Attribute pitfalls

1. Deleting an attribute removes all its values — unless it is used in a formula

Deleting an attribute removes its values from every product without warning and without telling you how many products will be affected. The only safeguard applies when the attribute is used in an expression for another calculated attribute (Computed type): deletion then returns an error instead of removing data, with a message naming the calculated attributes that refer to it. The same safeguard applies if you try to change the attribute's code: the change is rejected while a formula refers to it.

Apart from this one case, deletion is still not blocked. The contrast shows how serious the issue is: deleting an individual option from an attribute is protected and tells you how many products use it.

Before deleting an attribute, check where it is used. Deactivate it instead of deleting it for a safer option.

2. An ungrouped attribute is invisible

The product card displays attributes only through groups. An attribute without a group will not appear anywhere — there is no “ungrouped” section on the product card.

These attributes are easy to find: in the tree under Catalog → Attributes, they appear in the Ungrouped bucket at the bottom, whose counter turns orange when it contains anything. Drag an attribute to the right group; the move is saved immediately and can be undone.

The same thing happens when you delete a group: its attributes remain, but disappear from the product card (Attribute groups).

Deleting a group is not blocked either.

3. Five conditions for an attribute to appear

All five must be true at the same time:

1. The product has a catalog.
2. The attribute belongs to a group.
3. The group is assigned to the product's catalog, active, and visible.
4. The group passes the category filter.
5. The attribute is active and assigned to the catalog.

If any condition is missing, the attribute is invisible and no message appears. Check them in order, starting at the top.

One exception is worth noting: a group assigned to a category also appears for a product with no category. This is intentional, but confusing.

4. A catalog with no required attributes gets 60 points

The completeness indicator awards 60 out of 100 points for filling in required attributes. If a catalog has no required attributes at all, those 60 points are awarded automatically.

A new catalog with no configuration can therefore look dozens of percent complete even though it contains nothing (Completeness indicator).

5. “Required” does not block saving

The required flag affects the completeness indicator and marketplace listing validation. It does not prevent saving a product without that value (Attribute requirements and completeness weight).

6. An attribute code is unique across the entire company

It is not unique per catalog. You cannot have two separate “color” attributes for two catalogs; you create one attribute and assign it to both.

7. The type filter on the list is incomplete

The attribute list can filter by eighteen of the twenty types. The user and computed types are missing: you can create attributes of these types, but you cannot filter the list by them.

8. The validation type list in the form is shorter than the system's

The form offers five validation types, while the system supports seven. The missing ones — decimal number validation and regular expressions — are set in separate fields or cannot be set there at all.

9. Variant families have two strict requirements

An attribute must be marked as a grouping key, and two attributes cannot share the same hierarchy level. Both violations cause a save error (Variant families).