EasyPopulate 4.0 Support Thread

[Zean]

I see you are missing admin/includes/extra_datafiles/easypopulate_4_filenames.php
Try to upload that file and let us know... :)

Wow! You hit it exactly! I uploaded that file and all seems to work.
I misunderstood the instructions in INSTALL.txt item 2 b) . . .

2. Upload all files in the "admin" directory to your site maintaining directory structure.
   No core files are changed.

	a) If you are using zencart 1.3.8/1.3.9, you need to also upload the additional
        files in the "zencart 1.3 extra files" folder. 

	b)  If you are using zencart 1.5.x, no additional files need to be uploaded as the file necessary
	 to support ZenCart 1.5.x has been placed within the above "admin" directory.

So, I mistakenly did not upload admin\includes\extra_datafiles\easypopulate_4_filenames.php
It seems I erroneously conflated "no additional" with "extra_datafiles"

Now that I seem to have it properly installed, I'm looking forward to figuring out how to use it.
I thought as a first step I would export the demo data products to see how the csv's of new products should be coded for input.

Thanks so much kabko! And Thank you mc12345678

[kabko]

Thanks so much kabko! And Thank you mc12345678

No problem... Even though Im "beginner" in ZENCART, I do know a little bit about coding, so everytime I see someone has a problem, I try to find a solution, and if I cant, I look into forum if anyone else replied with a solution - and this is the best way to learn. (at least for me...lol)

[mc12345678]

Wow! You hit it exactly! I uploaded that file and all seems to work.
I misunderstood the instructions in INSTALL.txt item 2 b) . . .

2. Upload all files in the "admin" directory to your site maintaining directory structure.
   No core files are changed.

	a) If you are using zencart 1.3.8/1.3.9, you need to also upload the additional
        files in the "zencart 1.3 extra files" folder. 

	b)  If you are using zencart 1.5.x, no additional files need to be uploaded as the file necessary
	 to support ZenCart 1.5.x has been placed within the above "admin" directory.

So, I mistakenly did not upload admin\includes\extra_datafiles\easypopulate_4_filenames.php
It seems I erroneously conflated "no additional" with "extra_datafiles"

Now that I seem to have it properly installed, I'm looking forward to figuring out how to use it.
I thought as a first step I would export the demo data products to see how the csv's of new products should be coded for input.

Thanks so much kabko! And Thank you mc12345678

I am making some modifications to the instructions for the next version. This will be an area touched to try to reduce such confusion.

A little background, at some point in the code's history, chadderuski had made the final "step" of installation a process requiring upload of the applicable file for the version of ZC. Not too long ago I decided to simplify the process by a step to include the file automatically in the fileset. In changing the instructions to "match" I minimized the change instead of rewriting that section. Time to rewrite. :) thanks for identifying where the confusion came from.

On a side note and as pointed out by DrByte in the last couple of pages, generally speaking plugins are provided with the complete file structure and "at worst" may require renaming of override folders to match the applicable template. This plugin doesn't have such overrides (except for languages not yet translated), but the point being that once such changes have been made "locally" and possibly merge of overwritten files performed, the entire fileset is uploaded as a unit rather than file by file. Such a "missed" file would not occur. Again there, thank you for identifying why the file was omitted. That type of discussion helps upfront to identify why something isn't working the way it is expected and helps to expedite solving the issue.

As to your next step of exporting a sample file. Spot on. Please keep in mind usage as described in the instructions for uploading and also note that there is a patch on the previous page if you are uploading attributes using EP4 version 4.0.35.ZC as downloaded from the ZC site.

[Crunch]

I have a need to provide a product export from a zen cart store which will be incorporated into a Amazon store. Amazon is asking for the following product information:

SKU/Model#
Product Name
Brand/Manufacturer
Price
Quantity
Description
Image URL
additional images
attributes

I installed Easy Populate 4.0.35.ZC and downloaded "Complete Products (with Metatags)" and "Basic Products Attributes (basic single-line)"

Questions:

1. Is there a way to perform an export that contains both the complete product info and attributes in one file?
2. Is there a way to get the "Image URL"
3. Is there a way to export additional images?

[mc12345678]

Always a way. :) may not really like the results in total, but it is always possible to add more data to the export.
2. The image path is pretty much already provided.
3. Additional images is something not directly handled by EP4 but by invoking some of the other ZC code, such image paths can be obtained. Do run into some of the issues otherwise addressed like, how will each of the additional images be presented? One image per row of data such that if there were 5 additional images then each row of product data would be displayed 5 times over? Or columns? How does one maximize the use of the appropriate column?

Look back several pages I explain how the exported tables will grow by combining ever more data into a single spreadsheet, but doable.

[mc12345678]

@Crunch,

What are the separators for attributes and additional images?
With regards to attributes, how is a grouping of option names expected to be considered/separated?
Ie. If a product has an option name of size and an option name of color, are they looking for all potential sizes and all potential colors or only the combinations that are expected to exist, both, etc...

[Zean]

As to your next step of exporting a sample file. Spot on. Please keep in mind usage as described in the instructions for uploading and also note that there is a patch on the previous page if you are uploading attributes using EP4 version 4.0.35.ZC as downloaded from the ZC site.

I can not successfully import detailed attributes.
I applied the patch on the previous page since I'm working with attributes using EP4 version 4.0.35.ZC as downloaded from the ZC site, by adding the 4 instances of the colon to easypopulate_4_attrib.php.

Background
I thought I would use EP4 to export products from an existing Zen Cart store v1.54 and try importing them into a freshly installed empty ZC v.1.55a store.

I exported 3 files.

File 1. I exported using Filterable Exports: Download Type = Complete Products and left the other parameters (i.e, Categories, Manufactures, Status) at their default (I assume that's the way to get everything).
Full-EP2016May31-220237.csv

File 2. I exported using Attribute Export/Import Options
Basic Products Attributes (basic single-line)
Attrib-Basic-EP2016May31-221112.csv

File 3. I exported using Attribute Export/Import Options
Detailed Products Attributes (detailed multi-line)
Attrib-Detailed-EP2016May31-221156.csv


I uploaded the 3 files into the new empty ZC v1.55a store using "Upload EP File", Browse, Upload. The files then automagically appeared under the apparently appropriate EP4 admin File Name sections . . .

File 1. This contains any other file. They will be processed like the upload of a full data file.
Full-EP2016May31-220237.csv

File 2. Prefix: attrib-basic-ep. It will be processed through the Basic Attribute filters.
Attrib-Basic-EP2016May31-221112.csv

File 3. Prefix: attrib-detailed-ep. It will be processed through the Detailed Attributes filters.
Attrib-Detailed-EP2016May31-221156.csv

I then attempted to Import the 3 files by clicking on their associated Import buttons.

File 1 seems to have worked fine . . .
Updated records: 171
New Imported records: 148
Errors Detected: 0
Warnings Detected: 0

File 2 seems to have worked reasonably well . . .
Updated records: 28
New Imported records: 839
Errors Detected: 161
Warnings Detected: 0

File 3 will not import nor update anything into the store . . . What am I doing wrong?
Filename: Attrib-Detailed-EP2016May31-221156.csv

SKIPPED! - Attribute Entry on : - Not Found!
.
.
SKIPPED! - Attribute Entry on : - Not Found!
Finished Processing Import File

Updated records: 0
New Imported records: 0
Errors Detected: 5156
Warnings Detected: 0
Memory Usage: 1267824
Memory Peak: 2011576
Execution Time: 4 seconds.


What am I doing wrong? I only get errors and zero Imported and zero Updated records for the Attrib-Detailed-EP file.

[mc12345678]

So, besides that the error notification needs a touch up, the issue comes down to this. It would appear that the transfer of detailed attributes from one store to another is not as robust as the remaining aspects. But one can with some manual data management make the transition.

See, the data used by EP4 on import of the detailed attribute file is directly related to the database assigned designations. This is likely to be different in one store when compared to another.

So in one store where the products_id is 10, in the other it may be 15. Then the attributes parts may also each have their own unique/different designation.

Thus when uploading the detailed attributes file, if the four pieces of information used to identify the specific attribute, then the attribute is considered not found and no update is performed. This is an update evolution not an insert (other than it will insert download file information if otherwise not pre-existing).

So, in order to do such a database to database transfer (which really it is still suggested to use the standard upgrade/store transfer process instead), the previous two files need to be used in addition to a current export of the detailed file of the current store in order to modify all of the identifying characteristics of the original detailed file in order for all of the key aspects to line up with the desired change(s). Some of this could have been made "easier" if the products_id was used as the primary key (making a "mirror" of the existing site) but still would have required modification of a few of the other attribute portions.

Doable, but currently a pain...

[mc12345678]

Oh and as for the dropdown selections. Leaving the status as is only exports active products. To export all product the status needs to be changed to all. Otherwise disabled product will not be exported.

[Zean]

So, besides that the error notification needs a touch up, the issue comes down to this. It would appear that the transfer of detailed attributes from one store to another is not as robust as the remaining aspects. But one can with some manual data management make the transition.

See, the data used by EP4 on import of the detailed attribute file is directly related to the database assigned designations. This is likely to be different in one store when compared to another.

So in one store where the products_id is 10, in the other it may be 15. Then the attributes parts may also each have their own unique/different designation.

Thus when uploading the detailed attributes file, if the four pieces of information used to identify the specific attribute, then the attribute is considered not found and no update is performed. This is an update evolution not an insert (other than it will insert download file information if otherwise not pre-existing).

So, in order to do such a database to database transfer (which really it is still suggested to use the standard upgrade/store transfer process instead), the previous two files need to be used in addition to a current export of the detailed file of the current store in order to modify all of the identifying characteristics of the original detailed file in order for all of the key aspects to line up with the desired change(s). Some of this could have been made "easier" if the products_id was used as the primary key (making a "mirror" of the existing site) but still would have required modification of a few of the other attribute portions.

Doable, but currently a pain...

Are these the four pieces of information used to identify the specific attribute which you are are referring to?

v_products_attributes_id
v_products_id
v_options_id
v_options_values_id

For your convenience here's the complete list of Easy Populate 4.0.35.ZC - 04-29-2016 with attrib patch
Detailed Products Attributes (detailed multi-line) Download
Export csv column names from the Attrib-Detailed-EP file . . .

v_products_attributes_id
v_products_id
v_products_model
v_options_id
v_products_options_name
v_products_options_type
v_options_values_id
v_products_options_values_name
v_options_values_price
v_price_prefix
v_products_options_sort_order
v_product_attribute_is_free
v_products_attributes_weight
v_products_attributes_weight_prefix
v_attributes_display_only
v_attributes_default
v_attributes_discounted
v_attributes_image
v_attributes_price_base_included
v_attributes_price_onetime
v_attributes_price_factor
v_attributes_price_factor_offset
v_attributes_price_factor_onetime
v_attributes_price_factor_onetime_offset
v_attributes_qty_prices
v_attributes_qty_prices_onetime
v_attributes_price_words
v_attributes_price_words_free
v_attributes_price_letters
v_attributes_price_letters_free
v_attributes_required
v_products_attributes_filename
v_products_attributes_maxdays
v_products_attributes_maxcount