custom variables within product description and search

[IanSaunders]

Hi All,

I'm confusing myself again. I've search through this forum and the knowledge base but I can't relate anything to my problem.

My products have a number specialised properties for which I've created custom variables (the user selects the value from a list). I want to display all of these properties within my search results for comparison purposes, so I've included them in the description, and included full description in the display options, but I can't get them to display properly!

They either don't display at all, or show as "<actinic:variable name="Pressure" />" within the search results, depending on whether I use the inline html tags (!!< >!!) in the description or not.

How do I display the contents of custom variables within product descriptions?

http://www.sitebetatest.co.uk/westin/store/search.html
search under hood finish for "stainless steel". Two of the results include the description text.

[leehack]

[SQUARE BRACKETS] should do it. You could also look at 'search settings' as you can add variables into that, which maybe sounds like a better idea for you.

[IanSaunders]

Cheers Lee. Strange, but it seems to convert some of the custom variables to square brackets itself within the preview window, but it didn't seem to help.

I'll try within search settings.

[IanSaunders]

Hi again,

I've looked through search settings again, and I don't think I've been very clear with what I'm trying to do.

I want to display all of the custom properties for the item within the search results, not just the property searched on. I can envisage two methods of doing this but can't get either to work - 1) I include custom variables within the search results layout - I don't think this is possible, or 2) I include the list of custom properties within the product description and display this in the search results - this just doesn't work properly - it's giving my the variable tag, and not the contents of the variable.

[leehack]

If you searched on 'red widget', why would you want to have 'red widget' in the results page, surely you'd know that, as it was a result of your search you are viewing?

To do what you want to do, i think you will need to use the search hack that Norman provided (in the forum and in the KB), where the results page of a search is laid out as a page of products, using the product layout and products can be bought from there. You could then have a product layout, where your custom variables are clearly displayed on it.

[IanSaunders]

For clarity, I'd hope my search results (assuming a search on red) were a bit like this:

Widget Model: 0001
Color: red
Material: plastic
Length: 16cm

Widget Model: 0002
Color: red
Material: metal
Length: 14cm

Widget Model: 0003
Color: dark red
Material: velvet
Length: 440cm



Am I right in thinking you mean this thread? http://community.actinic.com/showthread.php?t=31559

I looked through it but couldn't find a working example. I'll have another look, thanks.