Google Base Feeder Support Thread [OLD]

raunharman:

Google has a link to shopping on its search engine where it lists various products. Sort of product listings and comparisons.
So, if you want to get customers through Google, you need to list your products there.
But how do you get your products listed there.
This is where Google Base feeder (earlier Froogle) and now Google Merchant feeder comes in.
Using Google Base feeder or Google Merchant Feeder, you can prepare a file in xml format (which is the standard accepted by Google) and upload to the Google Merchant centre.
Useful module as it gets your products into Google listings. Sort of better than SEO.

Many thanks indeed for that thorough explanation - good stuff !!

regards,
Mike

After adding gender and age group via attributes to my store items, I still do not see them in my feed. Is there a setting that I am missing in admin or something. I chose radio buttons for the type and I am running Zen Cart 1.3.9h and GMCF 1.10.3.

Can I take the liberty of running 1.10.2 directly after 1.8.3 for another website?

I was running 1.7.4 on one of my sites and I updated directly. Worked fine.

Yeah, me too on a couple sites. If you're upgrading GOOGLE MERCHANT FEEDER, then no, I wouldn't uninstall fisrt.

But if you're running GOOGLE BASE (FROOGLE) FEEDER, I would uninstall. Then install GOOGLE MERCHANT FEEDER.

But I would take a couple screenshots of the configuration first so I don't have to look up all the settings again. :yes:

After adding gender and age group via attributes to my store items, I still do not see them in my feed. Is there a setting that I am missing in admin or something. I chose radio buttons for the type and I am running Zen Cart 1.3.9h and GMCF 1.10.3.

I've been working on the same thing. One step I haven't gotten to yet, creating stock id's. I'll let you know if it helps, once I get it done. I have four variables I'm trying to add.

Do I have to download another add on to get these Stock ID's or is there somewhere to assign them in the admin? :smile:

Looks like it would be this:

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=310

At least that's the way it currently reads on the change log. Pretty huge contribution. I may hold off and see what happens? Unless others have another suggestion? I may just stick with Google / Bing search and not worry about Google Shopping yet, at least for this one site?

The change log says:
Notes:
This version only partially satisfies the new requirements set out by Google which will come into effect on September 22nd, 2011. In particular, all of the variant attributes for apparel are not yet supported. To prepare for the next update, begin making "read-only" attributes in your Zen Cart admin and set the option name to the name of the variant attribute (i.e. Age Group, Material, Size, Color, Pattern, Gender, etc). The final version of our module will require Stock by Attributes (SBA) to be installed and stock IDs to be created for each of the product variations that you offer. A bug in SBA prevents us from moving forward with this plan due to the fact that read-only attributes cannot be used with SBA. We are working on our own version of SBA which we will continue to support through the Numinix.com website as soon as it is ready, The Google Merchant Center Feeder will automatically begin using these attributes.

However, if you set up these attributes to NOT be read-only and create stock IDs for all of your combinations including these attributes, GMCF will automatically begin using them in version 1.10.2.

Modified
/docs/google_merchant_center/readme.html
/googlefroogle.php
/includes/classes/google_base.php
/install.sql
/module_version/google_merchant_center_feeder.txt

Added
/update_1_10_2.sql

saplanet:

The change log says:
Notes:
This version only partially satisfies the new requirements set out by Google which will come into effect on September 22nd, 2011. In particular, all of the variant attributes for apparel are not yet supported. To prepare for the next update, begin making "read-only" attributes in your Zen Cart admin and set the option name to the name of the variant attribute (i.e. Age Group, Material, Size, Color, Pattern, Gender, etc). The final version of our module will require Stock by Attributes (SBA) to be installed and stock IDs to be created for each of the product variations that you offer. A bug in SBA prevents us from moving forward with this plan due to the fact that read-only attributes cannot be used with SBA. We are working on our own version of SBA which we will continue to support through the Numinix.com website as soon as it is ready, The Google Merchant Center Feeder will automatically begin using these attributes.

However, if you set up these attributes to NOT be read-only and create stock IDs for all of your combinations including these attributes, GMCF will automatically begin using them in version 1.10.2.

Modified
/docs/google_merchant_center/readme.html
/googlefroogle.php
/includes/classes/google_base.php
/install.sql
/module_version/google_merchant_center_feeder.txt

Added
/update_1_10_2.sql

Hi, does anyone know how I set up a stock ID foe each combination in SBA?
Does this mean ech combination can have its own SKU?
Thanks! :-)

Does any one have a copy of the old Auction Site Attributes module? I am working on the idea of combining this and changing it so that it can be used for the "Google Product Category".
But can no longer find the mod for download.

I installed the lastest version 1.10.3 of the google merchant feeder, but some key factors like MPN, availability and google product category are missing, what should I do??

please help

Greetings!

I have a site that is currently running Zen Cart 1.3.9h. It was running Google Base Feeder 1.7.0. I upgraded it to v1.10.2 by uploading the new files and running the SQL update files. The issue I'm having is that the Google Merchant Feeder Configuration option does not appear under the Admin > Configuration menu. The option to create the feed shows up properly under Admin > Tools. The Admin > Configuration option was showing up prior to the attempted upgrade.

I looked in phpMyAdmin and found that the configuration group appears to be fine under zen_configuration_group and the configuration items for GMCF show up under zen_configuration. The configuration items are properly linked with the same configuration_group_id value as the configuration group.

I looked at the debug files under the /cache folder and found no references to any issues with the admin files. I found a site that gives the SQL commands to create a new item under Admin > Configuration and to add an item to the new configuration. However, my test configuration item does not show up either.

Does anyone know where to start on this one?

Thanks!

Attachment #9673

Google Product Category on a per product bases.

This needs some cleaning up but it works and does the job.

It will only work if you have had AUCTION SITE ATTRIBUTES module installed in the past

Google Product Category on a per product bases
The files change Google Merchant Center Feeder and Numinix Products Fields
This adds a field for the new required Google Product Category on a per product bases.
It will only work if you have had AUCTION SITE ATTRIBUTES module in the past. Needs someone to write a SQL install for people that have never had Auction Site Attributes installed I cannot find the old one.
Requires NUMINIX PRODUCT FIELDS.
WARNINGS
This code will need cleaning as I am no coder but it works and does the job.
For some reason it adds duplicate UPC: ISBN: EAN: ASIN: fields to product listings page. Using the bottom ones seems to work.

sjbglx:

I installed the lastest version 1.10.3 of the google merchant feeder, but some key factors like MPN, availability and google product category are missing, what should I do??

please help

I included Model number and solved the MPN problem, I put google product category default entry and solved the problem as well, but right now the only concern is my feed file doesn't have "avaialbility " tag, how to generat this? can anybody advice??

thank you

sjbglx:

I included Model number and solved the MPN problem, I put google product category default entry and solved the problem as well, but right now the only concern is my feed file doesn't have "avaialbility " tag, how to generat this? can anybody advice??

thank you

If I recall correctly, there's "Show Quantity" and "Include Zero-Quantity" values that either one or both of them need to be turned on. I remember modifying a copy of v.1.7.0 to include the <g:availability> tag. I turned both of them on to make it work, but I didn't do extensive testing to see if I could have gotten by with one or the other. I'd probably try including zero-quantity items first if you really don't want to show the quantity in the feed. If that doesn't help, try turning on the Show Quantity option. I think they are both set to 'false' by default. That should do it for you.

tromak:

If I recall correctly, there's "Show Quantity" and "Include Zero-Quantity" values that either one or both of them need to be turned on. I remember modifying a copy of v.1.7.0 to include the <g:availability> tag. I turned both of them on to make it work, but I didn't do extensive testing to see if I could have gotten by with one or the other. I'd probably try including zero-quantity items first if you really don't want to show the quantity in the feed. If that doesn't help, try turning on the Show Quantity option. I think they are both set to 'false' by default. That should do it for you.

With your advice the problem is also solved immediately !
thank you so much !!:clap:

Further question, I got 720 products in my feeder file but google only take 526, I am still kooking for a reason for this............

sjbglx:

With your advice the problem is also solved immediately !
thank you so much !!:clap:

Further question, I got 720 products in my feeder file but google only take 526, I am still kooking for a reason for this............

What error messages is Google giving you? I'm sorry if you've already posted this.

tromak:

What error messages is Google giving you? I'm sorry if you've already posted this.

no much error message. and this is only thing I got:

Missing recommended attribute: image link (2 warnings)

I generate the xml file in zencart google merchant center and it says 705 records in total, and then I upload to google but only got 566 records and a missing image link warning.

What caused this? and how to find the broken image link in such a huge xml file ?

can anybody advice?

Thank you!!

Run it in DEBUG mode and scroll through to find the image error. (as well as any others)

This could also be caused by a 'blank' NONE image. It's best to at least have something in the image field - even if it's a 'Image Soon'

Although, you should have an image on each product... Makes it easier to compare products when people are looking.

If you used the easy-populate add-on, do a full export and you can find it that way as well - scanning the 'image' column.

Good luck.

Fez-o Joe:

Run it in DEBUG mode and scroll through to find the image error. (as well as any others)

This could also be caused by a 'blank' NONE image. It's best to at least have something in the image field - even if it's a 'Image Soon'

Although, you should have an image on each product... Makes it easier to compare products when people are looking.

If you used the easy-populate add-on, do a full export and you can find it that way as well - scanning the 'image' column.

Good luck.

Thank you. I figured out the broken image links by using Apsona addon. In Apsona, I choose all products, export image link and products ID fields as a csv file, and very easy to locate those produts without image since those bad ones will be in the first rows so I fixed those products within seconds, and generate another xml file , upload again, guess what? this time, one fix solved 2 problems, now I have total 705 products uploaded without any problem. no warning message at all!

In the review, It looks like google taking my products one by one, and once it runs into a bad record, in my case for example, product without image link, looks like google will not skip it, instead, it will stop taking other good records, thus cuased it stays at the 566th product and report only 566 inserted. Once I fixed the broken image link, google will keep moving on until it takes all records.

Thank you for your prompt help and hope my case can help other guys.:smile:

Attachment #9675
This allows you to enter Google Product Types on a per product basis. Note will only work if you had ASA mod installed before.
Cleaned up the googlefroogle.php since the last up load this now passes 100% for Google Product Types.
I should have said last time this works with Google Merchant Center version 1.10.2 should work with 1.10.3 just merge changes in googlefroogle.php

**Found another reason why some products not exported to XML file.
**
For some time I have been unable to get all of my products included in the XML file. I realise that there are a large number of factors influencing this and I think I have taken all of them into account.

The only way I have found to get one of my new products included is to temporarily reduce its product name to a maximum of 28 characters and edit the exported XML back to the original name length.

The problem is it seems to be only relevant to that one product. i.e. renaming an existing product with a shorter name to >28 char still works. Can't figure it out. One thing that seemed to make a difference initially was how the new product was generated - creating a new one or copying an exisitng one. Can't seem to replicate this though. Additionally the missing product didn't appear in the debug file at all.

Anyway, I would be interested to hear if anyone else has resolved the XML inclusion problem in the same way. In the meantime I'll try to replicate the problem more thoroughly on my local copy.