ezpoulate help needed

Well here goes. Totally new - not zenned yet - but feeling the power for sure.

I've done a basic set up of the store - 10 products, 9 "call for price", 1 "add to cart" ready for testing, paypal, authorize.net , now to start making some money...

Problem: entering product one by one: I'm growing old doing this real fast...

Solution found maybe(!): ezpopulate version 1.2.5.4 (post I read said most reliable)
for my zen-cart 1.3.8a v1.3.8

Trying to follow th install instructions:

1. Change the name of the "admin" directory in this package to suit your zencart installation

my directory is like:

/public_html/admin (so I'm guessing no change necc, I think, ...I'm new, -no "php for dummies" yet)

2. The temp folder is configured to reside in your store directory. If you store is not in the
   site root (eg. /mystore/) then the temp directory must also go in this directory.

(Where is my store directory? I have nothing called "mystore" or "temp")(although I did see a tmp in the root)

3. If you want to re-name the uploads (temp) folder, ensure that you configure Easy Populate to
   reflect this change after installation

(wha?)

4. Upload all files in their respective directories.

(I would if I could find them)

5. Go to Admin -> Tools -> Easy Populate. If prompted to install Easy Populate, click on the
   link provided.

(I would like to get to this point - help needed)

I have a csv file ready to go, maybe...., how many csv values are ideal?

One more question: Is there a way to add a field for % mark up from cost or down from list?
Thank you.

Try
http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/Easy_Populate

Thanks, but I've read that a few times - I am still not sure about the installation yet. Haven't installed any modules yet. My directories don't seem to match the install instructions exactly as I tried to explain before. I have /public_html/admin and no temp. Where should I copy these files (or folders) to? Pretty sure once I get the install right I can run with it - I just don't' want to screw things up first...

In the "TEMP" folder that accompanies EP
No you wont have temp folder UNTIL you install EP..when unzipping file, KEEP FOLDER STRUCTURE INTACT, and upload
to corresponding existing Zencart folders.
BACKUP your zencart AND Database BEFORE installing EP

When you unzip the EP module (1.2.5.4) you will see:

admin (a folder)
temp (a folder)
install.txt (a file)
install.sql (a file)
history.txt (a file)
license.txt (a file)
readme.txt (a file)

Open your FTP program and in the left frame (local machine) navigate to the place where you have the unzipped EP module (see above).

Link to your server in the right frame, and navigate to the directory level where your ZC installation sits... so in the right frame (server) you will see - amongst others perhaps):
admin (a folder)
cache (a folder)
docs (a folder)
download (a folder)
editors (a folder)
email (a folder)
extras (a folder)
images (a folder)
includes (a folder)
media (a folder)
pub (a folder)
(and a whole lot of files)

Highlight admin (folder) and temp (folder) in the left frame and click the FTP arrow that ports it to the right frame.

There is NO NEED to FTP any of the EP FILES - just the admin and temp FOLDERS.

*The reference to changing the name of the admin folder in the EP mod refers to the recommended protocol or re-naming your server admin folder. Renaming the admin folder is a separate issue and relates to security issues - it is well documented in other areas of the forum. If you have NOT renamed your server admin folder then there is no need to change the EP admin folder name.

Let's assume that (at some earlier point) you have done the server admin folder re-name, and it is now called adminabcde

Then, in the EP module, you just rename THAT admin folder to adminabcde as well (so the two folder names MATCH).

This is to make sure that when you click that arrow in your FTP program, the contents of the folders go to the correct locations...*

Anyway... once the FTP of admin and temp is complete, open your webshop admin console and go to tools>>> Easy Populate. Follow the INSTALL procedure given on this screen

Then go to configuration>>>Easy Populate.

(Follow my WIKI instructions from this point).

Thank you.
My directory structure looked a little different(I had other cart installed I was going to play around with, so I just uninstalled them and now the only real difference is a .smilys and a cgi-bin directory.
Anyway, I "uploaded" the admin and temp folder over to the server one at a time, and then also the install.sql file as well(seemed like a good idea, please confirm), and, I am guessing again please confirm, that the new admin folder merged with the existing one on the server, and over wrote the similar files and added new ones?

So, hoping I got it right, I click on the admin-configuration (saw it under tools also) and it says ezpopulate configuration missing-please install your configuration by clicking here.

Should I click on the here link, or did I screw something up?

there is already a screen with fields that says among other things(so it looks like I may be close!):

Upload EP File

Split EP File

fishingmaniac:

Thank you.
My directory structure looked a little different(I had other cart installed I was going to play around with, so I just uninstalled them and now the only real difference is a .smilys and a cgi-bin directory.
Anyway, I "uploaded" the admin and temp folder over to the server one at a time, and then also the install.sql file as well(seemed like a good idea, please confirm), and, I am guessing again please confirm, that the new admin folder merged with the existing one on the server, and over wrote the similar files and added new ones?

So, hoping I got it right, I click on the admin-configuration (saw it under tools also) and it says ezpopulate configuration missing-please install your configuration by clicking here.

Should I click on the here link, or did I screw something up?

I did say there is NO NEED to copy any of the files across... :censored:
Delete them from your server...

please install your configuration by clicking here
Follow what I said in my original post...

I think that's what I did do. Except that I added that install.sql which was in the bottom of the filelist in the ezpop directory, so I just deleted it(there wasn't one there before anyway, so nothing gained or lost I think). :oops:
So, other than that, I think I did good. ?

Plugging along, like a heard of turtles...I get this:
Installation Successfull! A full download of you store has been done and is available in your uploads (temp) directory. You can use this as your 1st template for uploading/updating products.
Success File Full-EP2009Dec30-1212.txt successfully exported! The file is ready for download in your /temp/ directory.

A full download of my store?

*.txt successfully exported and ready for download?

I'm hoping this is what I was supposed to do, and this is what I was supposed to see...

Using FTP, go to your temp folder and FTP this file:
Full-EP2009Dec30-1212.txt
... back to your local drive...

Open MS Excel (or OpenOffice equivalent), then using that program's data IMPORT feature, import Full-EP2009Dec30-1212.txt into Excel...

That file will contain much of your product data and you can use it as an "example" of how Ep works.

Again... read my WIKI...

Seems to be working (whodathunk?) as I can see all my product now. WoW! WayCool.

Thanks!

Now for some serious data entry! Time to try to make changes, export and upload it back (after some more reading of your wiki)

Well,

I got it working and it's a great time saver, if I could only get the distributors to give me the information I need in the format I need it in...but that's my headache.

1. What I never seem to find from the manufacturer is the product weight, and when I do, there's no place to put it in ezpopulate(is there?), and, without it the ups shipping module won't work(right?).

2. Where do I find my new data file to export and how do I export it to make price and description updates, and I wonder if the weights I found and entered manually created a field?

3. Do I understand correctly that there is a more advanced paid for version of e-zpopulate available? Is it worth it? How much?

Thanks

easy Populate DOES handle weight...

v_products_weight

To export your current data, go to the Easy Populate screen in your admin, and using the appropriate LINKS on that screen - either export a DOWNLOAD (which comes straight to your computer), or export the file to the TEMP folder (where you log in via FTP and then FTP it to your hard drive, after which you import it into a spreadsheet).

If you have a LOT of products, then send the file to the TEMP folder, and FTP it back to your hard drive. This helps ensure that the file will not be corrupted during the transfer.

(This exported file SHOULD have the v_products_weight column.)

Yes, all is good! Thank you.

For the record, is there a better, or newer/paid for version?

A "Commercial Module" was available a few years ago, but the author of the module has not been heard of for some time now.

1.2.5.4 is the most reliable version (I have found) and right now, a few forum members are working hard on improving it.

Thanks. I forgot about the links in the bottom of the bottom of the tools->ezpopulate screen. A check box there would make it more obvious for me. Also, FWIW, on that same page, including a brief explanation of the field names and formats and other tips as in your wiki would be very helpful to refer to...

I'm guessing you know who to forward this request to. It works great, but it could use a little minor tweaking/smoothing out/automating in the upload/download conversion processes.
I couldn't find an import button in my 2007 excel like it used to be in the old one, but the new toolbar there has a picture on the left of the data tab that says "from text" [get external data from text] that did it.

Automation for instance:
In filezilla when I right click edit a file it opens up in some program, and afte I edit, save and close it, filezilla asks me if I want to upload the changed file to the server.
If I could only figure out how to make that work using the file from the temp directory created on the server for ezpopulate...

Automation... Ah yes... the panacea to all challenges!

There is a simple rule about automation...

"The simplicity of a procedure is inversely proportional to the sophistication of the software driving it".

Google is a good example... Their main site is a single input field and a "submit" button...

... but look at what it achieves! :D

Hey!
Happy New Year!
I have just received a very large products spread sheet. 40,000 products, with more to come. I read to break up the upload file at 300 or ftp it with upto 8000 product. But is anyone out there using zencart to manage that many successfully? Any limits yet?
This particular list comes with UPC codes. Any solution for entering them, when available as they may not always be available, with ezpopulate or am I risking too much?

A little worried not knowing if when I add a bunch of new items, the new items come up live and ready to check out. (Could be scary if I screwed things up in the file before uploading, not that I could make a mistake). Hoping they come up red...?

Also I think I read that old items that are already listed will be overwritten by new items with the same [part#??]?

If I have SKUs available should I upload them into a field?