Version Handling
When a customizable product needs to be modified, this has an impact on documents that have already been created using that product. Take the example of a business card that shoppers can edit and order:
•The card was initially added to a store as a forms-based customizable product.
•A number of users ordered their customized version of that card.
•The layout of that card now needs to be adapted: a different logo is used or users need to be able to add their Twitter account to the business card or some other change is needed.
There are several ways in which the new card can be created. Each approach has its advantages:
1 The company removes the old product from the store and creates a new product from scratch.
•The admin who creates the new business card has to do all the product creation work again, such as defining access restrictions and setting up a form in the Online Editor.
•When users try to reorder previously customized business cards, StoreFront is aware that the product their order is based on is no longer available. The software will not allow users to reorder cards with the old layout. They will have to create a new business card using the new product.
2 The company edits the existing card in the Online Editor.
•The administrator who creates the new product only needs to update the layout in the Online Editor - a lot of product setup work is reused.
•The new layout is only available in StoreFront. If the modifications also need to be applied to an InDesign template, this needs to be done separately.
•When users try to reorder previously customized business cards, they can do so and get cards that do not use the new layout. This remains true if they still do some last minute modifications.
3 The company duplicates the existing product, removes the old card from the store, updates the layout of the copy in the Online Editor and puts that new copy in the store.
•The admin who creates the new product only needs to update the layout in the Online Editor – a lot of product setup work is reused.
•The new layout is only available in StoreFront. If the modifications also need to be applied to an InDesign template, this needs to be done separately.
•When users try to reorder previously customized business cards, StoreFront is aware that the product their order is based on is no longer available. The system does not allow users to reorder cards with the old layout. They will have to create a new business card using the new product.