Overview #

Items can be associated with each other in eCat by 'Collection' or 'Category'. Adding a field named 'RelatedItems' to your product file provides another way to flexibly associate products with each other. When the field is populated it displays 'Related Items' tabs in the eCat (iPad) and eCat Online web catalog product detail views.

Defining RelatedItems enables users to easily reference associated items like the following.

• The same item in different sizes or finishes (where sizes and finishes have different product numbers)
• An item and its matching accessories, e.g. a fan and compatible light kits, remote controls, and blade options
• Items that can be substituted for each other.

Implementation #

Add a custom field with the reserved name 'RelatedItems' to your products.csv file. Define the custom field in the eCat admin site in the usual way. Populate the RelatedItems field in products.csv with a comma separated list of valid baseitemcodes (product numbers) for items you wish to show as related to the items in each product record/row. All of the baseitemcodes listed in RelatedItems should be present in the product file BaseItemCodes field. A warning message will be generated in the import log for any baseitemcodes not found in the product file. This works best if BaseItemCodes are included for ALL the items in the list for each item that’s related, including the baseitemcode for the item in the current record. For example:

Products are displayed in the RelatedItems list in the order in which they are listed in the field.