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[RMD27]

How to easily add extra fields to your product description.

For example you might want to add/edit fields like specs, features, video, notes etc without having to edit the main product description text. If you use Easy Populate already you know what I mean, especially if you are dealing with large files/product descriptions!

Important - This method requires you have Easy Populate installed in order to maintain the extra fields, you could do it through phpmyadmin or similar but that would be a nightmare. Easy Populate will allow you to add videos to the product description of hundreds of products in a matter of minutes

Why I put this here: I needed somewhere to put these instructions so I could easily refer to them when I needed them so I thought I may as well put them here. Maybe they can help someone else.

Why I wanted this feature - I use Easy Populate a lot and sometimes I want to try a new layout or change a certain type of product information, as it stood I had to edit the product_description field which could take a while, especially if there was a lot of text and images in there. By adding these fields, it helps break the product description down into manageable chunks.

Originally I just wanted to add a field to say delivery times, like 24-48 hours instead of stating a date like 23.4.11. The standard OSC fields didn't allow it so I looked into creating a field which I could use text in instead of just a date. When I figured out how to do this I thought why not use this method to create many new fields to make editing of the product information easier

The key to this method is all down to the people who created Easy Populate, they made this possible. Link at bottom

I'll say now that my php and sql knowledge is zero, I have just pieced together info found in other threads. Link at bottom

-----------------Start--------------

1. To create the field in the database run this SQL query in phpmyadmin

ALTER TABLE `products_description` ADD `products_thenameofmyextrafield` LONGTEXT NOT NULL

If you want more than 255 characters use the same setting as the products_description field

2. Go to admin/easypopulate.php

And follow the instructions detailed around line 300, with regards to how to set up Easy Populate to work with the extra field/fields you have created, you need to edit 1 line

3. Go to catalog/product_info.php around line 84
$product_info_query = tep_db_query("select p.products_id, pd.products_name, pd.products_description

add the names of the fields you have added after pd.product_description, for example

pd.products_description, pd.products_thenameofmyextrafield,

4. Then find this around line 163

<p><?php echo stripslashes($product_info['products_description']); ?></p>

copy <?php echo stripslashes($product_info['products_description']); ?> and paste it where you want it to appear on the page and change "products_description" to "products_thenameofmyextrafield"

And thats it, you can add as many extra fields as you want using this method, I have experienced no problems as yet using Easy Populate like this

The thread which details adding the extra field can be found here

http://forums.oscomm...oduct-listings/

This is the Easy Populate contribution which you will need to maintain the extra fields
http://www.oscommerc...ntributions,500

I hope this helps someone!

DISCLAIMER: I except no responsibility for any issues caused by using this method, back up before you change anything!

[RMD27]

A quick note: I use this method on v2.2 RC2
*And a quick addition

If you want the new/extra fields to have a title/header/heading/label put this in


<?php if ($product_info['products_benefits'] != NULL) { echo "TheNameOfMyExtraField: "; } ?>

before the
<?php echo stripslashes($product_info['products_thenameofmyextrafield']); ?>



Of course you can also tie the title into your stylesheet if you want the headings to appear in different colours/fonts etc

Enclose the heading code as follows

<p class="ProdInfTitles"><?php if ($product_info['products_specs'] != NULL) { echo "TheNameOfMyExtraField: "; } ?></p>

And add a reference in your stylesheet at the bottom


p.ProdInfTitles {
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 12px;
color: #00b300;
font-weight: bold;
}

As always back up before you make any changes. This might not work on your shop

Edited by RMD27, 11 March 2011, 10:54.