Error using Advanced Options

[VinceS]

I'm trying to use the Pull Down Menu Advanced Options. I'm trying to get a better understanding of the "Use" field. If I don't put anything in it I get the following error upon reentering the Edit Product Info
-- The Pull-down Menus Advanced Options is lost. --

I entered the word "test" into the Use field and the Advanced Options word properly (the SKU is appended in the cart) and I do not get the above error. I just don't get what the Use field is supposed to do. I don't see the word "test" show up anywhere when the product is displayed.

Also, I'm assuming the product SKU does not actually have to exist. What I mean is DW-LJH is the base product. That SKU exists. The options add /A1 or /A2 or /A3 to the base SKU from the pull-down. So does DW-LJH/A1 etc have to exist. It doesn't appear that it does but I wanted to check.

[loren_d_c]

According to the doc at:
http://www.shopsite.com/help/10.2/en-US/sc/pro/advanced.ordering.options.html

Use - Checkbox that controls whether the order option will be included in the drop-down menu.

-Loren

[VinceS]

OK What does that mean in English. I've read that multiple times before posting my question. It's not a Checkbox - Its a text entry box. As I said, I entered "test" to see what it wold do. Oddly enough it made the Advanced Options work as intended. If it doesn't matter what is entered in the box. Then it should be a true Checkbox not a text entry box like it is. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm missing something.

Also the second part of my post was not addressed. Do the SKUs that are generated have to exist?

[ShopSite Lauren]

I'm not sure about the first issue. I have never seen the "use" field be a text entry field, it should be a text entry box. But for your second question, no, you do not need to add additional SKUs for your ordering options. That is the advantage of using the advanced ordering options; you can setup a single product, but have the options for that product be different SKUs, have different weights, even have different images associated with them. You can also enable inventory tracking to track inventory on your various ordering options.

[VinceS]

OK so bottom line it doesn't matter what is entered in the Use box just so long as it's not blank, because as I posted earlier if its left blank you get that error upon reentry to the Edit Product Info and all the Advanced Option Entries are lost.

Thanks. Much appreciated.

[Jim]

The "Use" is the title for the column of checkboxes that are below it. The text boxes are the "titles" for the options that are in the columns below them.
If the checkbox for an option is checked it will be displayed in the pulldown list. If it is not checked then it won't be displayed. This would be used to remove options (like large Red t-shirt) that have sold out so they won't be displayed for the shopper to buy. When you get more in you can check the box again and they will again display for the shopper.

The text boxes after the "USE" text are the names of the options such as Size, Color, etc. These will contain the values that were previously the first option in the list if it was followed by ";n" such as
Size;n
Small
Med
Large

Color;n
Red
Blue
Green

Converting the above Basic Option format to Advanced Options would put the Size and Color into the two text boxes that appear after the "Use" title.
Does that make it clearer what they are for?

I tried with and without text in the fields and never did get an error message on going back to the screen.