Inventory / Atributes / Items - Can an attribute connect to multiple items, but have the attribute stock drop singularly?

[kraftykiddoscom]

I want to create an online store similar to what zazzle does. You choose the design then choose the item to put it on, followed by selecting size, color, etc... when applicable.

The products aren't already made. I'm putting the design onto whatever product is requested upon request.

The problem is I need to track the number of designs and the number of items (tshirt sizes, colored aprons, backpacks, etc...), but seperately. It's not like my stock is 10 L octopus shirts, 10 M octopus shirts, 5 octopus backpacks, and 5 octopus aprons. It's more flexible. I have 30 octopus designs, 100 shirts, 50 aprons, and 50 backpacks. If i run out of octopus shirts, they can select a different design to go on one of the items. If I run out of items, they can select a different item to put the octopus design on. Does this make sense? It's so hard to explain typing. When someone buys an item, they also select a design, and the count of both decrease.

I want to track my shirt inventory, my apron inventory, and my backpack inventory, but I also need to make sure no one orders over 30 of one design for example. So I guess what I'm trying to do is attach the design attribute to all items. I don't want to set different design attribute numbers to each item. If someone orders 20 tshirts, 4 backpacks, and 1 apron all with the same design on them, I want my design attribute to just drop from 30 to 25. I don't want to have to break the design attribute up to say I have 10 for shirts, 10 for aprons, and 10 for backpacks. I want to just say I have 30 designs and anytime someone orders any item with this design on it, drop the overall inventory. Is this making sense?

I could do:
category - shirts
item - design
attribute - size

then just make another category for backpacks, etc... in the same fashion, except i really want the "design" number to carry over from item to item... so my second thought was:

category - design
item - tshirts, aprons, backpacks
attribute - size, color, etc... as applicable

but the problem here is you can't set an overall stock number ot the category of designs, so i could count down stock on L tees, red aprons, etc... but not for design. Likewise, item/attribute stock numbers don't carry over to other categories, right? so if i set up other design categories, i don't think the stock numbers would connect and drop as one.

thought about doing it this way:

category - fabric items (whatever i would call it)
item - shirt, apron, etc...
attributes - design, size, color, etc...

but the design count would have to be connected specifically to each item, so i would have to declare that i have 10 octopus designs for tshirts, 10 for aprons, 10 for backpacks, etc... and i don't want to do that. i want to say that i have 30 octopus designs and those 30 can be split up and printed onto any items.

does this make sense? any advice? seems so simple and i'm new to this software, so maybe it does what i'm trying to do and i just don't know it. this seems like it would be a common need. THANK YOU THANK YOU to anyone who can help me out!

[tomerg3]

You would have to built a new module or modification that reduces the quantity for each combination with a given attribute whenever a product is bought with that attribute.

There's a hook that gets executed for each new order (I think it's called neworder), and the DB table with the attribute stock is ps_product_attribute

[kraftykiddoscom]

crud... that stinks! i'm brand new to the software - absolutely love it actually, but would loooove to have that feature. not sure i'm skilled enough to write a mod. if i were, i would write it for sure. i'm sure it could be used by a lot of people. this is the third software i've looked at and it clearly does more than any other. 'wonder if there is any software out there that would allow me to do what i'm trying to do. i can make it work with this software... would just really like to monitor the design and item aspects of inventory control. thanks for getting back to me. i really appreciate it! come one someone out there - write that mod! ha ha!

[kraftykiddoscom]

i can set a group as size. then i can set the attributes to s, m, l, etc.... i notice when i add those attributes to a certain product, i can highlight them all, select inventory level as 30 and it'll just list then all as a group having 30 in inventory. when someone then makes purchases, will it drop the inventory as a whole by 1 each time meaning i only have 30 shirts to sell or will it drop each item by one meaning if i had 3 attributes, it would be assigning 90 items to stock (30 small, 30 medium, 30 large)? i realize if i want to assign individual amounts per size (attribute), then i can add them one at a time. i'm guessing doing it in the way i described does in fact assign an overall inventory of 30 to the attributes regardless of what size you would purchase. but i need to know for sure. Thanks!

[tomerg3]

You cannot do that (assign more the 1 attribute from the same group in 1 combination), when you add it to the cart, it will add all the attributes.

[kraftykiddoscom]

ahhhhhh! that is the sound of me pulling my hair out! is there is no way to turn off attribute inventory? i've about given up on the idea of being able to basically track inventory on two products that come together to create one (i.e. a design and a tshirt that get heat pressed into one item). but now i can't even figure out a way to track the inventory on items with just one attribute.

ex.
category - shirts
item - design
group - size
attribute - s, m, l

i want to set the item (design) inventory for each item as 30 or whatever depending on how many heat transfers i have of each design. 'problem is when i assign a group (size), it automatically overrides the item inventory and if i leave attribute inventory blank, it gives it a value of zero and will state i'm out of stock. the only thing i can think to do is let it think it's out of stock and change my settings to allow out of stock merchandise to be sent, which of course totally defeats the whole purpose of tracking inventory in the first place. this is crazy. any advice? thanks for your help. i'm really surprised about all this... figured this was an extremely common need and the software is so unbelievably flexible in other ways, but not at all with inventory, the primary demand for shopping software. thanks!

[Aldeag]

As I understand, you sell plain t-shirts (unprinted) and you want your customer choose a kind of t-shirt , choose color and size and then add a design. Why not add the design as an accesory and not as an attribute?

[kraftykiddoscom]

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm trying to do, which really is the same type of custom sales a lot of people are trying to do from what I can tell. It has been a NIGHTMARE! I keep thinking different options will work, but you get it all set up and then realize nope - doesn't work that way.

If I make the attribute the design, that means size has to be either the item or another attribute.

If size is another attribute, you run into huge problems with the combinations generator. If I set the shirt total to 30 (because I have 30 of each design and I don't want to oversell any particular design), then everything gets set to 30 and it automatically groups the attributes together saying my stock is 30 s octopus shirts, 30 m octopus shirts, 30 large octopus shirts, etc... i would oversell on every design.

Item - Shirt
Group - Design / Attributes - Octopus, Elephant, etc...
Group - Size / Attributes - S, M, L

If i make size the item:

Item - Size
Group - Design
Attribute - Octopus, Elephant, etc...

Then I have to set up a different item for each size and even then, the attribute inventory does not carry from item to item so someone could still over buy on octopus shirts. i think even paypal buttons will let you carry over attributes from one item to another. i was hoping to find software that would let me track both shirt and design inventory and provide discount codes, neither of which paypal does.

I tried making them a pack... I set up an item for shirts and an item for design them combined them into a pack. But there, you have to set an inventory number for the pack and from what i understand, it will drop the pack inventory, but not the individual items' inventory. also, it wouldn't bring across the attribute from the shirt so i assume i would have to set up the attribute for shirt sizes in the pack item - which then overrides the item inventory.

basically, this sofware is toooootally not flexible in the area of inventory for custom products. i think what i suggested above would be the simplest fix, though there may be other ways to achieve what i need to do with minor code changes. it's so frustrating i can't even begin to tell you. don't get me wrong - i love this software, which is why i keep trying to get it to work so badly. i know TONS of people have this same need. whoever writes a mod, if possible, will make lots of money i'm sure!