Automated one product per section

[fleetwood]

An added option within 'create a new product', to automatically create a corresponding new section, populating the title, image and page name fields automatically, by referencing the product data. Then automatically placing the product in the new section.
Effectively cuts the highly time consuming workload involved in implementing one product per section in half.

An extension of this idea - automatically create a listings page from a selected group of products - allow selection of a group of products, with the ability to automatically create corresponding sections (as above), and then place all of these new sections under a new listing section, complete with duplicate products to create the page listing (ie automating the manual procedure for this laid out in the AUG)

[cdicken]

Hi Martin

A useful tip when you are importing a flat file is that you can map a field in your import file to more than one field in Actinic. So you can map your 'Product Name' section to both 'Short Description' and 'Section Name' and also do something simialr with product images. This will automatically put each product within its own section.

[fleetwood]

Hi Chris

OK, thats gone a little bit over my head!
If you can automate the process via import/export, please could you give me that in a little more detail, as I don't update the database this way at present.

I need to update the site with around 100 new additions each week, alongside any changes to the existing products. We don't currently use one product per section, but would like to.
My current way of working is to keep a number of pre-set products, which I copy & paste in batches, then edit in the title, price, description, image etc, one product at a time.

Looking towards changing to one product per section, my workload would double, in that not only would I have to create a new product per item, but also a new section to put that product into. This is made even more difficult in that I cannot simply copy a ready-to-use pre-defined section as I do with my products, as this would result in the page name of copy_of_blah_blah.html.

What I was suggesting was a method whereby I can create the new product, and have the section that it needs to go into created for me, with the section fields populated by reference to the product.

If there already exists a method to do this via flat file imports, please could you explain in more detail.

Many thanks

[cdicken]

OK

Have you ever done a flat file import before? Basically - I suggest adding all your new products into an Excel spreadsheet, and then importing this into Actinic. That way, it will automatically create sub-sections.

Create a spreadsheet with the following fields:

• Section page name (what you want the section to be called online)
• Product Reference
• Short Description
• Product Description
• Price - must be in pence
• Image Filename - must be a path, not just a filename (unless the image is in your Site1 folder)
• Stock checks enabled - either '1' or '0' - optional
• Stock in hand - optional

Just try it with with one product to begin with.

Save the file as a CSV file, then all you need to do duting the import is map the 'Short Description' field to the 'Section Text' field (it will already be mapped to 'Short Description') using drag and drop within the 'Mappings' panel in the wizard.

[completerookie]

if this works, then it MUST be one for the AUG !

[fleetwood]

Chris Dicken you marvel - it works

I wonder how many peeps realised you can do this?
Was I the only one (along with completerookie) in the dark?

Considering there has been so much talk of one product per section on the forum, this is a glaring omission from the AUG (the fact that you can automatically create a section from a product). The nearest it gets (in the version I have at any rate) is how to make a listings page using extended information pop ups.
I have never actually used file imports to update my products before, and this is a real eye opener - especially the mapping of the same data to more than one field, and the automatic creation of sections. I really ought to read the built in HELP more thoroughly, rather than just going through the AUG - D'OH!
Anyway, one of the best things I've learn't this year!
(Now don't go and ruin it and tell me this was spelled out in the AUG all along!)
Many many thanks

[cdicken]

Don't worry - that solution has never been written down before. It only really occured to me with this thread. I'll add it to the Advanced User Guide.

[fleetwood]

Have been playing around with the import/ export feature and read the help files, but have hit a small problem.

As an example, if I wish to update prices on existing products, all I need is a simple export containing section text, product ref, product short description and price.
As far as I can see, export only produces a hierachicial file - you can't export a flat file.
Now I can see how to trim the hierachicial file, by sorting and deleting all non-product rows, and non-relevant columns, but this trimmed down file dosen't include the section text, so I then can't use this to re-import my changes.

Is there any way of producing a simple export that includes the section text and product ref in a single row?

If not, what is the 'normal' process for performing simple updates on existing products.

I have read Help, but I can't find a method that produces a file that will allow me to edit, and then re-import in a flat file.
Is the only way to export and import a full hierachicial file, just to change a few prices, or is there an easier way?

If you would prefer this moved to a non-wish list thread, please let me know, and I will delete and re-enter

[Duncan Rounding]

Perhaps external linking would be the answer to pricing updates.

[fleetwood]

Thanks Duncan
I shall return to the help files tonight to read up on external linking
Was hoping to keep it as simple as possible, as our database is under constant change (100-200 new periodicals per week to add in) plus probably the same number of changes to existing products.

[Jan]

Could you export a froogle feed and extract the information from that?

Regards,

[fleetwood]

Hi Jan
I tried that but the froogle feed dosen't contain the section text per se.
The nearest it gets is the URL, which has the section text at the end (..../this_section.html), but its a bit messy having to extract the section text from that.

[Jan]

You only need to include the section text if you autogenerate product references. If you are generating them yourself you can miss out that field. Otherwise you will be stuck I think.

We are adding a generic product export to our Product mash program but it isn't done yet, you could use the affiliate window export though, there is an option in there to export the category as the section tree, it uses > as a delimitor but that would be easy enough to change with a global find and replace.

Regards,

[fleetwood]

Thanks Jan
I shall have another look tonight

[fleetwood]

OK, that did it - thanks Jan
It was the 'turn off auto generate numbers' that I was missing!
With this done, you don't need the section text to import a flat file.
Marvellous

Its amazing that I've been using this software for 4 years, and never realised you could do all this!

Hows that for a neat thread.
I started off making a wish, and lo, it was granted, without even a new beta release