Apsona ShopAdmin - a free tool for import/mass update/reporting

[apsona]

Very puzzling. Can you identify the ones that ShopAdmin thinks have empty descriptions? (Via search - more options, and choosing Description is empty.) Then, you could compare their descriptions in both ShopAdmin and Zen. Could you share some screen shots of the two?

You can also send us email directly, if you prefer. I'd love to get to the bottom of this and isolate the problem.

Thanks,
Apsona

[jetx]

A search for Description "is empty" generates No data records (which is correct). I'll send you screen shots via email. Thanks.

[jetx]

Update: In any descriptions which contained non-printable characters the JSON encoding function in PHP 5.3 would throw up an error.

This has been fixed by Apsona by implementing a version of that function in apsona_functions.php.

[Mike_Dean]

Hi,

I have just noticed that when I select the Apsona Admin from the drop down menu in my Zen Cart Admin, it actually creates another Zen Cart Admin login, and after that I can select Apsona and the ShopAdmin will load ??

Also, is there anyway of being able to edit what product a customer has ordered ?

I know there are other add-ons that will do this, but was hoping to do it via Apsona

Thanks,
Mike

[jetx]

I'm having a small problem with importing data. As follows: import category records (update existing) by either csv or pasted data. Data is validated during step 2, step 3 (import) the system progress bar shows timer, however (after 30 minutes) nothing actually gets imported. No error is reported.

Went back to using phpmyadmin to import for now but would like to find out what might be causing this.

[apsona]

I'm having a small problem with importing data. As follows: import category records (update existing) by either csv or pasted data. Data is validated during step 2, step 3 (import) the system progress bar shows timer, however (after 30 minutes) nothing actually gets imported. No error is reported.

Went back to using phpmyadmin to import for now but would like to find out what might be causing this.

We just got another bug report about this same issue. We have isolated the problem, and a fix should be out within the next day or so.

Apsona

[jetx]

It's working now. Thanks.

[johnw]

Apsona ShopAdmin for Zen Cart

M.A. Sridhar of Apsona ShopAdmin for Zen Cart has asked me to write an assessment of the import process in Apsona ShopAdmin. I am happy to oblige as without his kind assistance it would have taken many more weeks for me to get my new store online. (http://webbermusic.net/newstore/). My store sells music and I am a composer and music publisher. I've recently upgraded from selling only virtual downloads (pdf music scores and mp3 audio files) to including printed music. This means that from a store with about 220 products (titles) I now have a store with over 1800 titles (220 titles plus orchestral material and parts for each title.

The problem was to update the mysql dbase by adding instrumental parts - up to 35 for each title/product. I have tried alternatives and found them far from easy and so was resigned to several weeks of adding products in zen admin.

Apsona ShopAdmin is a free zen cart add on available from:

http://apsona.com/

One has to sign up to get it tho - don't just click the download link on the home page, it took me a while to figure out why it would not install, only by signing up and getting a link do you get all of the files needed.

At this point I discovered Apsona ShopAdmin. Altho far from perfect (understandable, it's only been available a few months and is still being developed) it has not only great potential but has superb support and is free. This sounds just too good to be true and I suspect that it will become a commercial product at some point. But in the mean time it is already a useable and reliable tool for doing mass updates to a zen mysql dbase.

My dbase was updated on a MacBook Pro with the help of Filemaker 9. I have to admit that most of the problems were my own fault in that I am hopelessly ignorant of good database design. In this apsona is quite stringent, it has to know the Model (best if unique), the Name and the Product Type for every product imported. Once the initial import was accomplished (and this was my biggest headache - ensuring every item had a unique Model entry) updting was quite easy and quick. I would make changes in Filemaker, export as a .mer file (for the header) and copy and past into apsona. From exporting from FMaker to finished zen import - maybe a minute.

Preparing the import file:

This is probably the most important step. In apsonaAdmin click on the 'Settings' tab to see the available tables. I have no idea what 'Allowed combinations are' but the others are pretty much self explanatory. Click on whatever table (in the 'Label' column) you wish to import.

A text file may be created in the Downloads folder by clicking on 'CSV'. This file will list the fields and field types (text, number, date, etc.) but not whether a field is required (useful????)

Make a note of all the fields. These fields need not have an entry for every record - so you can update/import for some records and not for others.
Make an note of required fields. These fields must have an entry for every record.
Some fields have to be unique - usually Model (sometimes Name?) and, obviously, any Id field.

If the column headers in the import file are the same as in the Settings tab then apsona will 'Set up fields' (below, import procedure 2.) for you. It's not a big deal to do it yourself tho.

Here is the import procedure:

1. Provide Data
1a. prepare a csv or tab (suffix is irrelevant - I usually use .txt) file.
1b. In apsonaAdmin click on the appropriate tab for whatever you want to import (Orders, Customers, Products, etc.) go to Tools -> Import/update, copy/paste the csv or tab file into the box.
1c. Click on 'Import new records'.
1d. Products and Manufacturers only: From the Duplicates drop menu choose either 'Reject' or 'Add (no checking)'.
1e. Tell apsona what the field serator in the file is: comma tab, or semicolon.
1f. Find out whether you are in the US or India (it would seem that India formats the date as we do in Britain).
1g. Products only: If there are no categories defined in zen admin click 'Create missing categories'.
1h. Click 'Next'.

2. Set up fields
2a. If the headers match apsona's headers (pretty much the same as zen's) then the drop menus will be set, otherwise set the drop menus to the correct fields.
2b. Choose from the 'On data errors' drop menu either 'Stop and show errors' or 'Omit erroneous records'. Common errors are a duplicate model or an empty required field (every record must have a Model, Name and Product Type).
2c. Click 'Next'

3. Finish import
3a. If 'Stop and show errors' was chosen above (2b.) then you will be presented either with a list of errors (cf. 2b) in a pop up window (which can be exported to a text file) or a button to Import. Pressing the 'Import' button commits you.
3b. Press done.

Now go back to whatever tab you started from (Orders, Customers, Products, etc.) and 'Refresh' and the imports should appear.

The only fields I imported (and updated) were: Manufacurers, Products and Product attributes. All successfully. I could not figure out how to import categories separately (ie other than when importing products) and had to create links in zen admin. I understand this is a Mac problem which is being worked on.

My import order was: Manufacturers -> Products -> Attributes. This seems the logical way to do it and I suspect it might be more difficult to import Manufacturers after importing products. I think this is one of those relational dbase issues that sends my head spinning.

Summa summarum:

Both MA Sridhar and Apsona shopAdmin have been extremely helpful to me. There are many cosmetic enhancements that would make it easier to use and the documentation also leaves much to be desired. I could not have successfully imported over 1800 records without (almost daily) emails and screen sharings. Based on my personal interactions with MA Sridhar I believe him to be seiously dedicated to this project and I believe that in time the documentation and user interface will make this an invaluable tool. I wish him the best of luck and hope this will prove helpful to whoever reads it

John Webber
Composer Publisher
http://webbermusic.net/newstore/

[stevenator]

I would first of all like to say well done to Apsona for creating such a great tool.
I have been using other carts and in order to import large numbers of product to a new site i would have to create multiple table files and then process them with a excel macro then a sql converter in order to import them using phpmyadmin. Still quicker than manually entering 13,000 or so products (which is one of my smaller sites).
I am now migrating most of my sites to zen cart so I can use Apsona on them.
I do however have a couple of questions and suggestions to make regarding this add on to zen cart.
Before I import my csv file I have to make an extra column in it for product type and this has to be filled with "products - free shipping". Why can't Apsona pick up the product types already specified other than this one? Secondly on this issue if I edit the product type in Zen Cart to reflect what I'm selling, ie. fragrances, candles, etc., then I still can't update to change from product type "products - free shipping" as it still says invalid product type. I can work around this but really this should be a fully functioning feature.
Another issue I have is with the categories, Apsona needs to have a subcategory feature. I know creating sub-categories in Zen Cart is a bit of a di(K around, ie you have to create a category then move it under a parent category. Apsona, being an awesome shop administration tool, should be able to simplify this. It's another thing I can work around but also this should be something that can be handled by this add on. It feels like I'm doing things twice when I have to make the child category the primary category when I import then have to go into zen cart to create the parent category and move the child category into it.
Well enough of the bit(hing I think that Apsona has great potential and although I've only been using it (and zen cart) for a about 6 hours, it has already saved me days of tiresome table creation and conversion.
Keep up the great work Apsona and I assure you I will probably have more questions/issues to come!

Apsona please feel free to email me directly to discuss any or all of the above.

Cheers
Steve

[apsona]

stevenator - thanks for the comments. I thought it best to follow up on the forum here so that other folks can also provide input.

About product types: Ideally ShopAdmin would automatically supply (if necessary) an extra field value for Product type when importing new products. The problem is that, as far as I know, there is no notion of "default product type" in the Zen Cart database - I can't, for example, read a configuration somewhere to figure out what the default is. The only way the default seems to be enforced is via the select box in Zen Cart's admin page, and that's not something ShopAdmin can autodetect. The difficulty is compounded because Zen Cart lets you change the names of product types, and also because cart owners have varying preferences - some want "Product - General" as default, and others want "Product - free shipping" as default. I am definitely open to suggestions on how to handle this.

Also (perhaps you did not see this) - when the import wizard complains (in step 2) that something is an "invalid product type", you can simply click the offending data value and you will see a dropdown list containing all the valid data values as set by your cart. You can then edit the value right there. You can in fact edit most data in place in step 2.

I'm not sure understood the issue about sub-categories. If you ShopAdmin does indeed support sub-categories. If you want to place a product in the "Gloves" subcategory of the "Accessories" category, you simply use "Accessories: Gloves" as the value in the category cell when importing.

But I might be missing something. Can you please explain further?

And of course please feel free to send us email, as well. We are delighted to get user feedback, and we'll do everything we can to make ShopAdmin more useful.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Apsona