Reuse the same structure for attributes, customer choices and product relations across several products.
This guide is for administrators with Abicart Plus or Pro. Product templates, also called article templates, are not included in Go. Each product can have one template selected. A template is not a page layout and does not automatically supply all product facts.
1. Decide what the template should contain
Properties (attributes): information you enter as the administrator. For films, this could be genre, director and actors. The template defines fields or alternatives; you choose the correct values on each product. These are not questions for the customer to fill in.
Customer choices: alternatives the customer selects before buying, such as size, colour, material or an option. Choices and combinations must match what you can actually deliver.
Related products: a manually defined product list, such as accessories, that can be reused. This is separate from any automatic product recommendations offered by the theme.
Do not use a custom template attribute instead of a dedicated product field merely because the names are similar. Displaying an attribute does not automatically make its value a stock quantity, article number or an external product feed field.
2. Create and configure the template
Open Catalogue → Product templates and choose New product template.
Enter a clear name and click Add.
Review the Template properties, Properties, Customer choices and Related products tabs. Complete the parts you need and save.
Under Properties, for example, create a list of directors or a free text field. Enter the correct value on the product afterwards. Under Customer choices, instead create the alternatives customers select. If attribute fields are missing from a product, check both the template definitions and that the correct template is selected.
3. Check existing products before assigning a template
A template can change which choices and relation lists a product uses. Keep a copy or export of existing details and try one product before making a larger change. Check whether the product uses its own choices or the template's and which override settings apply. Do not assume old choices are always deleted or always retained when assigning or switching templates.
For a product already containing variants, pay particular attention to combinations, article numbers, stock, images and prices. Do not switch templates on many products until you have verified a representative product.
4. Assign the template and check the product
Open the product under Catalogue → Products.
Find the Properties block and select the correct Product template. Older views may call it Article template.
Save. Enter the product's attribute values and check customer choices and related products.
Open the product in the shop. Check its facts, available choices and that the correct variant can be added to the cart.
The image shows the template selector in an older admin view. The template name should match the one you actually intend to use.
Import and variant details
Create and name the template in admin before a normal product import. You can then assign an existing template using the import's product template field. Use the correct template name and try a small selection first; an empty mapped template value can remove the assignment.
If each variant needs separate details, such as stock quantity, article number, image, GTIN/EAN or MPN/SKU, first configure this under the template's Customer choices. Enable that setting manually on the template, rather than through the normal product import's template column. Importing the template name is different from creating or configuring its variant structure.
Quick start
Distinguish administrator-entered attributes from customer choices.
Create and configure a template in Plus or Pro.
Keep existing details and try the assignment on one product.
Check facts, variants and product relations before working at greater scale.
Subscription
Product templates are included in Plus and Pro. Which fields customers see also depends on product settings and the shop's theme.
