Product Name Template

In Actualog, a product name is not just a free-text label.

A product belongs to a product-level category, and that category can define how names should be generated for its products. This rule is called a Product Name Template.

Only product-level categories can have a Product Name Template.

The template helps Actualog create names that are clear, consistent, and useful for Product Governance, catalogs, search, comparison, and integrations.

How it is connected to the Effective Template

The Product Name Template is part of the category rules that are resolved into the category's Effective Template.

This means product names are governed by the same versioned category contract as required attributes, variant axes, measurement units, and identity rules.

When the Effective Template changes, Actualog can compare the active template with the candidate template and decide whether existing product names need to be regenerated through Mass Update.

What a name template uses

A name template can combine:

• category name;
• fixed text and separators;
• manufacturer;
• product brand;
• required attributes from the Effective Template;
• multilingual text blocks when needed.

Required attributes are important because a generated name should not depend on data that may be empty for many products. If a name template uses optional values, product names become unstable and incomplete.

The best name is long enough to identify the product, but not overloaded with every available characteristic.

Product categories without variants

If a product-level category has no variant axes, Actualog uses one product name template for products in that category.

Example for a ball valve category:

{Category} DN{Nominal diameter} PN{Pressure rating} {Body material} {Connection type}

Generated name:

Ball valve DN50 PN16 Stainless steel Flanged

Here the category defines the product class, and the required attributes add the characteristics needed to recognize and compare the product.

Product categories with variant axes

Some product-level categories have variant axes.

A variant axis is an attribute that distinguishes one concrete variant from another inside the same product family. Examples: size, color, voltage, weight, connection type, or length.

When a category has variant axes, Actualog can use separate name templates for:

• the variant family / group of variants;
• the concrete variant product.

This is important because the family and the concrete variant do not need the same name.

The group name should describe what is shared by the family. It should normally avoid variant-axis values, because those values belong to individual variants.

The variant product name should include the values that distinguish that concrete product from the other variants in the family.

Group of variants name

The group of variants represents products that share the same non-variant identity and differ by variant-axis values.

Its name should be stable for the family.

Example:

{Category} {Brand} {Product family} {Product series}

Generated group name:

Bench hammer Mipex Professional H-200

This name describes the family. It does not include weight or handle length if those are variant axes.

Variant product name

The concrete variant product name identifies one specific product inside the family.

It can include the group-defining values plus variant-axis values.

Example:

{Group name} {Head weight} {Handle length}

Generated variant name:

Bench hammer Mipex Professional H-200 500 g 320 mm

This makes the product list readable: users can see both the family and the exact variant.

Why Actualog uses name templates

Name templates support Product Governance in several ways.

They make product lists and catalogs readable because similar products are named in the same order.

They reduce duplicate-looking records because products in the same category use the same naming logic.

They help stewards notice when the template is too weak. If two products produce the same generated name, the category may need a stronger Product Name Template or better identity rules.

They make imports and integrations more predictable because names are derived from governed product data, not from arbitrary text.

Name and identity are related, but not the same

A generated product name is a readable business name.

Product identity is the stricter governance rule used to prevent duplicates and manage variant families.

The two should agree in spirit: the name should expose the important identifying characteristics, while identity rules decide whether two records are the same product, the same family, or different variants.

What happens when the template changes

Changing a Product Name Template changes the Effective Template impact for the category.

Actualog can show this on the Effective Template comparison page before the change is enforced.

If the change affects existing products, Actualog queues Enforce effective template as a Product Mass Update operation. That operation can regenerate generated product names and record the result in operation history.

If the name template change does not affect existing products, no product processing is required.

Good template design

A good Product Name Template:

• starts from the product-level category;
• uses only stable, required data;
• includes product brand or manufacturer when it is needed to identify the product;
• uses variant-axis values only for concrete variant names, not for the group name;
• stays readable for people, not only machines;
• is strong enough to distinguish products but simple enough to scan in lists.

Key idea

The Product Name Template is how a product-level category teaches Actualog to name its products.

For simple categories, one template is enough. For categories with variant axes, Actualog separates family names from concrete variant names so product data remains clear, governed, and easy to audit.