ADMINISTRATION - OFFICE MANUAL

The Catalogue administration side of your store is a dedicated workspace where you can upload collection assets, manage image albums, and filter content profiles. Because all cart systems are disabled, any adjustments here directly update your pure visual catalogue layout on the storefront.

To log in to the administration system, enter the server location address followed by the custom office directory string path (/office).

The store address locates at: https://thomas-thomson.advertron.co.za/office/.

Your secure account login username and password credentials grant immediate access to the backend administration.

After filling in your correct username and password, clicking on the (Login) button will direct you to the dashboard. When you first log in to the shop administration panel, the dashboard may be empty, as can be seen in the image below. Because all transaction options are removed from your portfolio site, the entry screen serves as a clean tracking hub layout for your administrative management controls matrix tree.

Directly left of the dashboard view is your limited navigation menu layout system. You can move between your assigned functional control sections: (Dashboard), (Catalog)-> (Products), (Filters), (Photo Gallery), (Options), (Reviews), and (Information).

On the right in the top menu underneath your profile name in the drop-down menu is the help section. These sections will be explained in further detail in the following chapters of this user manual.

The Filter is a handy tool used regularly throughout the administration. You may type into one of the information fields for the item on the item list. Pressing Filter will (filter out) all the items in the list that do not match the criteria entered in the space, leaving only the items that match. With the Filter, you can quickly locate any information stored in list form. Products, Customers, Reports, Photo Gallery, and more use the Filter as the main search tool to locate items in a list.

For example, if you would like to look up a product in the product list, you can use the (Filter) as a shortcut to search for that product. This can be helpful when there are large amounts of products and you would like to edit a specific product without having to browse through every page for it. The search boxes are located in the first row above the product list.

Step 1: Create Filter Groups

Go to Catalog → Filter Groups
Click the "Add New" button.

Configure Filter Group:

Best Practices for Filter Groups:

• Use clear, descriptive group names
• Organize by customer search patterns
• Maintain consistent naming conventions
• Consider mobile display limitations

Common Filter Groups:

• Size Filters: Clothing sizes, dimensions
• Color Filters: Product colors, finishes
• Brand Filters: Manufacturer or brand
• Feature Filters: Specific product features
• Price Range: Budget-based filtering

Step 2: Create Individual Filters

Go to Catalog → Filters
Click the "Add New" button.

Configure Filter Values:

Filter Configuration Tips:

• Use clear, descriptive filter names
• Assign to appropriate filter groups
• Set logical sort orders for better user experience
• Add multi-language translations if needed

Example Filter Values:

• Colors: Red, Blue, Green, Black, White
• Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
• Brands:Nike, Adidas, Apple, Samsung

Step 3: Assign to Categories

Go to Catalog → Categories
Edit the category where filters should appear.
Navigate to the Data tab and find the Filters field.

Add Filters to Category:

• Click in the Filters field
• Select the filters you want to appear for this category
• Click Save to apply changes

Category Filter Strategy:

• Assign relevant filters to each category
• Consider category-specific filter needs
• Avoid overwhelming customers with too many filters
• Test filter combinations for effectiveness

Example: For a "Desktop Computers" category, you might assign:

• Brand: Dell, HP, Apple
• Processor: Intel i5, Intel i7, AMD Ryzen
• RAM: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB

Step 4: Assign to Products

Go to Catalog → Products
Edit the product you want to assign filters to.
Navigate to the Links tab and find the Filters field.

Add Filters to Product:

• Click in the Filters field
• Select the appropriate filters for this product
• Click Save to apply changes

Product Filter Assignment:

• Assign all relevant filters to each product
• Ensure filter assignments match product attributes
• Use consistent filter assignments across similar products
• Verify filter combinations work correctly

Example: For "Red Nike Running Shoes":

• Color: Red
• Brand: Nike
• Type: Running Shoes

Step 5: Enable Module

Go to Extensions → Modules
Find Filters in the module list.
Click the Install button if not already installed, then click Edit to configure.
Set Status to Enabled.

Module Configuration Tips:

• Enable the module for filters to appear on storefront
• Choose appropriate layout positions
• Test different positions for optimal user experience
• Consider mobile responsiveness

Practical Example: Color Filters

Let's walk through a complete example of setting up color filters for a clothing store:

Step 1: Create Filter Group

Go to Catalog → Filter Groups → Click Add New.
Set Filter Group Name: Colors | Sort Order: 1 → Click Save.

Step 2: Create Filter Values

Go to Catalog → Filters → Click Add New.
Set Filter Name: Red | Filter Group: Colors | Sort Order: 1 → Click Save.
Repeat for: Blue (Sort Order: 2), Green (Sort Order: 3), Black (Sort Order: 4), White (Sort Order: 5).

Step 3: Assign to Category

Go to Catalog → Categories → Edit Clothing category → Go to Data tab.
In Filters field, select: Red, Blue, Green, Black, White → Click Save.

Step 4: Assign to Products

Go to Catalog → Products → Edit a red t-shirt product → Go to Links tab.
In Filters field, select: Red → Click Save.

Step 5: Enable Module

Quick Steps:

• Go to Extensions → Modules
• Find and enable the Filters module
• Configure layout and position settings
• Click Save

The Image Manager is a tool used in the administration to upload image files. Banners, product images, the store logo will all need images to be uploaded using the Image Manager.

This function can be opened in Catalog -> Product, Banner, Store setting pages, etc which is needed to edit the image for the store.

By clicking the   button will open up a new window called the (Image Manager). Click the Upload button in the toolbar, which will open up your computer's file directory to directly add them. The images below were provided for the products already loaded. If you need to delete an image, select an image by checking the checkbox next to the name of one and pressing the button in the toolbar to delete it.