SubProduct Question

[sholt]

When I create subproducts, I need the original product to be a required purchase before the subproducts can be purchased? This would seem to be an easy and basic task but I have been unable to find a way to perform this feat.

[Jim]

There isn't a simple way that this can be done. That is kind of a package scenario which ShopSite does not support out of the box.
There are a couple of ways to work at doing it.

1. Add some javascript to the cart that checks the products in the cart and if the subproduct is in the cart but not the main product put up a message saying they need to add the main product. The javascript would have to block the checkout button until both are in the cart.

2 Set up the product "add to cart" so that when the subproduct is added to the cart the main product is also added. This can be done by making the add to cart submit both product IDs with the main product info as a hidden values in the form. This method would also require that you set the shopping cart so that the quantity can not be changed and that there is no remove item button or checkbox. So they won't be able to delete the main product and just checkout with the subproduct.

3. Use Order options instead of the subproducts. Set the main product up as normal but add order options that list the sub items as options. Make the option a required selection by setting the first option in the list to Choose one;n. The ;n will make it so that they can't checkout of the shopping cart without making a choice. Then list the various sub options and change the price in the cart by adding ;+2.99 (or what ever the price difference is) to the options. If you have multiple "sub products" that they can choose just make an option for each one and an option for possible combinations.

Note that most of these features would require the store to be running the Pro level of ShopSite.

[sholt]

Thanks Jim,
We are running Pro. That is Kind of what I figured, We are currently using option three. The difficulty lies in that one of the subproducts can be purchased multiple times. So this means I have to have options for 1,2,3,4,5,6,....... This leads to huge and not very attractive combo boxes. Is there another way to handle quantities within order options?

thanks

[Jim]

Is there only one possible subproduct or do you have different ones that could be chosen?
If multiple subproducts are available can the shopper choose more than one to be ordered with the main product?
Are the subproducts all the same price?

Maybe a brief description of the main product and possible subproduct(s) would be helpful so I can grasp how they relate to each other.

[sholt]

Thanks Jim,

We offer review courses for Physicians these have multiple options (all or most with different prices) for example:

base course cost can be 3 different amounts depending on whether the Dr. is a resident, practicing physician, or repeating our course.

hotel room at the review can be single room, double room, or not in hotel

Syllabus may be printed or electronic

and finally the big one Mock orals which can be purchased in any quantity and must be either public or private sessions.

You can view an example of one of the more complex setups at http://www.osler.org/main/nro.html

[Jim]

I think the way you are doing it is probably the best way because it packages everything into a single item in the cart.

I was going to suggest breaking it up unto individual products components, such as accommodations, with the number of days as options; but that might lead to someone choosing the room from a different course that had different options. Also doing that would not combine everything into a single line item in the cart for each course.

So I think the way you have it is probably the best out of the box solution. Sorry I can't think of a better way to do it.