Adding a Component to a Product

[demalpas]

I am new to Actinic (this will become obvious in a munute - read on!) - though a reasonably competent Perl and HTML practitioner. I want to add a single (optional) component, namely a petrol can, to a product - when selling a mower. I have tried every which way possible without success. I can get the component name details to display on the product page with a check box so that the purchaser can include/exclude the component with the main product (a mower) but I cannot get the price of the component to display.

I found a workaround submitted by another user whereby the price is inserted with relevant code in the HTML Name box of the component entry window. Surely there must bea better way! However, when a user checks the component box on the live site and ckicks on the Add to Cart button (to buy the mower and the petrol can) - the code blows up and a message is displayed saying the maximum products has been exceeded.

I cannot find our either whether the component should be a product in its own right as well. I have tried making the component a product too, but it seems to make no difference. Also does anbody know which component layout to choose and which retail price layout - none seem to work - for me anyway.

Simply explained and complete suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[RuralWeb]

Simply explained and complete suggestions would be much appreciated

Hows this - its in the book and in the help files

[demalpas]

Thanks - I would not have used the forum to seek help if I had been able to find the answer in any of the help files. If you know the answer, would it be too much trouble please to point me to which help file - where - there seem to be several of them. Thanks.

[RuralWeb]

Page 20 of the getting started guide

[Goz]

On the Help menu within Actinic 8, you can see Help Topics. Click on that.

You will see 3 tabs - Contents, Index and Search. On the Contents tabs, the third chapter down is Product Options. It is in there. But I would suggest going through the previous 2 chapters as well.

[leehack]

If you go Help> Help Topics and type in 'what are components', that will get you to the actinic help files about components. You need to either add the price in manually or associate a hidden product through adding an attribute and choice to a component and then filling out the component 'fill' tab.

You are best to associate a product as you can update the price in one foul swoop, should the need to increase the price of the petrol can occur in the future. Make sure it is optional and you have 'No Thanks' as an option in there also.

You maybe best to look at the default actinic store before playing with a real one. Investigate the computer in the example store.

[RuralWeb]

But I would suggest going through the previous 2 chapters as well

And the rest

[demalpas]

Thanks for that - I had seen that - but it does not cover what I need. This is a simple check box for a component, followed by the component description, followed by the component price. This needs to dislay on the product page below the product details. The checkbox will allow the user to add the component to the shopping cart as an extra line - or if uncheckd to exclude it.

I can get the component details to display with the checkbox but cannot get the price to display. Even when I ignore the price or just put in the HTML name box as well is in the designated price box, it still doesn't work because when the page is live and you click on Add to Cart it still gives an error message about exceeding the max number of products - weird.

Any other ideas please?

[RuralWeb]

Any other ideas please

The book etc are correct and what you want can be done - I suggest you get yourself on a course at Actinic HQ

[demalpas]

I thought the whole point of the forum was that if you confessed to already having read the help files (and in my case read and reread them) and followed the instructions to the letter and it still didn't work, kind, skilled people would give you advice instead of just saying - it is all in the help files.

Is there anyone who could do this please - thank you.

[RuralWeb]

followed the instructions to the letter and it still didn't work, kind, skilled people would give you advice instead of just saying - it is all in the help files

You are getting advice - what you want is training

[leehack]

You need to add the price in manually or use permutations like i mentioned, i know of no other way. The only way the system will put the price up for you is by permutations in a drop down box. There are no other ideas, that is your lot, if these don't fit your bill, i don't think you can do what you want. You cannot get the checkbox and the price to show automatically, if you could thousands of prices would not have been set up manually over the years.

[Goz]

You've told us you're new to Actinic and you appear to want to do something that is pretty straightforward and is covered in the various manuals.

What would help is a URL so we can see what's going on because you may not be describing it in terms we can visualise easily.

[leehack]

It's not straightforward unless i am misunderstanding, it's impossible. He wants the standard component checkbox, but he also wants the system to automatically add the price. That's not going to happen unless at least 5,000 of us have been going mad and doing it the wrong way (ie manually) for the past 5 years.

The only way of using standard actinic to add prices automatically is by permutations. Anything else and it's manual. Unless of course you want to codge a layout just for use on the required products.

[RuralWeb]

He wants the standard component checkbox, but he also wants the system to automatically add the price.

Thats not how I read it!