Catalog Menu > Orphaned Items

Orphaned Items

An item that has been orphaned simply means that it is not associated to any other object in the database. For example, a product needs to be assigned to at least one category. You can even do easy clean-up by finding all product images that are no longer used.

In normal circumstances, you shouldn't have orphaned items because the AbleCommerce interface prevents this from occurring. However, there are other ways in which the data can be changed outside of the Merchant Administration interface, such as the AbleCommerce DataPort.

The DataPort tool, powerful and capable of mass product updates and imports, can accidentally cause orphaned items if used improperly. This handy little tool, built-in to the AbleCommerce admin, makes it easy to fix your mistakes, or simply find unused items to clean out.

Finding Orphaned Items

Mouse-over the Catalog menu item and then select Orphaned Items.
The following choices are available.
Select the Item Type. The page will automatically refresh with the results.
In most cases, you should see No orphaned items in the results.
If you do have orphaned items, then a list will be displayed with a checkbox next to each.

Also shown will be the name of the item, a preview link, and some general data about the item.
Select all, or make individual selections, and click the DELETE SELECTED FILES button.
A confirmation page will appear. If you want to delete the item(s), then click ok.

WARNING: There is no UNDO, so make certain you actually want to delete the item.