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Attributes - cannot add multiple 'new' attribute values without overwriting the previous one
Question
I am trying to add new attribute values but each time I enter a new text value, it overwrites the previous one I entered.
Answer
The attributes system is designed to hold name-value pairs only, for example:
ISBN - 123456789
Format - hardback
Author - J.R. Hartley
Publisher - Fishing Books Ltd.
To save time (and avoid duplication), previously entered values for each attribute are displayed in a dropdown menu. If the value you want does not exist, you can use the text box to enter it.
Next time you go to add attributes to a product, the text value you entered for the last product will also show as an option in the dropdown menu. In this way, you don't have to setup attribute values in advance - new ones can be added as you go.
It is important to understand that attributes are not designed to hold multiple values. So for example, you cannot add three values 'hardback', 'paperback' and 'download' for the format attribute. Instead you would have to add 'hardback, paperback and download' as the value for format.
But in reality, it would probably make more sense to have the hardback, paperback and download choices as options for the product, or versions. Unlike the ISBN, or Author, these are optional choices for the same product rather than unique data that applies to this specific product as a whole.