Organizing products after Import
Just built a new zc site and imported close to 1200 products. The problem is the system simply sucks at sorting (or I don't understand it.) It's putting products by title, but instead of 9, 10, 11, it does 9, 90, 91..... It's a pain.
There is no way I want to go through and tell the system how to sort by actual sort order in the products. I haven't been able to accurately add sort stuff either in the back end or with the admin.
Can someone tell me how to get this to work? The client actually wants the products in a particular order, so I'd like to sort by:
Name
Category 1
Subcategory, etc.
???
Thanks!
KD
Re: Organizational Tools/Plug-ins after Import
I think some specifics would make your scenario a lot easier to understand. As it is I'm having trouble understanding both what you're "getting now" and what you "want". And how do these numbers you mentioned play a part in any of this? Are those numbers part of your product names? Why?
And how exactly did you "import 1200 products"? Did you enter a sort order in whatever tool you used?
How many subcategories are involved in this complicated hierarchy you're talking about?
If numbers 1-9 are causing a problem, why not change those 9 products to have a 01, 02, 03 format instead? Or for those 9 products set a specific sort order and let the rest follow organically.
Re: Organizational Tools/Plug-ins after Import
The name of the products is Scott #1, Scott #2, etc. I'm not sure the 01, 02 solves my issue.
I used the built in easypopulate to import. I have used oscommerce extensively, this is my first zencart install.
The client really wants me to organize it as if you were sorting an excel sheet, so you have:
Scott #, then various parts of the current product description. I still need to do some work there to create additional subcategories I think, but I didn't want to until I figured out what I would get. I was thinking maybe it's just not possible to do that.
A link might help...http://www.hbphilatelics.com/cart/in...ex&cPath=91_92. This is an interior page, and sub category.
Thanks for the assistance, I'm assuming this can be done, I'm just not sure how to do it. Even with oSC, I've never been asked to organize at this level (and not sure I understand it, but he's the client... ;->)
Re: Organizational Tools/Plug-ins after Import
BTW, I did try doing the sort order using the db name for sort, but when I imported, nothing changed. That was with easy populate.
Re: Organizational Tools/Plug-ins after Import
Quote:
Originally Posted by
beartoothweb
I used the built in easypopulate to import.
Hmmm ... not sure how you installed Zen Cart, but there is not any "built in easypopulate". EP is an addon.
Re: Organizational Tools/Plug-ins after Import
Do you have Products and Categories inside your Categories such as does categories_id 91 have both categories and products in it?
Do your Products all have a defined Sort Order on them?
Next, what is your Sort Order set to on the Product Listing ... look in the Configuration ... Product Listing ...
Quote:
Display Product Listing Default Sort Order
Product Listing Default sort order?
NOTE: Leave Blank for Product Sort Order. Sort the Product Listing in the order you wish for the default display to start in to get the sort order setting. Example: 2a
Re: Organizational Tools/Plug-ins after Import
Really? I have no recollection of installing it, but I suppose I must have, huh?
I did try the product listing setting, and no matter what I do, it still won't sort it correctly. Yes, all have products in them.
No, I haven't done an actual sort order on each one, I tried with EP, but it didn't work, and to do each product manually would take forever, so I'm trying to avoid it.
Maybe a newer/different revision of EP would be worthwhile?
Re: Organizational Tools/Plug-ins after Import
Could you check if all of your Products in the table:
products
has a value for the:
master_categories_id
these are not suppose to be 0, the Product must belong to a valid Category and that Category should only contain Products ...
Do you use Linked Products?
Re: Organizational Tools/Plug-ins after Import
The value is the 91, 92, etc. right? I'll have to check that and see. I didn't use linked products, just did one category per product when I imported.
Re: Organizational Tools/Plug-ins after Import
It IS POSSIBLE to arrange the sort order by inserting appropriate values in the preliminary EASY POPULATE spreadsheet.
We do it on some sites that have over 400 categories/sub-categories and over 20,000 products.
HOWEVER...
It depends on WHAT VERSION of EP you are using, and WHETHER THAT VERSION has the capacity to export/import the sort order field in the first place.
You are getting your peculiar "sort" because it is sorting on the PRODUCT NAME, and as that is a TEXT field, it is seeing numerical values as TEXT - not NUMBERS.
That is why you are getting: 1,10,100,2,3,4,40,44,5,6,7,8,9,90, etc...
If you tell me what VERSION of Zencart, what VERSION of Easy Populate, I can probably point you to a solution.