X-Cart:Refine Filters

Overview

What Refine Filters does

"Refine Filters" enables your customers to use parametric search to easily find what they need. Help your customers stop looking for a needle in a haystack with X-Cart’s Refine Filters module. Refine Filters offers a brand new way of navigating your store that allows customers to quickly find exactly what they need. Working from your existing product options, variants, feature comparison classes and more, Refine Filters generates radio buttons and numeric sliders and even allows for multiple selections to help your customers narrow a products list down to what fits their needs.

Why Refine Filters?

Imagine navigating hundreds or even thousands of similar-looking medicines or auto parts to find the one you need. With Refine Filters, your customers can leave the nightmare behind and find what they are looking for in just several clicks—increasing sales conversions, generating add-on sales and lowering your customer service workload.

System requirements

To be able to successfully install and use the Refine Filters module, you must have a working copy of X-Cart GOLD or GOLD PLUS version 4.5.0 or later installed on your server. Make sure that the version of the module is the same as the version of the installed copy of X-Cart.

Note: If you do not remember the version of installed X-Cart, find it in the Environment info section of the Summary page in X-Cart Admin area.

Installation

To install the module:

1. Obtain a distribution package for the Refine Filters add-on module by downloading it from the File Area section of your X-Cart Account. The distribution package you need is contained in the archive file x-refine-filters-x.y.z.tgz where x, y and z are the version numbers of the module. Make sure the version of the module is the same as the version of the installed X-Cart.
2. Copy the distribution package to the X-Cart root directory on your server or hosting account.
   • If you are using a Windows-based server, or a UNIX-based server without terminal access:

   a) Decompress the archive with the Refine Filters distribution package to a directory on your system using your favorite compression program (WinZIP or any other archiver with support for TAR files).

   b) Use an FTP client to upload all the files contained in the archive (retaining the directory structure) to the X-Cart root directory on your server or your hosting account.

   • If you are using a UNIX-based server with terminal access:

   a) Use an FTP client to upload the archive with the distribution package to the X-Cart root directory on your server or your hosting account.

   b) Decompress the package using the following command:

   tar -xzvf x-refine-filters-x.y.z.tgz

   Important: Make sure you keep the directory structure while unpacking and uploading the distribution package, otherwise some necessary files can be overwritten!

3. In a web browser, run the installation script httр://<YOUR_XCART_DOMAIN>/install-x-refine-filters.php replacing the variable <YOUR_XCART_DOMAIN> with the actual domain name of your X-Cart store.
4. Enter the Auth code, accept the License Agreement and click Next.
5. The installation script patches the files and activates the module. Click Next to continue the installation.
   
   Note: if you are using custom skin, you will need to manually apply the patches to it. Otherwise, the module will not work in this skin.
6. The installation script generates a new system fingerprint. Click Next to complete the installation.
7. Use the ADMINISTRATOR AREA link to log in to the Admin area.
   
   

Enabling Refine Filters add-on module

After the Refine Filters add-on module installation has been completed, the module is enabled and working. If you want to disable/enable the module please do the following:

1. In Admin area, go to the Modules section (Settings menu->Modules). 2. Choose the Refine Filters module by selecting/unselecting the respective check box on the left. 3. Click the Apply changes button. This activates/deactivates the module.

Configuring Refine Filters add-on module

In Admin area, go to the Modules section (Settings menu->Modules). Then find Refine Filters row and click “Configure” link. You will see various module settings there:

--- Section General ---

• Enable dynamic filtering (this may slow down your server): enable/disable dynamic filtering
• Max number of categories in search results (0 - unlimited): this option applicable only for filters on search results page and manufacturers page
• New filters are enabled by default: enable a filter when it’s created automatically
• New filters are expanded by default: expand a filter when it created automatically

--- Section Data Sources --- This section of options controls filters globally in your store for all categories. You can disable specified filters if you don’t want use it. By default all data sources are checked, but if you want to disable “Free shipping“ filter in your store - then uncheck “Enable free shipping filter” option in this section.

--- Section Appearance ---

• Display filters on category page
• Display filters on search results
• Display filters on manufacturers page

These 3 options controls where to display a refine filters - on the category page, on the search results page and on the manufacturers page respectively.

• Show filters classes info at product details - this option displays defined filter classes on the product details page in customer frontend
• Show dynamic range for sliders - applicable only when dynamic filtering is enabled. By default, there is a blue bar on the numeric sliders which shows updated numeric range in the found products. By turning this option off you can hide such blue bar and thus simplify sliders a bit.
• Disable checkboxes for unavailable attributes in dynamic filtering - applicable only when dynamic filtering is enabled. When using dynamic filtering,

Once you adjusted module configuration don’t forget to click 'Apply changes to save the changes.