VirtueMart quick tip: show brand/manufacturer logo in product details

I recently had to provide a VirtueMart/Joomla solution for a customer. If you don’t know what VirtueMart is – it’s an open source ecommerce platform and it’s pretty good too.

They wanted a brand logo to be displayed in the product details, along with some other details. VirtueMart supports Manufacturer details but by default it just shows the manufacturer’s name in brackets, with a javascript pop-up window, that looks pretty ugly.

Fortunately we can add the logo by using the description field of the Manufacturers details and by hacking one file.

The following is tested and works for VirtueMart 1.1.3 and 1.1.4

So, open /administrator/components/com_virtuemart/html/shop.product_details.php

at around line 517, it looks like this:

if( $manufacturer_id && !empty($manufacturer_name) ) {
    $link = "$mosConfig_live_site/index2.php?page=shop.manufacturer_page&amp;manufacturer_id=$manufacturer_id&amp;output=lite&amp;option=com_virtuemart&amp;Itemid=".$Itemid;
    $text = '( '.$manufacturer_name.' )';
    $manufacturer_link .= vmPopupLink( $link, $text );
 
    // Avoid JavaScript on PDF Output
    if( @$_REQUEST['output'] == "pdf" )
    $manufacturer_link = "<a href=\"$link\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"$text\">$text</a>";
}

replace it with:

if( $manufacturer_id && !empty($manufacturer_name) ) {
$manufacturer_link = $manufacturer_name;
  $q  = "SELECT `manufacturer_id`,`mf_name`,`mf_email`,`mf_desc`,`mf_url` FROM `#__{vm}_manufacturer` WHERE ";
  $q .= "`manufacturer_id`=$manufacturer_id";
  $db->query($q);
  if($db->next_record())
  {
  $mf_name=$db->f("mf_name");
  $mf_email=$db->f("mf_email");
  $mf_desc=$db->f("mf_desc");
  $mf_url = $db->f("mf_url");
  }
  if (!empty($mf_desc))  $manufacturer_link = "$mf_desc";
}

Product page showing the brand (manufacturer) logo

In the example above I’m using just the description (to show the logo) but you can use it to show other fields, just replace $mf_desc with $mf_name, $mf_email, $mf_url or a combination.

Just one warning: this is an unsupported hack, so when you upgrade VM, you must reapply it.

22 responses to “VirtueMart quick tip: show brand/manufacturer logo in product details”

Osiris
October 31, 2009 at 22:01 | Permalink | Reply
Hello Armand:
Thanks for the tutorial!
I did all your parameters, but is not working for me. Could you help me with that?
Thanks!
Osiris
1. Armand Niculescu
  October 31, 2009 at 22:22 | Permalink
  Hmm, what happens?
  Does the manufacturer link appear at all? By default it looks like this:
  ( Manufacturer Name )
  and when you click on it, a window pops up.
  If you don’t see a link at all — are you using the default template or something custom?
Osiris
November 3, 2009 at 22:58 | Permalink | Reply
Hello:
Thanks for respond!
Yes I am using a custom template (RocketTheme Mynxx) and I think that is the problem!
1. Armand Niculescu
  November 3, 2009 at 23:31 | Permalink
  OK, that explains it. Fortunately I tested the change on Mynxx so I know it works.
  Edit the file /components/com_virtuemart/themes/vm_mynxx/theme.config.php and locate the line that says showManufacturerLink=0, change it to showManufacturerLink=1. Save it and it should work now.
  Additionally, if you want to change where the link is placed in the product description, edit /components/com_virtuemart/themes/vm_mynxx/templates/product_details/flypage.tpl.php. You will see some code like this:
```
< ?php  if( $this->get_cfg('showManufacturerLink') )
{
    echo "<div class=\"manufacturerbox\">$manufacturer_link</div>";
}?>
```
  You can move it for example above the product description or something.
  Good luck!
Dimitri
November 12, 2009 at 00:11 | Permalink | Reply
Hello,
BIG THANK for the help about the logo. Do someone knows how I can add the manufacturerlogos by the browsepage? For the examle:
The buyer list the categori TV and see many Tv like Sony Smasung Philips etc. and I want to display under each product the small logo because it is difficulty ti read what is is for the each product, but with small logo its is ok.
Please help me if You can.
Best regards
Keith
March 6, 2010 at 18:30 | Permalink | Reply
This is a great hack but i can’t get it to work in version 1.5.10 with Mynxx there is no line 517! Any help to get this to work in the newer version of VM would be great!
1. Armand Niculescu
  March 6, 2010 at 20:44 | Permalink
  1.5.10 is Joomla version number, Virtuemart component is still at 1.1.4 and I tested with the Mynxx theme.
  Please make sure you are editing the right file (/administrator/components/com_virtuemart/html/shop.product_details.php)
  If you still can’t find the code, contact me privately.
Alexandre From France
April 19, 2010 at 18:40 | Permalink | Reply
Hi there,
First of all, I’d like to thank you for your work, it’s very instructive!
I changed the code by following your advices and the correct files but it’s not working, nothing is showing up now. It used to show the manufacturer’s link but since the changes, nothing’s showing up.
I worked on both shop.product_details.php and theme.config.php.
In the backend, I also activated “show manufacturer link”.
Any Idea ? you can have a look at this page : http://www.lacompagniedudestockage.fr/index.php?page=shop.product_details&product_id=30&flypage=flypage.tpl&pop=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=278
Thanks by advance Armand!
Regards,
Alexandre
1. Armand Niculescu
  April 19, 2010 at 19:10 | Permalink
  If you get a blank page, it’s most likely a PHP error. You must either enable display of PHP errors or look in the PHP error log (I can’t help you with the exact steps you need to take to do that since it differs from post to post).
  After you manage to do that, please contact me privately.
Leon
April 27, 2010 at 08:06 | Permalink | Reply
Hello, first of all thank you for the great hack, but I have one problem, after I did the modification only the image from the description shows up but it is not clickable and now does not open the good old and ugly pop up box with manufacturer details. I want it to work exactly as before but instead of (text) to show the manufacturer logo and when clicked to open the pop up box.
1. Armand Niculescu
  April 27, 2010 at 08:11 | Permalink
  You put in the image and make it a link from the editor. Basically, whatever you put in the manufacturer description gets displayed in the product page. I used it to show just an image, you you can put a link on the image or even add text.
daouidaucanada
May 1, 2010 at 23:33 | Permalink | Reply
Hello,
It works for me ! Thank you sooooooooooo much !
Otto
May 14, 2010 at 00:58 | Permalink | Reply
Curious, line 460 is the last one in my shop.product_details.php
VM = 1.1.4
Joomla = 1.5.17
Suggestions?
It looks like a great hack….Just what I’m looking for!
1. Armand Niculescu
  May 14, 2010 at 14:57 | Permalink
  Are your sure you’re looking at the right file? It has to be in /administrator/
Otto
May 22, 2010 at 22:03 | Permalink | Reply
Hi Armand,
Sorry for my late reply.
In 1.1.4 I only have 460 lines in that file.
You can find it here: http://www.artenweb.nl/shop.product_details.rar
Regards,
1. Armand Niculescu
  May 25, 2010 at 15:12 | Permalink
  In your file, that code starts at line 266.
Jose Vieira
June 17, 2010 at 20:47 | Permalink | Reply
Excellent toturial
but how display logo in browse page
Thanks
1. Armand Niculescu
  June 19, 2010 at 09:13 | Permalink
  There’s no way I know of to do this, not with major rewriting anyway.
kalinda
June 18, 2010 at 17:15 | Permalink | Reply
the same thing for me. its the last line.
1. Armand Niculescu
  June 19, 2010 at 09:14 | Permalink
  You must locate the code, it may not be on that line in your version, but it is there in the file.
salvador saenz
July 3, 2010 at 05:58 | Permalink | Reply
how add manufacturer image in browse page…. for producto.
1. Armand Niculescu
  July 3, 2010 at 15:30 | Permalink
  There is no way to do this currently, sorry.