VirtueMart Forum

VirtueMart Dev/Coding Central: VM1 (old version) => Virtuemart 1.1 Development (Archiv) => Quality & Testing VirtueMart 1.1.x => Topic started by: doorknob on August 13, 2008, 01:57:58 AM

Title: Problem with Product Type Parameters
Post by: doorknob on August 13, 2008, 01:57:58 AM
I hesitate to call this a bug because it might be designed functionality but it is enough of a problem that I think it should be changed.

When a product type parameter has been defined as 'text' type with a range of 'possible values', only one value may be selected for each associated product record and a default value is optional. When a product is first linked to the product type, the product type parameter record created has a null value for each 'text' parameter unless a default value has been specified. This is all as I expected. However, when the product is edited to set specific parameter values, it is not possible to leave the value of any of the 'text' parameters as null. The first entry in the drop down list for each of the parameters is pre-selected and no opportunity exists to save the record without a value for every parameter. I believe this to be a problem. By contrast, the form for searching by parameters provides a 'select' value as the first entry in each drop down list so that users are not forced to use every parameter. I believe the product data maintenance form should use the same principle so that values remain optional. If the 'multiple values' parameter type is used, the user is not forced to make a selection. 'text' parameter types should be similar.

I should point out that I have only looked at the 'text' and 'multiple values' parameter types.

BTW the description for the 'Show Possible Values as Multiple select' field on page 62 of the new manual is incorrect. It states that the field controls both configuring the product and performing selections. This is not the case. The field only controls the ability to select multiple values when searching. To allow multiple values to be selected when setting parameter values, the 'multiple value' data type must be selected. This functionality is fine but the manual needs to be updated. I also don't understand the entry describing the 'multiple values' parameter type on p61. This seems to me to be straight forward in that it allows multiple values to be stored with ';' separators. This also seems to work fine. If a 'multiple values' parameter has the 'show possible values as multiple select' field unchecked then multiple values can still be entered in the backend but the search facility offers a drop down list for selecting only a single value. Just what I was hoping for.

Regards
Phil
(J1.5.3 vm 1.1.2 (8th Aug nightly)