How to display configurable product in each color in Magento product listing?

Question

I have a configurable product which is available in many different colors and sizes. I want the configurable product to appear once for every color. My idea is to assign one simple product of the configurable product in every color to the category of the configurable product. Then I want to change the listing, so that the (colored) simple product links to it's master product (the configurable one).

The other way would be, to just assign the configurable product to a category and then list it multiple times with different colors. But I think this would be to complicated.

Solution

Sincerely I have lost my code. But here is how I've managed it:

1. Set visibility for all slave products to catalog so that they appear in the product listing
2. Override the Product Model and it's getProductUrl function:

    public function getProductUrl($useSid = null)
    {
    $product = $this;
    $product->loadParentProductIds();
        $parentIds = $product->getParentProductIds();

    if(count($parentIds) > 0 && $product->getTypeId() == Mage_Catalog_Model_Product_Type::TYPE_SIMPLE)
    {
            $parent = Mage::getModel("catalog/product")->setId($parentIds[0])->load();
            return $this->getUrlModel()->getProductUrl($parent, $useSid);
    }

    return $this->getUrlModel()->getProductUrl($product, $useSid);
    }

This way each slave product links to it's master product. The tricky part is to attach the attributes to the url. You can add #attributecode1=value1&attributecode2=value2 to the url to preselect the attribute select boxes. I only had this part quick & dirty and am pretty sure someone can do this much better.

Example for preselection:

http://demo.magentocommerce.com/anashria-womens-premier-leather-sandal-7.html http://demo.magentocommerce.com/anashria-womens-premier-leather-sandal-7.html#502=43

Answer 1

I don't understand why you just don't make a configurable product based on size for every color? That way you don't need to hack the way Magento works.

If you make a simple product that is part of a configurable product visible on the frontend, it will not link to a configurable product, if it is part of one (as you have found out). It wouldn't really make sense for you either because if your configurable products are based on size AND color, the simple products are going to have a set size and set color.

You would be done, fully functional, and hack-free if you just made a configurable product for each shirt color. Then, you can also use related products to show other shirt colors.

The less hacking, the better. That's my opinion.