We're proud to announce Product Color Variants, set to release on August 8th, 2022.
With this release, Users will be able to Create Custom Fields at the Product Color Variant level, and then drive unique Custom Field values for each Color Variant of a given Product. The Color Variant level Custom Fields will be available in the Product Summary and the Item View areas of the app to begin - and rolled out to other areas of the app in the future.
Key Benefits
You can now manage Product data that changes at the Color Variant level within Item Views and Product Summaries
Managing Custom Fields for Product Color Variants allows you to capture more of the Product Development process within Backbone, rather than leaning on external spreadsheets
Strengthening the single source of truth
Limiting the need for duplicative data entry
The new release will also support Variants with "No Color Assigned", giving you the flexibility to start tracking product development before color palettes are set or to swap one Color Swatch for another without losing data
What's Changing?
Admin Panel
There is a new section in the Custom Fields area for Product Color Variants where you can:
Assign new Custom Fields to Product Color Variants (where before you could only assign them to Products or Components)
Create Custom Field Dividers underneath your Product Color Variants Section
Reassign Product-level Custom Fields to the Product Color Variant level
Product Summary
The Colorways section is replaced by a Color Variants table similar to Item Views
Color Variants are displayed as Columns
Color Variant-level Custom Fields are displayed as Rows
"Add Colorway" has been replaced by "Add Variant"
Every Product is assigned at least one Color Variant
Any Products which had no Colorways before this launch were assigned a the Color Variant with "No Color Assigned"
You can now use checkboxes to select one or more Color Variants to delete
Variant Images (allocated in the Image section) are displayed whenever available in place of just displaying the Color Swatch images.
Item Views
There's a new dropdown menu in the toolbar to toggle between Product Mode and Color Variant Mode
Color Variant Numbers are displayed in smaller text underneath Product Names
The “Columns” button has a new icon and now is labeled “Display”
Within the Display Settings drawer are slight changes including:
An Updated title
New “Default” section at the top of the drawer
Color Internal Code & Color External Code fields are now available when in Color Variant Mode
New Product Section houses Taxonomy and Product-level Custom Fields
Taxonomy is its own subsection at the top with Size Spec Range to match the new Product Summary
Custom Field Dividers form their own subsections below the Taxonomy subsection
New Color Variant Section houses Product Color Variant-level Custom Fields
Custom Field Dividers form their own subsections within the Color Variant section
Density & Export to CSV options are nested under a context menu accessible via 3-dot ellipse icon
When you’re in Product Mode, the export to CSV option is always at the Product Level
CSV export includes a new column between Image & Name columns titled ‘Color Variants’ which lists total Variant count for the Product
When you’re in Color Variant Mode, you must specify if you wish to export your CSV at Product & Color Variant level or at Product, Color Variant & Size level
CSV exports include a new column between Image & Name columns titled ‘Color Variants’ which lists Variant number for the row and total number of Variants for the Product (ex ‘1 of 4 Variants’)
These previously always included every Color Swatch attribute; now they will include only the attributes which are enabled as columns on the in-app report
We have new icons for the Item View column headers to help clarify Product-level versus Product Color Variant-level fields
When you’re in Product Mode, only Product-level filters are available, and the Filter drawer displays a note at the bottom directing you to switch to Color Variant Mode if you wish to filter at the Color Variant level
When you’re in Color Variant Mode, the Filter drawer has a dedicated Color Variant section at the bottom housing all filterable Color Variant level fields
BOM
Your BOM always has at least one Color Variant Column, as every Product always has at least one Color Variant
This means you’re always able to specify which Component Variants are in use on a Product
BOM Columns may be titled “No Color Assigned” in cases where no Color Swatch has been associated to the Variant
Variant Numbers are listed at the top of the BOM
Images
Your Product Image section will always have one color Variant subsection, as every Product always has at least one Color Variant
This means you’re always able to organize Images in the Color Variant subsection
Color Variant Image subsections may be titled “No Color Assigned” in cases where no Color Swatch has been associated to the Variant
Using the Feature
Set up Product Color Variant Custom Fields
Enter the Admin area and then create a new Custom Field.
There’s a new option to assign the field to ‘Product Color Variants’ section during CF creation
You may also reassign a Custom Field from the ‘Products’ section to the ‘Product Color Variants’ section, if you wish - but only do so with caution! ⚠️
For Products with values stored in this Custom Field, the values will be inherited by every Color Variant of the Product
Custom Fields at the Color Variant level cannot yet be displayed on Tech Packs
Custom Fields may not be reassigned from the ‘Product Color Variants’ section back to the ‘Products’ section.
Optionally (recommended) organize your Color Variant Custom Fields with Custom Field Dividers
Create Product Color Variants
Product Color Variants are replacing Product Colorways
Variants appear in all the places Colorways did before
Every Product will have one Color Variant (even if it has no Color Swatch assigned to it), so you are always able to assign values to your Variant-level Custom Fields
New Products are assigned a Color Variant at the time of creation
For previously created Products:
If they had Colorways, the Colorways were converted to Color Variants at the time of launch
If they had no Colorways, they were assigned a single Color Variant at the time of launch
To create a new Color Variant for a Product, click the Add Variant button at the top of the Color Variant section of the Product Summary
Choose between options “From Color Swatch” and “No Color Assigned”
You may always remove a Color Swatch from a Variant (or replace it with a different Color Swatch) in the future
Click “No Color Assigned” to create a new Variant, but defer from assigning a Color Swatch to it - You may link in a Color Swatch later
Edit Product Color Variant Custom Field Values in the Product Summary
When you create Product Color Variant Custom Fields, they display as rows in the Color Variants table on the Product Summary
Custom Field Dividers also appear in the table and everything matches the order created in the Admin panel
The Color Variants of the Product make up the columns of the Color Variants table
You can click into any cell to select it, and use the arrow and tab keys to navigate from there
Using Different Field Types
Text Area Fields: Select the cell and free type your value. Double clicking provides a more focused view.
Dropdown Fields:
Double click cell, or click on icon within cell, to expand the list of acceptable values
Typing a value also expands the list of acceptable values - with any matches highlighted
Checkbox Fields: Click the checkbox icon to toggle off or on
Date Fields:
Double click the cell to expand a date picker widget
You may also type the date value in directly - the system will automatically standardize the format as DD/MM/YYYY
Number Fields: Select the cell and free type your value
You can Copy/Paste data within the table for similar types
Click the handle in the bottom right corner of any cell and drag left or right to copy its value into another Color Variant column
Hold shift to select multiple cells
Use Product Mode and Color Variant Mode in Item Views
For each Item View report, you may toggle between a Product Mode and a Color Variant Mode using a dropdown menu at the top right of the table
The Mode that was last set on a given Report persists the next time you (or another colleague) opens it
In Product Mode:
There is one row for every Product in the View
The only columns which can be edited are those which correspond to Product level Custom Fields (and Taxonomy fields)
The Default image serves as the thumbnail for the Product row
The Color Variant column (if it is enabled on the report) displays all the Variants of a given Product in a single cell
The Color Internal and External codes cannot be displayed in this mode
Only Product-level filters are available
In Variant Mode:
There is one row for every Color Variant of every Product in the View
The only columns which can be edited are those which correspond to Product Color Variant Custom Fields
The image allocated to the Variant displays as the thumbnail for the Variant row
If there is no image allocated to a Variant, the Default Image for the Product displays instead
The Color Variant column (if it is enabled on the report) displays just one Variant per cell
The Color Internal and External codes may be displayed this mode if you wish
Both Product-level and Product Color Variant-level filters are available
Use Product Color Variant Custom Field Values in Item Views
Item Views may include both Product level Custom Fields and Product Color Variant-level Custom Fields
All fields are included/excluded in the Display Settings drawer
Each Product Color Variant may have a unique value for a given Variant level Custom Field.
There is just one row per Product in Product Mode - so all applicable field values must be summarized in a single cell.
When there are different values assigned to different Variants of a Product, we simply display the text "See Variants" in this cell
When the same value is entered for every Variant of a Product, we promote this value to display in the cell
You may have Product and Variant level field columns interspersed in any order on your Item View. The order depends on two factors:
The sequence in which you select/deselect them in the Display Settings drawer
Adjustments you make by dragging and dropping columns within the View table
In the Item View, you may only edit Product Color Variant level Custom Fields in Variant Mode, and you may only edit Product level Custom Fields (and Taxonomy fields) in Product Mode
When you wish to edit data at both levels you will have to toggle between Modes
You may only filter your Item View based on Product Color Variant-level Fields when you are in Variant Mode
You may also filter by Product-level Fields when you are in Variant Mode, if you wish
If you sort your Item View by a Variant level Field, the sort order will change as you toggle between the different Modes
FAQs
Why would a Color Variant have "No Color Assigned"?
Early on, you may know you want to offer 3 different Color Variants for a given Product, but not yet know what those Colors will be
Building Variants with No Assigned Colors allows you to start tracking key attributes in Custom Fields (ex. target order quantities or launch dates) before you have settled on the Color details themselves
Why does every Product need to have at least one Color Variant?
Ensuring every Product always has at least one Color Variant allows users to reliably leverage all their Custom Fields and makes for a much cleaner interface on all Product reports
How do I assign a Color Swatch to a Variant that currently has No Color Assigned?
Click the “No Color Assigned” button in the Color Variant table and a modal opens up allowing you to link in an existing Color Swatch in its place, or to create and link a brand new Color Swatch
How do I remove/replace the Color Swatches assigned to my Color Variants?
Click any Color Swatch button in the Color Variant table and a modal opens up allowing you to replace it with an existing Color Swatch, or to create and replace it with a brand new Color Swatch
The top part of the left hand column in this modal displays the Current Color Swatch. Hover over its name and an X icon appears - click this to remove the Swatch entirely and set the Variant to “No Color Assigned” instead
Why don’t my Product Color Variant Custom Fields appear on my Tech Pack + Line Sheets + Component Utilization Reports?
For this feature, the top priority was enabling users to display and manipulate Color Variant Custom Fields within the Item View
We deploy new features with an incremental approach, and will be enabling display of Color Variant Custom Fields in other areas of the app as time allows
Can I soft delete / cancel / mark a Product Color Variant inactive?
Not at this time, but we plan to enable this in the future
What are the rules dictating the Product Color Variant Image that I see?
You can assign one or more unique images to each Product Color Variant within the Images section of the Product record
Whichever image you put in the first position within the Color Variant section will serve as the display image for the Variant - mapping to the Variant Table in the Product Summary (and to the Line Sheet in Color Variant Mode)
If you have not assigned an image to your Product Color Variant within the Images section of the Product, but you have assigned a Color Swatch to the Product Color Variant, the image for the Swatch will represent the Variant in the Product Summary Variant Table
If the Swatch associated with the Product Color Variant has no image, then a placeholder image will represent the Variant in the Product Summary instead
If you have not assigned an image to your Product Color Variant within the Images section of the Product, and you have not assigned a Color Swatch to the Product Color Variant, either, a placeholder image will represent the Variant in the Product Summary Variant Table instead
What is the purpose of the Variant Numbers?
You might have 3 different Variants, all of which are actually missing a Color Swatch, but which have other information that's distinct/particular. Or, you may have more than one Variant of a Product assigned to the same Color Swatch. In these scenarios the Variant Numbers will help you keep track of which Variant is which.
If you export a report at the Product Color Variant level, but the report doesn't include the Color Swatch fields, it may be hard to tell in the export if you're looking at different Variants of one Product or if you're looking at different Products with the same Name. Including the Variant Numbers in exports makes it easier to tell what’s happening with your Variant structures.
Can I change the order of my Product Color Variants so that #1 is #3 or vice versa?
Short answer is: no
You can, however, change the Color Swatch for any of your Variants. So, for example, you could take the swatch assigned to Variant #3 and reassign it to Variant #1 instead.
If you have Variants #1, #2 and #3, and you delete the second one, Variant #3 will thereby become Variant #2
Why can’t I include Color Internal and External Code columns in a Product Mode Item View?
All of a Product’s Color Variants must be listed in a single cell when your Item View is in Product Mode
The Variants are listed in this cell with their Variant Number, and either the “No Color Assigned” text or the following data (when a Color Swatch is assigned):
Color Chip
Color Name
Color Custom Code (if available)
Incorporating Color Internal Code and Color External Code would impact the legibility of the list
Switch to Variant Mode if you need to reference your Color Internal Code or Color External Code in the Item View