Message Groups

Promotional Messages
Promo and Promoout messages appear in the right side columnar pane of your store. They are associated with each product category in the store. The messages load automatically in relation to customer navigation and are required.

Product type and detail Messages
Product type messages appear in the main window when a customer clicks one of the more information, '?' or image buttons located along the left hand edge of a category list page next to each TYPE group. These messages usually contain generic information on the product type (one message is required for each product type in a category).

Product detail messages also appear in the main window and are loaded when a customer clicks on a linked image or phrase created using HTML in the DESCRIPTION field of an item or a link to the page from a 'promo' message. These are optional messages and are usually specific to a particular product or group of products and may include a large image of the product.

Both of these message groups automatically include a selection list from which the customer can add items to the shopping cart. The list is based on a search of the relevant product category table. For 'type' messages the search selects items based on the TYPE information in the product record using the page file name. For 'detail' messages the search selects items based on DESCRIPTION information in the product record using the page title. See the "messaging" page in the Going Live detail Info for more information on how these searches are made.

Pop Up Messages
Pop up messages are optional and will load in a pop up window when a customer selects an item to place in the shopping cart. These messages, when used, are specific to an item in a product table (one message however can serve multiple items). They are usually used to gather information needed to meet a customer's specific requirements for the item selected. For instance, if you are selling tee shirts, you need to get the customer's size. The information gathered using form elements is appended to the item description in the shopping cart and on the purchase order.

Alternately, pop up messages may be used simply as a temporary advisory about an item such as "out of stock". The advisory and information gathering functions can be combined on a single message.

Pop up messaging relives the burden of creating bloated database tables. Use these whenever you can! They eliminate the need to list every inventoried (ISU) item that has options. For instance, in the tee shirt example, only one generic description of that particular tee shirt needs to be entered in the database table. All of the customer specific options can be can be gathered using form elements in the pop up message associated with that item.

Operation Notes  
The "view" button will toggle between "code" view and "result" view for the portion of the document you are creating.
You can edit the HTML and text directly from "code" view and it will be saved automatically. However, if changes are then made at the input table, all of the table entries will be saved.
Direct edit is not supported for the pop up messages.
The "clear" button at the bottom of a the table simply clears the current entries from the input boxes.
The"«del»" button and the "delete" button in the Publish and Save section at the bottom of the table will delete all of the entries for the current operation.
To view the code for the entire document, click the "publish" button.

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