Operate > IBM Management Center for WebSphere Commerce > Catalogs tool > Work with products
Creating products
A product is an item or a group of items that exhibit the same attributes. You might want to add products to the catalog during various times of the year to reflect marketing goals.
There are two different ways that you can add a product:
- By creating a new product
You cannot create a new product in the sales catalog. Add a new product by copying an existing one from the master catalog.
- By copying an existing product
If you are using the extended sites model and are currently in the extended site store, you can add a product that belongs to the asset store by copying a current asset store product.
Procedure
- Open the Catalogs tool.
- Use one of the following ways to add a product to the catalog:
Option Description Create a new product To add an entirely new product, from the File menu, click File > New > Product. The Manage Product tab displays in the Product Properties view. Copy an existing product To copy an existing product, on the explorer tree, click the category the product belongs to. To find the product, see Find a catalog entry.
Restriction: To copy products, you can also drag and drop them from the main work area or utilities view into the explorer tree when using the Master Catalog filter. You cannot drag and drop products into the explorer tree when using the Master Catalog Categories filter or Sales Catalog Categories filter.
- In the list view or explorer tree, right-click the product; then click Copy .
- In the list view, right-click on any field; then click Paste.
The Product Properties view displays.
- Fill in the required fields and click Save.
A new product is added with the same attributes.
When you copy a product, the defining attributes, offer price, SKUs, and merchandising associations for that product are not copied over. For efficiency, it is not recommended to copy more than 30 products.
- Expand the General Product Information section. Complete the following information:
In the URL field, type the URL where customers can download the product (in the case of software) or more information about the product. Verify the URL does not contain blank spaces.
Option Description Code The product entry code. Name The name of the product entry. This field can be edited in multiple languages. Short description Type a brief description of the product entry. This field is not displayed by default in the list view. To display the field as a column in a list view, right-click on a column heading in the list view and click Configure Columns. This field can be edited in multiple languages.
Long description Type a detailed description, if applicable. This field is not displayed by default in the list view. To display the field as a column in a list view, right-click on a column heading in the list view and click Configure Columns. This field can be edited in multiple languages.
Keywords Type one or more keywords, separated by a comma and a space, that describe the contents of the Web page. Some Internet search engines use these keywords to determine whether the page satisfies a search query. This field can be edited in multiple languages. Additional description 1 Type a detailed description of the catalog entry, if applicable. Additional description 2 Type a detailed description of the catalog entry, if applicable. Manufacturer Type the name of the manufacturer or vendor. Manufacturer part number Type the part number for the product entry, uniquely defined by the manufacturer. The part number is different from the code. Parent Category The category to which an object such as a category, product, or SKU belongs, or the catalog to which a top category belongs. See Move a catalog entry for an example of how to change the parent category. URL Type the URL where customers can download the product (in the case of software) or more information about the product.
- Expand the Publishing section. Complete the following information:
Option Description For purchase Indicate whether customers can include the product in their shopping carts and order it. This check box is read-only and cannot be cleared if the entries for purchase are on auction. On special Indicates whether the product entry is on special. On auction Indicates whether the catalog entry is available for auction. This field is read-only. This field is not displayed by default in the list view. To display the field as a column in a list view, right-click on a column heading in the list view and click Configure Columns.
Announcement date Add the year, month, and day that the catalog entry becomes available to customers. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This field is for the interpretation and information only. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date. Withdrawal date Add the year, month, and day that the catalog entry is removed from the catalog and is unavailable for customers to purchase. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This field is for the information only. Availability date Add the year, month and day that the catalog entry is available to customers for purchase. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This field is for the interpretation and information only. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date. Last date to order Add the final year, month and day that the catalog entry is available for order. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is the latest date a customer can order the catalog entry. For example, a manufacturer can discontinue a product, but because stock still exists, it is still available for order for one month. End of service date Add the year, month and day when the catalog entry is no longer in service. For example, this date can be the date that a software manufacturer stops providing upgrades for a version of their product. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This field is for the interpretation and information only. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date. Discontinued date Add the year, month and day when the catalog entry is discontinued. For example, this date can be the date the manufacturer stops producing the product, or the date the store stops selling the product. Click the calendar icon to select a date. IBM recommends that this field be used consistently to avoid confusion. This field is for the interpretation and information only. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date.
- Expand the Display section. Complete the following information:
Option Description Display to customers Select this check box to indicate that customers can view this category in the storefront. Thumbnail Type the path to the thumbnail image and the name of the image, such as ../images/shirt.jpg. All image files must be placed in the store's defined image directory. Determining the correct image directory and whether you need an absolute or relative path depends on the store's configuration. For example, the WebSphere Commerce starter store images use a relative path pointing to the default installation directory under the store name. Use of a relative path is most common. Use of an absolute path is dependent on the initial configuration. Ask a store developer with Site Administrator authority for the correct image directory if you are unsure. Full image Type the path to the catalog entry full size image and the name of the image, such as ../images/shirt/jpg. All catalog entry image files should be placed in the store's defined image directory. The correct image directory and whether you need an absolute or relative path depends on the store's configuration. Ask a store developer with Site Administrator authority for the correct image directory. For example, the WebSphere Commerce starter store images use a relative path to the default installation path.
- Expand the Pricing section. Complete the following information:
Option Description List Price The list price for the catalog entry. The list price is supplied by the manufacturer, as part of the catalog entry description. This field is for the information only. Offer Price The price at which the catalog entry is offered for purchase. Click New to add in a new offer price. Type in a Minimum Quantity at which the catalog entry can be offered at this price. The maximum quantity is determined by the minimum quantity of the next range. For example, if the minimum quantity of a catalog entry to be sold at $25.00 is one, and the minimum quantity of the same catalog entry to be sold at $35.00 is 10, then the maximum quantity for the catalog entry to be sold at $25.00 is nine.
If you are using the extended sites model, the offer price for the catalog asset store is displayed first; then the list price and offer price for the extended store.
- Expand the Custom section. Complete the following information:
Option Description Field 1 (Integer) A customized field for the catalog entry data. The entry must be a whole number. Field 2 (Integer) A customized field for the catalog entry data. The entry must be a whole number. Field 3 (Decimal) A customized field for the catalog entry data. The entry must be a decimal number. Field 4 (Text) A customized field for the catalog entry data. The entry must be text. Field 5 (Text) A customized field for the catalog entry data. The entry must be text.
- Click the Descriptive Attributes tab to work with descriptive attributes.
- Click the Defining Attributes tab to work with defining attributes.
- Click the Merchandising Associations tab to work with merchandising associations.
- Click the Manage Attachments tab to work with attachments.
- Click the Reference tab to view any merchandising associations or bundles associated with the product, or to view all sales catalog categories the product belongs to.
- Click Save and Close, or click Close.
Related concepts
IBM Management Center for WebSphere Commerce
Related tasks
Find attribute dictionary catalog entry attributes
Related reference
Extended sites in Management Center