Properties

Properties are the property groups of your shop (for example color, material, fit, size) and the options inside them. This page shows how every option is used, finds options that probably mean the same, and lets you merge, rename, move or delete them. Every change is shown as a preview first, is saved as a snapshot before anything is written, and can be undone.

Where to find it

Open Products > Properties in the sidebar.

The page has two views:

• Overview: tiles with totals (Groups, Options, Used, Unused, Duplicates, Safe duplicates, Tips), the table of all groups and the Audit log with earlier changes.
• Group view: click a group to open it. On the left are the tabs Options, Duplicates and Tips, on the right the details and actions of the entry you clicked. All groups takes you back.

At the top right, Reload reads the properties from the shop again. Rules opens the rules used to detect duplicates (only with the matching permission).

What you need

• A connected shop, see Onboarding.
• You are signed in with your own shop account. Changes are written to the shop under your name, so your shop account needs the right to edit properties and products there.
• A shop that is not read-only. In a read-only shop, changes are refused.
• Permissions (see Access):

Note: Merging and deleting need the separate permission Merge and delete properties, because a merge rewrites the product assignments. Without it you can open the preview, but you see This change needs the approval permission. and cannot apply.

The spell check in the Tips tab is optional. If it is not set up, the page shows Spell check isn't set up.

How do I find duplicates and unused options?

1. Open Products > Properties.
2. Look at the tiles. Duplicates counts options that probably mean the same. Safe duplicates counts those where only the spelling differs. Unused counts options no product uses.
3. Click the tile Unused, Duplicates, Safe duplicates or Tips to show only the groups that have such entries. All clears the filter. You can also type a group name into Search.
4. Click a group to open it.
5. Open the tab Duplicates. Each entry is one cluster: a set of options that probably mean the same. Click a cluster to see the options, how many products use each one, and under Why the reason they were matched.
6. In the tab Options, click Unused to show only options no product uses.

What the labels on a cluster mean

What the Tips tab shows

The tab Tips lists oddities of a group, for example a catch-all group with free texts, numbers and words mixed in one group, several size systems, or many unused options. Tips are only hints. Nothing is changed automatically.

If the spell check is set up, Check spelling adds Spell check suggestions and may add further duplicates.

Note: Leading, trailing or double spaces in a name are marked with a small symbol, so you can spot them.

How do I rename an option?

1. Open the group and click the option in the tab Options.
2. Change the name in the field Rename and click Rename.
3. Check the Preview. It shows how many products will show the new name.
4. Tick I've reviewed the preview and want to make this change. and click Apply.

If the new name already exists in the group, plinth refuses the rename and suggests a merge instead.

How do I change position, color value or translations?

1. Open the group and click the option.
2. Open Position, colour value, translations.
3. Change Position, Color value (format #aabbcc) or the names under Translations.
4. Click Save, check the Preview, tick the confirmation and click Apply.

Only languages that already have a translation in the shop can be edited here.

How do I merge duplicates?

Merging moves all products from the source options to one target option. The target stays. Merging works only within one group.

Merge a cluster

1. Open the group and the tab Duplicates, then click a cluster.
2. Choose the target with the round button in front of an option. The option with a tick next to it is a source and is merged into the target. Untick options you want to leave out.
3. Check Name of target. This is the name the target has afterwards.
4. Tick Delete sources if the emptied source options should be deleted right away. Without the tick they stay as unused options.
5. Click Merge cluster.
6. Check the Preview, tick the confirmation and click Apply.

Merge options you pick yourself

1. In the tab Options, tick two or more options.
2. Click Merge selected below the list.
3. Choose the Target. Delete sources is ticked by default.
4. Click Preview, check it, tick the confirmation and click Apply.

To merge a single option, click it, choose the target under Merge into another option and click Merge. The source is deleted after the merge.

Merge all safe clusters at once

1. On the overview, click Merge all safe clusters. The number in brackets is the number of clusters.
2. Check the Preview. Safe means only the spelling differs.
3. Tick the confirmation and click Yes, merge ... clusters.

The source options stay as unused options afterwards. Delete them with Delete unused if you no longer need them.

Warning: Options from different size systems (for example a shoe size and a clothing size) are never merged silently. The dialog Different size systems: confirm first appears. Tick These are different size systems, and I want to merge them anyway. only if you are sure.

How do I delete unused options?

1. Open the group. In the tab Options, click Unused.
2. Click Delete unused below the list to delete all unused options of the group. To delete only some, tick them first. For a single option, click it and then Delete unused option.
3. Check the Preview, tick the confirmation and click Apply.

Options that are used by a product or by a dynamic product group are skipped. Right before deleting, plinth checks the usage once more. An option that has come into use in the meantime is kept.

How do I move an option to another group?

1. Open the group and click the option.
2. Open Move to another group, choose the Target group and click Move.
3. Check the Preview, tick the confirmation and click Apply.

Moving is not possible for options that define variants or that are part of a dynamic product group, or if the target group already has an option with the same name.

How does the preview work, and what is written to the shop?

Every action opens the Preview first. Nothing is changed in the shop until you click Apply.

The preview shows:

• the scope in numbers, for example Products, Parent products, Variants, Options deleted
• First products: examples of affected products and what changes for them
• Skipped: entries that are left untouched, with the reason
• notices, for example a source that stays because products were skipped

After Apply:

1. The change runs as a background job, see Jobs. The dialog Result shows the progress. Only one change can run per shop at a time.
2. plinth plans the change again against the current shop data. If the number of products differs from your preview, nothing is written and you are asked to open the preview again.
3. A snapshot with the state before and after is saved before the first write.
4. The shop is written in this order: name and other option changes, new product assignments, variant configurator, old product assignments removed, filters of dynamic product groups, and last the deletion of options. A product never loses its property in between.
5. The shop updates filters and search in the background. The page shows this as Indexing: ... background jobs in the queue.

If your role needs an approval for such changes, Apply only submits the change: Submitted for approval. Nothing is changed until a team lead approves. See Workflow. The person who approves needs the permission for the action, for a merge Merge and delete properties.

Note: While another person is editing the same group, your change is refused. Try again when they have finished.

How do I undo a change?

1. Open the overview and scroll to Audit log. Or use Undo directly in the Result dialog after a change.
2. Click Undo in the row of the change. The button is available for applied and failed changes.
3. If entries were changed since the run, a dialog lists them. Undo anyway overwrites them with the state before the run. Cancel leaves everything as it is.

Undo restores names, positions, color values, product assignments, the variant configurator and the product group filters, and creates deleted options again. The row then shows undone.

To undo a merge or a deletion you need Merge and delete properties. If your role needs an approval for such changes, you cannot undo a run yourself. Ask a person who may approve.

How do I download the changes of a run?

1. Open the overview and scroll to Audit log.
2. Click Snapshot in the row of the change. The same button is in the Result dialog.

You get a JSON file with every changed entry, before and after. You need the permission Download run snapshots. Every download is logged, see Audit.

How do I change the rules for duplicates?

The rules decide which options count as duplicates and which clusters are safe. plinth ships with default rules. Each shop can override parts of them.

1. Click Rules at the top right. The button is only visible with the permission Change property rules.
2. The dialog Rules of this shop (JSON, changed keys only) shows only what this shop has changed. It is empty if the shop uses the defaults.
3. Edit the text and click Save rules. Reset to defaults removes all changes of this shop.

The rules cover these areas:

• which group is a color, material, fit or size group
• which groups are catch-all groups and which words name a garment (used for the Tips)
• sizes: how one-size, letter sizes, waist and length pairs, ranges, decimals and dimensions are written
• a list of spelling variants that count as the same word
• how similar two names must be for a fuzzy match
• which kinds of matches count as safe

Warning: The rules are entered as JSON and take effect immediately for the whole shop. Change them only if you know the format, or ask your administrator. Invalid rules are refused and not saved.

Common errors and fixes

See also

• Jobs: progress and history of background changes
• Workflow: approvals before a change is applied
• Access: roles and permissions
• Audit: who changed what
• Products: the products that use the properties
• Glossary