Bulk move products

[Topknotch]

Hi,

I am sure this has been asked before so please forgive me but I cannot find the solution.
I have a website with around 5000 products on it. They are all in different categories. I have recently created new categories and want to bulk transfer the products from certain categories into the new ones. I thought this would be quite a simple process by using the Bulk associate categories tool, but it dosent appear to to work.
I goto the category I want to move , choose show all to see the products, click Bulk associate categories, then browse for the new category I want them to goto( multiples usually) then click execute bulk categories.
Then go back and all of those products no longer are in any category, nothing.
Am I doing this wrong ?
Joomla 2.5.28 virtuemart VirtueMart 3.0.6
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

[Topknotch]

Ok so no one bothered answering this question.
Is it because the bulk associate categories tool dose'nt work ?!??!! another useless option so why have it shown as an option??!!
the only thing that does work is the emagic one store but it is a hefty $199 although it does give you a free 14 days trial.
It would have been nice though if someone on this forum actually told me that the bulk associate categories didn't work and told me alternatives.
Seriously if virtue mart 3 is the 'powerful and comprehensive eCommerce solution' you say it then simple things like this should work.
Sadly I have no option now but to stick with virtuemart and update from 3.06 to 3.09 will this solve the problem ? I doubt it as reading the files it is just a security update.
I have been using virtuemart from the beginning and now that I have evolved into building websites with 10's of thousands of products it seems it is not the best option any more.
DISCUSS!!

[jenkinhill]

I have never needed to use the bulk associate tools. But see http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=130472

For transfer to different categories I would use CSVI - I use it for all product management tasks where there are a large number of products.

[Milbo]

Am I doing this wrong ?

Simply said, yes.

The bulk association shows only ONE option. But there are a lot methods to combine two different sets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(mathematics)

The bulk associations only sets the selected categories. It overrides the existing categories. Else we need a lot more buttons like "Keep existing Categories, delete existing categories, remove selected categories, and so on.

You just assumed that the bulk association is a union, but it is not. It only sets, the selected set. not more

[Rune Rasmussen]

Else we need a lot more buttons like "Keep existing Categories, delete existing categories, remove selected categories, and so on.

Or simply adjust the way of thinking slightly, and then instead add display of already selected, and allow to remove/add from there like in other normal systems/screens...

"Can't see the forest for the trees"

[baggeler]

Milbo,

A solution is as good as to solve the essence of a problem.

Else we need a lot more buttons like "Keep existing Categories, delete existing categories, remove selected categories, and so on.

You are the one to choose which of the options you set as DEFAULT and this should be the one that best serve the need / common use case.
I suggest to have the use case for this button to be to bulk ADD the selected category. I wibyll bet that 90 % of users will expect this to be what the button should do. Currently by removing all previous assingments done, it will break all previously assigned categories and thus serve maybe 10% or less of users.
So the choice you are making is to find out what is the need of the majority and then have this as main function, others beeing an option.

However, I found a wonderful solution for anybody with similar situation to solve. The component Virtuemart Batch E idit Product PRO is exactly what solves the situation and what I would love to see integrated as core solution in a shop as I guess editing products in a simple and efficient way to be one of most core functionalities of any shops:
http://shop.st42.fr/en/products/vm-be-pro-batch-product-edit.htm

Related:
http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=131030.new;topicseen#new

[biltong]

I'm inclined to agree that Add / Subtract categories would be far more useful core functionality and to me is the logical default as per many other applications.

[biltong]

However, I found a wonderful solution for anybody with similar situation to solve. The component Virtuemart Batch E idit Product PRO is exactly what solves the situation and what I would love to see integrated as core solution in a shop as I guess editing products in a simple and efficient way to be one of most core functionalities of any shops:
http://shop.st42.fr/en/products/vm-be-pro-batch-product-edit.htm

Just purchased this extension myself, it is great value, very helpful developer and resolves the problem with batch adding and subtracting categories from products, along with manipulating all product data quickly.