Well, the results are in, with not very extensive testing.

Here is how Easy Populate Advanced 3.0.3 operates as far as the music type product goes.

Because it has a column to specify music product type, I felt obliged to test it out to see if my CDs should be changed from the general product type to the music product type. I have so many CDs that I really need to use Easy Populate, and 1.2.5.4 only does general product type.

In the above posts, I established that if one selects the music product type for an upload using EP Advanced 3.0.3:

1. The product description and name do not show in the admin-editable screen.

2. If one limits the category (in the admin-editable description screen at the bottom)(no sub cats were involved) to product type music, the program will force it back to product general and will not upload in music product type, but gives the general product type admin-editable screen only.

Further tests reveal the following.

3. Next step: What would happen if I actually entered a description into the blank admin-editable screen?

Everything went blank and the product stated it had zero in stock and lost its picture. The way to fix this was to enter something into ALL of the blank places (except genre, artist, and record company) in the music-type product admin-editable screen.

This even occurred if I solely entered the genre, record company, or artist boxes which work only with the music-type product. In other words, if you press "update" all data is lost unless all editable boxes are filled in.

4. However, I was able to add a media clip to the listing.

Obviously, it would save absolutely no time to upload all the products and then enter everything manually.

The results of this testing are that if one wishes to have a blank admin-editable screen and not choose genre, artist, or record company, one could have lots of music products with media clips, and would need to make any description or name changes only in PHPMyAdmin, unless one wanted to fill in all of the screens in the admin-editable screen, one-by-one.

One last vagary: Whereas I believe I was successful previously in uploading an English and Spanish name and description as a music product type, after I entered a product in a single language the test category stopped allowing the two-language entry to be accepted as a music product type, so I had to perform a final test without the second language, which did then save as a music product type.

This experimentation took me a long time. I performed the experimentation as I felt since I probably need Easy Populate Advanced for my two-language site, I should really check out the music product type capability before I made a site that was all in the general product type.

So, while I have no audio clips and do not know where I would find them for my products, if I ever add them in the future it will be by HTML and an embedded player. That would not be any less work than using the music product type for a mass download of products using Easy Populate Advanced 3.0.3.

I really hope someone appreciates this information. I am for unknown reasons locked out of the Easy Populate Advanced forum as a posting participant, and can only read postings and the knowledge bank articles. I really see nothing about the music product type operation of Easy Populate Advanced anywhere, and would certainly have benefited from this information in terms of time-savings had it been available, so I hope this is a pertinent post of some value to others exploring their music-audio options and possible use of 3.0.3.

Notageek