max days" option sets maximum number of days when product is available for download. Let's say customer can download a product up to 31 days after purchase.

Max Days field

- "Max count":

Max count field

sets maximum number of times product can be downloaded. Customer can download a product up to 5 times after purchase according to sample settings.

Zero value in Max Days and Max Count Parameters means unlimited. Let's take a look at the example shown above. If a customer downloads the file only 3 times before the 31-day period runs out, he won't be able to download it again. And if a customer downloads the file 5 times in 10 days, he won't be able to download it again as well.


By eMagicOne Inc.