Priced By Attributes query

[torvista]

Priced by Attributes

After spending quite some time (for the first time) looking through the functions/code regarding the display and calculation of prices (base, normal, sale, discount, special…), apart from losing the will to live, I’m having doubts about the concept of Priced by Attributes, so I thought I’d start an argument discussion.

Consider a product with a price, and a couple of attributes that add to that price, like good old Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer.

As far as the current docs explain, the difference between Priced by attributes Yes/No is only in the display
https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/products/attribute_pricing/

I note the posts around here have good information for possible extraction to the docs:
https://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?4810-Attributes-HOW-TO&p=33097#post33097

Anyway, in use
Priced by attributes – yes:
shows the total (base + increment) price next to each attribute and the text “Starting from” with the product base price + the cheapest attribute(s).

Priced by attributes – no:
shows the price increment next to each attribute, and the text “Starting from” with the product base price. This is incorrect as the “Starting from” for both options is the same.

Personally, I have always used attributes in only two ways:

1. Where the attributes all cost the same: product has a price, attributes zero increment - Priced by Attributes no
2. Where the attributes have different costs: Product price = 0, attributes set to full price - Priced by Attributes yes

It’s only now, when looking at the code and docs, that I am less clear as to the intention of this switch, so as to be able to determine if things are not as per design.