Thumbnail image incorrect but no errors

[Paul Cooper]

V9.02 - I have known for a while that when doing a flat file import for new products, if you have an image file name or an extended image file name that cannot be found, the import routine will list the appropriate errors. However, if you have a thumbnail image that cannot be found, there are no errors and the product is simply ignored during the import.

The reason for raising it here is that I have just had a customer wishing to purchase a product that had the add to cart button but had no price displayed. My Excel spreadsheet was all correct but the pricing data was not transfering to Actinic during a flat import. I changed the product description in Excel but the changes again did not appear in Actinic. I eventually found that the thumbnail image file was missing (I can only guess I deleted it from the site1 folder by mistake during a tidy up), having replaced it all was working again quite happily.

I don't know when this thumbnail image went missing but it looks very likely that some lucky customers have been purchasing this £57 item for nothing. So, can Actinic add an error message when a thumbnail image file cannot be found during import or is there a way to stop products with zero value from being added to the cart? This is just in case it happens again.

Paul
http://www.technobots.co.uk

[Paul Bulpit]

Not helping with the topic, but:

it looks very likely that some lucky customers have been purchasing this £57 item for nothing

Does nobody glance at your invoices then?

I got Duncan to re-jig our Packing List to include prices, as we have B&M sales as well, then the pickers point out 'Oi! This item has got a different price on it!" and such anomalies are noticed.

[jont]

You could try some PHP to test if the product price == 0 and then echo in a class to visibility:hidden the add to cart layout

[Paul Cooper]

No excuse for not looking but many of our orders have numerous product lines on them so it is not always obvious that an individual line has a zero value. Equally we have not been aware of an issue before so confidence has been high and thus so has complacency.

I now have to either manually check 3300 products on the website or and it sounds a preferred way of going is to have a go at implementing that PHP test - many thanks for the tip.

[TraceyG]

Hi Paul,

However, if you have a thumbnail image that cannot be found, there are no errors and the product is simply ignored during the import.

I've just tried this in v9.0.3 and I got an error show up. On a default site, I added a thumbnail image to the 'Great Expectations' product and exported the site. I renamed the image in the site folder and then re-imported the file and the only product not to be imported was Great Expectations and the (only) error in the error log was:

Line 33: An invalid Product could not be imported.

I can't find anything to suggest that is has been fixed specifically for v9.0.3 but it is possible that a fix for something else could've sorted it out.

[Paul Cooper]

Hi Tracey,

I am unable to use V9.03 because it does not upload without crashing so I am sticking to V9.02. I do have a copy of V9.03 on a back up PC and I get exactly the same effect as with V9.02 (and previous versions for as long as I can remember), have a thumbnail link to a non-existent file and that product is simply ignored during the flat file import.

Thanks for looking though, I'm having a go at Jont's suggestion. BTW, you said you did an export then an import, I assume that means you were using the hierarchical import, I have the problem with the flat file import.

Regards

Paul

[TraceyG]

you said you did an export then an import, I assume that means you were using the hierarchical import, I have the problem with the flat file import

You're right. It is only on a flat-file import that you don't get an error about an incorrect thumbnail. I've reported it to development.

[jont]

Paul : simple kludge to remove the cart if zero priced product:

In design mode find the add to cart layout in use eg : Add to cart button with cart icon.

You will see for example :

<input type="submit" value="<Actinic:Variable Name="CartButtonText"/>" name="_<Actinic:Variable Name="ProductID"/>" class="form_button_add_to_cart">

change this to

<input type="submit" value="<Actinic:Variable Name="CartButtonText"/>" name="_<Actinic:Variable Name="ProductID"/>" class="form_button_add_to_cart <actinic:block if="%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22ProductPriceRaw%22%20%2f%3e%20%20%3d%3d%200">noPrice</actinic:block>"/>

add into the stylesheet

.noPrice {
visibility:hidden;
}

that will essentially test if the product price is 0 and insert the new class to override the existing. You will need to add the block to each of the other cart button parts of the above layout for logged in customers etc.

Tested on a default v9.0.3 site

HTH

[Paul Cooper]

Hi Jont,

That works a treat, I doubt if I would have come to such a tidy solution as that in a month of Sunday's. Greatly appreciated especially as I came across another zero priced item today caused by a formula error in my spreadsheet.

Thanks again

Paul