Product Types and Attributes

Managing Product Types in the Merchant Center

Product Types describe the characteristics and custom Attributes of Products. Attributes are characteristics of a Product such as color, size, quantity, or any other specification.

You can create, edit, and delete Product Types and Attributes (for each Product Type) in the Product Types screen. It lists all Product Types defined in your Project. You can sort the list alphabetically, by creation, or last modification date.

Add a Product Type

To create a Product Type, do the following:

Go to Settings > Product types and attributes in the Merchant Center main menu.
Click Add product type.
Enter a name and description. You can also add a key as an identifier optionally.
The key must be unique. If the key matches with an existing key, an error message is shown.
Click Save.

You can update the name, description, and key of the Product Type at any time.
You can search for a Product Type by its name. You must index your Project before you can perform search. Refer to Index a Project to know more.

Add Attributes to a Product Type

After adding a new Product Type, you can add Attributes to it. To add an Attribute, do the following:

Click Add an attribute.
Enter the values for the following fields in the dialog:
- Attribute identifier (name) (required): It is a unique identifier of an Attribute for a given Product Type. Two Attributes can share the same identifier across different Product Types only if they are of the same Attribute type and have the same constraints.
- Attribute label (required): It is displayed in the Product details screen and helps you find an Attribute when creating or editing Products. The value can be localized for Projects with multiple languages set.
- Attribute description: It allows you to add a short text describing the Attribute, which is displayed below the Attribute label in the Product details screen. The value can be localized for Projects with multiple languages set.
- Attribute constraints (required): It restricts how values can be set for different variants of a given Product. You can choose from the following constraints:
  - None: the value can be entered individually for each variant as the Attribute has no constraints.
  - Unique: the value must be different for each variant of a given Product.
  - Same for all: the value is defined at a Product level and is identical for all variants of that Product.
  - Combination unique: the combination of values of all Attributes of a given Product must be different for each variant.
- Attribute type (required): It determines the kind of value an Attribute can be filled out with. You can choose from the following types:
  - Yes/No (boolean): allows to select Yes, No, or empty (as it's optional). A boolean Attribute could be, for example, if a product is child-friendly or not.
  - Text: allows to enter a string or text. The value can be localized for Projects with multiple languages set. For long values, select the Allow multiple line field checkbox to use a multiple line field for that Attribute. A text Attribute could be, for example, the name of an author (if the product is a book).
  - Number: allows to add a numeric value. A number Attribute could be, for example, the weight of a product.
  - Money: allows to set a currency and its numeric value in cents. A money Attribute could be, for example, the value of a stamp (as a product).
  - Date/time: allows to set a date and/or time in ISO 8601 format. A date/time Attribute could be, for example, to display set time for products related to events.
  - Reference: allows to reference another resource by ID. The available resources are: category, channel, key-value-document, product-type, product, review, shipping-method, state, and zone.
  - List (enum): allows to select from predefined values. The values can be set by providing a unique enumeration key and a label for the list item that will be a visible and selectable option in a drop-down. Both Enumeration key and Line item label are optional, but you can save the changes only if at least one is defined. A list Attribute could be, for example, the different colors of a product.
- Attribute settings: It allows you to set the following settings on any Attribute:
  - Create a set with this type: the Attribute can contain multiple values
    If selected, the Attribute cannot be made mandatory. You can either select Create a set with this type or Required, but not both.
  - Searchable: the Attribute is included in the shop frontend search (Product Projection Search) and affects the search results
  - Required: the Attribute is mandatory and must be filled for all Products or variants assigned to a given Product Type
  - Allow multiple line field (an expandable field recommended for longer texts): the Text Attribute can use a multiple line field
Click Add attribute.

The added Attribute is then listed in the New or modified attributes table denoted by a New label. To fully save the changes to the Product Type, click Save.

Edit an Attribute

New Attributes can be fully edited before saving. Saved Attributes are limited to the following:

Only Attribute label, Attribute description, and Searchable fields settings are editable.
Values of List (enum) Attribute types can be added, edited, and deleted in the table containing all the values. The table can be sorted only in non-edit mode.

After updating the Attributes, click Update attribute. The modified Attributes are then listed in the New or modified attributes table with a Modified label (only for previously saved Attributes). To fully save the changes to the Product Type, click Save.

Delete an Attribute

New Attributes that are not saved can be deleted instantly without saving the Product Type or confirming the deletion. To delete new Attributes, click discard attribute in the New or modified attributes table.

To delete an Attribute that was previously saved, click the Delete icon in the Attributes table of a given Product Type or the upper-right corner of the Attribute details screen.

The Attribute is then listed in the New or modified attributes table with a Deleted label. To fully save the changes to the Product Type, click Save. The data of the deleted attributes cannot be recovered after saving.

Save a Product Type

If a new Attribute is added or an existing Attribute is modified, two tables are shown in the Product Type overview page. The first table shows new or modified Attributes, and the other table shows saved Attributes. To fully save changes to a Product Type, click Save. After saving the changes, all Attributes from the first table move to the second table.

You’ll get a notification if the Product Type is saved successfully. If it fails due to a validation error in an Attribute, you’ll be redirected to the respective Attribute definition detail view to correct the error.