Creating a Product (including Variations and SKUs, SEO, Associations, Assets)

To create a product, click through an existing catalog and click on Create New and then click on Create Product.

Overview Tab

This is where you enter basic information about the Product.

• Name - a name for the product.
• Available from - the date to which the product is activated
• Expires on - the date on which the product expires; once the expiration date passes, the product will no longer appear on the public site
• Display Template - choose a display template used to show the products in the public site from this dropdown box; by default, the only available catalog display template is "Digital Camera". To create your custom template, you will need some technical skills with html templates.
• Code - enter a product code here (e.g. DIGICAM).
• Sort Order - determines the order to which the product is sorted in the Node List page.
• Available - select Yes to make the product appear on the public site; select No to hide the product from the public site
• Meta Class - the choice made here dictates which the meta-fields or product attributes will appear on the public site or Commerce Manager site

Depending on the meta class selected, more fields are available to enter data. For instance, selecting the Digital Camera meta class will yield digital camera meta fields and attributes.

Variations/SKU Tab

Variations/SKUs are subcategories of a Product, which represents different "variations" of the particular product (colors, sizes, different editions for example). Such Variations/SKUs can be grouped a chosen product from this tabbed page. Follow these steps to group variations/SKUs.

1. Select the Variations/SKUs tab

2. Within the drop-down menu next to Find Item, select from the list variations or SKUs to associate with the product.

3. Click on Add Item.

You can add multiple associations to the product and they will appear in a list under the column headers below.

SEO Tab

Search Engine Optimization can be achieved by entering the following information for the product.

• Title - this is the friendly name that appears in your browser's title area
• URL - this is what gets displayed in the browser URL window
• Description - this is the meta description that is used for SEO purposes by search engines
• Keywords - keywords used for SEO purposes by search engines

Note: If the Url field is left empty, it will be automatically filled in with a generated url (which depends on the entry name).  If the Url field is not empty (you entered some url), it will be saved as it is, and w will not be changed automatically even if you change an entry name. If you need the url to change, leave it blank.

Associations Tab

Different products or variations/SKUs can be linked to this product. Follow these steps to create product associations:

1. Click on Add an Association. A pop-up window will appear that says Edit Association Information.

2. When the pop-up appears, enter an Association Name, Description, and define the Sort Order. Once you're done, click on Save Changes.

3. The new association will appear in the drop-down list.

4. You can also choose to Edit Details, which will allow you to edit associated items. The Pick Item drop-down appears below Modify Existing Association.

5. Click on Modify Association and you can edit the name, description, and sort order of an existing association.

You can also Delete an association if needed.

6. Pick an item or items to add to the association. Click Add Item to do so.

7. Once you click on Add Item, the item will appear in a list just below. You can have more than one item tied to an association.

You can Edit an item on the list. You can change the SortOrder and the Type. Once you're done modifying the values, click on Update to save your changes. Otherwise select Cancel to navigate away without saving.

Assets Tab

Assets are downloadable contents such as documents, links, videos, and images that can be linked to specific products. Assets are uploaded and managed in the Asset Management system.

1. Under Find Assets, select from the drop-down list and click Add Asset.

2. Enter a Group Name.

By default ECF offers three options with names that will allow the associated assets to be correctly displayed on the product details page of the public site.

• Image - (type as "image," all lowercase) thumbnail icon(s) will appear on the product details page
• Downloads - a "Downloads" tab will appear towards the bottom of the details page
• Specifications - a "Specifications" tab will appear towards the bottom of the details page

3. Once an asset is added to the list below, you can choose to edit specific assets, such as their Group name and Sort Order.

4. Once done, click OK and the new category/node will be created. You will be redirected to the Node List. Otherwise, select Cancel to go back to the Node List without saving any changes.