Add new fields to a catalog item template

Version: 10.3

You can add fields to Commerce items such as categories, bundles, variants, and products in the catalog by:

  • Extending the catalog schema using the Composer feature in the Business Tools to create a template. You can then edit the new fields using the Merchandising tool. However, in the Content Editor or the Experience Editor these fields are read-only. When you extend the catalog schema, values you add are shared everywhere the product is associated. For more information, see Adding properties to Commerce items.

    Note

    For information on how to extend the catalog schema programmatically, see the Knowledge Base.

  • Extending the catalog item template using the Template Manager. You cannot edit these new fields in the Merchandising tool but you can edit them in the Content Editor and the Experience Editor. When you extend the catalog item template, the values you add are not shared and must be set everywhere the product is associated.

An example of a catalog item field displayed in the Content Editor.

To add fields to a catalog item template, modify the /sitecore/Templates/Project/Sitecore/Commerce Product template that is created during tenant scaffolding by the Commerce Foundation. By default, there is one template for each Commerce tenant that is shared between all the sites of that tenant. This template inherits from numerous foundational commerce-specific templates including the one provided with the data provider. You can change this template as required.

Important

Do not modify the /sitecore/Templates/Commerce/Catalog/Commerce Product template that is provided as part of CE Connect with the data provider.

Add a section with additional fields

As with all Sitecore-specific template fields, data is saved in the ExternalSettingsComponent repository in the catalog. However, you cannot edit or view the data in the Commerce Business Tools.

Note

To avoid cluttering the root tenant folder, save new templates in sub-folders representing sections of other templates.

To add a section with additional fields:

  1. Go to sitecore\Templates\Project\<tenant>, right-click the tenant, click Insert, Template Folder and, in the Message dialog box, enter a name for the folder, for example Catalog Item Section Templates, and click OK.

  2. Right-click the newly created folder, click Insert, New Template and, in the Select name dialog box, enter a name for the new template, for example, Product Media Assets, click Next, click Next again, and then click Close.

  3. On the Builder tab, click in the first field and enter a name for the new section (for example, Media Material).

  4. Click in the Add a new field box, enter a name for the new field (for example, Video) and from the type list select the item type (for example, File).

  5. Click in the Add new field box, enter a name for the new field (for example, Image) and from the type list select the item type (for example, Image).

    Builder tab showing the new fields.

  6. On the ribbon, click Save.

  7. In the Content Editor, go to sitecore/Templates/Commerce/Catalog and select the template that you want to add the new section and fields to, for example Commerce Product.

    Note

    By adding a new base template to the tenant-based Commerce Product template, the changes only affect sites under the tenant. For the changes to affect all tenants and sites, you must add the new base template to the CE Connect provided Commerce Product template.

  8. On the Content tab, in the Data section, in the Base template list, go to Templates\Project\<tenant>\<Catalog Item Section Templates> and double-click the newly created template Product Media Assets to move it to the Selected list.

    Extending the Commerce Product template

  9. On the ribbon, click Save.

Add values to the new fields

If a product is available in two categories, for example, you must add values to the new fields for this product in both categories. For example, if the Studio X Over-the-Ear Wireless Headphones product is found in both the Audio and the Featured categories and you add values to new fields from the Audio category these values are not automatically carried over to the Studio X Over-the-Ear Wireless Headphones product in the Featured category.

To add values to the new fields:

  1. In the Content Editor, go to, for example, sitecore/Content/<tenant>/<site>/Home/Catalogs/Habitat_Master/Departments/Audio/ and click, for example, the Studio X Over-the-Ear Wireless Headphones.

    Adding values to the newly created fields

  2. In the Media Materials section, in the Videos field, click Open File and click a video file.

  3. In the Image field, click Browse and select an image.

  4. On the ribbon, click Save.

    Note

    You do not have to publish the content, as the data provider exposes the same content both in the content management (CM) instance and on the content delivery (CD) instance, after it is saved.

Render your changes on the storefront

To render your changes on the storefront:

  1. In the Content Editor, go to /sitecore/Content/<tenant>/<site>/Presentation/Rendering Variants/Page Content, right-click Page Content, click Insert, Variant Definition and, in the Message dialog box, enter a name for example Materials, and click OK.

  2. Right-click the newly created variant definition, click Insert, Response Image, enter a name, click OK, and then on the ribbon menu click Save.

  3. Select the Responsive Image sub-item and, on the Content tab, change the Field name value from Responsive Image to Image, which is the name of the new image field that was created, and click Save.

  4. In the Content Editor, go to /sitecore/Content/<tenant>/<site>/Presentation/Partial Designs.

  5. Right-click Default Main Product Page Content and click Experience Editor.

  6. In the Experience Editor, in the Toolbox, in the Page Content section, click the Page Content rendering and drag it onto the page.

  7. On the Page Content toolbar, from the Variant list, click the Materials variant.

    The Materials variant on the Page Content toolbar.

  8. On the ribbon, click Save.

  9. Publish your changes.

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