Creating product dependencies

Overview

Product dependencies let you offer a product in checkout and the client portal only when the customer already has a product it relies on, such as offering home security add-ons only to customers with an internet plan.

In this article, we'll be covering how dependencies behave in checkout and the client portal, how to add a dependency when you create a new product, and how to add one to an existing product.

Understanding how dependencies work

Some products only make sense alongside another product. Dependencies keep them hidden until the customer has the product they rely on. For example, a home security add-on might require an internet plan, or a TV or VoIP plan might require an internet plan.

Each product in gaiia has a Requires one of these products setting. When you select products there, the dependent product stays hidden until the customer has at least one of them:

• Checkout: the required product must be in the customer's cart.
• Client portal: the required product must be in the customer's cart or already on their account.

A few more things to know:

• The customer needs only one of the selected products, not all of them.
• In checkout, dependencies work across steps. For example, if every TV plan requires an internet plan, the TV step doesn't appear until the customer selects an internet plan.
• Dependencies work between any product types and categories, such as add-ons and plans, or plans and other plans.
• Dependencies are linked to the product itself, not its name or slug. Renaming a required product doesn't break the dependency.

If you previously used the "one of product slugs" workaround to create dependencies, those dependencies still work. You don't need to recreate them.

To add a dependency to a new or existing product, you need two separate permissions: Product catalogue > Products > View and Product catalogue > Products > Edit. You can grant them in Settings > Roles.

Adding a dependency to a new product

You can set a dependency while creating a product.

1. Go to Products > New Product and create a new product.
2. Fill in the General information fields, such as Name, Payment strategy, and Price.
3. Under Additional Settings, select Require the account to have at least one of the specified products. 
4. In Requires one of these products, search by product name or ID, then select one or more products.
5. Click Next and complete the remaining steps.

Adding a dependency to an existing product

You can also add a dependency to a product that already exists.

1. Go to Products and open the product you want to make dependent.
2. In the Product details panel, click the edit icon next to General.
3. In the Update product window, open Requires one of these products. Search by product name or ID, then select one or more products. 
4. Click Submit.
5. Repeat these steps for each product that needs the same dependency.

To check the result, refresh your checkout. The dependent product stays hidden until you add one of the required products to the cart.