<![CDATA[Magento Help]]> http://magentist.com/magento_help/ Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:52:13 +0000 Zend_Feed http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[Layered Navigation Drop-Down]]> http://magentist.com/magento_help/magento-layered-navigation-drop-down/ layered navigation in Magento is a powerful tool that allows customers the convenience of filtering the catalog by filterable product attributes such as price range, color, etc. This is a great way to increase sales by making it easier for customers to find what they want, faster.

A common drawback to this feature is that catalogs with many attributes and attribute sets will generate a very long list in the layered navigation. Many Magento ecommerce shop owners would rather use this space to add callouts for advertisements or sales promotions, but they don't want to lose the powerful functionality that comes with the layered navigation.

An excellent solution to condense the space occopied by the layered navigation is to convert each list of attribute options into a drop-down menu. This will preserve the powerful functionality of the layered navigation while allowing you more vertical space in your sidebar, and even making the layered navigation options more readable. The result should look like this:



Making this change is quick and simple. First, open the file /app/design/frontend/default/your-magento-template/template/catalog/layer/filter.phtml For Magento templates that do not have this file, you may simply create the file at the specified location. Then, replace the content of this file with the following code: 

<select onchange="setLocation(this.value)">
	 <option value=""><?php echo 'Choose an Option...' ?></option>
<?php foreach ($this->getItems() as $_item): ?>
    <option
        <?php if ($_item->getCount() > 0): ?>
        value="<?php echo $this->urlEscape($_item->getUrl()) ?>"><?php echo $_item->getLabel() ?>
        <?php else: echo '>' . $_item->getLabel() ?>
        <?php endif; ?>
        (<?php echo $_item->getCount() ?>)
    </option>
<?php endforeach ?>
</select>
As always, after editing any PHTML file in your Magento template, don't forget to refresh Magento's cache via System > Cache Management to see your changes.

To learn more about the Magento Layered Navigation, check out this Magento Screencast

]]> Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:56:00 +0000 <![CDATA[Magento Product Options Drop-Down Menu]]> http://magentist.com/magento_help/magento-product-options-drop-down-menu/ Magento can be used to sell almost any type of product, from simple products to downloadable products, or even items which can be customized and configured by the customer.

So how can you easily add a drop-down menu on your product page to allow customers to select product options?

Let's say, for example, you have a Magento ecommerce website that sells fashion and accessories, and you want to sell a shirt that's available in several sizes. You can add a drop-down menu to select sizes by following these quick steps:

Log into your admin panel and navigate to Catalog > Manage Products. Click to edit the appropriate product, then click on "Custom Options" in the left-side navigation. In the main content area, find and click on the "Add New Option" button. Call this option Size and then click "Add New Row" to add and configure as many as size options as you have.

If you have more than one option, you can then click "Add New Option" again to create another option, such as "Color."

If you're having difficulty configuring your product options, check out Magento Expert and get a quick answer to your Magento question for free! You can also find many answers on your own by consulting the Magento Users Guide]]> Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:16:04 +0000