Develop > Presentation layer > Customize marketing > Work with Product Advisor > Create a metaphor XML input file
Prepare a Guided Sell metaphor
The steps in this section explain how to prepare Guided Sell metaphor.
Procedure
- Create an XML input file
- To build a Guided Sell metaphor, type the following between the store begin and end tags: <SalesAssistant SACID="category number"> </SalesAssistant> Where the SACID value identifies the category for which the metaphor is being created.
- Insert a template element between the metaphor begin and end tags to specify the JSP page that the metaphor will be based upon. This will be the default page for the metaphor. The template element will look similar to the following: <template>sa51.jsp</template> Where sa51.jsp would be replaced by the path and file name for some JSP that you have created for this purpose.
- Place the following elements between the metaphor begin and end tags, but after the template element for each metaphor to update: <metaphorLink></metaphorLink> <qnaTree></qnaTree>
The metaphorLink element serves as the default link used by the Guided Sell metaphor when an answer does not link to another question, and does not specify its own metaphorLink. For more information about the content for these tags, refer to the following topics:
- Create a default link for the metaphor
- Create the question and answer tree
- Create a link for an answer
- Save the XML file.
- Update the production server by importing the updated XML file.
- Set the default link for a Guided Sell metaphor
You can set the default link for a Guided Sell metaphor, so that any answer in the question and answer tree for which you do not specify a link will automatically use the default. This link can be to any prepared Product Exploration, Product Comparison, or Guided Sell metaphor for any category. You can also set a default link to an HTML Web page.
- Create a question and answer tree
To create a question and answer tree, create a question, and then add a selection of possible answers. For each answer, you can create one follow-up question. Repeat the process until to provide the customer with links to products whose features satisfy the selected answers. At this point, the question and answer tree is complete.
- Insert a conceptInfo element
ConceptInfo elements can be inserted into rootQuestion, question, and answer elements.
- Changing the language setting
The steps in this section explain how to change the language in which a question is displayed.
- Changing the conceptName setting
This section explains how to change the conceptName setting.
- Insert a constraint element
Constraint elements can be inserted into answer elements.
- Changing the pfReference setting
This steps in this section explain how to change the product family reference number for a constraint.
- Changing the operation setting
The steps in this section explain the operation performed for a constraint.
- Changing the opVal setting
This steps in this section explain how to change the opVal setting.
- Changing the opValueType setting
This steps in this section explain how to change the datatype of the constraint information.
- Edit the question and answer tree
This section contains links to sections dealing with editing the question and answer tree.
- Insert a metaphorLink element
MetaphorLink elements can be inserted into salesAssistant and answer elements.
- Link Product Advisor pages
This section explains how to create links between Product Advisor pages.
- Link an answer to an HTML page
You can choose to link an answer to an HTML page, such as a product page, so that a customer who selects this answer is automatically directed to that page.
- Link an answer to a different metaphor
You can choose to link an answer in the question and answer tree to either a Product Exploration metaphor or a Product Comparison metaphor, so that a customer who selects that answer is directed to a different metaphor. You can link to any prepared metaphor in any category.
- Link an answer to another Guided Sell metaphor
You can link the last answer in the question and answer tree of one category to the first question in the question and answer tree of any other category, so that a customer who selects that answer is directed to another Guided Sell metaphor.
Related concepts
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