Update: make "Used for variations" checkbox unchecked by default when adding new attribute to product type variable

[blenardpazari]

When you are editing a variable product in the admin dashboard and want to add an attribute, the "Used for variations" option is checked by default.
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This has been added in recent versions. We are forced to always to remove it using the filter:

add_filter('woocommerce_attribute_default_is_variation', '__return_false');

It is not a bug, but I think it is better to be unchecked by default as in old version.

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[barryhughes]

Hi @blenardpazari,

Thanks for taking the time to submit this change.

You don't seem to have provided a description, though, and actually that's something we find really useful when reviewing these kinds of changes. In fact, our default template provides a nice structure and some useful guidance for this. Besides supplying a description complete with testing instructions, it would also be great if you could provide a changelog file. We actually provide tools to help with this, please see this guide to learn more.

Once it's updated, we'd be happy to take another look!

[blenardpazari]

Hi @blenardpazari,

Thanks for taking the time to submit this change.

You don't seem to have provided a description, though, and actually that's something we find really useful when reviewing these kinds of changes. In fact, our default template provides a nice structure and some useful guidance for this. Besides supplying a description complete with testing instructions, it would also be great if you could provide a changelog file. We actually provide tools to help with this, please see this guide to learn more.

Once it's updated, we'd be happy to take another look!

@barryhughes description updated.

[barryhughes]

Thank you!

@octaedro I think the recent change in behavior with the used for variations checkbox may relate to the change made here. Does rolling that back as @blenardpazari suggests (so that it is unchecked by default) pose any concerns for you, in relation to that earlier piece of work?

[jarekmorawski]

@blenardpazari Hi there! I’m Jarek, a WooCommerce designer working on core product experience. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

It is not a bug, but I think it is better to be unchecked by default as in old version.

Would you mind sharing why? During user research, we learned that many people struggle with finding and checking this box, which leads to other problems with creating and managing variations. How do you or your clients use this box?

[blenardpazari]

@jarekmorawski having issues with many clients:

For example: They have an attribute "pa_size" which is used as variations. Additionally, they have many other attributes that are not used as variations. When they add or update the attribute of a product (let's say "pa_brand"), they forget to uncheck the "Used for variations" checkbox, which results in the product not being able to be added to the cart on the front-end. I understand that this is not a bug, but rather a mistake made by the client (shop manager), but I think it would be better if the checkbox was unchecked by default, since there are many attributes that are not used as variations.

This happened with a potential client after the latest WooCommerce update, and the client didn't notice it. They added attributes to many products, resulting in lost sales for several days.

[barryhughes]

I don't seem to experience quite the same thing:

• Let's say I have an existing variable product.
• I then add a new attribute and forget to uncheck 'used for variations'.
• This doesn't seem to prevent sales, it just leads to customers being prompted to specify the attribute value (and then it can be added to the cart).

I understand this is not optimal, and may even be confusing—especially if we consider your example of a brand attribute—but it doesn't seem like it would block the sale. However, I wanted to check in case I'm misunderstanding what is happening.

[blenardpazari]

@barryhughes
I wanted to say that this happens due to the carelessness of the shop manager.
It happened to two of our clients, that's why I suggested this change.

[barryhughes]

For sure 👍

I suspect it may be the sort of situation where there is no single solution that will work for everyone, but let's wait on further thoughts from @jarekmorawski and @octaedro and then we can decide whether to merge.

[jarekmorawski]

Hi there! Thanks for sharing your situation. Is the pa_brand attribute local or global? I'm asking because we're considering revamping the structure and are looking into how attributes are used by merchants. If you have any thoughts, please share them so we can decide together.

As for the Used for variations box, we will unlikely roll back. I understand this is causing you and your clients inconvenience at the moment, but I hope it'll prove helpful later down the line. This change, however minor, is the first step towards improving the variation management experience that we hope to release shortly. I'd suggest reaching out to your clients and making them aware of it so they can adjust their workflows.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I'm happy to help!

[blenardpazari]

@jarekmorawski attributes are global.

[barryhughes]

Thanks for the input, everyone. Since we are not making further changes to the checkbox, I'll go ahead and close this.