Shopsite version 10 - inventory API documentation?

[dlundell]

The release notes for version 10 say:

> A new API has been added for developers of third-party
> inventory control applications. The API allows merchants
> to use an add-on application to track and manage product
> nventory in ShopSite.

Is there documentation for the API?

- dc

PS. I assume inventory tracking for order options hasn't
been added wtih this release?

[Jim]

The documentation team is still working on some of the help files. I'll ask them to put this to the top of the list.

With the inventory api you will be able to manage order options by sku through the program you develop. Inventory will we maintained in your separate database not the ShopSite database. Your api would pass back a new sku for a product based on the options selected.

[Jim]

Doc is available now at:
http://www.shopsite.com/help/10.0/en-US ... .spec.html

[dlundell]

The documentation team is still working on some of the help files. I'll ask them to put this to the top of the list.

With the inventory api you will be able to manage order options by sku through the program you develop. Inventory will we maintained in your separate database not the ShopSite database. Your api would pass back a new sku for a product based on the options selected.

Do you know if Shopsite will ever put in the capability to do inventory control by order options?

It's the one reason we're looking at other cart solutions. Managing apparel and shoes (for example) is very difficult without inventory control over the sizes & colors. (I know it can be done, sort of, with sub-products, but it's far too difficult to manage, and it makes for clunky looking product pages.)

Thanks,

- dc

[Jim]

I don't know when that functionality will be included directly in ShopSite, but
one of the reasons for the Inventory API is to allow the merchant to do orderoption by sku. See the last paragraph of the spec.

pXnewsku Optional. A new SKU to assign to the product. This may be used if you have multiple SKUs for products with different order options (e.g. small, medium, and large shirts). The new SKU will be displayed in the cart and order, but will not alter the ShopSite product SKU or the SKU passed in later calls to the add-on from ShopSite.

So in ShopSite you would still enter the order options the same way but your API script would look in your database by order option and return a sku for the combined options selected. The order would then show the new sku so your stock pickers could pick by sku and your inventory would be updated by your API script based on the options selected.

[dlundell]

I don't know when that functionality will be included directly in ShopSite, but
one of the reasons for the Inventory API is to allow the merchant to do orderoption by sku. See the last paragraph of the spec.

So in ShopSite you would still enter the order options the same way but your API script would look in your database by order option and return a sku for the combined options selected. The order would then show the new sku so your stock pickers could pick by sku and your inventory would be updated by your API script based on the options selected.

The problem (let me know if the API addresses this) is, say I have
a shirt, and have in stock 1 small, 5 medium, 10 large. I'd like the
online shopper to be able to order as many as are available of each
size. Currently, we have to set the inventory number to the smallest
number available, so we don't over-sell an item.

- dc

[Jim]

Using inventory API You would maintain the inventory (quantity on hand) outside of ShopSite in your own database. Your script returns to the shopping cart the quantity of an item that is available. If there is enough then the shopper will be allowed to finish. If there are some but not enough then a message will display saying there are not enough to fill the order and ask them to reduce the quantity. If there are none available an out of stock message will be displayed. The check will also be done when the shopper does the final submit after entering payment info and the same check will be done again to make sure the quantity didn't change. So you should be able to let them order 1 of something if that is all available and 5 of something else.

[extragear]

Hello:

Is there a pre-canned third party application that allows you to manage store inventory as mentioned in version 10?

Or is it the case you design your own solution?

Thanks

Tim Sweeney

Cycleluggage.com