Product types | Kartris User Guide

4.1.4. Product types

There are several different types of products that can be created within Kartris.

4.1.4.1. Single product

This is the simplest form of product; it has a single version and for display purposes the two are merged into a single unit.

4.1.4.2. Multiple version product

This is suitable for items that tend to have only one degree of variation. For example, ketchup that might come in several different bottle sizes (each with its own SKU / item code), or a book that comes in hardback, paperback and audiobook. Each version can have its own image, as well as the product having images too.

4.1.4.3. Options product

This has a single base version and unlimited options can be applied to it. This is suitable for products with multiple types of variation such as size, style and colour. You can have as many options as required, and these can display as dropdown menus, radio buttons or a checkbox. It is therefore ideal for items such as computers that might be highly configurable, with a choice of hard-disks, processors, operating systems, RAM, and so on.

You can control whether a selection is required for a particular option. So for example, when configuring a computer, the RAM and processor selections would be required (because a computer must have both) but the secondary hard-disk size selection might be optional (if the component was not necessary required).

4.1.4.4. Combinations product

This is similar to an options product, and is created in the same way. But once you have configured the options, you can choose to create 'combinations'. The system will then create a unique version record for each permutation of the options. This allows you to record stock level for each permutation separately, have a different SKU / item code for each permutation and set a unique price for each too.

The number of permutations will be limited to a few hundred for performance reasons. Remember that you only need to create a combinations product if you are stock tracking or need a unique SKU or price for each permutation - otherwise use an options product.

4.1.4.5. Custom control product

In some cases, none of the built-in Kartris product types will suit your purposes. A typical example would be a site producing bespoke curtains or signage. You would need the user to enter a height and width (which could for example be anything in mm between 30 and 3000). Options would be impractical as you'd need to create every option between 30 and 3000. Furthermore, height and width values would both be required to calculate the area of fabric needed, and then the price - but option prices can only apply to a single option selection.

Fortunately, if you're familiar with ASP.NET, it is possible to create virtually any type of product configurator and plug it into Kartris. This is done by creating a custom user control that contains all the logic needed to price and detail a product. Examples of the kind of thing that is possible with a custom user control:

A product configurator for signage, with choice of materials, prices/m2 and all other data pulled from an Excel spreadsheet
A product configurator for insurance policies which uses an XML web service to pull pricing from another remote web site
A product configurator which uses a formula to calculate the price of the item based on the various values entered

For more information, see @14.3. Custom product controls‍