child products with different size attributes

[karbono]

Ok. And now try to create the same dropdown with stock control.

Exactly, that's the same problem I'm facing.

If you want to keep stocks, you need a specific SKU for each variant (parent/child products). This makes the above method useless.   

[meltingpotdesign]

it would be great if someone from the VM team could provide some feedback, or road map to this fundamental issue being resolved.

[karbono]

it would be great if someone from the VM team could provide some feedback, or road map to this fundamental issue being resolved.

I agree, like I said in a previous post... I have no idea what makes them avoid this issue. Just say something, even if it's a "we aren't planning to make it work".

Meanwhile, I'm already integrating my ERP with Magento....

[TBoele]

I ask more than once for a reaction. The don't answer, just ignoring the whole issue.

[meltingpotdesign]

it would be great if someone from the VM team could provide some feedback, or road map to this fundamental issue being resolved.

I agree, like I said in a previous post... I have no idea what makes them avoid this issue. Just say something, even if it's a "we aren't planning to make it work".

Meanwhile, I'm already integrating my ERP with Magento....

good choice - if you need any help ive been working with magento for about 18 months, its great when you get your head around it.  Make sure you have suitable hosting provisions for a magento store though - dedicated VPS with 1gb ram minimum. 

[jochem8]

Ok. And now try to create the same dropdown with stock control.

Exactly, that's the same problem I'm facing.

If you want to keep stocks, you need a specific SKU for each variant (parent/child products). This makes the above method useless.   

Thanks Karbono. I know it's a different method, but just wanted to bring it to the devvers attention that SKU still does not work in VM. See my other topic: http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=99328.msg328040#msg328040

[Richard2]

I'm now sure it's not my lack of skills why I can't get it work...
Thanks guys for sharing your knowledge and frustration. It helped me finding a (kind of) workable solution.

Richard
(major rookie)

[leob3110]

To let you know what works for me.
On the custom field side:
Custom Field Type:    Cart Variant
Title: Sling Size
Published:  yes    
Parent:  leave blank    
Cart Attribute:  yes    
Description:  leave blank    
Default:  leave blank   
Tooltip:  leave blank    
Layout position:  leave blank    
Admin only: no    
Is a list?    no
Hidden : no   

On the Product side:
Select the "custom fields" tab
From the "custom filed type" select the custom field created (above).  In my case "Sling Type".
Repeat clicking the "custom field type" as many times as you need. In my case 5 times.
For each custom field type, enter your particular attribute each followed by four spaces.  In my case; Small    , Medium    , Medium-Large    , Large, Extra-Large    .
The four spaces eliminates virtuemart from inserting a system message "no charge...".

I hope this helps.  It took me three days to come to this solution.  After 40 years in IT I still am learning!

Regards

Leo (from Australia)

[spyderwebdesign]

I am using the generic child variants and the stock counts are working for me. The only problem I can see with using generic child variants is that the parent is listed as the first item. In my opinion, the first item in the drop down should say something like "Please choose a...". If I figure out how to change that I'll post back. I am sure it will be a hack in customfields.php file

[attachment cleanup by admin]

[wpompen]

I'm reading this thread with tears in my eyes, after hard work getting a migration from joomla 1.5 to 2.5 and all extensions...
Then the VM "migration" to 2.0x it's just sad to find out that your stuck with a basic and functionality that used to work fine and then was left out.
What are the developers "thinking", i can't see. There's no point in hacking files with the risk of an update destroying your work.

Edit:
Somehow I got it to work... I'm using CSV Improved to import products.
I created ONE custom field named "child product" and add this to one product, then all child products appeared.
I've got no clue but I'll stick to this method for now ;-)

[k9jackie]

As far as I see, none of these ideas resolve the issue.  We need to have 2+ attributes  per item available in different dropdowns with stock control.  It is easy enough to setup a page without stock control.... However, the key missing factor is a way for stock controlled items to display like non stock controlled items.

For example, I have  tshirts  that come in 4 colors and  6 different sizes but when I use the method where I can control stock, I have a very long and unusable dropdown list.(below)  It is much easier for my customers to choose a color 1st and then a size secondarily.  Do I really have to choose between ease of use for my customers and stock control for me?

2X-Large Lavender Shirt
2X-Large Pink Shirt
2X-Large Sand Shirt
2X-Large White Shirt 
3X-Large Lavender
3X-Large Pink Shirt 
3X-Large Sand Shirt    
3X-Large White Shirt    
Large Lavender Shirt    
Large Pink Shirt 
Large Sand Shirt    
Large White Shirt    
Medium Lavender Shirt    
Medium Pink Shirt    
Medium Sand Shirt 
Medium White Shirt    
Small Lavender Shirt    
Small Pink Shirt    
Small Sand Shirt    
Small White Shirt    
X-Large Lavender Shirt
X-Large Pink Shirt    
X-Large Sand Shirt    
X-Large White Shirt

[spyderwebdesign]

As far as I see, none of these ideas resolve the issue.  We need to have 2+ attributes  per item available in different dropdowns with stock control.  It is easy enough to setup a page without stock control.... However, the key missing factor is a way for stock controlled items to display like non stock controlled items.

This is why I set eat color item as an individual product. Then I just need 1 drop down for size. There still isn't an working solution for 2 attributes with stock control.

[MissyW]

Hard to believe, isn't it ... this topic was started in March 2012, and still no reply from a moderator or member of the Virtuemart development team.  Very very sad.

[Milbo]

missyW, there are really a lot of threads about this. The thing is that it is not easy in no ecommerce system, because it IS just a complex thing. We are just tired to explain all the time the same. Everything works, if you dont need stock option, than you have really a lot of possibilities. You can also do a lot with the childs and the stockable variant plugin or the dynamic child variants. You can also buy a 3rd party plugin with endless possibilities.
Ah yes and you maybe noticed that the last message before yours is from July, the reason is that we enhanced it every version. There are also some books out (for example of Kerry Watson) which explains the customfields.

[Lockerbie]

With Milbo's last reply on this thread, I'm not sure if I should post it here, but I didn't find a solution to my problem anywhere else... This thread seems to be very close to what I'm dealing with.

I've set up a webshop for clothes, with parents and childproducts. No stock control!
Parents are visible, but not orderable.
Childs inherit the name of their parent, with the name of the colorvariant added to it. These colors are set up using the 'generic child variant'.
Sizes are added, using the 'cart variant'.

All this is really quite simple, once you get the 'trick'. And as long as you give all childs the same sizes...
When you have a child with different (less) sizes then the parent, you'll have to check the little checkbox 'Overwrite plugin values of the parent'.
But after that, in frontend, when you choose this child, you can't see the other children with more sizes anymore in the dropdownbox.
The only thing there is to use the browser-back-button...

How can I adjust this so all children are visible in the dropdownboxes, at all times?

J!-2.5.9 / VM 2.0.18a