Combination images by color: installation and configuration
Install and configure the module that assigns photos to combinations by color, product by product or in bulk.
Overview
The module assigns the photos of a product to its combinations according to their color. For each photo you say whether it belongs to one color, to all, to some or to none. The module then writes the exact image list of every combination, for every size of the color.
In PrestaShop, a combination without an image shows every photo of the product. The module therefore gives each combination an explicit image list.
Installation
- In the back office, open Modules > Module Manager and click Upload a module.
- Upload the
dfcombinationimages.zipfile. - The module adds the Catalog > Combination images menu and creates its tables.
To update, upload the new ZIP over the old one: configurations and backups are kept.
Settings
Settings tab, configured once.
Color attribute groups
Tick the groups that give the color of a combination. Color-type groups are ticked at installation. Other attributes (size, cup, length) are ignored: every combination of the same color gets the same photos.
Photo added later
Choose whether a new photo, placed after the cover of a configured product, goes to every combination or to none until you configure it. A photo added before the cover is never assigned automatically.
Automatic update
When a combination or a photo is added to a configured product, the module applies its configuration again. PrestaShop only runs these hooks for employees allowed to view the module (Team > Permissions > Modules). Otherwise use Apply again on the product or the bulk assignment.
ALT texts and synonyms
The module can look for the color name in the ALT text of the photos. If a color is written differently in your ALT texts, add one line per color: Nude = skin, beige. ALT matching is skipped when every photo of a product has the same ALT.
Products per batch
Number of products handled per request during a bulk run. 25 suits most cases; lower it if the server times out.
Configuring a product
Products tab: the list shows products with combinations, with their number of colors and of photos before the cover. Filter by category, search by name or reference, then click Configure. The same screen opens from the product page, Modules tab.
The four options of each photo
- Photo of one color: the photo only appears on the combinations of the chosen color.
- All colors: the photo appears on every combination, like a model shot or the cover.
- Only these colors: tick the colors concerned.
- No combination: the photo stays on the product page but is shown on no combination.
The automatic proposal
A product that is not configured yet shows a proposal, saved only when you click Save and apply.
- From current associations (default): a photo already linked to the combinations of one color keeps that color, a photo linked to no combination becomes a shared photo. Photos placed before the cover and linked to no color each get a color when there is exactly one per color.
- From photo order and ALT: each photo placed before the cover gets a color, first from its ALT text, then in the order of the photos and the color values.
ALT text and zoom
The full ALT text is shown under each photo. If you choose a color different from the one in the ALT, the card turns orange. Click a photo to enlarge it and tell close colors apart.
Preview by color and main image
The preview updates as you edit. For each color, the first photo of the row is the main image of the combinations: PrestaShop 9 uses the first assigned photo in position order. If a photo set on several colors comes before the photo of a color, the preview flags it in orange.
Putting color photos first
When the cover is the first photo and the color photos come after, the Move the photos of one color before the other photos checkbox moves them before the cover. Photos already placed before the cover never move, and the product cover flag does not change. The final order is shown under the checkbox before saving.
Bulk assignment
- Choose one or more categories, or leave empty for the whole catalog.
- Choose the products: not configured, not configured or configured in bulk (products configured by hand are kept), all, or only re-apply saved configurations.
- Choose the source of single-color photos: current combination images (recommended after an import) or photos placed before the cover.
- Choose what happens when a color has no photo of its own: skip the product (recommended) or apply anyway.
- Choose where shared photos go: every combination or only some colors.
- Keep Dry run ticked and click Start. Tick Show only the products to check to see skipped products and open them.
- When the result suits you, untick Dry run and start again. A backup is created before any change.
Backups and restore
Every product save and every bulk run creates a backup. The Backups tab lists them; Restore puts back the combination images, the photo order and the configuration of the products concerned. The module keeps the last 10 bulk backups and the last 50 product backups.
Troubleshooting
Options do not react before saving
The browser still uses the JavaScript of an older version. Clear the browser cache or reload the page with Ctrl+F5.
A new size did not get its photos
The employee who created it is probably not allowed to view the module. Open the product in the module and click Apply again, or run the bulk assignment in re-apply mode.