416 replies to this topic

[Skittles]

Hi all!

If you are familiar with Optional Related Products Ver. 3.3, you know that I have stepped up to support and continue development of this useful contribution. There have been numerous requests for features, and I have tried to incorporate them in what is about to be a new release.

I've made some serious changes to Optional Related Products for Version 4.0! There are changes in the Admin and how it works, giving you more control over the looks and function; There are display options reminiscent of the product listing options, where you can decide what details to display on the page. The Optional Related Products code is now a module called by an include statement in products_info.html.

I am currently looking for a few beta testers! I need a couple of shop owners that have never installed the contribution, as well as one or two who would be upgrading. If you consider yourself a newbie to osCommerce, you're feed back could be invaluable in creating an installation guide that takes some of the pain out of the installation process. Don't be shy.

I'm looking for feedback on the installation procedure: Were the instructions easy to follow? Was everything there, etc.

The 'package' you'll receive is complete, except for a 'User's Guide" which I've just recently decided to create. (The user's guide is not needed to install the contribution. It will only explain what the various options are, how and why/when to use them.)

If you are interested in beta testing Version 4.0, please leave a post in this thread, and I'll PM you with further information.

I am hoping to release Version 4.0 no later than next Friday (02/23/2007).

Thanks in advance for your time.
-Skittles

[baddog]

Skittles, on Feb 16 2007, 08:18 PM, said:

Hi all!

If you are familiar with Optional Related Products Ver. 3.3, you know that I have stepped up to support and continue development of this useful contribution. There have been numerous requests for features, and I have tried to incorporate them in what is about to be a new release.

I've made some serious changes to Optional Related Products for Version 4.0! There are changes in the Admin and how it works, giving you more control over the looks and function; There are display options reminiscent of the product listing options, where you can decide what details to display on the page. The Optional Related Products code is now a module called by an include statement in products_info.html.

I am currently looking for a few beta testers! I need a couple of shop owners that have never installed the contribution, as well as one or two who would be upgrading. If you consider yourself a newbie to osCommerce, you're feed back could be invaluable in creating an installation guide that takes some of the pain out of the installation process. Don't be shy.

I'm looking for feedback on the installation procedure: Were the instructions easy to follow? Was everything there, etc.

The 'package' you'll receive is complete, except for a 'User's Guide" which I've just recently decided to create. (The user's guide is not needed to install the contribution. It will only explain what the various options are, how and why/when to use them.)

If you are interested in beta testing Version 4.0, please leave a post in this thread, and I'll PM you with further information.

I am hoping to release Version 4.0 no later than next Friday (02/23/2007).

Thanks in advance for your time.
-Skittles

I'm game.

[Get-Wireless 2]

I am up for the upgrade? I have a test store which is a clone of my live store where I would be willing to give it a try. It is a heavily modded store too.

I am not sure which version of related products I have at the moment as I am trying to figure it out
Judging by the link in my sig its 3.3c ?

Edited by Get-Wireless 2, 17 February 2007, 21:07.

[MagickWomyn]

I've got 2 local test sites using Xampp. One is vanilla latest snapshot. The other one is latest snapshot with several mods including Opt. Products 3.3c. Can try either initial install, upgrade, or both depending on your needs. Willing to help if I can.

[Skittles]

MagickWomyn, on Feb 19 2007, 08:31 AM, said:

I've got 2 local test sites using Xampp. One is vanilla latest snapshot. The other one is latest snapshot with several mods including Opt. Products 3.3c. Can try either initial install, upgrade, or both depending on your needs. Willing to help if I can.

MagickWomyn,

I'd love to send you the beta package. PM me your email address and I'll drop one off to you right away.

-Skittles

[letsplaydrums]

Hi Skittles,

I'm an almost complete OScommerce newbie, but your related products module looks like just what I need. I'm having a headache installing it though, so your proposed install guide sounds like a great idea!

I'm comfortable with editing the php files, but am decidedly unsteady in MySQL. What is the command to load your SQL file into my database?

If you want to test out a draft install guide on someone, I'm possibly a good candidate (able to follow instructions, but largely clueless!)

Thanks,

Richard

PS - Also happy to try out the v4 beta.

Edited by letsplaydrums, 27 February 2007, 22:34.

[Skittles]

Optional Related Products, Version 4.0 has just been released. You can download it from here.

My thanks to the beta-testers. Their efforts have been much appreciated.

By the way, if you are using Graphical Borders 2.1, this release supports it. Simply substitute one modified file and you're up and running. See the installation instructions for details.

-Skittles

[indent]

New features for Version 4.0:
  - The database table has been renamed from `products_options_products` to
		`products_related_products`
  - A SQL Setup Utility has been added. This PHP file is accessed via the
		Admin as the last step of the installation, and makes all the
		changes to the database for installation or upgrade, depending on
		what option is chosen. It includes an option to remove the table and
		all the entries supporting this contribution.
  - A direct link to the configuration page has been added to the Related
		Products page.
  - A link to the SQL Setup Utility has also been added to the Related
		Products page.
  - The code used in product_info.php is now in a separate file:
	[[catalog/]]includes/modules/related_products.php
  - Supports multiple display options, controlled in Admin Configuration.
	  - Display Thumbnail Image (original option)
		- Default is True.
	  - Display Product Name
		- Default is True.
	  - Display Product Model
		- Default is False.
	  - Display Price
		- Default is True.
		 - Uses sprintf with language constant define:
		   i.e. define('RELATED_PRODUCTS_PRICE_TEXT', '@ %s');
	  - Display Quantity Available
		- Default is False.
		 - Uses sprintf with language constant define:
		   i.e. define('RELATED_PRODUCTS_QUANTITY_TEXT', 'Only %s left!');
	  - Display "Buy Now" Button
		- Default is False.
  - The Related Products admin page has been revamped:
	  - Uses text instead of image buttons for the basic list,
		compacting the list for easier viewing (and less scrolling.)
	  - New Reciprocate function Inserts association in both directions.
	  - Inherit function can be set to also Insert.
	  - Delete function has been streamlined.
		 - Delete Confirmation is now optional, set in Admin
		 - A "pop-up" Delete Confirmation box allows confirmation or cancel
		   without refreshing the page. The page is only refreshed after the
		   Delete has been completed.
	  - It is no longer possible to create duplicate entries.
	  - Additional control of display has been added. Options are in Configuration.
  - The Related Products Configuration has new Options
	  - Multiple display options control the look of the Admin page.
		 - Admin Display: Maximum Rows
			- Default is 10.
			- Sets the maximum number of rows listed per page.
		 - Admin Display: Drop-Down List Maximum Length
			- Default is 0. (Unlimited)
			- Allows you to set a maximum length for the Product Name
			  in the drop-down list. Does not affect the basic list.
			  This is helpful when the product has a very long name, or
			  when displaying both the Model and Name of the product.
		 - Admin Display: Display List Maximum Length
			- Default is 0. (Unlimited)
			- Allows you to set a maximum length for the Product Name
			  in the basic list. Does not affect the drop-down list.
			  This is helpful when the product has a very long name, or
			  when displaying both the Model and Name of the product.
		 - Admin Display: Use Product Model
			- Default is False.
			- Allows you to include the Model. List is still ordered by
			  product name. Can also be used alone.
		 - Admin Display: Use Product Name
			- Default is True.
		 - Admin Display: Combine Model and Name separator
			- Default is ':'.
			- When using Model with Name, provides separation between the two.
			- Only shows when "Use Product Model" is True. Can be empty.
		 - Admin Function: Inherit includes Insert.
			- Default is False.
			- When set, both the product and it's associated products are "related"
			  to the target product. Normally, this takes two operations.
		 - Admin Function: Delete Confirmation.
			- Default is True.

[/indent]

[APPRENTICE WEBM]

hi to all , i am a little confuse about this module , can someone explained it to me thx

[MagickWomyn]

APPRENTICE WEBM, on Mar 4 2007, 09:47 AM, said:

hi to all , i am a little confuse about this module , can someone explained it to me thx

Joe,

This contribution allows you to relate one product to another. It's a cross sell add on. If the customer clicks item A then in the product information page they'll also see any items you related to it. Such as Item B, Item C... etc. It gives them the option to buy other products that are either add-ons or related in some way... like parts of a set only at individual prices. It allows them to pick and choose the items that are similar to make their own set. Make sense? It allows you to increase sales this way.

I looked at x-sell and other contributions that are similar. For ease of install, not too far from really newbie state, it was a breeze. It's easy to work with and the newest release has a lot of really good features. Another thing I considered was the support offered, Skittles has been there every step of the way. I have V4.0 on a vanilla install and also did the upgrade from V3.3 on a modified site. No problems either way. Give it a try.... you'll like it.

HTH

[Skittles]

APPRENTICE WEBM, on Mar 4 2007, 07:47 AM, said:

hi to all , i am a little confuse about this module , can someone explained it to me thx

APPRENTICE WEBM,

Take a look at the html User's Guide:
[indent]Optional Related Products, Version 4.0 User's Guide[/indent]Be sure to click on the first image, titled 'Screenshot: Example Product Info Page', for a full size example of the product info page. Seeing what it does to the page should help you decide if you want this contrib for your store.

Have a great weekend,
-Skittles

[APPRENTICE WEBM]

thx for all of you , i am going to install it and see it in action . one more questin i also have the Cross Sell module would it be a problem if i used them both or it isn't possible ?
i will be waiting for your replies

[APPRENTICE WEBM]

hello i installed it but i have one more question , how do i change the color the gray color bar

[Skittles]

APPRENTICE WEBM, on Mar 5 2007, 04:41 PM, said:

hello i installed it but i have one more question , how do i change the color the gray color bar

APPRENTICE WEBM,

First, I have no experience with other cross-selling contributions. I do not know if the two will work together...

Second, the stock module uses styles defined in stylesheet.css to retain the same look as the other boxes throughout the store:
[indent]class="productlisting"
class="productListing-heading"
class="productListing-data"
[/indent]
You can change the definitions in stylesheet.css. However, any changes will take effect for every box on your site that is using these classes.

Or, if you have changed the source code on your site to use different classes, you can change them in the module as well. For example:
[indent]class="productlisting" becomes class="new_productlisting",
class="productListing-heading" becomes class="new_productListing-heading", and
class="productListing-data" becomes class="new_productListing-data"
[/indent]
Alternately, it may be that you are using a template for your site that changes the way the boxes are created. In that case, you may need to modify the stock module to behave the same as the template.

If you aren't using these three classes anywhere else on your site, you can change them without worrying that they will mess up something somewhere else.

However, I recommend modifying the module file ([catalog/]includes/modules/optional_related_products.php) to use the classes that are used throughout your site. It could save you some real headaches at a later date.

Hope this helps.
-Skittles

[APPRENTICE WEBM]

hi Skittles, thx for everything , actually the crosseling work very well but i am still confuse on how to change the color on where it says " Other Product that you might like " i know that it is somewhere in the style_sheet , so can you pin point me to it .

[APPRENTICE WEBM]

hi it's me again , i change the color and everything looks fine and i now i am trying to figure out how to put the " other product you might like to buy " to go left instead of being in the center . any help if possible. but i really appreciate everything you did for us ( meaning the oscommerce community)

[Skittles]

APPRENTICE WEBM, on Mar 5 2007, 06:22 PM, said:

hi it's me again , i change the color and everything looks fine and i now i am trying to figure out how to put the " other product you might like to buy " to go left instead of being in the center . any help if possible. but i really appreciate everything you did for us ( meaning the oscommerce community)

APPRENTICE WEBM,

Sorry I wasn't available sooner.

In your favorite text editor, open the module file ([catalog/]includes/modules/optional_related_products.php), and around line 49 look for:

	  <td align="center" class="productListing-heading"> <?php echo TEXT_RELATED_PRODUCTS ?> </td>

Change it to:

	  <td align="left" class="productListing-heading"> <?php echo TEXT_RELATED_PRODUCTS ?> </td>

Save and upload the file. That should do it.

-Skittles

[mugitty]

Anita;

Thank you for all of your eforts on this contribution. It's very nicely done and provides excellent options from the Admin interface. Install was a breeze and your instructions and user guide are first rate!

My little suggestion for upcoming versions (I've looked at doing this and just don't have the capability to bring it off) would be to make the item selection from within the Admin interface a search function rather than dropdowns (similar to what was done in Select Specials)

I've also noticed that whenever I do an addition or update, there is a long pause before the screen refreshes. I have around 3000 products in the database, and I suspect that the delay is due to the number of products. I don't know if there's a way to streamline the queries that are being done to improve the speed (and possibly reduce the query load) or not...

[mugitty]

Anita;

Thank you for all of your eforts on this contribution. It's very nicely done and provides excellent options from the Admin interface. Install was a breeze and your instructions and user guide are first rate!

My little suggestion for upcoming versions (I've looked at doing this and just don't have the capability to bring it off) would be to make the item selection from within the Admin interface a search function rather than dropdowns (similar to what was done in Select Specials)

I've also noticed that whenever I do an addition or update, there is a long pause before the screen refreshes. I have around 3000 products in the database, and I suspect that the delay is due to the number of products. I don't know if there's a way to streamline the queries that are being done to improve the speed (and possibly reduce the query load) or not...

[Benjjj6]

hi, just installed it, and everything was going great (i upgraded from 3.3c)

but now ive finished when i visit my site there is a huge white space on the left...

click here to see what i mean

and the related products do not show up...


help please!!

[Skittles]

Benjjj6, on Mar 7 2007, 10:55 AM, said:

hi, just installed it, and everything was going great (i upgraded from 3.3c)

but now ive finished when i visit my site there is a huge white space on the left...

click here to see what i mean

and the related products do not show up...
help please!!

Benjjj6,

A quick look at the page's source code shows a pesky little comment tag! Every thing after it is being ignored.

Look for:

<!----------------------- Not editable part -------------------------------->
		 
	  <tr><td>

		</td>
	  </tr>

	  
<tr>
		<td><img src="images/pixel_trans.gif" width="100%" height="10" border="0" alt=""></td>
	  </tr>
<!--
	  <tr>

And remove the comment code, shown here just before the <tr> tag.

I think that should take care of it.

Have fun,
-Skittles