Hosted: Zen Cart v1.3.8a with Database Patch Level v1.3.8, Easy Populate v1.2.5.5.csv, PHP v5.2.5 (Zend: 2.2.0), and MySQL v5.0.67.d7-ourdelta-log. Local: Windows Vista Ultimate, Office 2007 Professional

I restored MySQL back to the database that came with new install of ZC with its sample store (before EP got installed). With EP already installed, I then created 1 of every type file in its tempEP folder. I then ftp’d the Full type .csv file to my local computer to look at with Excel 2007.

I then used EP to restore the FULL file back into ZX. I got two lines of red text:
No model field in record. This line was not imported | Test Docum | This is a |
No model field in record. This line was not importedsamples/3_ | Sample of |

My first question is: are those real errors EP detects and what makes them occur?

In the Specials Summary area I got 5 errors reported in red text:
SKIPPED! - Model: HPLJ1100XI - specials price higher than normal price...
SKIPPED! - Model: HPLJ1100XI - specials price higher than normal price...
SKIPPED! - Model: Test25-10AttrAll - specials price higher than normal price...
SKIPPED! - Model: HPLJ1100XI - specials price higher than normal price...
SKIPPED! - Model: Book - specials price higher than normal price...

I assume that’s normal filtering? The part that bothers me is the 1st two lines. My second question is if they should be appearing twice in that report, or not?

But that was all a test, and it established that EP could read the file it created and place it into ZC. It meant that the format of that FULL file was correct.

Then I open up Excel into a new session with just 1 workbook, and make sure the cursor is at the row/column location A1. Then I click on the Data tab. In the Get External Data section, I click on From Text button navigate to my copy of that Full type .csv file and highlight it, and then click the Import button. In step #1 of the import wizard I assure that Original data type is set for Delimited, and that the import will start from Row #1, and then I click the Next button. In Wizard step #1, I’ve noticed in the preview box that the row fields in the Full file are not tab delimited.

That was a surprise, so my 3rd question is: If EP is supposed to be using tab delimited files then why isn’t it creating tab delimited Full files?

In the Excel Wizard, now at step #2, I get another surprise. There is absolutely combination of selections for the tab delimiter, comma delimiter, and any text qualifier that will keep errors from showing up in the v_column_model column when examining fields in the data preview window provided there. If I just scroll down a ways, I see text that simply does not belong in that 1st column. I also notice that there is no EOREOR text at the end of each row (file line).

Curious as to why that was so, I looked at the Full data closer with a Hex Editor. The comma simply must be used as a column (field) delimiter, as that is how Full fields are delimited (not by tabs). I noticed that the line terminator used in the Full file was not $0D $0A (Return followed by a Line Feed), it was only $0A but no $0D character code.

The next thing I noticed was that some comma delimited fields that have text (model for example) do not have that text enclosed within quote marks, while others do (description_1 for example).

How I set the text qualifier (" ' or {none} are the available selections) impacts how Excel tries to determine what data goes in what column. If some column that is NOT enclosed with quote marks happens to have a comma in it then, with commas being truly required to delimit fields, Excel will get out of sync. It appears that the correct way would be to use the " character as a text qualifier, and then Excel will try to treat the cell as a numerical value unless it finds any text characters in that cell.
So my 4th question is, how should the text qualifier be set? I’m thinking a " setting.

I thought ALL fields were supposed to be set to type text when Excel goes to actually import the file (the next step, #3 of 3 in the Wizard). But now I’m thinking only columns that are really supposed to contain text and which, if they did, would be enclosed within quotes should be imported as type text, and the others left to type general in the Wizard. Which leads to my 5th question: Which columns should be set and how should they be set as relates to when using the Excel import Wizard in step #3?

I don’t think it’s possible to import the Full file into Excel 2007 that EP1.2.5.5.csv creates. It imports into ZC just fine (ignoring the above mentioned 2 errors). Which makes me think I must do programmatical parsing of the Full file before I can pass it into Excel. I guess it all depends on the final answers to my above 5 questions.

These are valid concerns impacting the ability to use ZC. Nice as it is, it’s not usable if hundreds or thousands of products have to be put into ZC by hand, of course.

After reading all the above, please tell me and the rest of the forum what the exact formatting of the EP Full file should be, so that I can programmatically change its content to be in a format that Excel can use. There’s nothing I can do otherwise to make it import the Full file without errors eventually popping up in the v_products_model field.

And my last question, #6. Will ZC (not talking about EP) silently fail with what EP is giving it if the format of a field is not as expected? Might that be why, despite my best programming efforts, EP might report no errors and categories actually get created but no product ever shows up from the import process?