Show alternate image thumbs and attribute thumbs all at the same time?

[jpatrickm]

Hopefully this makes. So we are trying to figure out a way to have multiple thumbnail images display on a product page AND have images assigned to attributes using the image machine (we know how to do this with javascript but that defeats the ease of using the image machine). We have attribute images (color) and lifestyle images (not associated with a color) - it seems we can only show one or the other.

Here's what we have... on the PROD page using the default settings, we have color attributes setup as a drop-down. Those attributes are setup as inventory variants and those variants have images assigned. This allows us to click on the attribute drop-down and the main product image changes. To make this work, there are no images assigned to the main product.

The problem is that when you first visit the page, the customer only sees the first variant as the main image - no additional thumbnails display. A customer has to select the drop-down for each attribute to cycle through all available image variations. At first glance this makes it appear a product only has one image and doesn't look very apealing.

Now it gets complicated. We also want to add non-attribute related lifestyle images. In order to get those to show up, they have to be assigned to the main product. But assigning images to the main product stops the main image from automatically changing when you click on the attribute drop-down. Selecting a color option from the drop-down does bring up the thumbnails assigned to the main product plus the thumbnails assigned to the variant but does not change the main image (you have to then click on the thumbnail).

Is there a way to show additional image thumbnails (lifestyle shots) AND the attribute thumbnails (colors) all at the same time and have the drop-down change the main image?

[Mark Hood]

Re: Show alternate image thumbs and attribute thumbs all at the same time?

Hopefully this makes. So we are trying to figure out a way to have multiple thumbnail images display on a product page AND have images assigned to attributes using the image machine (we know how to do this with javascript but that defeats the ease of using the image machine). We have attribute images (color) and lifestyle images (not associated with a color) - it seems we can only show one or the other.

Here's what we have... on the PROD page using the default settings, we have color attributes setup as a drop-down. Those attributes are setup as inventory variants and those variants have images assigned. This allows us to click on the attribute drop-down and the main product image changes. To make this work, there are no images assigned to the main product.

The problem is that when you first visit the page, the customer only sees the first variant as the main image - no additional thumbnails display. A customer has to select the drop-down for each attribute to cycle through all available image variations. At first glance this makes it appear a product only has one image and doesn't look very apealing.

Now it gets complicated. We also want to add non-attribute related lifestyle images. In order to get those to show up, they have to be assigned to the main product. But assigning images to the main product stops the main image from automatically changing when you click on the attribute drop-down. Selecting a color option from the drop-down does bring up the thumbnails assigned to the main product plus the thumbnails assigned to the variant but does not change the main image (you have to then click on the thumbnail).

Is there a way to show additional image thumbnails (lifestyle shots) AND the attribute thumbnails (colors) all at the same time and have the drop-down change the main image?

You can have multiple images for each variant which means using image types you should be able to accomplish this? Basically you will have to uploaded the lifestyle images to each variant.

[jpatrickm]

Re: Show alternate image thumbs and attribute thumbs all at the same time?

Thanks for your reply Mark. The problem with that is that multiple images for each variant only show up when that variant is selected in the drop-down. There's no way to show all images for all variants when the page loads. The customer has to manually click through every variant in the drop-down to view each set of images.

Unless what you're saying is that all images need to be uploaded for all variants so each varient has all the same set of images with the exception of the first one that shows the color? Basically tricking the customer into thinking the lifestyle images are not changing each time the drop-down selection changes.