A Bit of Theory

Differences Between Options and Attributes in OpenCart

In OpenCart, options and attributes serve different functions. Below are the main differences between them.

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1. Functional Purpose

Options

• Used to create product variations that affect price, inventory, weight, or bonus points.
• Examples: size, color, delivery date, file upload.
• Can change the final product price (for example, +$10 for choosing white color).
• Mandatory for selection before adding a product to the cart (if marked as "Required").

tip

Options allow you to create variable products, such as clothing in different sizes or phones in different colors.

Attributes

• These are static technical parameters that describe product properties but do not affect the order.
• Examples: material, weight, screen resolution, country of manufacture.
• Displayed on the product page to inform the customer.

note

Attributes help customers better understand product characteristics but do not affect the purchasing process.

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2. Selection Requirements

• Options can be mandatory (such as size for clothing) or optional (such as name engraving). If an option is mandatory, users cannot add the product to the cart without selecting it.
• Attributes are always optional for interaction — they only serve to describe the product.

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3. Data Types and Configuration

Options

• Support various input types:
  • Selection (radio buttons, dropdown list, checkboxes),
  • File (user file uploads),
  • Date/time,
  • Text fields.
• Configured in the Catalog → Options section, then assigned to a product via the "Options" tab in the product card.

Attributes

• Have only text format.
• Created in the Catalog → Attributes section and added to products via the "Attributes" tab.

info

Options are more flexible as they allow configuration of various data input types.

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4. Impact on Cart and Order

• Options are displayed in the cart and affect the final price, stock quantity, or order weight. For example, selecting size 46 reduces stock availability.
• Attributes are not displayed in the cart and are not considered during checkout.

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5. Usage Flexibility

• Options allow linking products through modules (such as "Option as product link"), creating related variations without duplicating product cards.
• Attributes are used for filtering products on the site, but their functionality is limited without additional modules.

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Example for Clarity

Product: Smartphone

• Options: color (black/white, +$20 for white), memory capacity (128GB/256GB).
• Attributes: screen diagonal (6.5 inches), weight (200g), OS (Android).

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Summary

• Options — a tool for managing product variability and the purchasing process.
• Attributes — a way to provide detailed information about the product.

tip

For advanced usage (such as dynamic price changes when selecting options), additional modules may be required.

Attribute Structure in OpenCart

Main Hierarchy

OpenCart uses a three-level structure for working with attributes:

Attribute Group
└── Attribute
    └── Attribute Value (text field)

Important!

Attribute values are linked to specific products. If a value is not specified — attribute analysis is not possible.

Connection with Products

Structure for an individual product:

Product
  ├── Reference to attribute (from a group)
  └── Attribute value (may contain multiple variants through a separator)

Example:

Attribute "Color" → Values "Red; Blue; Green"

Features of Working with Attributes

1. Multiple Values Any product can have multiple attributes.

Any attribute can contain multiple values (through a separator in the text field).

2. Attribut&pro Module

Attribute Group
└── Attribute
      └── Value 1
      └── Value 2
      └── Value 3

Visualizes the structure as a tree list.

Simplifies navigation and attribute editing.

info

The module does not change the data storage structure, it only improves the administration interface.

Connecting Attributes to Categories

Logical structure:

Product category
└── Attribute
     └── Value (list of values) of the attribute

Implementation:

The category_attribute database table is used to store connections.

Allows linking a specific set of attributes to a particular category.

Example of category_attribute table structure:

category_id	attribute_id
15	27
15	34
22	41

Columns of the category_attribute table

Practical Application

This allows automatically assigning attributes to all products in a category (for example, "Screen Diagonal" for the "TVs" category).

Final Scheme

• Attribute Groups → for systematization.
• Attributes → technical parameters of products.
• Values → specific data (required for analysis).
• Categories → connection of attributes with product groups.

warning

Without filled values, attributes remain "empty labels" and do not carry useful information.