EasyPopulate 4.0 Support Thread

To my knowledge, Easy populate does not give you Custom Product Fields. But if you have coded them and added them yourself, you can make easy populate recognize them by adding them in the configuration for easy populate under admin, where you see the custom products field. For example, if you have created the field SKU, then if you enter in the configuration file, easy populate will add a column for that when it creates your CVS file.

So are you looking to create a custom field?

I do want to make one thing clear, I did not write this code and have only continued to add to it.

As lruskauf stated, EP4 does not create new fields in the database, it accesses them and recognizes select fields to support "common" new fields.

If when you export say the full products and review the headers of the csv file to find that a field is not there but known to be in the products table, the "missing" field can be identified. To have a field from the products table exported/imported (when not already part of the export) goto the configuration window for EP4, edit the custom fields entry, add the field name as it is identified in the products table. (Ie., do not include the first v_ that is shown in the csv file)

Regarding the indicators on the tools->Easy Populate v4 window, they indicate true if the associated field/feature exists in the database.

For what it's worth, in an effort to expand the use of EP4 outside of it's current English based and partially incorporated German based language, I attempted to establish an account on the italian version of the ZC site seeing that there was someone there having difficulty with EP4. I may not be fluent in italiian, but figure that there are enough tools to translate that at least I could provide some suport.. Anyways, I am hoping that if there are those that can help translate some of the text of EP4 that they may offer their translatons for incorporaton, or if they have already done so that they offer the rewritten version, I will incorporate the translation(s).

Thanks.

Hello,

EP4 works like a charm for me!
But i have a problem and i hope anyone can help me with this.

I would like to add meta tags for alot of categories (around 4000).
With EP4 i can export Categories Only (with Metatags). But when i fill in all the meta tags and upload it, i get the error message No product model.
Categories Only (with Metatags) .csv shows the v_categories_name_2 only as a single name (no ^) , so it also creates new categeories on first level.

Is it possible to add the Meta tags to categories only based on Category ID instead of product model?

RonaldNavarro689:

......The installation went smoothly but I don't know how to enable the Custom Products Fields......

These are the plugins that you can add to your shop. If you go to Short Description plugin and install, obviously following the instruction, you will find that 'Product Short Descriptions' has turned from 'false' to 'True'

JvRossem:

Hello,

EP4 works like a charm for me!
But i have a problem and i hope anyone can help me with this.

I would like to add meta tags for alot of categories (around 4000).
With EP4 i can export Categories Only (with Metatags). But when i fill in all the meta tags and upload it, i get the error message No product model.
Categories Only (with Metatags) .csv shows the v_categories_name_2 only as a single name (no ^) , so it also creates new categeories on first level.

Is it possible to add the Meta tags to categories only based on Category ID instead of product model?

This particular upload option is filename dependent as the instructions indicate and the unaltered options of version 4.0.30 offer. The filename prefix must contain the letters categorymeta-ep in any sequence of capitalization.

Import of a file named this way would not reassign a product to a new category.

Suggestion is to select Categories Only (with Metatags) from the tools->Easy Populate 4 window, review the entries provided there. Copy this file renaming/modifying the date information or adding beyond that, modifying the data in the fle, uploading and then importing the new file.... Then report any issues that may be had...

In summary, categories do not have model numbers, therefore the issue experienced is related with incorrect operation of the plugin. In this case the prefix of the filename is important as it acts like a switch to process the data for a specific action.

mc12345678:

This particular upload option is filename dependent as the instructions indicate and the unaltered options of version 4.0.30 offer. The filename prefix must contain the letters categorymeta-ep in any sequence of capitalization.

Import of a file named this way would not reassign a product to a new category.

Suggestion is to select Categories Only (with Metatags) from the tools->Easy Populate 4 window, review the entries provided there. Copy this file renaming/modifying the date information or adding beyond that, modifying the data in the fle, uploading and then importing the new file.... Then report any issues that may be had...

In summary, categories do not have model numbers, therefore the issue experienced is related with incorrect operation of the plugin. In this case the prefix of the filename is important as it acts like a switch to process the data for a specific action.
Thank you for your help! I named the file CategoryMeta-EP and all category metas where added without any problems!

I have just installed for v1.54. Am getting error: Easy Populate "Uploads Folder" missing!
Your uploads folder is missing. Your configuration indicates that your uploads folder is named mydemostore/temp/ Error Opening Upload Directory: mydemostore/temp/

I did go to configuration and modify upload folder, and set permissions to 755. It is located in my store folder, not admin. What else am I missing to correct this error?

sparrowce:

I have just installed for v1.54. Am getting error: Easy Populate "Uploads Folder" missing!
Your uploads folder is missing. Your configuration indicates that your uploads folder is named mydemostore/temp/ Error Opening Upload Directory: mydemostore/temp/

I did go to configuration and modify upload folder, and set permissions to 755. It is located in my store folder, not admin. What else am I missing to correct this error?

As compared to the root of your store, your upload directory is whatever is in the configuration window for EP4 in the Uploads Directory added to the directory path DIR_FS_CATALOG as identified in the admin configure.php file.

So if the field reads mydemostore/temp/ then it is search for at DIR_FS_CATALOG . 'mydemostore/temp/'

Is EasyPopulate and Easy Populate CSV the same product?

I downloaded Easy Populated CSV (easy_populate_csv_for_zencart_v1.5.x_v1.2.6.zip) and followed the installation instructions. When I go to Admin->Tools->Easy Populate I get a message box saying "Warning Easy Populate Configuration Missing. Please install your configuration by clicking here". But when you click on the HERE link it wants to execute "<domain>/estore/zenadmin/easypopulate.php?langer=installnew" and says an error occurred. If I go to Admin->Configuration there is nothing there for Easy Populate.

What am I missing?

citapinc:

Is EasyPopulate and Easy Populate CSV the same product?

I downloaded Easy Populated CSV (easy_populate_csv_for_zencart_v1.5.x_v1.2.6.zip) and followed the installation instructions. When I go to Admin->Tools->Easy Populate I get a message box saying "Warning Easy Populate Configuration Missing. Please install your configuration by clicking here". But when you click on the HERE link it wants to execute "<domain>/estore/zenadmin/easypopulate.php?langer=installnew" and says an error occurred. If I go to Admin->Configuration there is nothing there for Easy Populate.

What am I missing?

No they are not the same product, though both have a langer "heritage" in their history... They are two separate variants and Easy Populate CSV has its own support thread. This thread is for EP4, although both provide CSV files. If there are issues with Easy Populate CSV, the I suggest seeking out assistance on that forum. Otherwise, this version of EasyPopulate has been stable and functional. See the first post of the thread for the location to download the accepted version. Otherwise I have been providing advance copies of the version to be accepted as posted in this thread....

That was it, thank you! I was listing the store directory/temp folder, and the store directory was already in the path you mentioned in configure.php

sparrowce:

That was it, thank you! I was listing the store directory/temp folder, and the store directory was already in the path you mentioned in configure.php

Glad that fixed/cleared it up...

Fyi, an upcoming version change is going to have an admin switch to identify if the temp files are in the store's directory or the admin directory and then from there the path is entered. The idea is that the admin directory would not be directly entered into the database (not currently there in a default install, why add it?) Also there are those that have found a legitimate use of it being in one side or the other as well as other locations on the server.

Hopefully won't be too (or more) confusing.

Update: export went fine, modified some product descriptions, uploaded the modified .csv file, got the message the file uploaded successfully - but when I checked the products I'd modified, none had changed. They still had their old description. Maybe I am not understanding how this works. This is the last part of my 1.54 demo test before going live with it and switching off 1.39h. In 1.39h, I used the old Easy Populate, and very often used this method to modify descriptions or prices. But it is not working for me, and maybe things have changed. I am really wanting a way to bulk modify the catalog like I did in 1.39h. Are my expectations wrong, or do I need to look deeper in the install part? Thank you.

Do you have linked product? Meaning does the same model# appear multiple times in your file? If so, the last version of the modified information is what will stay "visible". In other words first version was changed, but then the second was not and so on import the description was modified away from the original and then back to it...

Thanks . . . no linked products, and no duplicate model numbers that I am seeing. As a side question, I don't see that the product ID is part of the download. That seems to be a unique ID that would match records one for one. Just curious as to why this isn't used, and is there a way to add it to the download? I use the ID for my direct links to products on my ezpages and it would be helpful to have it in the export. I will do some more testing tomorrow. Appreciate the info about linked products and model numbers, that is good to know.

Please take a moment to read through the info in the download... It is just enough to explain the software, but not so much to take an eternity.

The software is expected to work as you have described that you would like it to do; however, from this end any further "guesses" will be just that... Either no one uses the software or no one has legitimately been unable to update/modify product descriptions and as a result moved on to something else...

The only hard and fast issue seen has been with working with a few specific languages: russian, I think japanese, can't remember which else, but if not mistaken some of those issues really come from Open Office and saving the languaged file(s)... Been a while since I last tried to figure out the cause of that...

OK silly question time:

I want to change the category that a lot of my products are in, so, if I use this plugin to download all my products, change the category of the products then upload. The question is will I duplicate the products in the different categories or will the category be over written by the new category?

Told you it is a silly question! :blush:

adb34:

OK silly question time:

I want to change the category that a lot of my products are in, so, if I use this plugin to download all my products, change the category of the products then upload. The question is will I duplicate the products in the different categories or will the category be over written by the new category?

Told you it is a silly question! :blush:

Actually, not as silly as you may think. Normally this will create a linked product (duplicate but not so much a duplicate as it maintains the same products_id).

There currently is no "remove a product from a category" type feature... If a product being processed on import is in the category "assigned", then nothing is done, if it is not in the category that is assigned/determined in the process, then the product is added to the category (if the category didn't exist before, then it is created before this addition).

Removal from a category is somewhat of a two step process. The product's master_categories_id in the products table needs to reflect an existing category and the table products_to_categories needs to have the entry for the products_id removed for the category from which it is leaving and if not already associated with the new category an entry made... I did not find any code that did a delete on the products_to_categories table on import and there is nothing that specifically modifies an existing master_categories_id entry other than a product update with master_categories_id as a user defined field. The only other instance of affecting the master_categories_id is upon initial insert of a product as it must have/maintain a master_categories_id assigned.

So, removal of a product from one category (ie part of a process to move a product from one category to another) is not yet in the code... Perhaps can come up with something like another status switch that would "reassign" the master_categories_id to the chosen category and remove the linked product from the products_to_categories table in relation to the previous master category (status of 9 deletes a product, perhaps a different number could be used to do a move). It would not directly resolve issues associated with other linked product, but it would support a move action... Technically if the product were moved through each respective linked category, then there would remain but one category associated with the product (this could be accomplished in a single file upload where each line of the file had the product moved to each linked category and then a final move to the desired end category...)

Perhaps if considered further necessary (large issue with linked product) an additional option (dropdown, link, whatever) to address just bulk linked product changes would help...

I would suggest though in the interim not counting on the above to happen/be implemented quickly... Work on this is generally a free time dependent project, though now that a path is seen, it may not be as long as originally anticipated and there are other factors that could make it go faster. :)

[QUOTE=mc12345678;1290615]Actually, not as silly as you may think...... (abbreviated) QUOTE]

I do understand this is a work in progress and some options are not available.

I have had a thought on this;

What is your [key]_id? If you identify one then set up the upload so that it over writes the that [key]_id and if not there then add. I know this does not over come the duplicated product?

I do not know what it is called, but, when you look at a downloaded file there is a number in the very first column just labelled 'id' could you tie everything to that?

andy