How to Setup Product Attributes and Sets in Magento 1.x

This tutorial will show you how to setup product attributes and attribute sets. Attributes are the building blocks of your product catalog, and each describes a specific characteristic of a product. The data entry fields that you complete when adding a new product to your catalog are attributes. Attributes provide the customer with product information, and can also be used as search criteria and to present a selection of options.

Your store includes predefined attributes such as Name, Price, and Description, that can be used for any product. In addition to these, you can create custom attributes to describe other characteristics a product might have.

To create additional attribute for your product login your Magento admin dashboard and refer to the Catalog → Attributes → Manage Attributes Menu from the main top navigation.

This will refer you to the list of all attributes available in your Magento store. To create a new one click on the Add New Attribute button on the right of your screen. On the new screen input the required values and all optional settings you need. For example:

Attribute Code: Manufacturer

Make it globally available on your store from the drop down menu of the Scope section. Choose the input type depending on your preferences and select if this attribute will apply to only selected products or all products in your store.

Next, scroll down and configure the Frontend behavior of this attribute depending on your preferences to allow different options for your customers to use the attribute for comparing products, as a search term and etc.

When you are ready click on the Manage Label/Options tab on the left and input your title.

To save your new attribute click on the Save Attribute button on the top right corner of your screen. This will bring you back to the attributes list page on which you should see your new attribute. Now refer back to your top navigation menu's Catalog → Attributes → Manage Attribute Sets section. The attribute sets allows you to group several attributes that are relevant to each other. This way you can create different attribute sets for different types of products to easily apply their characteristics.

To achieve this click on the Add New Set button on the right. On the new page input the name of the new attribute set and select if it would be based to a previous set you have created or to the default one. When you are ready click on the Save button on your screen. This will direct you to a new page via which you can add or remove different attributes from your set.

You can drag and drop different attributes and you should be able to see your newly created attribute on the right side. Remove any unnecessary attributes that are not applicable to the product group you will be creating in your Magento store.