How to: Display Child Products on Product Detail Page

[dmuntean]

I see a lot of posts asking how to add child products to the parent product’s detail page and stocked child variants. I’m going to try and cover this briefly.
Now, I am using the latest SVN so I’m not sure that this applies to Virtuemart 2.0.0

The display of Children Products is controlled by Custom Fields & Plug-ins.
First you’ll want to setup a group of products like this:

Notice that only 1 product is published to a category.

Now go to Products -> Custom Fields ->New.  Make sure your "Custom Field Type", "Cart Attribute", and "Select a plugin" match the image below:


Now go back to Products and select your “Parent Product”.  Open the Custom Fields tab and go down to where it says “Custom Field Type:” and select the Custom Field you created earlier. Click Save.

Now you can select the options that go with your products.


Hope this helps!

[JJBW]

Hi

Unfortunately this doesn't change SKU, stock and image in parent product view which is what everyone wants.

[dmuntean]

Hi JJBW,

This method DOES infact change sku and keep stock. Unfortunately it doesn't change the images.
Try it for yourself. You'll see that when selecting an option, it will add the child product associated with that option to the cart. 

[JJBW]

Hi dmuntean

Thanks for your reply.

Unfortunately it doesn't work for me, and I think that the ability to change images with option selection is what a lot of people are after.

Is this working for you because you are using the latest SVN?

[notanothernumber]

dmuntean whilst you have offered the clearest explanation yet I still for the life of me can't figure out the whole parent/child product display in VM2. I need to set this up in the most simple way so my client can control the size and colour variations of a product and for each variation control the associated stock levels. Surely this should be a simple thing to do? Every post I've read about this makes no sense and sends me into a dead end.

[JJBW]

Hi notanothernumber and dmuntean

VM2 is an excellent shoping cart, there's no getting away from that.  However there are some very important 'ability' missing and it is, namely, the ability to have one parent product with child products and once a child product is selected from the parent product options the parent product image, price and stock changes to the child product in the parent product view.

Once this is sorted then VM2 will be head and shoulders above the rest but until then, and with regret, my hand has been forced to seek and find an alternative.

I've found an alternative that does everything mentioned above plus more, I won't mention what it's called here as that wouldn't be right.

As soon as, or if VM2 can offer that as mentioned above then no question about it, it will be number one shopping cart choice for me again but until then.....

[notanothernumber]

Hi JJBW
Thanks for your response. To be honest even outside of the stock control issues I have added child products to a parent product in the backend but I can't even get those options to show in the front end ?!

I've looked at so many posting about this subject on the forums and really think that some kind of easy to follow step by step documentation/tutorials need to be assembled to make it clearer by the virtuemart team. I for one would be willing to pay/subscribe for such a service if it speeds up its development. I've used virtuemart for a number of years now and think overall the new version is a great application just the learning curve that is coming with it needs better support.

[mangotti]

I too am experiencing a need for this feature. Is there a true resolution here? Documentation would be great.

[pugwash94]

I am joining the queue to make the point that a solution to the problem is pressing.

I have used VM1.xxx several times before but was changing to another one because it offered simplicity for my clients. However, when I saw VM2 I decided to return because potentially it offers a better solution. I started to implement it for the big machinery they sell but then it the problem of product variants when it came to tooling and consumables.

I have spent hours so far trying to follow the various posts but for the life of me I cannot find how to display a "Router Bit" with 15 different sizes all at different prices. It is possible that I am blind to the obvious but I am not stupid. All I can get is a radio button and I cannot find how to create prices for the variants.

Sadly, I shall be driven back to an alternative solution if nobody can tell us how variants and child products really work. - I followed one of the earlier suggested solutions but they led me to screens that while similar to those shown in the post did not produce the same set of options.

Help!!

[mangotti]

Do you only need to show the various sizes for the product but one router bit?

Router Bit - 5.99
 - 1/4" $2.00 Up Charge
 - 3/8" $3.00 Up Charge
 - 3/4" $4.00 Up Charge

This you can do with custom fields.

I am joining the queue to make the point that a solution to the problem is pressing.

I have used VM1.xxx several times before but was changing to another one because it offered simplicity for my clients. However, when I saw VM2 I decided to return because potentially it offers a better solution. I started to implement it for the big machinery they sell but then it the problem of product variants when it came to tooling and consumables.

I have spent hours so far trying to follow the various posts but for the life of me I cannot find how to display a "Router Bit" with 15 different sizes all at different prices. It is possible that I am blind to the obvious but I am not stupid. All I can get is a radio button and I cannot find how to create prices for the variants.

Sadly, I shall be driven back to an alternative solution if nobody can tell us how variants and child products really work. - I followed one of the earlier suggested solutions but they led me to screens that while similar to those shown in the post did not produce the same set of options.

Help!!

[notanothernumber]

pugwash try this post for setting up custom fields http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=90833.0 . This works fine for variations in style and price of one main product the only problem is you can't control stock levels of each of these variations. That's where the illusive parent/child product comes in which I along with many others can't get to work!!

Post again if you get lost setting up the custome fields and I'll put up some screenshots of what I did to get working

[mangotti]

.....style and price of one main product the only problem is you can't control stock levels of each of these variations. That's where the illusive parent/child product comes in which I along with many others can't get to work!!....

I'm appalled at this. How can this be released without major functioning pieces? I am in desperate need for this and  haven't received any response on my other posts regarding inventory control for child products.

[Tidus692]

Hi,

Did somebody find a solution for child products or issue still the same ? (no possibility to add a child to a product on front-end )

Thank you

[pugwash94]

.....style and price of one main product the only problem is you can't control stock levels of each of these variations. That's where the illusive parent/child product comes in which I along with many others can't get to work!!....

I'm appalled at this. How can this be released without major functioning pieces? I am in desperate need for this and  haven't received any response on my other posts regarding inventory control for child products.

Many thanks - I've got it now!

For those who are still struggling - you simply keep clicking on the Selected Cuatom Field type until you have enough and then edit them.

I haven't tried it yet but if I add a 20cm and a 30cm attribute with prices, are they unique to that product or do they pervade all products with that field added?

[mangotti]

Pugwash,

I'm not sure it's an issue with adding the custom fields and prices but rather, there is no way to track inventory on those individual sizes/colors.