Who this is for: school bookkeepers, activity coordinators, and store administrators setting up products, fees, and merchandise in Edlio Pay (OSP).
Product Variations vs. Form Fields: Which Should You Use?
One of the most frequent setup decisions in OSP is deciding how to collect options (such as apparel sizing, meal choices, or student names). Choosing the right method ensures clean reporting and an intuitive storefront experience:
Feature | Product Variations | Form Fields |
Primary Purpose | Multiple variants of an item that may have different prices, separate inventory quantities, or different teacher sponsor contacts. | Custom questions or notes tied to a single item (e.g., child shirt size, allergy details, emergency phone number). |
Price Flexibility | Each variation can have its own distinct price (e.g., Youth S-L for 5, Adult XXL for 8). | The price remains fixed; form fields cannot alter the line-item total. |
Inventory Tracking | Tracks stock count independently per size/variation. | Tracks inventory for the total product only, not per custom answer. |
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How to Set Up Product Variations
To group several items (like different shirt sizes or tiered donation levels) into a single storefront dropdown:
Create the Variant Items First: Go to
Transactions >> OSP Productsand create each specific option as its own product (e.g., "Spirit Shirt - Small", "Spirit Shirt - Medium"). Tip: Use the Copy button at the bottom of an existing item to quickly clone settings.Create a Base Item: Create one "Base" product (e.g., "Spirit Shirt 2026") that will serve as the container. Note: The base product itself will not be directly purchasable once linked.
Link via Variations Manager: Go to
Setup >> OSP Product Variations. Locate your Base item and click Edit.Assign Dropdown Labels: Move the individual variant products from the left box into the Selected Variations box on the right. Assign a public label to each (e.g., "Small", "Medium", "Large").
Save: Click Save. Parents will now see a single "Spirit Shirt 2026" listing with a clean selection dropdown on the storefront.
Managing Start Dates, End Dates, & Inactive Items
Online & Offline Dates: Every product requires an Online Date (when it appears in the store) and an Offline Date (when it automatically stops selling). Always verify the Offline Date is in the future. Setting the start and end dates to the same day will cause the item to disappear after 24 hours.
Why did my product disappear? If an active item suddenly cannot be found in your store, go to
Transactions >> OSP Productsand check the Include Inactive checkbox. In 90% of cases, the item's offline date has expired.Deleting vs. Deactivating Products: In accordance with financial audit standards, OSP does not allow deleting any product that has purchase history or has ever been added to a shopping cart. To retire an old product, simply edit it and change its status to Inactive or advance its Offline Date.
Essential Product Settings (Additional Options)
When editing an item under Transactions >> OSP Products >> Additional Options, you can activate powerful controls:
No Student ID Required: Check this box for general community items (such as theatre tickets, merchandise, or donations). This allows parents and community members to check out as guests without linking a registered student profile.
Sponsor Notification: Enter a teacher or coach's email address in the Sponsor field. The sponsor will automatically receive a real-time email notification whenever their item is purchased.
Recurring Payments: Enables monthly automatic billing for recurring programs (such as band dues or preschool tuition). The parent chooses their preferred monthly billing date at checkout.
Taxable Items: Flags items for sales tax reporting. Note: In OSP, sales tax must be included directly in the item price; OSP does not add a separate tax surcharge at checkout.