Option Groups
Option Groups are the building blocks of OptionBay. Instead of creating options for every product individually, you create reusable "groups" that can be assigned to multiple products, categories, or tags. This modular approach saves time and ensures consistency across your store.
Creating an Option Group
To create your first group:
- Navigate to Products > Options in your WordPress dashboard.
- Click the Add New button at the top.
- Enter a Title for your group (e.g., "Gift Wrapping Options" or "Technical Specifications"). This title is for your internal reference and is not shown to customers.
- Use the Addon Builder to add fields to your group.
- Configure the Product Assignments to decide where these options should appear.
- Click Save to publish the group.
Managing Your Groups
The main Options page provides an overview of all your created groups in a WordPress-style list table.
Group Overview Table
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The internal name of the group. Click to edit. |
| Status | Whether the group is currently Published (live on the store) or saved as a Draft. |
Row Actions
When you hover over a group in the list, the following actions appear:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Edit | Opens the Addon Builder for this group so you can modify fields, pricing, and logic. |
| Duplicate | Creates an exact copy of the group, including all fields, options, pricing, and assignment rules. Useful for creating variations of complex sets. |
| Delete | Permanently removes the group and all its associated assignments. This action cannot be undone. |
Group Status
Each group has a status that determines its visibility:
- Published: The group is live and will appear on products that match its assignment rules.
- Draft: The group is saved but will not be displayed on the frontend. Use this while you're still building or testing your options.
TIP
Use the Draft status while building complex option groups with conditional logic. This way, you can save your work in progress without customers seeing unfinished options on your store.
Best Practices
- Keep it Modular: Instead of one massive group with 50 fields, break them into smaller, focused groups (e.g., "Basic Personalization" and "Premium Addons"). This makes management easier and allows you to reuse individual groups across different products.
- Clear Naming: Use descriptive titles for your groups (e.g., "T-Shirt Customization" rather than "Group 1") so you can easily identify them when setting up assignment rules.
- Test with Draft Mode: Always preview your options by switching the group to "Published" on a test product before going live on your entire catalog.