x items remaining - really useful feature

[jxm28788]

I have a problem at the moment whereby when I have, say, 5 items left in stock some bugger will come along and order 10!

I realise the stock control system isn't realtime or integrated into the site, and that the only way it handles things is to update the page with the text "out of stock" if the item is out of stock, but is there a way of doing the following (and if not then can this be added to the wish list as it would be a really useful feature!) -

When the stock drops below the warning level, actinic updates the product on the page with the text "5 items in stock" (for example).

I realise that this still wouldn't be real-time, but at least it would give the customers a better clue as to how many they can order and cut down on the number of e-mails I have to send out explaining that while we weren't "out of stock" we weren't quite that "in stock" either...

With this and the 'auto update' utility running it would give a much better stock control system.

Just a thought...

[rmladden]

See page 17 of the advanced users guide. Use the javascript sample to display the stock only when it is low.

[jxm28788]

wow, is there nothing you don't know?

I should just give up using the board and just e-mail my questions direct to you... :D

in the example shown is there a variable for the product warning level that could be used in the place of "10"? Obviously, I would want this number to differ depending on how fast I go through the various items - 3 might be appropriate for expensive slow moving items, while 30 might be more appropriate for cheaper fast moving items that can sell in bulk...

[harlequin]

it surely would be better if on creation of an receipt, i.e. purchase has gone through, that some file in the cgi-bin would write to the cat file or whatever it is that holds a products details, that there were x amount of the product less...

must admit, we recently had to turn down the prospext of a lovely big massive site because the realtime stock monitoring in actinic let it down...get this, they only contacted us because they liked actinic sites, and i had to say that the stock control wasnt really stock control....if they got orders for products that were not really available it would cause chaos...

i wont even tell you the kind of figures we talked about for the building of the site save to say it almost made me cry..

i am actually going to ask my sql guy if he can overcome this somehow...unless actinic or some clever soul works out how to be accurate online with stock control..it would really make a HUGE difference to the calibre of the product..

best as ever..

steve q
harlequin domains
www.harlequindomains.com
0800 0832077

[jxm28788]

it surely would be better if on creation of an receipt, i.e. purchase has gone through, that some file in the cgi-bin would write to the cat file or whatever it is that holds a products details, that there were x amount of the product less...That would certainly help with stock control in general, but would not be any help when the order quantity is greater than the current stock level...

[harlequin]

then it simply wouldnt accept the order and remind the customer there were only x amount in stock...

[rmladden]

I would hate to have a large array in javascript of minimum quantities for each product, but you can do that. Or you can base the minimum on price. Or you can create a customvar that gets into a hidden field in the template that javascript can access.

The two gaping holes in Actinic V6 is the lack of offline ordering and minimal stock management. But I think they knew that.

And John, my humility prevents me from acknowledging your perceptiveness. :D

[jxm28788]

there is a variable called STOCKLEVEL but is there one for the stock warning level?

for some reason STOCKLEVEL doesn't seem to be listed in the appendices of the manuals or the nqv variables list...?

[cdicken]

for some reason STOCKLEVEL doesn't seem to be listed in the appendices of the manuals or the nqv variables list...? Yep - that (and other issues) are being addressed by a documentation revamp over the next few months.

[jxm28788]

so is there a variable for the stock warning level, documented or not?

[cdicken]

Sorry - missed that bit.

No there is not a variable for the stock warning level.

[jxm28788]

ok then. I'll add a custom variable to each product called STOCKWARNINGLEVEL and modify the java script on page 17 of the advanced manual, like so -

[to go in the act_primary file]

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" TYPE="text/javascript">
function StockLevels(pWarnLevel, pCurrentStock)
<!--
{
var strIDs = 'Stock Message: '
{
if (pCurrentStock > 0) and (pCurrentStock <= pWarnLevel)
{
strIDs = 'Only '+pCurrentStock+' remaining'
}
else
{
strIDs = ''
}
}
return strIDs
}
//-->
</script>

[to go in the act_product line file]
<script language="Javascript">
document.write(StockLevels(CUSTOMVAR:STOCKWARNINGLEVEL,NETQUOTEVAR:STOCKLEVEL))
</script>

The desired effect is that if there is stock, but it's less than the custom warning level it will say how many items are actually in stock, but if there is NO stock, or plenty of stock left it will display an empty string.

However, I have no clue how Java works, and don't have a java compiler (if there is such a thing) or any kind of syntax checker... and the javascripts don't work in preview mode...and I don't want to test this on my live site... so are there any java people out there who can tell if my code would work? or actinic people who can tell if the concept will work?

I suspect this bit wont strIDs = 'Only '+pCurrentStock+' remaining' is there a number to string function in java?

[NormanRouxel]

It's JavaScript not Java. These are two completely different languages. Anyway what you want to try should work in Preview pages so why not give it a go.

There are a couple of errors in your posted code.

the Act_Primary.html bit

<script language="Javascript">
<!--
function StockLevels(pWarnLevel, pCurrentStock) {
var strIDs = 'Stock Message: '
if (pCurrentStock > 0) && (pCurrentStock <= pWarnLevel)
{
strIDs = 'Only '+pCurrentStock+' remaining';
}
else
{
strIDs = '';
}
return strIDs;
}
//-->
</script>



The Act_productLine.html bit

<script language="Javascript">
<!--
document.write(StockLevels(CUSTOMVAR:STOCKWARNINGLEVEL,NETQUOTEVAR:STOCKLEVEL));
//-->
</script>



As to your question about converting numbers to strings that is done automatically in JavaScript depending on context.
e.g. var x = "abc" + 123;
will set x to be "abc123"
A JavaScript book is best if you're going to us it a lot. I use the O'Reilly "JavaScript The Definitive Guide". As well as being easy to read it has a nice picture of a Rhino on the cover.

A final word. Your best frriend when tinkering is the alert() function. This will pop-up a message whenever executed. For example, in your
NormanStockLevels function if you add the line

alert('Warning level ' + pWarnLevel + ' Stocklevel ' + pCurrentStock);

you'll get some nice diagnostic information popping out.

A final final word. Test under Netscape. This has MUCH better JavaScript error reporting tools than IE. E.g. In NN7 go to Tools / Web Development / JavaScript Console and you'll get a useful diagnostic window.

[jxm28788]

I think only the && error was mine, the others were from the advanced user guide...:)

[NormanRouxel]

I updated while you were replying. Have a look above. Also note that you can test simple JavaScript by typing it straight into the Address bar of IE and hitting Enter.

I.e. type javascript:alert(Math.floor(12.34));

and a box containin the result 12 will pop up.

Norman

[jxm28788]

you can test simple JavaScript by typing it straight into the Address bar of IE and hitting Enter. cool. :cool:
A JavaScript book is best if you're going to us it a lot. I'm not, just one of things I'll probably use once and never need again...:)

I'll give it a go and see what happens...

[Jan]

This thread has got horribly complicated and it has lost me but I recall somewhere near the beginning someone saying that a customer could order 10 items when only 5 were in stock. I expect that this has already been covered but just in case ....

There is a product variable called 'max quantity orderable' that allows you to specify the total quantity of an item that can be added to the cart, the way to stop people ordering 10 when you only have 5 in stock is to set the max orderable quantity to the number of items in stock before uploading. (My 1 Stop Automation Mole does this automatically of course - but it really is just a simple SQL query to run before uploading, if you are that way inclined)

Regards,

[jxm28788]

hmm... I may be that way inclined... if I had a clue what you were talking about...:D

you lost me after the words "it really is simple"...

So to do this manually (without your mole) I would need to do something from SQL rather than actinic?

[jxm28788]

expect that this has already been covered but just in case .... well, kind of. We think we have a way of telling people when there are only a few items left, then their good sense (HAHAHAHA) should tell them not to order more than that.

But obviously customers have no good sense, so your solution would be a good backup.

"There are 5 items left" (our solution)

[add 10 to basket] (average customer)

"No, there are only *FIVE* items left" (your solution)

see, that would work well...:) or am I being too harsh on customers...?

[Jan]

in this instance 'that way inclined' means that you like to write and run SQL (not many people do)

... I have been trying to write HTML, expect no sense from me today :-)

Regards,

[jxm28788]

that you like to write and run SQL I could, but I suppose that would mean installing SQL and learning lots of stuff...

So is your mole that does this bit, the same as the mole that keeps updating the website every so often with the stock levels?

I seem to remember looking at it and deciding it looked to expensive...

is that all SQL stuff?

[Jan]

You can buy the full solution for £199.99 or you can buy components, the stock control mole is the bit that keeps your stock levels on site up to date and that only costs £59.99. The full solution is a real bargain, if you buy everything together it costs about 1/2 of the full cost of the modules. It has a 30 day trial anyhow, so take a look at http://www.mole-end.biz/acatalog/One_Stop_Automation.html, the link to buy just a component is at the end of that section.

Cheers,

[jxm28788]

Can you explain these functions -

"Correct user entered address formats as orders arrive" - does this include removing duplicate information (eg. where someone puts "mrs" in the salutation field, then puts "Mrs Smith" in the name field - don't laugh, I've had several people do this...the same for people in london who put "london" as the town and county, so the address says "london, london")

"Bypass Actinic invoice printing" (why?)

"Mark orders as shipped as they arrive" - Can you you choose for this only to happen if the goods are in stock, and how does it handle 'bogus' orders? ie. can I manually 'unship' them in the normal way?

[jxm28788]

and does it include - mailing labels, one stop reporting and exchange rate tool? or are they separate utils?

[Jan]

Duplicate phrases or spaces are not removed from the address fields ATM.


> "Bypass Actinic invoice printing" (why?)
Some people don't print invoices (me for example, I just email them).

>"Mark orders as shipped as they arrive" - Can you you choose for this only to happen if the goods are in stock, and how does it handle 'bogus' orders? ie. can I manually 'unship' them in the normal way?

This is a great time saver if you keep most things in stock. Using Actinic you have to ship each line individually, so if you get 30 orders with 3 lines each you have to ship 90 lines manually which means lots of clicks. If you have most things in stock you can ship them all as the orders arrive and then just unship the ones that are not in stock, if you have 10% out of stock you are saving 90% of the time you would normally spend shipping things. A side effect of marking items as shipped is that you can print the invoices as orders arrive and then just reprint the ones that are backordered or not in stock.

> mailing labels, one stop reporting and exchange rate tool? or are they separate utils?
These are all separate tools. I expect that the exchange rate tool will be included into one stop automation at some point but at the moment it is not part of the package. We have a package called 1 Stop Mole End that gives you everything we sell on the website for a single price (about 1/3 of the actual software cost and includes updates and new releases for 12 months).

Regards,

[jxm28788]

if this can automate 'your order has been dispatched' e-mails in some way then I am sold!

[Jan]

It doesn't email customers at the moment unfortunately - it will email packing lists or invoices to a third party (or to you) but not to customers. You could always have them emailed to you when the order is first processed and then forward them on to the customer when the order is dispatched - a bit of a hacky way of doing it though.

Regards,

[jxm28788]

There is a product variable called 'max quantity orderable' that allows you to specify the total quantity of an item that can be added to the cart, the way to stop people ordering 10 when you only have 5 in stock is to set the max orderable quantity to the number of items in stock before uploading. (My 1 Stop Automation Mole does this automatically of course How does that work again? I've installed the demo, everything seems to work quite happily - except that I can stuff my basket full of things even though I know there isn't enough in stock. Have I missed something? (yes, I ticked the box!)

[Jan]

It only changes the value when a product is ordered - if it changed all of the values every time it would make the whole database upload. So to see it in action, place a test order, download it with the Automation mole and then check that product.

You will have to set the products up manually to start with (or just wait for each one to be ordered).

Regards,

[jxm28788]

ok, I'll try that. But as a future upgrade couldn't you have the option of a one off full upload? Would be especially useful for a site with lots of products...

[jxm28788]

ok, I ordered 1 ketostix from my site, automole downloaded and processed this. I then went back to the site and added 100 ketostix to my basket - but there are only 52 in stock and it let me add them...? :confused:

[Jan]

Did it upload the site?

Regards,

[jxm28788]

ok, I'm back and it works now (I didn't change anything).

I've modified the message a bit and that works well. Now to try and get tha java script working from the begining of this thread!

[jxm28788]

oh, and in the automation mesage screen I think there is a bug...

I have set it to go off every 10 mins, and every 10 mins it checks the website for orders. That all works ok, but I don't think it is supposed to say "no orders were received between 16:09 and 16:10" - shouldn't it say "between 16:01 and 16:10"?

[jxm28788]

I've just noticed on the 'general' tab for my products that there is a 'max qty' entry. I was scrolling through my products wondering why some were 0 (presumably default) and some had seemingly random numbers in - it took a while before it clicked that this was the field that your program updates! :o

Just a few questions though...

if I fill this in manually will it stick to that particular figure or will your program change it next time someone order something?

also, any reason why the max figure should be higher than the number in stock...? (assuming it's not been changed manually) - my ketostix, to use an earlier example, had about 30 left in stock but the max qty was 45...?

[newshopbloke]

Hello all,

I have read this entire thread with interest as I am one of many ? people who purchased Actinic catalog under the impression it performed realtime updating of stock levels. Obviously it does not and thats why im here.

So it looks like I can have javascript to issue a warning, a mole that updates on a regular basis but I have to pay for it, or just update as often as possible and pray that I do not upset too many customers.

What I need is for Actinic itself to update the stock in realtime so that "out of stock" is displayed automatically without my intervention.

I have been very impressed with Actinic so far but this is a real let down as I wanted a shop where customers can only buy whats in stock :(

Regards

Mick

p.s. I think Actinic should have a 'warning' label next to every mention of "stock monitoring" on their website and literature.

[cdicken]

One of the main reasons we have never implemented stock control in the way you describe is that if you got twenty small business owners in a room you would probably get twenty different opinions about when a product is 'out of stock'. For some, Actinic woks exactly as they need it, for others (like yourself) it falls short of the ideal.

After a lot of discussion in house we decided the we should have the default operation of the store as 'always being able to take orders' as we decided that orders are the important thing (though, of course, this is a problem if you are selling one-off items as a lot of our customers do).

The other problem is we were uncomfortable with building a feature that actually made it possible for people to come along to your store and place a fraudulent order for everything in it - thus taking your store down for a while until you rectify the problem.

I do take your viewpoint on board though, and have added your comments to the wish list.

[newshopbloke]

Thanks for your reply cdicken.

You have mentioned some very valid reasons for 'not' introducing realtime stock control.

I have just downloaded the mole end software "one stop automation" for actinic and im impressed so far. Do Actinic see any problems with catalog after using OSA or does it integrate without affecting the Actinic software at all ?

Regards

Mick

[cdicken]

I have every faith in One-Stop Automation - Jan used to work for Actinic after all... :)

[Jan]

Thanks Chris, what a nice thing to come back from holiday to read.

The Stock control part of OSA was the first product we produced and has been installed in live sites for over 12 months now without any major problems (we have had some minor bug reports most of which have been fixed). It is in use on all major operating systems and most versions of Actinic as well.

You have to bear two things in mind when using it

1) Backup options, by default Actinic overwrites your backup file when you close it, so you should switch off the automatic backup option or your backup will only go as far back as your last run, then you should use the manual backup facilities to keep safe copies of the database

2) Order processing, pause the mole when you are actually processing orders or it will try to run when you are working.

Regards,