Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

[kayakbabe]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

Vote strongly against allowing spaces in codes of any sort. That would wreak havok with both order processing systems we use.

Please do make the attribute prompts available in the basket. That would be wonderful.

[RonnieJ]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

It would be oh so nice to have a product screen that would let you update multiple products at the same time. You could search for a sub-set of products and specify which fields you wanted to bring up similar to the current product screen, but have the capability to edit all the fields (except the key fields) on a single screen.

For example: Bring back all products with the word 'bench' in the Product code, request the weight, cost, taxable, and full-sized image fields to validate and adjust fields easily when changes in cost, etc. occur.

[crozon]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

Here are some of my dream features for 2010 in no random order:

1. Ability to easily put an attribute on sale and possibly display the attribute sale on the category page
2. Limit the amount of text a customer can enter in a text field or text area
3. Update inventory count from 1 page directly in Miva instead of searching for each product
3. Search custom product fields in Miva Admin
4. Better integration with Canadian programs/modules such as Canada Post and quickbooks Canada.
5. Have sub-categories listed/tabbed under parent categories when adding products to a category.
6. Have the option to add sub-attributes that appear only after a customer has selected the appropriate option of the parent attribute. This would have to work with non-inventory options also.
7. Advanced inventory tracking that includes:
a) Track stock in multiple locations/warehouses
b) Include a field for stock location for easy product picking
or
8. Integrate with an external inventory program such as Wasp inventory

Other than that Miva is amazing!

[RayYates]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

It would be oh so nice to have a product screen that would let you update multiple products at the same time.

The thing is, Merchant "ALMOST" does this on the "batch" screens (the one that has the search box) but instead of letting you edit all your selected fields at once, you have to click on the "Edit Here" button one at a time.

While this is better that having to navigate to each product page, it would be far better if the "Batch" screen truely let you do "Batch Edits" on multiple records at once.

I'm sure someone would write a module for this, but currently the API does not include a way to modify this screen or alter its functionality. If they were to add a way to add a tab to this screen, I'm sure this functionality would be quickly added by some module developer for those that wanted it.

[chucklasker-BANNNED]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

Mass product and category updates are possible - and in fact quite simple - with Storeman. This desktop application may seem expensive at first, but, after using it even just a few times, I believe you'll thank the gods it was created.

http://www.phosphormedia.com/ps/merchant.mv?Store_Code=PM&Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=SM5

[crozon]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

I think the idea is to have it directly in Miva. We already have so many programs we use outside of Miva that adding another seems like it would be pain. I'm looking forward to getting rid of some of them when the Wombat release comes out.

I ditto having Miva update multiple products at the same time. I would definitely purchase that mod.

[Viscott]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

I think it would be very nice to have a USER log. The ability to see all actions done by a user. This would be very helpful with a site with many users and many locations.

This would give the store owner or developer the ability to figure out when "Pilot Error" is taking place or there is something wrong with Miva.

[Rick Wilson]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

I think it would be very nice to have a USER log. The ability to see all actions done by a user. This would be very helpful with a site with many users and many locations.

So the good news/bad news about User logs.

First the good news: They will be in RC 1 and released formally in Wombat. You'll need Miva Empresa 5.07 for them to work (which will also be formally released with Wombat).

Now the bad news: According to PA-DSS and PCI-DSS rules (which is why we added them) they're only supposed to be accessed for specific security related purposes and otherwise not used at all.

Time will tell how that's enforced, etc... however due to that weird requirement, even though they'll exist, they won't be easily accessed, you'll have to find them on the server and read them that way.

[Viscott]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

So the good news/bad news about User logs.

First the good news: They will be in RC 1 and released formally in Wombat. You'll need Miva Empresa 5.07 for them to work (which will also be formally released with Wombat).

Now the bad news: According to PA-DSS and PCI-DSS rules (which is why we added them) they're only supposed to be accessed for specific security related purposes and otherwise not used at all.

Time will tell how that's enforced, etc... however due to that weird requirement, even though they'll exist, they won't be easily accessed, you'll have to find them on the server and read them that way.

Whatever tools you can add would be very much appreciated. It is very difficult to track down problems for clients when you have no idea what they are doing day in and day out with a Miva site. If the file can be exported to Excel and easily read that works for me. I am sure I am preaching to the choir.

[kayakbabe]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

I agree, even if it was just a simple log record like
login_id, login_date, screen in admin accessed.

There would need to be a mechanism so superadmins can clean/empty it out .
So it won't grow too huge - simple text won't take up much space in a db.. but cleanup is important.

[InvincibleRecordings]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

I would LOVE to have the feature to be able to Disable a page without having to erase it. I have some pages would like to save for future use and have no way to do that. You can Disable categories and products, so I am not sure why pages are exempt from this handy feature.

[RayYates]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

FYI. A handy work-a-round would be to add this to the top of the page template.

<mvt:exit />

[InvincibleRecordings]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

Very sexy - I will give that a try. Does that make it invisible to spiders as well?

[RayYates]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

It simply returns a blank page.

If you want spiders to stop indexing the page use you can use My Toolbelt module or Toolkit to inform the spiders.

<mvt:item name="ry_toolbelt" param="assign|g.trash|miva_output_header( 'Status', '404 Not Found' )" />
<mvt:exit />

OR better, redirect them.

<mvt:item name="ry_toolbelt" param="assign|g.trash|miva_output_header( 'Status', '301 Moved permanently' )" />
<mvt:item name="ry_toolbelt" param="screen|SFNT" />
<mvt:exit />

[InvincibleRecordings]

Re: Miva Merchant 5.5 Dream Features

I see = so to hide a page you would need the 2 steps of putting the code on the page header and also doing the code with a tool kit. Thanks for the great information which brings me back to the need for a simple button on pages in administration to turn the page off which would be much easier. So my wish list for this seems like a good thing.