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  10. TCS Variation Manager

TCS Variation Manager

What This Tool Does

The TCS Variation Manager is an internal WooCommerce admin tool designed to streamline the management of variable products.

Key Functions

  • Add or merge Color (pa_color) and Size (pa_size) attribute terms on the parent product
  • Generate all missing variation combinations
  • Add a blank variation (one-click) to set attributes later
  • Edit Color, Size, Regular Price, Main Image, and Additional Images per variation
  • Supports native galleries and common plugin galleries (AVI / rtWPVG / WC Additional Variation Images)
  • Copy images between variations
  • Duplicate a variation (copies all data, clears Size) for faster setup
  • Delete a variation (moves to Trash by default; hard delete optional)
  • Save individually or Save All changes at once
  • Variations are sorted by Color for easy scanning

Quick Links:

  • Product Title → opens the Edit Product page
  • Eye Icon → opens the frontend product page in a new tab

Access

  • Navigation:
    WP Admin → ID Tools → Variation Manager
  • Permissions:
    Requires the manage_woocommerce capability (Shop Manager or Administrator access)

Loading a Product

(ADD PICS)

You can load a parent (variable) product in two ways:

  1. By Parent Product ID — Enter the product ID and click Load
  2. By Core Product — Use the dropdown for products where custom field coreproduct = yes, then click Load Selected

⚠️ If the product isn’t variable, a warning message will appear.

4. Attributes & Variation Tools (Parent-Level)

These tools operate at the parent product level.

A. Add / Merge Attributes on Parent

  • Enter comma-separated Colors and/or Sizes (e.g., Black, Forest, Navy and S, M, L, XL)
  • Click Add/Merge Attributes on Parent
  • The tool will:
    • Ensure pa_color and pa_size taxonomies exist
    • Create missing terms automatically
    • Attach them to the parent product and mark as Used for variations
    • Refresh caches for immediate visibility

After merging, the “Configured Attributes” box will show the updated lists.

B. Generate Missing Variations

  • Click Generate Missing Variations to create all combinations from the parent’s Color/Size sets that don’t already exist.
  • Use this when new colors or sizes are added and should apply across all variations.

C. Add Blank Variation

  • Click ➕ Add Blank Variation to create a single variation with no attributes set.
  • Set its Color/Size manually in the variation panel later.

5. Working with Variations (Panel-Level)

Each variation appears as a collapsible panel (collapsed by default). Click the summary line to expand and edit.

A. Attribute Selectors

  • Dropdowns for Color and Size reflect the parent’s configured terms.
  • Selecting new values updates the variation’s attributes.

B. Main Image

  • Set Main Image: Opens media picker for a single image
  • Remove: Clears the featured image for that variation

C. Price

  • Enter numeric value for Regular Price (e.g., 24.00)

D. Additional Images — Native

  • Uses core _product_image_gallery IDs
  • Add Images: Opens media picker (multi-select)
  • Reorder: Drag to change order
  • Remove: Click the red “Delete” chip

E. Plugin Galleries (if applicable)

The tool automatically detects and supports:

  • AVI: woo_variation_gallery_images
  • rtWPVG: _rtwpvg_images
  • WC Additional Variation Images: _wc_additional_variation_images

You can add, reorder, or remove images the same way as native galleries.
Saving writes data in the correct format (array or CSV) per plugin.

F. Copy Images

  • Copy Images From: Select another variation from the dropdown
  • Click: “Copy images here” to clone both Main Image and Additional Images

G. Copy Native → AVI (Optional Feature)

  • If enabled, click Copy Native → AVI to copy the current variation’s native gallery images into the AVI plugin gallery field.

H. Duplicate (Clear Size)

  • Click Duplicate (clear size) to clone all details (attributes, price, images, galleries) but clear the Size field.
  • Ideal for quickly building out size variations of the same color.

I. Delete Variation

  • Click Delete Variation to move to Trash.
  • To permanently delete, set the plugin constant:
    TCS_VM_FORCE_DELETE = true

J. Save Buttons

  • Save This Variation: Updates only the open panel
  • Save All Changes: Updates all visible variation panels

6. Title & View Links

At the top of the page:

  • Product Title: Opens the Edit Product screen in a new tab
  • Eye Icon: Opens the frontend product page in a new tab

Check this video for a quick walkthrough.