Quick Database Question

**Shadowflux** · 22 Sep 2006, 07:44 PM

This may sounds like a stupid question but I couldn't find a resolution myself so I figured I'd ask here. I need to apply some changes to the description of each product yet each addition is going to be different so I can't just copy it.

Is there a way I can edit the products and their descriptions in a text file, like a CSV file or somthing like that? It would really make my life a lot easier.

Thanks for all the help!

**kuroi** · 22 Sep 2006, 08:11 PM

There's an add-on called Easy Populate specifically for doing this. Checkout this site.

**Shadowflux** · 22 Sep 2006, 08:20 PM

Thanks for the link Karoi. So there's no way to download and edit the database file without getting a mod?

**kuroi** · 22 Sep 2006, 08:31 PM

Your alternative would be use a tool such as phpMyAdmin to export the product_descriptions file in CSV format and then reload it when you have finished. There is nothing in Zen Cart itself that allows you to bypass its product editing features!

**kobra** · 22 Sep 2006, 08:32 PM

So there's no way to download and edit the database file without getting a mod?

One can manually edit the sql export file but only if they are certian that they know exactly what they are doing and is why using a tool for this is highly recommended.
If you attempt this manually, BACKUP, BACKUP first.

**Shadowflux** · 22 Sep 2006, 09:05 PM

Ok, I get it. Thanks for the help guys, somthing tells me exporting the database isn't going to make my life any easier. I'll check out the program

**fymbscu** · 22 Sep 2006, 09:41 PM

Shadowflux,

Not knowing what platform you are on, not sure how helpful this news will be for you, but I would like to recommend that you could find a GUI that might allow you to access your database and make live changes. I think phpMyAdmin will do this, but you have to be willing to poke through the tables to access the data you want to change.

In my case, I am on a Macintosh, and located two such GUIs, Aqua Data Studio 4.5.2 and CocoaMySQL 0.5. I think I may have used VersionTracker.com to find them originally. You might give it a try. Of the two, I prefer CocoaMySQL.

I bring it up because when I tried to make the upgrade from 1.3.02 to 1.3.5 without a backup and by linking the 1.3.5 cart to the 1.3.02 database, the database was obliterated in the process.

Fortunately for me, this site is still in local development and not live. I had also made pdf proofs of the pages to send to my client. Starting from an empty database, I used the Admin interface to begin repopulating products in the cart, but there was some anomalous information specific to my situation that made the process somewhat incomplete.

Going to CocoaMySQL and accessing the various product tables in "contents" mode (as opposed to "structure"), I was able to make some rapid description modifications, among others, and was able to completely restore 45 products in about 2 hours. Hope this is a solution that might work for you.

Good luck,

Mark

**kobra** · 23 Sep 2006, 11:31 AM

45 products in about 2 hours.

That is about 2.5 minutes per product... One can normally enter a new product through the admin in about 1 minute... You might time this for yourself.