updating via csv

[locks&safes]

Having pretty much finished building an ecommerce website using actinic, I now need some way for our retail department to make changes.

I have told our retail manager that all they will have to do to keep the e-store prices, etc, current is to keep a spreadsheet up-to-date.

Ideally I would like them to be able to edit an excel file which I can import to make necessary changes and update the site.

I have exported the site as a hierarchical file (*.csv), this can be imported and I have found will update the site no problem. However, if it is opened using excel & then saved (without making any changes whatsoever) it is corrupted by the extra inform excel adds.

How can I make it possible for my retail department to update the online shop, directly or indirectly, via the csv file?

Cheers,

Tony

[wjcampbe]

Actually - its not the extra info Excel adds - its excel not adding commas for blank cells at the end of the line.

To keep stock updated, you do not need all the fields in the export file, only the Product Reference, quantity and price fields and use import, flat file, update.

If they will change descriptions or add new products using the spreadsheet it does get more complicated and probably need the full import file.

[Darren B]

Bill

Tagging on here, can i export just the product reference and price, then up date this and import back using flat file.

Could help me out no end if i can

Cheers
Darren

[wjcampbe]

Your export will be the full heirarchical file, you don't get an option - but only two columns [Product Reference] and [Section Text] are essential to a flat file import. Keep these two, your price and quantity columns - then add a new last column [I always call mine Dummy] and make sure that last column is always full of 0's to force excel to produce the right number of commas.

You can actually name each column aything that makes sense to the people filling it in. When you import the data, you 'map' each of your columns to the Actinic data field, save the mapping to use again and off you go.

As always, snapshot before you start. If you have a huge number of errors, reimport that snapshot, correct whatever you did wrong, and do the import again.

When you have it running, it's smooth as silk, and for simple stock and price stuff it's actually easy to set up. The one bugbear - prices MUST be in pennies - no decimal points....

[Jan]

Tagging on here, can i export just the product reference and price, then up date this and import back using flat file.

Our profit and pricing tool will do this, I'm adding a batch import to my product at the moment and also adding the ability to import stock details, so I should have an easily automated price, stock import export soon.

Another option would be to use the Actinic froogle feed, you would need to multiple the prices by 100 before importing it though.

Regards,

[locks&safes]

Actually - its not the extra info Excel adds - its excel not adding commas for blank cells at the end of the line.

To keep stock updated, you do not need all the fields in the export file, only the Product Reference, quantity and price fields and use import, flat file, update.

If they will change descriptions or add new products using the spreadsheet it does get more complicated and probably need the full import file.

When i try and import the data as a flat file it asks for the Section Text field.

..but only two columns [Product Reference] and [Section Text] are essential to a flat file import. Keep these two, your price and quantity columns ...

The Section Text field is not included in the exported file.
so how can this field be generate?
Also the Product reference is not recognised by the flat file import map.

It all sounds so easy until I try and do it, and then nothing is as described.
does anyone have any ideas...?

i have updated my version of actinic so i am using the latest version.

[TraceyG]

Hi,

The Section Text field is not included in the exported file

It is the same as the 'Section Name' field

Also the Product reference is not recognised by the flat file import map

Go to 'Settings | Business Settings | Options' and untick 'Auto-generate Product References' and it will then recognise them.

[gerald]

Flat File import does not work with Components

If you use Components you cannot import Flat Files.