| |
| — | v:0.7.2:categories [2017/04/26 07:02] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1 |
|---|
| | ====== Product Categories ====== |
| |
| | ===== What Product Categories Are ===== |
| | Categories offer a way to give [[.:products|products]] additional behaviors that cannot be accomplished by product options alone. While it's probably best to take a look at the category settings in your admin, we'll briefly discuss the functionality that categories offer. |
| | * **[[.:emails|Email Receipts.]]** Email receipts can be generated on a per category basis, and different emails can be configured for customers and for admins. So, if you had a conference registration category but also sold books and CDs, you might want a transaction that included a conference registration to send an email to a store admin (the conference registrar); or to send an extra email to the customer with a schedule and link to the hotel; or to send both emails (as they can be configured independently). |
| | * **Default Weight Values.** These default values can be overridden by explicitly setting the ''weight'' product option, but if you have a category for "Shirts" you could set the default weight to 0.5, while you have another category for "Paperweights" with a default weight of 3. That way you wouldn't have to explicitly set the weight on every product's add-to-cart link or form. |
| | * **[[.:taxes|Taxes.]]** Taxes must be set at the category level. This allows you to have certain products taxed differently from others, which can be useful in a variety of situations. |
| | * **[[.:shipping|Shipping and Handling Fees.]]** Categories can set specific handling fees, as well as shipping methods. |
| | * **Customs Values.** Customs values (used in shipping calculations) can only be set at the category level. |
| | * **[[.:coupons_and_discounts|Quantity Discounts.]]** While individual products can have quantity discounts, they can also be applied for //all// products in the cart in a given category. |
| | * **[[.:coupons_and_discounts|Coupon Codes.]]** Coupons can be restricted per category, though this is done on the coupon code admin section, not the category admin section. |
| | * **[[.:products:downloadables|Downloadables.]]** Downloadable products must be added to a category where the shipping method is set to "Downloaded by the customer". |
| | |
| | |
| | ===== How Product Categories Work ===== |
| | Using product categories is fairly straightforward if you already understand how FoxyCart's [[.:products|products]] function. Simply: |
| | - Create a category in your store's admin. |
| | - Assign that category to the product in your add-to-cart link or form, where the "category code" (as configured in the admin) is set in the product's ''category'' option. So, something like this:<code html> |
| | <a href="https://YOURDOMAIN.foxycart.com/cart?name=A great product&price=5&category=YOUR_CATEGORY_CODE"> |
| | Buy this Great Product! |
| | </a> |
| | <form action="https://YOURDOMAIN.foxycart.com/cart" method="post"> |
| | <input type="hidden" name="name" value="A great product" /> |
| | <input type="hidden" name="price" value="5.00" /> |
| | <input type="hidden" name="category" value="YOUR_CATEGORY_CODE" /> |
| | <select name="size"> |
| | <option value="small">Small</option> |
| | <option value="medium">Medium</option> |
| | <option value="large">Large</option> |
| | </select> |
| | <input type="submit" value="Buy It Now!" /> |
| | </form> |
| | </code> |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | ===== The Default Category ===== |
| | You'll notice that the ''category'' product parameter is optional. If you don't specify a category, the ''DEFAULT'' category will be used. |
| | |
| | ===== Creating New Categories ===== |
| | It may not be immediately evident, but if you use the select box at the top of your Category page (in the "Select a Category" fieldset) in your store's admin you'll see an option to add a new category. Doing so will actually make a copy of the category you're currently editing. |
