EasyPopulate 4.0 Support Thread

[mc12345678]

Okay here's how I got it to work:

In easypopulate_4.php, change:

zen_draw_form('import_form', basename($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']), /*$parameters = */'', 'post', /*$params =*/ '', $request_type == 'SSL')

to:

zen_draw_form('import_form', FILENAME_EASYPOPULATE_4, /*$parameters = */'', 'post', /*$params =*/ '', $request_type == 'SSL')

and also do the same with the forms "delete_form" and "split_form"

Changing

basename($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'])

to

basename($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'], '.php')

also works.

The best solution is to upgrade as soon as possible to 1.5.7c. There are a number of corrections that are implemented and considered necessary.

As to "this issue", the correction I believe is located in admin/includes/application_bootstrap.php (with possibility of other areas of the system affected/touched):
changing:

$serverScript = basename($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']);
$PHP_SELF = isset($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']) ? $serverScript : 'home.php';
$PHP_SELF = isset($_GET['cmd']) ? basename($_GET['cmd'] . '.php') : $PHP_SELF;
$PHP_SELF = htmlspecialchars($PHP_SELF);
$_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'] = str_replace($serverScript, '', $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']) . $PHP_SELF;

To:

$serverScript = basename($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']);
$PHP_SELF = isset($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']) ? $serverScript : 'home.php';
if (basename($PHP_SELF, '.php') === 'index') {
    $PHP_SELF = isset($_GET['cmd']) ? basename($_GET['cmd'] . '.php') : $PHP_SELF;
}
$PHP_SELF = htmlspecialchars($PHP_SELF);
$_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'] = str_replace($serverScript, '', $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']) . $PHP_SELF;

There may be other places where a change may be necessary to support the above; however, EP4 has not required the change described above to work in up-to-date systems.

[flappingfish]

i notice this is for .csv, i have a supplier that offers an .xml of products, is there a module for these or can this module be altered easily to work with .xml?

[cefyn]

I'm afraid I need a bit of advice here. I'm using Easy Populate 4.0.37.13, with the SBA mod. Does anyone know what import/export options in EP I should use to take a category with 300 products, all with 4 or 5 attributes (sizes), all with different stock levels, from one website, and copy it into another website? I foresee problems in that the options and attributes have different id numbers on each site, and I can imagine it all crashing horribly. The export site is on ZC 1.5.7b, the import site on 1.5.7c, both with the correct SBA version, (SBA for 1.5.7b, and SBA for 1.5.7c) and both with EP 4.0.37.13. Are there any steps I should take before attempting it ? Thanks.

[mc12345678]

i notice this is for .csv, i have a supplier that offers an .xml of products, is there a module for these or can this module be altered easily to work with .xml?

"Easily" would be a matter of perspective; however, I can envision where the current "file read" code may be positioned to a function with some "trigger" being added to identify what the source is for the filetype and support properly moving through the file. While this operation is perhaps easier in newer PHP versions, it remains important to note that the process would work best by stepping into/through the file rather than loading it entirely into memory. The file reading occurs in a few of the modules as well as the main import file. There is also a field delimiter test that is performed against files that may need to be altered to exclude such xml files or provide an equivalent test if necessary.

[mc12345678]

I'm afraid I need a bit of advice here. I'm using Easy Populate 4.0.37.13, with the SBA mod. Does anyone know what import/export options in EP I should use to take a category with 300 products, all with 4 or 5 attributes (sizes), all with different stock levels, from one website, and copy it into another website? I foresee problems in that the options and attributes have different id numbers on each site, and I can imagine it all crashing horribly. The export site is on ZC 1.5.7b, the import site on 1.5.7c, both with the correct SBA version, (SBA for 1.5.7b, and SBA for 1.5.7c) and both with EP 4.0.37.13. Are there any steps I should take before attempting it ? Thanks.

So, the first question is why is the database being "manually" transferred from one site to another by a process other than transferring the entire database?

As far as the concern of matching product and designations, yes that is/would be a concern and for reasons that are described above.

Note also, that the SBA "filter" does not create/remove relationships of product attributes to/from product. It supports modifying the data associated with an existing relationship.

There is guidance in the README about the following: A way to reproduce attributes in one store from another using EP4:

That would at least get the attributes established, but then would need to go generate the SBA relationships. Then would suggest exporting the new SBA relationship file and compare/align data for a proper update.

I'm relatively certain that the question has been asked before in here with details provided. I've spent a little time trying to search on "SBA" or "stock by attributes". There are posts associated to each of those 2 search "terms", but I haven't dug into all/most of them and also haven't cross referenced when the SBA import/export was incorporated to narrow down the window of applicable dates. Maybe if it is found it can be linked back from this area.

[cefyn]

Thanks for your reply, mc. The database it's being copied from has 5000 products. There's an easy way to do it. Copied and uploaded the products with EP, used the native function admin/attributes controller/copy options to a whole category, and then just updated stock quantities with EP.

[mc12345678]

Thanks for your reply, mc. The database it's being copied from has 5000 products. There's an easy way to do it. Copied and uploaded the products with EP, used the native function admin/attributes controller/copy options to a whole category, and then just updated stock quantities with EP.

Glad that worked. Note that I had asked the question of why because 1) in following the standard ZC process for updating, the database is retained from one location to the other and 2) understand that if the same content is carried across multiple sites that as far as the internet is concerned, you're competing against yourself and the two sites having the same content will likely (eventually) cause a change in rankings. They may each have the same or different products_id; however, with ranking being content centric these two sites would initially grossly have the same content.

Again, understand that EP4 does not (yet) recreate the SBA variants which can be independently stocked from the total stock of the product. If the variants exist in the database, then yes natively copying should support duplication of the variants that can then be updated with EP4.

[cefyn]

The products will be removed from one site after the transfer. You're right, there's no point in having any identical content, it'll get ignored at best. As for the rest of it easier said than done. I can read the downloaded EP files and edit them manually. I was able to get all the products uploaded somehow, but the files that EP is generating are showing "CSV unknown delimiter" and the SBA EP files aren't updating stock. I notice you've discussed something like this before in regards to a Japanese language pack. Manual edit in SBA I'm afraid.

[mc12345678]

The products will be removed from one site after the transfer. You're right, there's no point in having any identical content, it'll get ignored at best. As for the rest of it easier said than done. I can read the downloaded EP files and edit them manually. I was able to get all the products uploaded somehow, but the files that EP is generating are showing "CSV unknown delimiter" and the SBA EP files aren't updating stock. I notice you've discussed something like this before in regards to a Japanese language pack. Manual edit in SBA I'm afraid.

What I've found is this: the product import will likely have invalid csv delimiter reports if the software has not been updated (top right corner should show an update clickable link). The sba import may have a similar report in a given condition, but this is an issue when data is exported and then not "corrected" within the applicable spreadsheet. If exported, downloaded, corrected and then uploaded, the import works. It is resolved in the next update, but I've been preoccupied with something else recently which has delayed my updating of the instruction for distrubution. I can post the fix for the sba issue separately if that is the only csv delimiter issue... Otherwise need to review the first four lines of the csv file tovalidate formatting, delimeter being used, etc. Those are what the software reviews to provide that notification.

If the sba file is showing that it is acceptable to import, but the stock is not being updated, then please identify the process to get the sba file and populating its stock. Even with the csv delimiter issue, I have seen that stock updates. Include discussion of the filename for the import file.

[cefyn]

Thanks mc, that worked. I updated the EP database, exported Stock of items with attributes including SBA, corrected quantities, uploaded, imported, and all stock with attributes updated correctly. All files were identified as csv by EP. Thanks for all your work on zen cart, it is very much appreciated.