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Creating a Similar Products Block

The second type of blocks in Platform OneEntry is the "Similar products block." This block is designed for products that share common characteristics. For example, to gather all products within a specific price range.

The block supports two modes of operation:

  • Manual — you set the filtering rules yourself (attribute, condition, value). How to set conditions is described in the section Basic data — manual mode.
  • Automatic — the system automatically selects similar products based on matching values of the selected attributes with the current product. This is convenient for recommendations of "similar products."

1. Creating a Block​

To create a block of the type "Similar products block," you need to enter the block name in the Name field, select "Similar products block" from the dropdown list in the "Type" field, and enter a unique unique identifier to retrieve the entity in the Marker field. After clicking the Add button, the block will appear in the blocks table under the "Similar products block" category.

2. Editing a Block​

To edit a block, you need to click the "Edit" button in the "Actions" column of the blocks table.

Edit

For blocks of the type "Similar products block," four tabs are available during editing:

  • Basic data
  • Attributes
  • Linked pages
  • Version History

Basic data — manual mode (Manual)​

The "Basic data" tab consists of the following forms:

  1. Name - change the block's name

  2. Marker - change the unique identifier to retrieve the entity of the block

  3. Individual settings:

    • Quantity - change the number of items in the block (only integer values are allowed)
    • Sorting type of block items - you can sort either by date or by name
    • Sorting order of block items - three options: ascending, descending, and no sorting
    • Number of items per row - change the number of items in one row of the block (only integer values are allowed)

  4. Add condition - allows you to add conditions for product search. It contains the following fields:

    • Attribute - a dropdown list that allows you to select an attribute from all created sets of product attributes for the search.
    • Condition - a dropdown list that allows you to select a condition for the search. Available filters:

    • contains
    • does not contain
    • equal to
    • not equal to
    • more
    • less
    • contains any value
    • does not contain a value
    • value based on the pattern - используйте маску вида: **-**, где * означает любой символ
    • the same value as the selected attribute
    • same value of the attribute part (truncated value)
    - Value - an input field where you need to enter the value for the search. For example, if you want to filter all items where product_price is greater than 1000, you need to set the following condition:

    Add condition

    • Categories - necessary for selecting or screens of type "Catalog" for the search based on the specified condition. It contains an input field for quick search of or screens and a list of all or screens. If nothing is selected, the search will be conducted across all or screens of type "Catalog."
    • Non-indexed products - checkbox: whether to include products that have not yet been indexed.
    • Buttons - actions available in the "Add condition" module:
      • Add - adds the condition
      • Reset - resets the parameters of the current condition
      • Reset all - resets the parameters of the current condition and removes previously created conditions for the current block
      • Copy filter - copies the specified filter to the clipboard
    Note

    To apply the condition, you need to click the Add button
    Add condition

    • Added conditions - a table containing previously added conditions. It consists of 7 columns:
      • Attribute
      • Condition
      • Value
      • Category
      • Products found
      • Content language code
      • Condition removal buttons
    • Found products - a table containing items that match the specified condition. The reason a product was included in the selection can be seen in the Explanation tab of the Block preview (opens in a new tab): matches by attributes are marked with the Matching attributes badge listing the matched attributes.
Scrolling the category tree

A large category tree (Category tree) scrolls separately from the page — hover over the list and scroll with the wheel. When you reach the top or bottom, the scroll smoothly transitions to the page. The tree automatically adjusts when expanding nested nodes.

Basic data — automatic mode (Automatic)​

In automatic mode, the system finds similar products based on matching values of the selected attributes with the current product. This differs from manual mode: in manual mode, you set the rules yourself (brand = X, price < Y), while here the system takes attribute values directly from the current product and selects "similar" ones.

The settings for this mode are gathered in the Match by attributes section. In the section header, there is an ⓘ icon with a short hint — click it to open a full explanation of the mode.

Attributes for comparison and Minimum matches​

After switching the Selection mode to Automatic (by attributes), two fields appear in the form:

  • Attributes for comparison — a list of attributes based on which the system selects similar products. Values are taken from the set of attributes (opens in a new tab) of products selected in the Set of attributes field of the same Match by attributes section.
  • Minimum matches — the minimum number of matching attributes (an integer from 1 to the number of selected in "Attributes for comparison"). It controls the selection logic:
    • Minimum matches = number of selected attributes → a product will be included in the output only if all attributes match (logic "AND"). For example, brand = X AND color = Y.
    • Minimum matches = 1 → it is sufficient for at least one attribute to match (logic "OR"). Brand = X OR color = Y.
Value selection tip

For clothing/shoes, a low value (1) is usually suitable — otherwise, few products will be included in the selection. For strict filters (spare parts, compatibility), set Minimum matches equal to the number of selected attributes.

A set of attributes with attributes is needed

The list of "Attributes for comparison" is filled from the selected set of product attributes. Before configuring automatic mode, select a set in the "Set of attributes" field of the Match by attributes section — otherwise, there will be nothing to choose from. Do not confuse it with the "Selecting a set of attributes" field on the Attributes tab: that is where the set of attributes for the block itself is specified.

Selection of Similar Products​

Below the Match by attributes block is the Selection of similar products section. Here, you specify among which products to search for similar ones, which of them to allow in the block, and how to display variations of a single product.

Above the settings, there is a hint indicating when they apply: only if the page requests the block together with the product — then similar ones are recalculated for this product with each request. If the product is not passed in the request, the block returns a general list based on the rules, and the settings of the section do not apply.

  • How important is a close price — a slider from 0 to 1 with a step of 0.1 (default is 0.2). The higher the value, the more products with prices far from the original product's price are pushed down the list. 0 (label Ignore price) — price is not considered at all, 1 — Strongly.
  • What kind of product should be to get into the block — mandatory conditions. A product will be included in the block only if all conditions are met. Conditions are set the same way as in manual mode (attribute, condition, value). The condition "matches" compares with the value of the original product — for example, "brand matches" will keep only products of the same brand in the block. Mandatory conditions apply immediately across all languages, unlike the rules in manual mode.
  • Show as a single card products that match by — merging variations of a single product. Sneakers in seven sizes are seven products in the catalog, and without merging, the block will show one model seven times. Mark the attributes by which products are considered one item: the Title checkbox (product name) and attributes — a separate list for each set of product attributes. All marked attributes must match: with Title, all sizes and colors of one model merge into one card, while with Title and color, black and white will separate, but sizes of one color will remain together. If nothing is marked — each product is a separate card.
  • Where to search for similar products — a category tree with search. If nothing is selected, similar ones are searched in the same categories where the product itself is located. Selected categories replace this area: similar ones are taken only from them and from everything inside. The section of the product itself is not added — if it is needed, select it as well. Clicking on a category selects it along with its subcategories.
Selection diagnostics

Below the settings, numbers are displayed for the saved block: how many products are in the catalog and how many different models remain after merging variations (if the numbers match — there is nothing to merge in this catalog), as well as how many products will have fewer than two similar ones. This is a hint, not an error: an incomplete block can be saved. After making changes, save the block — the numbers will be recalculated.

Settings of another mode are not lost

When switching the Selection mode, the settings of the previous mode are saved: a line appears under the switch indicating that the rules of manual mode (or settings of automatic selection) are saved and will return if the mode is switched back.

Context for Preview​

The Context for preview section contains the Test product ID field — the ID of an existing product that the user "opened." A preview of Found products is built for it at the end of the form. The preview considers the saved block, so after changing settings, save the block.

Additional Settings for Automatic Mode​

In addition to the Attributes for comparison and Minimum matches fields, the following are available in automatic mode:

  • Audience filter — a separate audience editor for whom to show the block. See Audience Filter (opens in a new tab). The audience and selection area work together: the area answers the question "where to search for similar," the audience — "who to show what." One setting does not replace the other; together they only narrow the output.
  • Open in modal — a button that opens a preview window with Basic, Explanation, and Investigate tabs. See Block preview (opens in a new tab).

Attributes​

The "Attributes" tab contains two dropdown lists for selecting Template (opens in a new tab) and Set of attributes (opens in a new tab).

After selecting the set of attributes (opens in a new tab), you need to fill in the values. In our case, this is the attribute number, which has the type Integer. We will specify 44 as the value.

Linked Pages​

The Linked pages tab contains a search line for or screen and a tree view list of or screens. This tab is needed to link the edited block with or screens. To establish a link, you need to select or screens from the list of or screens. In the screenshot below, the block "new_block" is linked with the or screens "catalog" and "we."

Linked pages