Hello, We produce the non-standard items and our most frequently task is creating of new products (hundreds by day!). Every new order is new non-recurrent product with his new materials. The products must be created from everywhere – sales, purchases, manufacturing, stock. We can easily create product from product menu, particularly with additional product-variant-unique module, but if we want to create product without interrupting our workflow the result is not so good. For example, we are filling new invoice and there is a new product.
What we expect: - click new row - click new product – fill product data – save product. What we have: - click new row – click open product – click new variant – click open template – click new template – fill template data – save template – fill variant data – save variant. 9 operations vs necessary 4! The most advanced can reduce number of operations with <F3> shortcut: - click new row – click to product field - <F3> - <F3>- fill product data – save product – fill variant data – save variant. We reduced one click but remained 8, two time more than should be. Can somebody have ideas how we can simplifier product creating? Maybe it would be useful to discuss how we can improve all product/template design? To start the discuss, I would like to propose my product-template behavior idea: - all product information must be saved in product.product table - product.templates behave as real templates and pre-fill created product fields with some data. Templates don't have required fields, except the name, you are free decide what info must be common for products group (variants). You must have one necessary template (default template with most common to all your products data) and you can create children templates. There can be templates from only one attribute (tax, account, UOM, brand etc) to templates with all fields filled except some one – color, size etc (i.e. variants in existing behavior). When you create new product, you can don't select any template (default template will be used) or choose some template. The prefiled from template fields become read only, if you want change them you must change the template or delete selected template name from product template field (remove product from template's children). The benefits: - you can do not use the variant system, if you don't need the one - if you don't use variant system, you don't need additional clicks - the existing variant system is extended. You can have variants with different UOM's (for example, you sell some material in meters cut from roll, but the most popular length (2m) you store precut in your stock and sell it in units), different taxes (you have three variants of the beer Victoria - very strong, light and alcohol-free, all three have different taxes), different accounts (you published the book in two variant – printed and in Braille, the second variant is object of government subsidies and must accounted in different account) , variants of different packings and price (small and big roll of paper towels) etc. You can have hierarchy of variants – variants of color can have its own variants of size. -if one variant for some reason must be excluded from group, you can do that easily deleting template name. For example, you produce few colors of T-shirts. The khaki color don't have any success in retail but is only one product that the military buys and you want remove it from retail T-shirts variants group. The categories can be used for two-dimensional analysis. For example, if you sell car parts, you can have templates hierarchy by car producers and models (Audi – A3,A4,A5, Toyota – Yaris, Auris, Avensis etc) and functional categories hierarchy (belts – ventilator belts, drive belts, filters – air filters, oil filters etc). By my opinion this design must simplifier the coding also (you don't need think what you need call - product.product or product.template, you don't need check were the data from product.template overwrote by product.product). Limitations: - bigger database, some duplication of data - required many changes in the system Best regards MR
