Easy Populate 1.2.5.4 support

Sigh......

Guess I need to learn how to use OO now.

I hate my life.....

Serious:

Sigh......

Guess I need to learn how to use OO now.

I hate my life.....

The trick is to save in either xls or ods while you are editing and only save a copy in csv when you need to upload.

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Can I ask a question?

I have a store with about 200 products. Recently I have taken on a new supplier and need to add 2000 more products. Over the past few weeks I have been in spreadsheet hell trying to get everything perfectly categorised and in order. In the process, I have decided on a better category structure. I've also broken an EP rule and changed some product titles and even model numbers. I can probably fish out the products that are already in the store, but I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to just remove everything and re-add it.

Is this advisable? What might the consequences be?

I need help installing Easy Populate to a Zen Cart 1.3.9 installation. The install.txt file 1. requires changing "the name of the "admin" directory in this package to suit your zencart installation." Does this mean change it to the exact name of the admin folder? 2. "Upload all files in their respective directories." Does this mean upload the downloaded folder formerly named "admin" to the Zen Cart installation folder, which in my case is bzg\shopping\adminurrhtcqw, or some other subfolder? Won't the system reject a duplicated folder name?

Hello.

I've been using Easy Populate only for a couple of days now and it's working great for importing products. but the problem I'm now having is some of my products use attributes. I downloaded the "Download Model/Attributes tab-delimited .txt file" change it for the products I needed to have attributes and which ones. and uploaded it. it said product uploaded, but there are no attributes on the product. and if I try to add attributes manually, when I hit insert in brings me to the front admin page. anyone know why this is happening? Thanks

bazaargenie:

I need help installing Easy Populate to a Zen Cart 1.3.9 installation. The install.txt file 1. requires changing "the name of the "admin" directory in this package to suit your zencart installation." Does this mean change it to the exact name of the admin folder? 2. "Upload all files in their respective directories." Does this mean upload the downloaded folder formerly named "admin" to the Zen Cart installation folder, which in my case is bzg\shopping\adminurrhtcqw, or some other subfolder? Won't the system reject a duplicated folder name?

1. Yes you rename the admin folder to match YOUR admin folder exactly. Depending on how you had it installed your admin folder might be something like zc_admin or whatever you have changed it to (it is recommended to change it for security reason if you have not yet done so). so find your admin folder in the root directory you had zen cart installed and change the name to match that. 2. the files would be uploaded to your store root directory, it will not reject it as a duplicate folder it will just add/replace the files needed for easy populate and keep everything else the same

sleer:

Hello.
I've been using Easy Populate only for a couple of days now and it's working great for importing products. but the problem I'm now having is some of my products use attributes. I downloaded the "Download Model/Attributes tab-delimited .txt file" change it for the products I needed to have attributes and which ones. and uploaded it. it said product uploaded, but there are no attributes on the product. and if I try to add attributes manually, when I hit insert in brings me to the front admin page. anyone know why this is happening? Thanks

Sleer,
None of the posted versions of EP have working attribute import. You only have two options for this.

1. Langer's EP 3.0 Advanced, which is a paid version with no support. It's quite questionable if you even receive your product after paying for it. He does allege to have a working import for attributes. Langer fell off the scene several years ago...

2. My BETA EP 4.0 available here:
   https://github.com/chaddro/EasyPopulate-4.0

I have tested basic attribute importing and believe it is working correctly. However, this code has not been completed and made "user friendly" ... I do have some instructions on how to use it. Also, my EP4 can be installed along side your current version of EP. It does use CSV files, and you MUST use OpenOffice to export your CSV file for the import script to work. READ ALL NOTES CAREFULLY, AND BACKUP YOUR DATABASES BEFORE USE! That should always be the case, but people forget!

No support for EP4 is offered in this thread. You'll need to PM me for any questions. I'm hoping to get some time this fall to finalize this and get it out of beta, but paying jobs prevails.

-cj

Hi, all,

Using zc 1.3.9h

I already have Quick Updates and Email Archive Manager installed; that's it.

I'm trying to install Easy Populate as well. I put the two files in the root of my admin and in includes/languages/english, but nothing's happening (there's no listing under tools). Is there an additional step to the installation I'm missing?

Thanks,
Pete

chadderuski:

Sleer,
None of the posted versions of EP have working attribute import. You only have two options for this.
-cj

There is one EP version that does upload and insert product attributes even when they do not already exist. We got it here some time back, but I just re-downloaded and notice that most of the files are no longer in the download:

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=460

This has been the most reliable EP I've used. I recently installed it on a brand new zencart/domain...no data base sql to insert:

https://www.fashion-mart.biz

I uploaded product colors the other night, inserting them when they did not exist. (You do have to assign an attribute id no.) As I recall, with "regular" EP versions, you had to manually enter the attributes into the admin before uploading the product/attribute sheet.

This EP version is also great in that you can DOWNLOAD by category...don't have to be all or nothing.

Only thing is, it didn't generate the attribute spreadsheet properly. We found out that we could use the attribute spreadsheet generated by regular EP 1.2.5.4.

Anyway, I'm here at EP thread as I need a meta tag sheet, so I'll install a "regular" EP version on a test site to get the download sheets.

I would be interested in the EP that apparently allows one to insert additional fields in the admin. Would that work for the CEON URL Mod I wonder?

sph
https://www.prommart.com
https://www.fashion-mart.com

Zen Cart v1.3.8a
Unknown site addons/customizations.

Info: I just started working with a company that uses zen cart and easy populate for their store. They are a rent to own company, and so every item has weekly, monthly, and cash options using radio buttons. They set these options' default state manually when they create the product.

Problem: They downloaded an easy populate form, changed the prices, and re-uploaded the form. However, the upload caused ALL of their items to be set to 'active', and cleared the default state on their radio buttons. I have looked all over the place and haven't found anything resembling this issue anywhere.

They have been using the model/attributes tab delimited text file.

Possible Solution?: I think they can circumvent the inactive to active item setting by downloading the full (no attribs) file, and copying the status column, then downloading the model/attribs file and pasting the status column into it...however there is nothing anywhere for the radio buttons' default states. Shouldn't easy populate NOT alter things that aren't included in the text file? I.E. if status isn't a column in the uploaded file, shouldn't status not be touched one way or the other?

I appreciate your time and hope to hear back on this soon :smile:

Also...I'm posting as a reply - is this one thread used for ALL easy populate issues?

chadderuski:

Sunrise,

That is a pretty big file! The script is probably timing out without any warning and just being killed by the server.
If so, you can try to increase your execution time in your php.ini file (if you have access):

Look for:

max_execution_time = 30 ; Maximum execution time of each script, in seconds

and increase that and see if that helps.

Thank you for reply I have changed max_execution_time = 360 it is still not working . Please help again

I get data from my vendor in a completely different order than in the easy populate column format. Does easy populate just look for the header names in the column?

Put a different way it would be far easier for me to take my data form my vendor, chop out a column or two, label them with the easy populate column names and import than try to paste the vendor data in in the order that the columns appear in the template for easy populate.

Does the order of the columns matter or does the import script just look for the column names regardless of order?

rolo550:

I get data from my vendor in a completely different order than in the easy populate column format. Does easy populate just look for the header names in the column?

Put a different way it would be far easier for me to take my data form my vendor, chop out a column or two, label them with the easy populate column names and import than try to paste the vendor data in in the order that the columns appear in the template for easy populate.

Does the order of the columns matter or does the import script just look for the column names regardless of order?

If you are using 1.2.5.4, order should not matter except perhaps for the categories. EP processes by column headers. You will need the EOREOR column.

sunriseimports:

Thank you for reply I have changed max_execution_time = 360 it is still not working . Please help again

your host may be limiting you and killing the process despite your over-ride.
try to break the file up into smaller chunks, say 2,000 a pop and increase until you start to time out again.
else contact your host and trouble shoot with them.

SPH:

There is one EP version that does upload and insert product attributes even when they do not already exist. We got it here some time back, but I just re-downloaded and notice that most of the files are no longer in the download:

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=460

This has been the most reliable EP I've used. I recently installed it on a brand new zencart/domain...no data base sql to insert:

https://www.fashion-mart.biz

I uploaded product colors the other night, inserting them when they did not exist. (You do have to assign an attribute id no.) As I recall, with "regular" EP versions, you had to manually enter the attributes into the admin before uploading the product/attribute sheet.

This EP version is also great in that you can DOWNLOAD by category...don't have to be all or nothing.

Only thing is, it didn't generate the attribute spreadsheet properly. We found out that we could use the attribute spreadsheet generated by regular EP 1.2.5.4.

Anyway, I'm here at EP thread as I need a meta tag sheet, so I'll install a "regular" EP version on a test site to get the download sheets.

I would be interested in the EP that apparently allows one to insert additional fields in the admin. Would that work for the CEON URL Mod I wonder?

sph

my beta version supports product and category meta-tags and also multi-lingual category names. it installs independently of other EP versions, and also has download filters.

i completely rewrote chunks of code, hacked out much garbage and archaic code, cleaned up and fixed many known bugs, and combined good code and ideas from several coders:
original OSC version, langer, phazie (spelling?) and myself. jrobeson at github also had a sophisticated version, but I believe it's requires zenmagik now.

i wrote attribute handling from scratch (some inspiration from "Attributr") ... still not quite done!, re-wrote and re-conceptualized category importing to support languages and meta-tags.
added many useful fields, and also wrote category-breaks. oh, and two custom fields for price_uom, and products_upc.

still needs spit and polish, and attributes to be rounded out for completion. there are several problems with zencart's attribute model that make importing and creating attributes from
scratch a challenge, so I do have a limitation or two that I spell out in the documentation. there is a logical way to solve these problems, but would require major core file changes involving
attributes.

give it a try, perhaps you'll like it!

-cj

So I finally figured out how to install Easy Populate (YES!!!). Now I have a question regarding how to populate.

My vendor has files that I can download to import and they say I can also use as a data feed, but do not know how. Here is my issue. There are 4 files.

File 1 is an excel file with the current price list with product, weight, price.

File 2 is an excel file with newest items only with product, weight, and price.

File 3 is an excel file with product description including category and image file name (category section is one column with categories separated by commas).

File 4 is a pipe delimited options and attributes of the products.

Then there are numerous image files.

So, my problem is I do not know how to configure it all to import with EP.

Am I supposed to configure each of these files myself to follow the v_... that EP says to do or combine them all into one file or what? Or am i to use them as a data feed and if so how?

I am absolutely clueless how to do this and need as much help as I can get.

Thank you,
Lee

OhSoNew:

I am absolutely clueless how to do this and need as much help as I can get.

Thank you,
Lee

Have you seen my WIKI tutorial?
http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/Easy_Populate

Schoolboy,

Yes, I read through the entire wiki tutorial and it is helpful. I get the basics how it works, but my vendor having 4 separate files throws me off.

If one file only has the product model, name, weight, and price and I import that, i'm missing the description and category. So how would I get that part from the other file in there? Am I just uploading all 4 files and easy populate just matches all the information up?

Also, their category column is different. It lists their categories like (wedding, wedding-favor, paperweight...) it is one category column with the categories separated by commas. Do I have to delete that and make my own categories using v_.... or will Easy Populate read that category column with the columns and set it up accordingly?

Also, that one pipe delimited text file with the options and attributes is confusing. It opens in notepad and just has (A|EB1037|label_type|radio|<strong>Label Type</strong>|0|0|1|||1|0) and when opened in excel it shows the same thing all in one column, so how do I import that file with EP?

Like I said, I am just new to all of this and am just having a hard time understanding how this works, so any step by step or dummied down instructions you could give me would help. I went through the tutorial and everything made sense, and then I saw my vendor's files and all the sense went out the window. Please help!

Thank you,
Lee

OK... here's the beef...

1. Easy Populate is relatively INFLEXIBLE when it comes to the format of the EP upload file. It has to have a certain structure, and some fields are obligatory - my Tutorial highlights all of this.

2. So forget about EP at this point... your PRIMARY challenge is getting all the data (currently in a mish-mash of csv and "pipe" delimited formats), into one single file.

This requires a knowledge of spreadsheet formulae, and you will need to do a variety of (possibly detailed) cross-lookup functions, and possibly even a pivot function or two, to get the different spreadsheets to "amalgamate".

Unfortunately, this is not a zencart issue, and you would be better getting help on forums that discuss the operation of formulae in spreadsheets.

You will not be able to begin the structuring of the EP sheet until you have merged all relevant data.

... I would add that you should kick your supplier in the a$$ and insist they provide the data in a way you can use it.

Generally they can... all they need to do is configure and export using the fields you require. If they are using SAP, or something similar, getting it to output a report (export) is not that complex.

They may tell you "it's not possible"... but don't roll over to have your tummy scratched. BARK LOUDLY at them and tell them that THEY will benefit (from sales) just as much as you will, so it is in their interests to assist you.

Thank you. At least i'm not super crazy in thinking them putting 4 different files is dumb. Nonetheless, I did attempt changing the column headings on the product description file and imported and it did work. However, it appears it is going to be quite a challenge as I will have to compile my own category columns as theirs is BS, which means a lot of work figuring out categories for 400 plus products that can go into multiple categories (for example one product can go into wedding favors, baby showers, bridal shower category etc.). This is just too time consuming.

Then there is the matter of products having multiple pricing tier. For example, one product can be purchased in different quantities. If they buy 1-11 products each price is XXX. If they purchase 11-20 the price is XXX. How would that work? The quantity with respective pricing is in the excel sheet, but how would I label the columns to have EP import that information?

It is just too much. Is there anyone out there willing to do this and I will pay? lol Seriously.