Management Center: Catalog Entry List widget for Commerce Composer

Catalog Entry List widget
This widget automatically retrieves and displays a list of catalog entries that apply to the current page. Optionally, we can insert marketing content, such as an ad, into the catalog entry list.
The catalog entry list displays in both a grid view and list view. Both views initially display 12 catalog entries. Customers can view more catalog entries by using paging controls, and they can sort the catalog entries by filters, such as brand and price.
For the list view, we can enable a SKU list option that displays a table containing all SKUs available for each product (see Figure 4).

Page dependency
Use this widget only in layouts for the following page types:
Category pages

The widget displays the catalog entries that belong to the category.

Search results pages (layouts assigned to search terms)

The widget displays the catalog entries that match the customer's search term.

Important:

If you use this widget in a layout for any other page type, the widget retrieves and displays every catalog entry in your entire catalog. This result is typically undesired and can have performance impacts.
If you use this widget in a search results page (a layout assigned to a search term), we must use the Commerce Composer tool to assign the search term directly to the layout. Do not use the Catalogs tool to associate a search term to the page URL; if you do, the widget retrieves and displays every catalog entry in the catalog.

Examples of widget content
Figure 1. Widget in grid view
Figure 2. Widget in list view (only three products are shown in this screen capture to conserve space)
Figure 3. Widget in grid view, with content displayed in position 3
Figure 4. Widget in list view with Enable SKU List view option selected

Prerequisites for using this widget
Ensure that the catalog entries exist in the catalog. If we are adding content, as shown in Figure 3, prepare the images or static HTML to display. For best results in the default widget, use content with these dimensions:

Width 250 pixels
Height: 244 pixels

The widget scales the content proportionally for different resolutions.

Widget properties and content
After you add this widget to a template, we can set the following properties:

Property Details
Widget name Type a name that helps you identify how this widget is used in this layout, for example, Product List for Search Results. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Initial view Specify the view to display when a customer first views the page:
Grid

Display the list of catalog entries in a grid, for example, 4 by 3.

List

Display the list of catalog entries in a flat list of 12. At wider resolutions, the list expands to two columns.

Customers can use the controls to switch to the alternative view.
Enable SKU List view Select this check box if we want customers to be able to display the full set of SKUs associated to a product in a table when the widget is in the list view (see Figure 4). In the table, customers can scan the attributes of each SKU quickly to pick the right combination. Customers can specify the quantity of each SKU and then add those SKUs to their cart or current order.
(Enterprise) For B2B direct stores, customers can add the SKUs to a requisition list.
Initial sort order Specify the option by which to sort the catalog entries in the widget when the customer first views the page:

Relevance
Brands
Name
Price (low to high)*
Price (high to low)*
On the storefront, the customer can select a different sort option from the Sort By list in the widget.
*For the two price-related sort options to take effect on the storefront, the store must use the indexed display mode for displaying prices.
Exclude product compare feature By default, the product compare feature is enabled in this widget. Select this check box if you do not want customers to be able to compare products that are displayed in this widget.
Add content to list Select this check box to add marketing content, such as an ad, to the list. The content is inserted between catalog entries in the list (see Figure 3).
Content Complete these steps:

Specify the content to display by doing one of the following things:

If you have existing marketing content, in the Content table, find and add the content.
To create marketing content, click the Create New Content icon above the table, create the content, and then save and close the content. The content is automatically added to the Content table in the widget.

The content can be images, text, HTML, and Flash content. Avoid other types of content, such as documents or audio files, because the widget displays an empty space.
In the List Position column, type a number to specify the position to insert the content within the catalog entry list. For example, specify 3 to display the content in the third position.

Note:

If there is a gap between the List Position value and the number of catalog entries that are retrieved, the content is not displayed. For example, if you specify a List Position value of 10, but only 8 catalog entries are retrieved, the content is not displayed.
We cannot add the same content to the Content table multiple times. To display the same content multiple times, create multiple pieces of content with the same asset (file, URL, or attachment) but with different names. Then, add each piece of content to the table.
Do not specify the same List Position value for more than one piece of content. If you do, only one piece of content is displayed in that position.

Related concepts
Widgets for Commerce Composer
Commerce Composer widget library

Related tasks
Manage marketing content

Property	Details
Widget name	Type a name that helps you identify how this widget is used in this layout, for example, Product List for Search Results. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Initial view	Specify the view to display when a customer first views the page: Grid Display the list of catalog entries in a grid, for example, 4 by 3. List Display the list of catalog entries in a flat list of 12. At wider resolutions, the list expands to two columns. Customers can use the controls to switch to the alternative view.
Enable SKU List view	Select this check box if we want customers to be able to display the full set of SKUs associated to a product in a table when the widget is in the list view (see Figure 4). In the table, customers can scan the attributes of each SKU quickly to pick the right combination. Customers can specify the quantity of each SKU and then add those SKUs to their cart or current order. (Enterprise) For B2B direct stores, customers can add the SKUs to a requisition list.
Initial sort order	Specify the option by which to sort the catalog entries in the widget when the customer first views the page: Relevance Brands Name Price (low to high)* Price (high to low)* On the storefront, the customer can select a different sort option from the Sort By list in the widget. *For the two price-related sort options to take effect on the storefront, the store must use the indexed display mode for displaying prices.
Exclude product compare feature	By default, the product compare feature is enabled in this widget. Select this check box if you do not want customers to be able to compare products that are displayed in this widget.
Add content to list	Select this check box to add marketing content, such as an ad, to the list. The content is inserted between catalog entries in the list (see Figure 3).
Content	Complete these steps: Specify the content to display by doing one of the following things: If you have existing marketing content, in the Content table, find and add the content. To create marketing content, click the Create New Content icon above the table, create the content, and then save and close the content. The content is automatically added to the Content table in the widget. The content can be images, text, HTML, and Flash content. Avoid other types of content, such as documents or audio files, because the widget displays an empty space. In the List Position column, type a number to specify the position to insert the content within the catalog entry list. For example, specify 3 to display the content in the third position. Note: If there is a gap between the List Position value and the number of catalog entries that are retrieved, the content is not displayed. For example, if you specify a List Position value of 10, but only 8 catalog entries are retrieved, the content is not displayed. We cannot add the same content to the Content table multiple times. To display the same content multiple times, create multiple pieces of content with the same asset (file, URL, or attachment) but with different names. Then, add each piece of content to the table. Do not specify the same List Position value for more than one piece of content. If you do, only one piece of content is displayed in that position.