EasyPopulate 4.0 Support Thread

chrysalid:

Hi Chadd,
Before I download and install this version, how do I uninstall the one I have??
Thanks,
Amber

Hi Amber,

EP4 has been completed forked from other/earlier versions so you can install EP4 along side them. HOWEVER!!!! There are some differences in the import files and they are not directly cross-compatible with other versions!

To uninstall your old EP version you would need to do two things:

1. Run the SQL uninstall code in Tools -> Install SQL Patches
2. Use a FTP program or the file manager from within your website's Cpanel and delete all the old files.

You have to be very careful doing both! You don't want to accidentally delete some key zencart php file!

-chadd

comsystics:

I am getting an error when I try to import my file that says "no category provided for this new product", what am I doing wrong?
Thanks

What this means is that you have a new v_products_model, but do not have an entry under v_categories_name_1.
So you get the error because EP4 doesn't know where to put the new product in the category tree.

-chadd

Keezee:

Chad,
Just wanted to stop by and say thank you again for all of your hard work! Your labors have made my life a lot easier!
I finally updated EP4 and the Attributes upgrades are amazing, thank you.
I've been using EP4 for all of my import/export needs for over a year.
So, again... thank you Chad!

Hi Keezee!
Thank you for the kind words! It's good to hear that people are successfully using EP4 and especially that the attribute imports are working as designed.

-chadd

akjim62:

I have a client who asked me to take over managing products on there ZenCart, and I am trying to get the EasyPopulate 4 to work. I do not see the EasyPopulate 4 option under the Configuration Menu, or Tools Menu after copying all the files to where I think they belong. The root of the site is /web, the admin folder is located at /web/catalog/admin, there is a temp folder at /web/catalog/admin/temp, and at /web/catalog/temp, and /web/temp. The store is located at /web/store, includes are located at /web/catalog/includes, and boxes/extra_boxes is under includes. Can anyone help me figure out why I do not see the EasyPopulate option under Configuration? Thanks. SunOS 5.10, PHP Version 4.4.8, MySQL 4.1.22, ZenCart 1.3.9d.

You need to install EP4 into your admin directory. From your post this looks to be /web/catalog/admin...You can configure your temp directory after install. If you are still stuck, send me a PM and I'll try to help offline.

-chadd

heteromorphic:

Yes, I think you are right! Is the import corrupted if quotes are used? (i.e. "word")?

No, not with normal quotes. HOWEVER, on some UTF-8 systems "Character 0x92" can cause odd problems. You should have under your Configure -> Easy Populate 4 "Convert Character 0x92" set to 1.

I have seen this odd character cause truncating of descriptions. Be sure you are using the correct character set for your store and have support in your database.

Also, if you use Open Office when you export your CSV, you will properly encapsulate your text fields. This will allow you to use double and single quotes in your descriptions, and it will not break the import. Open Office will also let you select your target character encoding on export. Excel won't. Depending on the version of Excel you use, I cannot guarantee what works with what version.

-chadd

After downloading a fullep spreadsheet I noticed some headings that are new, as compared to previous EP spreadsheets.
v_metatags_products_name_status
v_metatags_title_status
v_metatags_model_status
v_metatags_price_status
v_metatags_title_tagline_status
v_metatags_title_1
v_metatags_keywords_1
v_metatags_description_1

all of the _status fields contained a 0
the remainder were blank

So educate me here. What should the status be for new products that I want to add to my site?
Can I use the v_metatags_title_1, v_metatags_keywords_1, v_metatags_description_1 fields to add metatag info instead of doing it manually through the Admin area?

Serious:

After downloading a fullep spreadsheet I noticed some headings that are new, as compared to previous EP spreadsheets.
v_metatags_products_name_status
v_metatags_title_status
v_metatags_model_status
v_metatags_price_status
v_metatags_title_tagline_status
v_metatags_title_1
v_metatags_keywords_1
v_metatags_description_1

all of the _status fields contained a 0
the remainder were blank

So educate me here. What should the status be for new products that I want to add to my site?
Can I use the v_metatags_title_1, v_metatags_keywords_1, v_metatags_description_1 fields to add metatag info instead of doing it manually through the Admin area?

The _status columns are either 0=off or 1=on and the others are text entries. How you use these is up to you. Configure meta tags for a product from within the admin, then export so you have a template of what to set the status's to.

These column are used to populate your metatag information. I think Phazie was the original contributor of this code.

Not that there is an option in Configuration -> Easy Populate 4 to turn off the meta tag field to reduce your export file size for when you aren't working on meta tags.

-chadd

chadderuski:

Separate the fields with a comma, but do not add spaces, for example: field1,field2,field3
Do not add quotes either.

Your sheet will then export with columns for these fields as: v_field1, v_field2, v_field3

Let me know how that works for you!
-chadd

Hey that worked . Just installed EP4 , hoping to use it to the fullest.

Thanks Chadd !

Another guy having a problem with product descriptions.

I went to Admin/Configuration/All Listings/Display Product Description and changed the value from 150 to 900. No change.

Descriptions still getting cut off.

Thanks Chadd, I did put the files in the /web/catalog/admin folder, but I don't see any changes to the menus. I also uploaded a FedEx shipping module to /web/store/includes/modules/shipping and don't see that either, and when I did that, it removed all the shipping options from the menu that used to be available. I wish I knew exactly how this was originally set up.

Serious:

Another guy having a problem with product descriptions.

I went to Admin/Configuration/All Listings/Display Product Description and changed the value from 150 to 900. No change.

Descriptions still getting cut off.

I'm going to need to see the .csv file you are using. Can you attached the portion that you know contains the problem description?

Like I said above, I've only seen this when three is a "funky" character in the product descriptions that breaks the csv layout.
Are you using OpenOffice to export the CSV?

Thanks.

akjim62:

Thanks Chadd, I did put the files in the /web/catalog/admin folder, but I don't see any changes to the menus. I also uploaded a FedEx shipping module to /web/store/includes/modules/shipping and don't see that either, and when I did that, it removed all the shipping options from the menu that used to be available. I wish I knew exactly how this was originally set up.

Do you have a backup of your store? Was this a fresh install of 1.5 or older/upgraded version? It sound like something got FUBAR'd ... how did you install zencart? Manually or via a cpanel auto script?

Always best to do a manual install.

-chadd

i am using easy populate and its all quite easy, but how do i set the price of an item to Call for price rather than putting the price in?

haberdashery:

i am using easy populate and its all quite easy, but how do i set the price of an item to Call for price rather than putting the price in?

look for the column: v_product_is_call
put a 1 in that column to turn on "call for pricing" ... depending on how you have your store setup, this should work!

I am new to Easy Populate and have used any kind of software like EP before so please bear with me. I would like to know whether I need to create the categories in ZC before I upload a file or if I need to create a column in EP for the different categories. Ex. I am a licensed gun dealer and want to make sure that when I upload files that semi auto handguns go into the category in ZC for semi auto handguns and not in the revolvers section etc. Any help is greatly appreciated.

chadderuski:

I'm going to need to see the .csv file you are using. Can you attached the portion that you know contains the problem description?

Like I said above, I've only seen this when three is a "funky" character in the product descriptions that breaks the csv layout.
Are you using OpenOffice to export the CSV?

Thanks.
Yes I'm using Open Office.

I tried uploading a sample file with a .CVS file extension but got an error message saying it was an invalid file type...so I'm clueless as to how to post it here.

Trying to gather info on adding/replacing a field name and found this:

chadderuski:

The main work is in the** includes/functions/extra_functions/easy_populate_4.php** file

Go down to the function ep_4_set_filelayout() function. You are going to add layout entries to the "full" case.

Look a the entries for:

  if ($ep_supported_mods['upc'] == true) { // UPC Mod
  	$filelayout[] = 'v_products_upc'; 
  }

And a little further down:

            $filelayout_sql = 'SELECT ....
  if ($ep_supported_mods['upc'] == true) { // UPC Code mod
  	$filelayout_sql .=  'p.products_upc as v_products_upc,'; 
  }

Basically you are going to create your own mod, and add your file layout and sql statements here.

You will need to define your mod in the easypopulate_4.php file, and then there are a number of additional edits to the easypopulate_4_import.php file.

If this is beyond your php knowledge, PM me a list of the field names as they appear in your products table and their field types. Verify them with phpMyAdmin.

But you should be able to puzzle it out easily enough... $ep_supported_mods[] is how I switch on entries for these mods. So they are found pretty easily.

-chadd
Can I safely assume that the file in bold blue should actually be ADMIN/includes/functions/extra_functions/easy_populate_4.php or am i missing a file?

Figured out that I need to zip the .csv file first.
So here's 1 file that I downloaded
Attachment #11255

With the previous version of EP I replaced the v_products_weight with **v_products_shipping_code
**. This field is used to enter a shipping code that I create/assign with Ceon Adv. Shipper.

So based on my question immediately above this post, can I simply edit ADMIN/includes/functions/extra_functions/easy_populate_4.php so that all instances of v_products_weight is replaced with v_products_shipping_code?

Hi
I'm new to this and I'm having an issue with the Easy Populate Addon.
I have uploaded all the files but when I go to Admin/Tools there is no Easy Populate there.

What have i missed or done wrong?
Any help would be appreciated.

bnesupplies:

Hi
I'm new to this and I'm having an issue with the Easy Populate Addon.
I have uploaded all the files but when I go to Admin/Tools there is no Easy Populate there.

What have i missed or done wrong?
Any help would be appreciated.

Hi, below is what I just posted on your other thread, hope it helps.

=======================
Easy Populate 4 has installed flawlessly for me on zencart versions 1.3.9h, 1.5.0 and 1.5.1

1. Are you SURE you uploaded all files and correctly? The readme suggests that this is not the case if EP4 does not appear in admin/tools. This plugin comes with two sets of files, both of which must be uploaded. Specifically, did you upload the secondary file set for zencart 1.5 called "zencart 1.5 extra files"?

2. Easy Populate 4 does not come with a sql patch, as it (apparently) self installs.

3. Once you get this or any easypopulate working, make sure you back-up your database before every easy populate upload. The Easy Populates work as intended in my experience, but sometimes operator error working with the spead sheets occurs. The readme recommends DrByte's data base backup plugin, which is the one we use for easy DB backups, and if necessary, quick restores, just in case.