Easy Populate vs Easy Populate Advanced

I am not yet finding a clear explanation of what exactly Easy Populate does. Maybe I just need to download and try it. But is Easy Populate Advanced (apparently $65) worth the extra money? If I understand correctly, Advanced will add AND delete products. Does un-advanced not delete?

I am familiar with delimited files and understand that I can take my data and upload my images using it. All sounds reasonable, but before I spend a lot of time, I hope more experienced users can tell me the features of each and compare a little.

If you have a relatively large number of products to upload, then easypopulate is (I believe) essential.

After using it for 4 years, I now manage all my product data in MS Excel spreadsheets (though you can use "Open Office" too). We only make minor changes to products using the zencart product edit interface, but for global price changes, category shifting, etc, easypopulate has saved hundreds of hours.

The advanced version has many more features and I believe is well worth the miniscule $65, as it will save many hundreds of dollars in time charges alone.

Rather than battle along with adding/updating one product at a time, manage everything in spreadsheets - and devote your time to marketing your website, attracting customers, encouraging sales...

advanced version has many more features
Does that include ability to add downloads/zip files details
into an attributes column please?

Thanks Schoolboy. That is helpful. Has anyone seen a side by side comparison of features as is common with most software sites? I didn't find one on their site.

(Misty's question...) Attributes.

Yes. The advanced version will import/export:-

**
Data Files** - - - - - - - - - - Data Templates
Extended Store - - - - - - -Extended Store
Store - - - - - - - - - - - - - Store
Price & Qty - - - - - - - - - -Price & Qty
Product Categories - - - - -Product Categories
Google Base - - - - - - - - -N/A
Attributes - - - - - - - - - - -Attributes
Metatags - - - - - - - - - - - Metatags
Categories - - - - - - - - - - Categories

Bestfoot... please note: Easypopulate does not "upload" the actual image files. It simply inserts new (or updates existing) product data into the database. So it loads the primary image reference associated with the product, but the actual image is uploaded as a binary file using FTP.

Fundamentally, it uses key ID data to ensure that a product is either NEW, or is an EXISTING product that needs UPDATING. Principally, this key ID field is the product MODEL number.

So, if you had a range of products where the price increased by 10%, you could use easypopulate to EXPORT your product data (in this case, I would select "Price & Qty" - see table above).

Then, using MS Excel, apply new prices to all relevant products (much easier in a spreadsheet) and DELETE all remaining products in the spreadsheet (remember, you've exported your entire product dbase).

Save the spreadsheet as a tab-delimeted file, and re-import via easypopulate into your dbase. Easypopulate will recognise that the product MODEL number already exists in the database, and will overwrite the old price with the new price. It then reports what it has done (product line by product line) and flags any errors.

As far as DELETING products is concerned, you would use the STATUS field to do this; I think the selectors are "0" = inactive product, "1" = active product and "9" = delete product. (Please check this first!)

Believe me, this mod does what it says on the box! It's well worth the few $ if you have a large store with complex product parameters. It has saved me hundreds of hours over the years which must equate to a couple of thousand pounds in time alone!

BTW...

I would advise that you set up a TEST shop first, try all the features of EP in the test environment, then when you know how it works, use it in your live store.

(As always, do a backup of your shop before modifying the dbase - and as EP modifies the dbase, a prior backup is simple common sense.)

bestfoot:

I am not yet finding a clear explanation of what exactly Easy Populate does. Maybe I just need to download and try it. But is Easy Populate Advanced (apparently $65) worth the extra money? If I understand correctly, Advanced will add AND delete products. Does un-advanced not delete?

I am familiar with delimited files and understand that I can take my data and upload my images using it. All sounds reasonable, but before I spend a lot of time, I hope more experienced users can tell me the features of each and compare a little.

You may wish to read a note I posted here

TO summarize, unless you are absolutely certain you need what it can do,

and are fully confident you can "do it yourself"

You may wish to give further thought to the investment.

Wheat

Suggest you try Easy Populate FREE version first,
rather than spend dollars on something you may not require.

wheat:

You may wish to read a note I posted here

TO summarize, unless you are absolutely certain you need what it can do,

and are fully confident you can "do it yourself"

You may wish to give further thought to the investment.

Wheat

I'm really sorry to hear that you experienced problems with easypopulate... All I can say is that I have been using it (standard and advanced) for several years, and it has always behaved impeccably for my needs - I've never had problems.

I cannot get advanced to work. I understand that it isn't supported here ... but I cannot load the advanced site due to a current firewall limit (in a 3rd party location and for some reason they block it). I find the message I am getting most confusing.

No Primary Index defined

Before you can use Easy Populate you must set your primary index in the configuration area. The primary index is the reference that you use to manage updates to your store. You can chose from either the product model value (products_model in Zen Cart) or the Zen Cart product data table index (products_id).

I cannot for the life of me figure out where this is in the "configuration area". What configuration area?

Never mind, now I see at the bottom of configuration the easy populate menu choice ....

I swear it wasn't there initially. I wonder if I needed a reload or something ... or was I just missing it?

configuration > easy populate (last choice on my menu) and I can take it from there.

That IS covered in the EPA installation instructions, quite specifically in fact.

I suggest you go back and read them one-line at a time.

schoolboy:

I'm really sorry to hear that you experienced problems with easypopulate... All I can say is that I have been using it (standard and advanced) for several years, and it has always behaved impeccably for my needs - I've never had problems.

I like it too, and after working all day Sunday with Free version, found I really did want certain features.

It would be nice if EPA would create categories as the Free Version seems to be able to, but for many users that may not be a important.

It would be nice if the seller of EPA would do some support other than telling us how sorry he is that he is too busy to work on the mod.

It would be nice if I was smarter about DB structure and knew that my bright idea on product numbering was going to cause a major issue.

For "many" of those I work with, the Free Version will be extremely adequate, for my own projects, advanced is going to be a necessity.

And, my advice that unless the buyer is absolutely certain they need the features of Advanced and are confident they will not need support, they should leave their money in their own pocket and use the Free version.

Wheat
http:/www.wheatcarr.com

schoolboy:

All I can say is that I have been using it (standard and advanced) for several years, and it has always behaved impeccably for my needs - I've never had problems.

Are you saying there is a way to have BOTH the free and the advanced function in the same ZenCart?

Hi iam a newbie here iam confused??? I think i downloaded Easy Populate Advance2.76d for free in the downloads section??? Is this a full version i downloaded or a demo?

Iam running Zen Cart 1.3.8a, with stock by attributes and improved attributes.

I Been having prroblems with easy populate, not as easy as the name hinted to me LOL, me new here and learning as i go.

My website is https://www.shulab.co.uk Basically all i want to do is add a product in a catagoery, and each product i want to have different sizes as in "Different variants, and each size define how much stock in each size, as in "Stock by attrubutes"

So should i use a earlier version of easy populate? Would it be easier to use?
Or could anybody give me a quick walk throgh as iam getting so stressed & confused, read the Wiki guie dont seem to help.

Oh forgot to mention my version of easy populate is tools> easy populate (last choice on my menu) and not in configuration > easy populate (last choice on my menu) does this make any difference???

i downloaded Easy Populate Advance2.76d for free in the downloads section
:no:
Free Version 1.2.5.4. works fine with zencart 1.3.8.a.
from
http://modhole.com/modhole/index.php?module=documents&JAS_DocumentManager_op=viewDocument&JAS_Document_id=2&4a518f10f450e0719f940c2fab0a7c46=43df39a8dc8b460c8b11034d58f7ea8d

Hi, thanx for getting back to me. Tries taking off Easy Populate Advance2.76d and installing EP_v1.2.5.4 through the link u gave me.

But i get the error Fatal error: Class 'tableBlock' not found in /home/beac2116/public_html/shulab.co.uk/admin/includes/classes/box.php on line 27

Should EP_v1.2.5.4 have a tableblock file for admin/includes/classes/box.php

None says 1.3.8a compatible
I recommended 1.2.5.4 because used it myself on
zencart 1.3/1.3.8a, and can verify that version works.
:smile:

Does the advanced version support Music product?
all my products are music products and when i add items using EP they automatically get added as a General Product. Where can i specify that things need to be uploaded as "music product"?