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  1. #1
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    Default Importing products

    Hi,

    I've been looking at the various options for importing products into my store, and getting more confused / disheartened by the minute.

    I have hundreds of products, so entering them one by one just isn't an option.

    I've read a number of pages on the tutorial about updating products by Excel, but that tutorial was closed in 2006 - is the info there still current / valid? That tutorial begins with the instruction "Capture information from needed tables using phpMyAdmin..." - and I'm already stuck. How / where do I run phhpMyAdmin from? How do I connect to the ZenCart db?


    I've looked at EasyPopulate, but not sure where to upload the files to - I've browsed to my htdocs folder on the server where the admin folder exists - is that where I should upload to? There are a few files in EasyPopulate that have the same filename as files that already exist in htdocs, so am I looking at uploading to the wrong place??

    Or is there some more recent alternative that I haven't come across yet? Surely importing products is one of the most basic requirements of anyone who's setting up a store - I can't believe there isn't a standard easy-to-use tool available to do it. Please tel me there and I just haven't found it yet!

    Thanks,
    J.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Importing products

    Easy Populate is currently the most efficient way of mass-uploading product data to your webshop.

    But you appear not to understand that this is not a matter of "uploading a spreadsheet file" to some folder on your server, but a mechanism to write data into the database.

    Product data is not housed in FILES on your server.

    It is housed in DATABASE TABLES AND FIELDS, in a MySQL database that is ASSOCIATED with your zencart files.

    Easy Populate is a piece of software that READS the data in a "spreadsheet file". Then takes each bit of that data and appropriately writes it to the database fields and tables, conforming to the database schema that was designed for zencart.

    In order for Easy Populate to work on your site, the Easy Populate software has to be resident on your server, within the zencart file installation.

    ... so the first step is to INSTALL the module into your webshop.

    Once the module is correctly installed, it can then be used (via your webshop Admin Panel) to take data out of the "spreadsheet file" and write it into your database.

    Have you seen my WIKI on this subject?

    http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/Easy_Populate
    19 years a Zencart User

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Importing products

    PS:...

    I routinely use Easy Populate to manage product data on scores of my clients' websites.

    Some of these stores have over 10,000 products.

    Easy Populate can add/update this number of products in a few seconds...
    19 years a Zencart User

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Importing products

    Thanks Schoolboy, you've made me feel like there's light at the end of the tunnel.

    I do understand that EasyPopulate just reads the contents of the spreadsheet file, and then writes it to the db - I've done this kind of thing before, but can't see how to get started with this one...

    When I said about uploading files to the server, what I mean is that I've downloaded EP to my own machine and unzipped it. So I now have all these files and folders but don't know what to do with them next.

    One of the steps on the EP website says "Upload all files as they are to the root directory of your store." - but I don't know where that is (Sorry, I know that's probably really dumb! ) My store URL is storename/zencart but when I run my FTP program and browse through the folders on the server, there is no zencart folder...

    My file structure on the server is:
    \webapps
    --- \SiteApp10124
    ------ \htdocs
    ------ \images
    ------ \scripts
    ------ APP-META.xml

    Within the htdocs folder, there are a whole lot of folders, including an admin folder (and an includes folder, which is the only one I've really worked with to date) - so I'm trying to figure out if that's where I should ftp these EP files to?

    ETA - the first instruction in the EP guide is to "1) Change the name of the "admin" directory in this package to suit your zencart installation" - what does that mean??

    Thanks for any help,
    J.
    Last edited by WhitePhantom; 16 Feb 2010 at 01:25 PM.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Importing products

    Quote Originally Posted by WhitePhantom View Post

    Within the htdocs folder, there are a whole lot of folders, including an admin folder (and an includes folder, which is the only one I've really worked with to date) - so I'm trying to figure out if that's where I should ftp these EP files to?

    ETA - the first instruction in the EP guide is to "1) Change the name of the "admin" directory in this package to suit your zencart installation" - what does that mean??
    Yes, the htdocs is your "server root", and the folders you see in there (admin, cache, email, includes....) are the zencart folders.

    It looks like you have not re-named your admin folder, so the reference in Easy Populate readme dow not apply to you.

    All you do in your ftp program is open both FTP frames (left for local machine, right for remote server), and thn make sure you are at the same directory LEVEL to ensure that the easy Populate module is sent to the correct location.

    So, in the LEFT FRAME (your computer), open the unzipped Easy Populate module until you see the admin and temp folders.

    (Do not worry about any of the loose files you see under the admin and temp folders. They do not get ftp'd. Ignore them for now...

    In the RIGHT FRAME (remote server) open the htdocs folder so you can see admin, email, cache. includes...

    Then, in the LEFT FRAME, use your mouse click to HIGLIGHT the admin and temp folders.

    Then, click the right-pointing arrow in your ftp program to send them up to your server.

    Don't worry, this will NOT overwrite any folders / files on the server. It will just add the Easy Populate files to the server.

    (Other modulues may overwrite, byt EP does not.)

    The folders / files will take about 30 seconds to get to your server.

    When the FTP is finished. Open your webshop Admin Panel and go to the TOOLS menu.

    At the bottom of the dropdpwn list you will see Easy Populate.

    Click on it

    At the top of the screen you will see a link to INSTALL the module.,

    Click it

    Then read my WIKI
    19 years a Zencart User

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Importing products

    Done - thanks a mil!

    I quailed at the message about a folder with the same name as an existing one, and files with the same name being overwritten and all that, but I took a deep breath and trusted you and clicked Yes To All.

    And then I went and installed it and everything is looking good!

    So now I'm off to read your wiki.

    You have no idea how much I appreciate your help!!

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Importing products

    During FTP, FOLDERS do not overwrite.

    During FTP, only FILES inside folders can be overwritten.

    The process you just applied (for ftp of Easy Populate) is typical for all modules you may later want to feature in your shop.

    If the author of the module has followed the "rules", then uploading his/her module is usually quite straight forward.

    And it is just a case of making sure that the directory LEVEL you are at in your local machine corresponds to the directory LEVEL on the remote server.

    By highlighting the FOLDERS on your local machine, and then clicking the ftp arrow, you are ensuring that the CONTENTS of the folder are being sent to the server's folder of the SAME NAME.

    NB: Always read the readme or instruction files that accompany a module. In many cases, modules do overwrite core files. Always make backups of files that are to be over-written.

    Also... keep hand-written notes of what you do... I STILL make stupid mistakes, and having notes often helps identify such errors and facilitates quick corrections.
    19 years a Zencart User

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Importing products

    Thanks SB.

    I'm going through the wiki now, and starting to play around with EP and I've a couple of questions...

    I noticed when I go to Catalog -> Categories/Products that there is no 'model' set up for any of my categories. I've edited the properties for each category, but can't see how to set this up, and don't know if it affects EP.

    I just want to check about the upload directory in Config -> EP; it's set to temp/ , but when I go do to an upload I click the Browse button and it allows me to select a file on my local machine - so what does the upload directory in Config refer to?

    I've downloaded the 4 different txt files through Tools - EP to see how the categories / products I have in my system at the moment appear in a txt file, and tried adding a few new products (I added 4 extra lines in each file, copying the format already there, but setting v_product_model, _image and _name to unique values), but when I uploaded these 4 text files the products didn't appear in the system (I got the Upload Complete message after each upload, and Debug is switched on in Config - EP). I'm going through the notes again to see if I missed something, but I'm just wondering if it's something to do with that upload directory in Config?

    Thanks,
    J.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Importing products

    "Model" is assigned to individual products - not categories.

    "Model" is just the label for the unique product code, often called SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) in the retail trade.

    Easy Populate use the product's "Model Number" (SKU, Product Code) as the definitive identifier for product information, as the assumption is (correctly) that each product in a shop is unique, and therefore needs a unique code to identify it.

    If you do not give each of your products a unique product code ("model number") then Easy Populate will not work.

    In the wiki, I give some pointers as to how to set up your own SKU system, but remember that there are ISO systems for product numbering that include UPC and EAN. Depending on what you are selling, you may want to consider using UPC or EAN formats... if you do, and later decide to use services like GoogleBase, then your life will be easier here... GoogleBase requires the use of EAN/UPC/

    GO HERE for more advice on product coding.
    19 years a Zencart User

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Importing products

    You can either do the upload by browsing for the TXT file on your local drive... then clicking upload...

    ... or you can FTP the file to the temp folder, and then instruct EP to go grab the TXT file from there.

    The two options are offered chiefly because you will find that sending the TXT file (via FTP) to the designated temp folder is much more reliable. The upload is done within the confines of the server - rather that over the WWW which can break data packets during transfer.

    If you are adding/updating product info for a handful of products, then using "browse - upload" should be OK.

    When the EP txt file is big, always send it via FTP to the temp folder, and then run EP that way.

    If you are running EP and you are not getting the desired result, then the problem is usually a misconfiguration - either in the EP software, or your TXT file.

    My WIKI suggests a cautious, experimental approach to start with.

    PS: I use EP 1.2.5.4 on well over 100 zencart 1.3.8a stores - and it works... So the problem (if there is a problem) is not EP or ZC... it has to be the "input clerk".
    19 years a Zencart User

 

 
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