Easy Populate 1.2.5.4 support

Forgot to mention, Ive also tried just changing the text description of one product in the downloaded catalog with a text editor. When I upload this file I get the following;

Upload Results

File uploaded.
Temporary filename: /Applications/MAMP/tmp/php/phph4BC1U
User filename: Full-EP2008Jun06-1010.txt
Size: 1556

No model field in record. This line was not importedproducts/4 | 500 34mm R | Pack of 50 | | | | | 5.5 | 0 | | 2008-06-04 | 999 | | More Gems | Red Gems | | | | | | --none-- | 1 |
No model field in record. This line was not imported/products/ | 500 30mm R | Pack of 50 | | | | | 5.5 | 0 | | 2008-06-04 | 999 | | More Gems | Red Gems | | | | | | --none-- | 1 |
No model field in record. This line was not imported/products/ | GemSetting | Everything | | | | | 15 | 0 | | 2008-05-28 | 9999 | | Gem Settin | | | | | | | --none-- | 1 |
No model field in record. This line was not imported | black1 | black1 | | | | | 0 | 0 | | 2008-06-03 | 0 | | More Gems | Black Gems | | | | | | --none-- | 1 |
No model field in record. This line was not imported | Torque Blu | Torque Blu | | | | | 0 | 0 | | 2008-06-03 | 0 | | More Gems | Torque Blu | | | | | | --none-- | 1 |
No model field in record. This line was not imported | Silver Stu | Silver Stu | | | | | 0 | 0 | | 2008-06-03 | 0 | | More Gems | Silver Stu | | | | | | --none-- | 1 |
No model field in record. This line was not imported/products/ | 500 20mm | Pack of 50 | | | | | 5.5 | 0 | | 2008-06-04 | 999 | | More Gems | Red Gems | | | | | | --none-- | 1 |
No model field in record. This line was not imported | black prod | black prod | | | | | 0 | 0 | | 2008-06-03 | 0 | | More Gems | Black Gems | | | | | | --none-- | 1 |
SKIPPED! - Model: - No category provided for this product | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Upload Complete

Hey all, im trying to update my product list using easy populate. Initially i populated with just product name, price and category. I now want to add descriptions.

My suppliers provide the descriptions, i just want to be able to paste them into ep and upload without having to manually tweak the formatting. Is there any way of doing this.

I have tried several ways but the descriptions all end up on 1 line. The supplied descriptions are in a text format on separate lines.

Thanks in advance

I suggest you format the description in Zen Cart for one product and then export it with EP. Then look at the exported file and see the description column. You should be able to see the br for the line brakes and so forth. Just do it the same way for the text you want to import. You need to keep the html formating stuff. Then it should work.

Can easy populate name categories as well as products? I named some of my categories in zen cart but when i export everything i cant find the text.
james

I suggest you format the description in Zen Cart for one product and then export it with EP.
Good advice... create a product with everything you require
i.e. model number, product name, description, price, category, attributes etc etc etc
Then generate/download Easy Populate file..that gives you complete template
for your store's requirements to upload further products using Easy Populate..
TIP
Create categories first, via admin, BEFORE starting exercise above.

I see what you mean about the formatting but with 2000+ products manually inserting the html is going to be a nightmare. Is there no way ep can pick up simple formatting in the description field? I know there are a few advanced options.

A few years back i did the same exercise and im sure i just copied and pasted the mfrs descs into the appropriate field and no further formatting was required. Have i missed something simple?

Yes it can. Just put the formatting tags in the description as well. If you have a source spread sheet where the description has the formatting in it, then you just copy it over to your template file that you created earlier like I suggested. Then import back into Zen.

The source is a spreadsheet with word wrap on. There is no html formatting in the suppliers spreadsheet, there are simply new lines for each part of the description saved in .xls format.

How can i copy this over a template description that has the tags in it? Do you mean manually do it line by line? (bearing in mind i have 2000+ products to add).

Also i tried manually adding a product and downloading the ep file but cant see how you can format the description in the admin tool?

I have the problem that when I try adding a new product, the master_categories_id is not stored, checked the db and it says 0 for the new product. I tried specifying the category per its name and also its ID, none worked.

Do others have this problem when trying to add a new product to an existing category?

Help! Thanks in advance.

Nevermind...

I got confused by an extra line that appears at the end of the report, saying that it didn't add the product because it lacked the category, but it's talking about an empty entry the EP seems to try inserting instead of discarding:

SKIPPED! - Model: - No category provided for this product | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

The master category id doesn't get stored, as I had found, but the product gets an entry in the products_to_categories table. I thought that the category value was required in the products table, so I was worried, but it seems to be working without it.

Does anyone know how to update category description with Easy Populate?

When I make a category with a description in the admin, and export it, Easy Populate doesn't have the description anywhere.

jamesdavid:

Does anyone know how to update category description with Easy Populate?

When I make a category with a description in the admin, and export it, Easy Populate doesn't have the description anywhere.

I don't know about that, but I'd use ZC's normal interface, or do you need to do that with tons of categories?

Anguz:

I don't know about that, but I'd use ZC's normal interface, or do you need to do that with tons of categories?

20 and counting, not helped by how often my client changes his mind!

I will do it in the admin if I have to, it just seems strange that Easy Populate cant do this. Is there another piece of software that can? This must be a real issues for people with massive sites.

jamesdavid:

20 and counting, not helped by how often my client changes his mind!

I will do it in the admin if I have to, it just seems strange that Easy Populate cant do this. Is there another piece of software that can? This must be a real issues for people with massive sites.

Yeah, I know what you mean about the clients.

I agree that the logical thing would be for EP to behave with categories as it does with products.

I don't know how many would find this lack a problem, but it'd be nice to have it covered.

Well thanks for your posts Anguz, Guess i'll just have to do it the admin way for now. If I ever find a better way I will try and remember to PM you.
james

jamesdavid:

Well thanks for your posts Anguz, Guess i'll just have to do it the admin way for now. If I ever find a better way I will try and remember to PM you.
james

You're welcome. I wish I had been more help.

Anybody knows if there is any development going on with EP module?
I remembered that the advanced version would have been 1.2.7 and now when I looked it in modhole it was suddenly 1.3 but the update date for the info was dated back to 2006! Is it so or how?

I'm using 1.2.5.4 and would like to have some enhancements on it if possible attribute-wise etc but it is unclear to me if any development is going on.

Elli

Direct the question to modhole and let us know....

A lot of advanced features are listed: http://www.zencartbuilder.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1

Wonder if it is worth the money? Do these extended, improved features work well? Anybody have a thought to share?

I am having a little problem...

When I Uploaded some new products.
I can see it if I search for the products such as:

Adult Bat Girl
http://nothingbutcostumes.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14417

But the directory I put it in...
Either by clicking "New for 08" on top of the listing or
"New for 08" in the Categories Section...

I get a blank Screen....

jamesdavid:

Does anyone know how to update category description with Easy Populate?

When I make a category with a description in the admin, and export it, Easy Populate doesn't have the description anywhere.

After spending a weekend editing EP for my use, I didn't see much in the way of editing categories in it. The little bit of category checks and some attempts to create which ends up making trash is about it. I may spend some more time to cleanup that part.

Last time I made changes to my category descriptions and added images was to use phpmyadmin. I exported the tables, made edits and then drop them back in.