Feature: option model to include "variations" in addition to "components"

[mindplay-dk]

The current product option model doesn't actually "work" for real-world products that come in different variations.

To give a simple, practical example, consider a shirt that comes in 3 different colors (red, green, blue) and 3 different sizes (small/medium/large).

The current option model doesn't support this scenario - it presumes that options are individual, physical "components", as it may be for e.g. a computer or kitchen appliance with some optional components.

In the case of a shirt, however, the large blue shirt is actually a single, distinct physical product from the medium blue shirt. Pricing colors and sizes as "components" doesn't make sense, and keeping inventory by colors and sizes individually doesn't make sense either.

Furthermore, certain combinations might not even exist - for example, the red shirt might not be available in small, the current model doesn't account for that either.

Of course, the existing model is great for "components", but some products are going to come in a fixed set of "variations", e.g. red/small, green/large, etc. which requires a different model from what OpenCart has currently: one in which inventory and prices etc. are defined for specific sets of options, rather than for the individual options.

[jamesallsup]

Well known about issue. Try the open stock module - it fixes the issue

[ghost]

@mindplay-dk Of course, you can always define your Options as combos, like "Color & Size" with values like "Red/Small", "Red/Large", "Blue/Medium", "Green/Small", "Green/Medium", etc. This works fine for small sets of "variations" (e.g. 9 in your simple example).

[mindplay-dk]

@garudacrafts that's what I ended up doing - the resulting user interface isn't ideal though, and I ended up with a lot of options in the "Color/Size" options list, duplicating (many times) the same colors and sizes listed in the individual "Color" and "Size" option lists. I don't have to localize this site, but it would be a burden if I did...

[mindplay-dk]

Well known about issue. Try the open stock module - it fixes the issue

Okay, I looked at that, and a whole bunch of other free alternatives - hard to decide which ones to even try, OpenStock seems to do much more than I need, so I decided to just live with it the way it is.

I find it interesting that, in your own words, this is an issue that needs fixing - I'm guessing you don't have the time or resources to do so. Would you be open to a PR?

[jamesallsup]

Daniel was offered the OpenStock code a long time ago FOC - however it changes way too much of the source that it is not viable to introduce it due to the cascading effects it would have with numerous 3rd party modules, templates etc. For now stock control on variants will have to remain a plugin.

Thanks for the offer of a PR though.

[OpenCartAddons]

@jamesallsup It would make sense if you're going to do an overhaul and improvement to the options system it should be in a major release, assuming the PR is for v2.0.

[DS-Matt]

Just to throw in my two cents I would agree with OpencartAddons that it would make sense to add that to a major release!