Product Variations and Options

IndieMade supports both Variations and Options. Although similar they differ in several ways and they can work together.

The difference between Variations and Options.

Variations appear as a Select list (pull down) and are products that need to track stock based by attributes, such as color and size. You can also choose to vary stock and price on the attributes. They are also designed for compatibility with Etsy Connect.(Note - Etsy supports up to 2 variations). Variations can be used across several products via variation templates.

Options support a wide variety of field types - Checkboxes, Radio Selects, Select list (pull down), small text box and large text boxes. Options can have price adjustments but cannot track stock and are not compatible with Etsy Connect. Like Variations, Options can be saved as templates and shared across several products.

Adding Variations

You can add variations directly to a product and save them as a template for other products if needed.

To add Variations to a product.

  1. On the product edit page locate the Variations Section
  2. Click on 'Add Variations'
  3. Enter in the Variation name and each option name.

Note: Do not confuse Variation options with Options (below).

Variation Templates

Variation template let you use the same variations across several products. Instead of creating individual variations for each of your products you can easily use the same variations across similar products.

There are two ways to create a Variation template create one from scratch or save an existing variation.

To create a Variation template:

  1. On the Dashboard left menu click on Variations.
  2. Click "Add Variation"
  3. Enter name, description and options.

To save an existing Variation as a template:

  1. Edit the product with the Variation you would like to use.
  2. Next to the existing Variation name click the operation icon and choose 'Save as Template'
 

Adding Options

Options are not enabled by default.

To enable options:

Go to the Store Settings page and 'Enable Product Options'.

Once enabled you will see the Options menu on the Dashboard. You will also see a new Options section on the product below the Variations section. Remember you can use Variations and Options together if needed.

To add an Option as a Template.

  1. On the Dashboard click on "Options" and click "Add Option"
  2. Enter the name and Field type.
  3. Choose if you require this Option to be selected.
  4. Add each Option value you can also enter the price adjustment at this time.

This option will now be available on the product edit pages.

To save an existing Option as template.

  1. Edit the product with the Option you would like to use.
  2. Next to the existing Option name click the operation icon and choose 'Save as Template'

More about Option field types

Unlike Variations, Options can be several different field types.

  • Checkboxes: Select one or more of the options.
  • Radio select: Select only one of the options.
  • Select list: A pull down select.
  • Text: A small text field.
  • Text - Multiple Rows: A large text field.