Different color options for different product options?

[Casinopa]

Help!! I hope this isn't a unique situation, or one that requires excessive PHP tinkering, 'cause this seems like it would be fairly common.

 

I am selling designs on various kinds of apparel (e.g. images on t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc.). As such, in OS Commerce I am setting up our designs as the Products, with Size, ShirtType, and Color as Product Options. This would work well if all the Color option values were the same for every kind of ShirtType. But they are not: in our case, the type of shirt makes a difference in which colors are available!

 

For example, ringer tees may be available in orange and blue, while sweatshirts may be available in white and grey. If a buyer selects "Ringer Tee" as the ShirtType, he should NOT still see "white" or "grey" as values in the Color option; likewise, if he selects "Sweatshirt" he shouldn't see "orange" or "blue" in the Color option.

 

How can I handle this? The way I'm going, the buyer is going to see every color in my Option Value table regardless of which ShirtType he chooses. It seems I need to be able to set up options on my options! Like sub-options... Is that possible? How have others handled this situation?

 

Thanks,

William