Attributes

Overview

Attributes are options or characteristics of a product.  For example, color or size may be an attribute for a given product.  Attributes can be used as filters or product options.  This help page will help you manage your attributes.

All attributes are located in Stores > Attributes > Products.

Magento creates a lot of attributes by default and your development team may create additional attributes as well.  They are listed in alphabetical order.

For clients who are integrated, the integration will create and update the options (Size, color) within an attribute automatically.

The values or options in an attribute don't always come over "customer friendly" and can be edited as needed.  To edit a value:

• Open the attribute.
• Look for the "Manage Options (Values of Your Attribute)

• You should ONLY edit the "Default Store View" column/values.  This is the value that is displayed on the front end of your site.  Editing the Admin values may result in your integration creating duplicate values or options.

• Changing the label so that it appears consistently throughout your site and uses proper capitalization, spelling etc., is always a good idea.  The more consistent your content is the better it looks!
• Attributes are automatically saved or sorted into alphabetical and numeric order.
• Attributes display on the front end of your site in the same order as they appear in the Attribute.  For example, if your size attribute is ordered: Medium, Large, Small, XSmall that is exactly how the order will appear on the front end for your shoppers.
• You can manage the display order for an attribute by dragging and dropping the attribute.  When working in an attribute that has a lot of options, Modern Retail recommends changing the order in pieces and saving as you go.  Organize one set of options, save and then go back and organize a second set of options until you're done.

After you've organized or updated an Attribute, Flush the Magento Cache to "force" your changes to display.

ADDING ATTRIBUTES

From time to time you may find the need to add an attribute; whether it be for a filter or some other reason. Follow these steps to add an attribute:

• Go to Stores > Attributes > Products
• Select "Add Attribute" in the upper right corner.

Complete the Fields on the Properties Tab:

• Default Label: This is the name of your attribute.
• Catalog Input Type for Store Owner: What type of field do you need in order to use this attribute in the back end of your site?

• Values Required: Does this value have to be selected as part of the product?  If you select "yes" a product cannot be saved without this value being assigned/selected.

Expand the Advance Attribute Properties section.

• Attribute Code: This is the same as the Default Label, except it cannot have any spaced.  If your label has 2 or more words, join them with an underscore.  For example: attribute_label.
• Scope: Always select "global".
• Default Value: This can be left blank if there is not a value that would be applied to ALL products.
• Unique Value: Set this to "no".  This will allow the value to be used on multiple products.
• Input Validation for Store Owner: Leave set to none.
• Add to Column Options: Leave this set to yes.  This allows you to add a column on the Products page in the back end for this attribute.
• Use in Filter Options: Leave set to yes.  This will allow this attribute to be used in the filters in the product dashboard.

At this point, select "Save and Continue Edit".

Manage Labels Tab

This the label that appears on the front end of the site.  If you want it to be different than the name of your attribute, enter the value here.

Be sure to  select "Save and Continue Edit" when done.

Storefront Properties Tab

This section determines how your attribute will be used on the front end of your site.

• Use in Search: Do you want the values in this attribute to be used in the front end search?  Additional options will become available if you select "yes".
• Comparable on Storefront: Typically left to "no".
• Use for Promo Rule Conditions: Modern Retail recommends this be set to "yes". You never know!
• Allow HTML Tags on Storefront: Set to "no".
• Visible on Catalog Pages on Storefront: Typically left to "no".
• Used in Product Listing: Leave set to "no".
• Used for Sorting Product Listing: Leave set to "no".

Save Attribute!

ATTRIBUTE SET

Now that you've created your attribute, it has to be added to the Attribute Set in order to be available for use with products.

• Go to Stores > Attributes > Attribute Sets

• Modern Retail uses the Default Attribute Set, select or click on it.

• The next screen will be divided into 2 sections: Groups and Unassigned Attributes.  Your new attribute will be in the unassigned column.
• Drag and Drop your new attribute to the Groups column, dropping it into the list where you'd like to to display when working the product in the back end.

 

• Save!