EasyPopulate 4.0 Support Thread

mc12345678:

Any associated error logs? (Logs folder of store.)

Nope, none.

jeking:

Nope, none.

First time trying to install EP4 to this store? (whether previously upgraded or not?)

mc12345678:

First time trying to install EP4 to this store? (whether previously upgraded or not?)

No, EP was installed prior to upgrading the cart to 1.5.4. I believe it was 4.0.24. I upgraded the cart and upgraded EP. I don't know if the configuration menu was missing before or not. I don't recall having a need to access it so don't know if it was there or not.

jeking:

No, EP was installed prior to upgrading the cart to 1.5.4. I believe it was 4.0.24. I upgraded the cart and upgraded EP. I don't know if the configuration menu was missing before or not. I don't recall having a need to access it so don't know if it was there or not.

From what version of ZC was the store upgraded?

mc12345678:

From what version of ZC was the store upgraded?

Uh oh, I stand corrected. It's a 1.5.3. It was upgraded from 1.5.1. PHP 5.4.36, in case that helps.

jeking:

Uh oh, I stand corrected. It's a 1.5.3. It was upgraded from 1.5.1. PHP 5.4.36, in case that helps.

Tried selecting the uninstall more than once in a row to attempt to get the install option to appear?

Other add-ins now or before? (While EP4 does not rely nor affect other addins, it has been identified that there are a few files that could affect its operation if they do not provide normal operation of a fresh ZC installation ie if some of the other plugins are incorrectly merged (or not merged) with the current ZC version of files.)

mc12345678:

Tried selecting the uninstall more than once in a row to attempt to get the install option to appear?

Other add-ins now or before? (While EP4 does not rely nor affect other addins, it has been identified that there are a few files that could affect its operation if they do not provide normal operation of a fresh ZC installation ie if some of the other plugins are incorrectly merged (or not merged) with the current ZC version of files.)

I tried the uninstall several times, including pasting the url into the address bar.
If I try to force the install using the url:
MY_ADMIN/easypopulate_4.php?epinstaller=install

I do get an error log:

[11-Feb-2015 15:47:13 America/Chicago] PHP Fatal error:  1062:Duplicate entry 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_TEMP_DIR' for key 'unq_config_key_zen' :: INSERT INTO configuration (configuration_title, configuration_key, configuration_value, configuration_description, configuration_group_id, sort_order, last_modified, date_added, use_function, set_function) VALUES 
			('Uploads Directory',                  'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_TEMP_DIR', 'temp/', 'Name of directory for your uploads (default: temp/).', 50, '0', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
			('Upload File Date Format',            'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_FILE_DATE_FORMAT', 'm-d-y', 'Choose order of date values that corresponds to your uploads file, usually generated by MS Excel. Raw dates in your uploads file (Eg 2005-09-26 09:00:00) are not affected, and will upload as they are.', 50, '1', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("m-d-y", "d-m-y", "y-m-d"),'),
			('Default Raw Time',                   'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_DEFAULT_RAW_TIME', '09:00:00', 'If no time value stipulated in upload file, use this value. Useful for ensuring specials begin after a specific time of the day (default: 09:00:00)', 50, '2', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
			('Upload/Download Prices Include Tax', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_PRICE_INC_TAX', 'false', 'Choose to include or exclude tax, depending on how you manage prices outside of Zen Cart.', 50, '5', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
			('Verbose Feedback',                   'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_VERBOSE', 'true', 'When importing, report all messages. Set to false for only warnings and errors. (default: true).', 50, '6', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
			('Make Zero Qty Products Inactive',    'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_ZERO_QTY_INACTIVE', 'false', 'When uploading, make the status Inactive for products with zero qty (default: false).', 50, '7', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
			('Smart Tags Replacement of Newlines', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_SMART_TAGS', 'true', 'Allows your description fields in your uploads file to have carriage returns and/or new-lines converted to HTML line-breaks on uploading, thus preserving some rudimentary formatting - Note: this legacy code is disabled until further review. (default: true).', 50, '8', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
			('Advanced Smart Tags',                'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_ADV_SMART_TAGS', 'false', 'Allow the use of complex regular expressions to format descriptions, making headings bold, add bullets, etc. Note: legacy code is disabled until further review. (default: false).', 50, '9', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
			('Debug Logging',                      'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_DEBUG_LOGGING', 'true', 'Allow Easy Populate to generate an error log on errors only (default: true)', 50, '10', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
			('Maximum Quantity Discounts',         'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_MAX_QTY_DISCOUNTS', '3', 'Maximum number of quantity discounts (price breaks). Is the number of discount columns in downloaded file (default: 3).', 50, '11', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
			('Split On Number of Records',         'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_SPLIT_RECORDS', '2000', 'Number of records to split csv files. Used to break large import files into smaller files. Useful on servers with limited resourses. (default: 2000).', 50, '12', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
			('Script Execution Time',              'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_EXECUTION_TIME', '60', 'Number of seconds for script to run before timeout. May not work on some servers. (default: 60).', 50, '13', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
			('Convert Curly Quotes, etc.',         'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_CURLY_QUOTES', '0', 'Convert Curly Quotes, Em-Dash, En-Dash and Ellipsis characters in Products Description (default 0).<br><br>0=No Change<br>1=Replace with Basic Characters<br>3=Replace with HMTL equivalants', 50, '14', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1", "2"),'),
			('Convert Character 0x92',             'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_CHAR_92', '1', 'Convert Character 0x92 characters in Product Names & Descriptions (default 1).<br><br>0=No Change<br>1=Replace with Standard Single Quote<br>2=Replace with HMTL equivalant', 50, '15', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1", "2"),'),
			('Enable Products Meta Data',          'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_META_DATA', '1', 'Enable Products Meta Data Columns (default 1).<br><br>0=Disable<br>1=Enable', 50, '16', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1"),'), 
			('Enable Products Music Data',         'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_MUSIC_DATA', '0', 'Enable Products Music Data Columns (default 0).<br><br>0=Disable<br>1=Enable', 50, '17', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1"),'),
			('User Defined Products Fields',       'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_CUSTOM_FIELDS', '', 'User Defined Products Table Fields (comma delimited, no spaces)', 50, '18', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
			('Export URI with Prod and or Cat',       'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_EXPORT_URI', '0', 'Export the current products or categories URI when exporting data? (Yes - 1 or no - 0)', 50, '19', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1"),')
		 ==> (as called by) /home/quali79/public_html/dev/qmsadmin/includes/functions/extra_functions/easypopulate_4_functions.php on line 1173 <== in /home/quali79/public_html/dev/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php on line 155

There was a version of another EP at some point in the past. Maybe this is the source of the conflict?

That seemed to be it. I removed all the references to Easy Populate in the configuration menu and now I get the install at the top of the page. Thanks for asking the questions that lead to the solution!

jeking:

I tried the uninstall several times, including pasting the url into the address bar.
If I try to force the install using the url:
MY_ADMIN/easypopulate_4.php?epinstaller=install

I do get an error log:

[11-Feb-2015 15:47:13 America/Chicago] PHP Fatal error: 1062:Duplicate entry 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_TEMP_DIR' for key 'unq_config_key_zen' :: INSERT INTO configuration (configuration_title, configuration_key, configuration_value, configuration_description, configuration_group_id, sort_order, last_modified, date_added, use_function, set_function) VALUES
('Uploads Directory', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_TEMP_DIR', 'temp/', 'Name of directory for your uploads (default: temp/).', 50, '0', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
('Upload File Date Format', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_FILE_DATE_FORMAT', 'm-d-y', 'Choose order of date values that corresponds to your uploads file, usually generated by MS Excel. Raw dates in your uploads file (Eg 2005-09-26 09:00:00) are not affected, and will upload as they are.', 50, '1', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("m-d-y", "d-m-y", "y-m-d"),'),
('Default Raw Time', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_DEFAULT_RAW_TIME', '09:00:00', 'If no time value stipulated in upload file, use this value. Useful for ensuring specials begin after a specific time of the day (default: 09:00:00)', 50, '2', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
('Upload/Download Prices Include Tax', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_PRICE_INC_TAX', 'false', 'Choose to include or exclude tax, depending on how you manage prices outside of Zen Cart.', 50, '5', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
('Verbose Feedback', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_VERBOSE', 'true', 'When importing, report all messages. Set to false for only warnings and errors. (default: true).', 50, '6', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
('Make Zero Qty Products Inactive', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_ZERO_QTY_INACTIVE', 'false', 'When uploading, make the status Inactive for products with zero qty (default: false).', 50, '7', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
('Smart Tags Replacement of Newlines', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_SMART_TAGS', 'true', 'Allows your description fields in your uploads file to have carriage returns and/or new-lines converted to HTML line-breaks on uploading, thus preserving some rudimentary formatting - Note: this legacy code is disabled until further review. (default: true).', 50, '8', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
('Advanced Smart Tags', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_ADV_SMART_TAGS', 'false', 'Allow the use of complex regular expressions to format descriptions, making headings bold, add bullets, etc. Note: legacy code is disabled until further review. (default: false).', 50, '9', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
('Debug Logging', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_DEBUG_LOGGING', 'true', 'Allow Easy Populate to generate an error log on errors only (default: true)', 50, '10', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("true", "false"),'),
('Maximum Quantity Discounts', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_MAX_QTY_DISCOUNTS', '3', 'Maximum number of quantity discounts (price breaks). Is the number of discount columns in downloaded file (default: 3).', 50, '11', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
('Split On Number of Records', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_SPLIT_RECORDS', '2000', 'Number of records to split csv files. Used to break large import files into smaller files. Useful on servers with limited resourses. (default: 2000).', 50, '12', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
('Script Execution Time', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_EXECUTION_TIME', '60', 'Number of seconds for script to run before timeout. May not work on some servers. (default: 60).', 50, '13', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
('Convert Curly Quotes, etc.', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_CURLY_QUOTES', '0', 'Convert Curly Quotes, Em-Dash, En-Dash and Ellipsis characters in Products Description (default 0).<br><br>0=No Change<br>1=Replace with Basic Characters<br>3=Replace with HMTL equivalants', 50, '14', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1", "2"),'),
('Convert Character 0x92', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_CHAR_92', '1', 'Convert Character 0x92 characters in Product Names & Descriptions (default 1).<br><br>0=No Change<br>1=Replace with Standard Single Quote<br>2=Replace with HMTL equivalant', 50, '15', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1", "2"),'),
('Enable Products Meta Data', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_META_DATA', '1', 'Enable Products Meta Data Columns (default 1).<br><br>0=Disable<br>1=Enable', 50, '16', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1"),'),
('Enable Products Music Data', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_MUSIC_DATA', '0', 'Enable Products Music Data Columns (default 0).<br><br>0=Disable<br>1=Enable', 50, '17', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1"),'),
('User Defined Products Fields', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_CUSTOM_FIELDS', '', 'User Defined Products Table Fields (comma delimited, no spaces)', 50, '18', NULL, now(), NULL, NULL),
('Export URI with Prod and or Cat', 'EASYPOPULATE_4_CONFIG_EXPORT_URI', '0', 'Export the current products or categories URI when exporting data? (Yes - 1 or no - 0)', 50, '19', NULL, now(), NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array("0", "1"),')
==> (as called by) /home/quali79/public_html/dev/qmsadmin/includes/functions/extra_functions/easypopulate_4_functions.php on line 1173 <== in /home/quali79/public_html/dev/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php on line 155

Interesting, as that does indicate that all of the database fields already exist in the database for the configuration settings. (Note the last command wasn't added until a point after 4.0.24 if not just in 4.0.28.  )

I'm trying to help without diving into phpmyadmin... :/ My guess is that now already there are at least 2 instances of the admin "keys" and that one of them has a sort order of 50, the other at some value less than that..

jeking:

There was a version of another EP at some point in the past. Maybe this is the source of the conflict?
Whew, though I really thought that each of the other EP variants used some sort of different installation information, but... glad that found it.
jeking:

That seemed to be it. I removed all the references to Easy Populate in the configuration menu and now I get the install at the top of the page. Thanks for asking the questions that lead to the solution!

Well, see. There we go.. :) Guessing you dug into phpmyadmin to find those other occurrences... Glad that back on track. :)

mc12345678:

Interesting, as that does indicate that all of the database fields already exist in the database for the configuration settings. (Note the last command wasn't added until a point after 4.0.24 if not just in 4.0.28. )

I'm trying to help without diving into phpmyadmin... :/ My guess is that now already there are at least 2 instances of the admin "keys" and that one of them has a sort order of 50, the other at some value less than that..

There was an admin key with a value of 49. This caused a separate error I did not post. I removed that key and then installation completed successfully. I did spend some time in phpmyadmin trying to track down and solve this issue. I'm sure I could not have do so without seeing the values to understand the cause of the issues.

smpaulsen:

Easy Populate 4.0.28 - Beta 01-03-2015 - Download Links in easypopulate_4.php error.

I kept getting 404 errors when clicking Download for my CSV files on the Tools / Easy Populate 4 page. I discovered that the Download links were pointing to DIR_WS_CATALOG.$tempdir.$dirfile.

For me, that pointed to a folder that does not exist.

I explicitly added the HTTP_SERVER to the target as:

href=".HTTP_SERVER.DIR_WS_CATALOG.$tempdir.$dirfile."

Maybe something to consider for 4.0.29 or beyond?

Thank you for maintaining this utility!

I need to take a look at the code a little to validate the suggestion, but also would like in some way to understand the condition(s) under which this would be necessary.

Could you either here in the forum or by PM identify what under what condition(s) that is considered necessary?
As necessary in the response obscure whatever values necessary, but need to understand what caused the issue.

(Btw, the installation instructions (as limited as they are) suggest placing the temporary folder in the admin directory which when using HTTP_SERVER as the start of the path would neither be expected to be there, nor by default be securely transmitted. It is not a requirement for them to be securely transmitted, but a suggestion and for other readers, HTTP_SERVER could be set as a secure location by starting with https:, but also is not a general requirement.)

Part of the need to review the code is to also try to identify if the use of ../ or a series of those would support the condition seen, or if there is an alternate solution needed (possibly configuration options). It appears that the software is able to find the files in order to present for download, but something about the link generated doesn't point to the same location for download...

smpaulsen:

Good morning, and thank you for the reply / questions.

In short, the way we have ZC configured on the (shared) server means that we have to use the shared certificate. As such, the unsecure activity can take place at shop.mydomain.com, but the secured transactions need to go through secure.hostingservice.com/~username/shopname. Yes, feel free to point out all the ways this contradicts best practices. For the present, it is what we are doing.

Secondly, I misread the part about the temp folder being in the admin directory. That will cause some of the problems I was having. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I will test with the golden code and proper directory location.

That's all I've got. Let me know if you have more questions.

Again.... THANK YOU for maintaining such a useful tool.
~ Steve

No, I get it. Recommendation in this situation of using the shared server's SSL certificate is to ensure that the DIR_WS_CATALOG and the DIR_WS_HTTPS_CATALOG be the same. In your situation that would be both being '/', therefore your HTTPS_SERVER would need to be: https://secure.hostingservice.com/~username/shopname
Where your HTTP_SERVER would be http://shop.mydomain.com

That should resolve any 'folder doesn't exist' condition. Otherwise, you may also run into problems with other plugins as well. (Will still look to see how this plugin compares to others in this regards and what if any changes need to be made.) :)

I am new(er) to EP4 and to ZenCart in general...but I have been trying to get map_enabled and map_pricing to be included with the Model/Price/Qty export. I also have the MSRP addon installed...the MSRP field shows, but does not populate...the map fields are not in the export.
If I add the fields to the exported file, I can then update the file and upload it....all the fields import.
I am running version 1.5.4 of zencart and 4.0.28 - Beta 01-03-2015 of EP4
I also note in the FULL export (All products) that everything exports -
Any help/guidance would be much appreciated!
Mark

greatgear:

I am new(er) to EP4 and to ZenCart in general...but I have been trying to get map_enabled and map_pricing to be included with the Model/Price/Qty export. I also have the MSRP addon installed...the MSRP field shows, but does not populate...the map fields are not in the export.
If I add the fields to the exported file, I can then update the file and upload it....all the fields import.
I am running version 1.5.4 of zencart and 4.0.28 - Beta 01-03-2015 of EP4
I also note in the FULL export (All products) that everything exports -
Any help/guidance would be much appreciated!
Mark

Sorry for the somewhat delayed response. Saw the message earlier, but wanted to check into the code a little before responding. The MSRP module is recognized by EP4. The MAP module though is not. If the table that is modified by the MAP plugin is the products table, then the extra fields can be added in the admin, configuration, easy populate custom fields section. Typing in the field name(s) without v_ and each separated by a comma if more than one.

These custom fields will be exported using the full export. The msrp field products_msrp should be exported with the model/price/qty export option; however, I see that there was some aspects omitted/removed from the function file for export when using the model/price/qty export. Now whether that field is otherwise populated I couldn't say as I don't use either of the two plugins. Would need to see what else is to be done to export more with that option. I can't say that I see why MSRP data exports under one option but not the other.

Though it looks like the coding is a little modified/missing. I see that msrp is fully implemented for full export; however, there is only a partial implementation on the model/price/qty export.

It can be added in individually, though I plan on including/reintroducing it on the next update...

mc12345678:

Sorry for the somewhat delayed response. Saw the message earlier, but wanted to check into the code a little before responding. The MSRP module is recognized by EP4. The MAP module though is not. If the table that is modified by the MAP plugin is the products table, then the extra fields can be added in the admin, configuration, easy populate custom fields section. Typing in the field name(s) without v_ and each separated by a comma if more than one.

These custom fields will be exported using the full export. The msrp field products_msrp should be exported with the model/price/qty export option; however, I see that there was some aspects omitted/removed from the function file for export when using the model/price/qty export. Now whether that field is otherwise populated I couldn't say as I don't use either of the two plugins. Would need to see what else is to be done to export more with that option. I can't say that I see why MSRP data exports under one option but not the other.

Though it looks like the coding is a little modified/missing. I see that msrp is fully implemented for full export; however, there is only a partial implementation on the model/price/qty export.

It can be added in individually, though I plan on including/reintroducing it on the next update...

Thanks! That does answer a lot of the questions....I will keep watching for an update. I have devised a work around for the time - I add the fields before I update the file and it imports correctly.

This is a stellar tool!

Thanks again for the info and quick response!
Mark

Hi,

It has been a while since I last posted because Zencart and EP4 work GREAT and problem free!

Now, I need to do a lot of product description updates (add info) to existing products, and going through the admin is too may clicks and too slow, BUT before I use EP4 to speed things up I am hoping that I can get a confirmation that EP4 can be used for updating in this manner...

I was going to export all products and download file to computer desktop, open with open office calc like normal, delete all columns except for 2 (v_products_model and v_products_description_1, which is to avoid accidentally changing other fields and make the file easier to work with), make additions to v_products_description_1 fields, save, upload and import.

So providing that NOTHING gets changed in v_products_model, doing the above should just result in updating the v_products_description_1 additions to existing products, and leave stuff like inventory count untouched, and not create duplicate products, nor have any other unwanted side effects? Basically EP4 was designed to do the task that I describe above right?

Thanks and thanks again for EP4. I cannot imagine Zencart without it!

Sorry for the delay in response, but needed to comb through the code just to confirm my thoughts... If the product_name_X (where X relates to the language) is not included in the imported file, then the description will not be updated. Also, it appears (though not tested) that if product short description is installed/verified by the code to be present, that the absence of data in that column (or column not existing) may result in the short description field being cleared. I haven't fully followed that path of the code to identify, but it is also one reason that it is suggested to backup the database before importing a file and checking the database/site after upload to verify no ill effects.

So, with the regards to "management" of the data in this update... There is no reason you couldn't move columns off to the side while maintaining the sequence and content so that you can have a clear "click" region to help with updating. Then prior to update, remove the extra space and voila any concerns of missing columns is addressed.

One of the thoughts behind this is, how easy it for the standard user to know what product is being updated if all that is present is the model #?

On to that as well, the rules of duplicate model# or missing model # also still apply. In the case of a duplicate model number, the last version of that model #'s data will override all previous data for the same model #. In the case of blank model data, I thought that the response was that the data provided with a blank model # will replace the data of the previously provided model#. If a model # is modified and that model # does not currently exist in the database, then a new product will be created/entered with the data that is provided in that row....

So there are a few things that are considered necessary in order to support updating, but remember that whatever is uploaded might need to be reviewed in the future, so how little do you want to include in the file to understand what went wrong if a problem occurs?

BTW, if it has been a while since your EP4 has been installed, there have been some features that have been added (including that it is no longer necessary to include the description field upon upload) and available in the more recent version(s). To "refresh" the configuration screen to include any newly added options, would suggest documenting the current settings of the configuration->Easy Populate 4 window, clicking the uninstall link at the top right corner of the tools->Easy Populate 4 window, uploading the new files, then selecting the install link in the center of the screen of the tools->Easy Populate 4 window, then restoring any settings that were modified/reset.

Thanks for the detailed reply, but I think that maybe I worded what I was trying to ask poorly. Please let me try again...

First I cannot find a readme or wiki on using EP4 for updating existing products. I thought I read something back before I installed ep4, but I cannot remember clearly nor find updating features/functions. Maybe my question(s) are already answered...

I have a tab (shown as comma) csv file with a few thousand products (only 1 example shown, and none have options nor attributes). Imported, and store is running great. Now I want to change prices, descriptions, and my custom field on some, but not all products, and change no other fields (whether or not value or lack of value is in any of the other fields) except some of those 3 fields of prices and some descriptions (nor add, nor remove any products)....

v_products_model,v_products_type,v_products_image,v_products_name_1,v_products_description_1,v_products_url_1,v_specials_price,v_specials_date_avail,v_specials_expires_date,v_products_price,v_products_length,v_products_width,v_products_diameter,v_products_for,v_products_style,v_products_catalog,v_products_notes,v_products_weight,v_product_is_call,v_products_sort_order,v_products_quantity_order_min,v_products_quantity_order_units,v_products_priced_by_attribute,v_product_is_always_free_shipping,v_date_avail,v_date_added,v_products_quantity,v_manufacturers_name,v_categories_name_1,v_tax_class_title,v_status

"P200","1","P200.jpg","P200 PART","<strong>DESCRIPTION: </strong>P200 DETAILS<br>","","","","","9.5","9.9","9.9","","EXTRA FIELDS","EXTRA FIELDS","EXTRA FIELDS","","0","0","500001","1","1","0","0","","2014-01-01 01:33:58","7","P Supplies","P Supplies^SUB P","Taxable Goods","1"

WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST/RECOMMENDED way to just make changes?

Do I need to export all products, open in open office, make changes, save, and then upload and import entire file again?

To make it simpler and to avoid chance of accidental changes, and MOST importantly to keep inventory accurate, my idea was to export, download, open, delete all columns except for 3 columns v_products_model, v_products_description, and v_products_notes (custom field), make my updates and changes, save, upload, and import.... thinking that ALL products and ALL fields will remain the same EXCEPT for the changes I made to SOME products for SOME of those 3 fields. But, it sounds like you recommend different/EP4 is designed different than what i am thinking for updating existing products.