An importing problem - product codes and variants

I really could use some help/advice about this problem.

Here is a snippet showing some product codes from the very small company I'm working with
ASU-W60601,salad bowl ,14 cm,,$8.95,White
ASU-W60602,salad bowl ,17 cm,,$11.95,White
ASU-W60603,salad bowl ,20 cm,,$13.95,White
ASU-W60604,salad bowl ,25 cm,,$22.95,White
ASU-B60601,salad bowl ,14 cm,,$8.95,Blue
ASU-B60602,salad bowl ,17 cm,,$11.95,Blue
ASU-B60603,salad bowl ,20 cm,,$13.95,Blue
ASU-B60604,salad bowl ,25 cm,,$22.95,Blue

The variants are coded in the existing product code - size (last char) and colour (5th char)
When I import the products, new product codes are created for the variants which are different from the product codes currently in use.

My reason for including the variants in the product file is that I wanted to include images for each of the variants like this.

How do I get around this problem? The company is looking for an on-line catalog and, maybe eventually, on-line sales.

Jim

PS A further question. I don't understand product_parent_codes. They seem to imply that an item with a product_parent_code is an item that cannot be purchased with the product_parent code, just used internally in the program? For example, on your demo site, there are two product codes pink_shoes and pink_shoes_5_22, for the same item. I feel I must be missing something here.

If you specify the variants product_code in the CSV file, the system won't generate them. If it did, it means that your CSV is not correct.

There is no product_parent_code column in HikaShop. It's the column product_parent_id which should contain the product_code of the main product of the variant. Maybe that's why your CSV didn't import correctly ?

nicolas wrote:

There is no product_parent_code column in HikaShop. It's the column product_parent_id which should contain the product_code of the main product of the variant. Maybe that's why your CSV didn't import correctly ?

Thanks, Nicolas, that was indeed why the CSV did not work, I used code instead of ID (

But I think I still have problems in getting the full picture of variants and product codes.
For example, on your demo site, there are two product codes for the same item pink_shoes and pink_shoes_5_22. I assume that the _5_22 product code is used in the checkout and that the pi9k_shoes is not used for sales?

My problem is in generating the import CSV file from the spreadsheet from the company containing the product codes of all the items for sale. It seems that I will need to create additional product_code entries in the csv file for every parent item (main type) because the existing product codes will all be for variants. Is this correct? If so do you have any tips for an easy way of doing that?

Because the number of product codes is about 500, I was thinking of updating the site each week with an updated spreadsheet from the company showing stock levels, so I am looking for a simple way to generate the import csv file from the company's spreadsheet each week.

Thanks for the great help

Jim

nicolas wrote:

There is no product_parent_code column in HikaShop. It's the column product_parent_id which should contain the product_code of the main product of the variant. Maybe that's why your CSV didn't import correctly ?

Thanks, Nicolas, that was indeed why the CSV did not work, I used code instead of ID (

But I think I still have problems in getting the full picture of variants and product codes.
For example, on your demo site, there are two product codes for the same item pink_shoes and pink_shoes_5_22. I assume that the _5_22 product code is used in the checkout and that the pi9k_shoes is not used for sales?

My problem is in generating the import CSV file from the spreadsheet from the company containing the product codes of all the items for sale. It seems that I will need to create additional product_code entries in the csv file for every parent item (main type) because the existing product codes will all be for variants. Is this correct? If so do you have any tips for an easy way of doing that?

Because the number of product codes is about 500, I was thinking of updating the site each week with an updated spreadsheet from the company showing stock levels, so I am looking for a simple way to generate the import csv file from the company's spreadsheet each week.

Thanks for the great help

Jim

That's indeed the case.
For each product, you have a product_code and for each variant you also have a product_code. Each product_code needs to be unique.

If it's only for stock levels update, you should not need to specify the main product line in the CSV. You can just have all the variants of the product with the product_parent_id column with the main product product_cod in it and the system will know that you want to refresh the information of the variants of that product.

nicolas wrote:

That's indeed the case.
For each product, you have a product_code and for each variant you also have a product_code. Each product_code needs to be unique.

If it's only for stock levels update, you should not need to specify the main product line in the CSV. You can just have all the variants of the product with the product_parent_id column with the main product product_cod in it and the system will know that you want to refresh the information of the variants of that product.

Thanks for the very quick reply. The idea of two different product codes for the same item will take a bit of getting used to.

Yes, I see I can create a separate csv for all the parent product_code entries and do most of the work manually because it would only have to be imported once. Then I could use Excel trickery to generated the stock/price changes CSV each week from the companies spreadsheet, provided it's exactly the same structure week to week.!!!!!

Is this the most common way the Hikashop users use to update stock/price values. I am completely new to web catalogues and sales and the help is really valuable.

Jim

First, the stocks of products is updated automatically when orders are created and cancelled. So if you don't have a global stock with a website AND a real store and only have your website, you basically don't need to do anything on that end as the stocks are updated automatically based on the sales. You just have to set the stocks again when you get your products stock replenished.
Some people, with a small stock, will do it directly via the interface and some will do it via CSV. You don't need to have all the information in the CSV.
Just the main information is enough:
product_code,product_quantity
ASU-W60601,15
ASU-W60602,12
...etc...
So it's quite easy to generate and you can have it imported automatically with the data feed plugin included in HikaShop's commercial editions.

Now, if you want to manage the whole products information with the CSVs, the CSVs will indeed have a lot more to it and you will need to specify the main product information, specially for the new products.

Thanks, Nicolas.

I expect that the web sales will not be large compared to retail sales. At the moment the people involved just want an on-line catalogue and we are all a little afraid of everything that web sales entails - security etc etc....

I will take a look at the data feed plug in that you mentioned. Where can I find information about that. I could not see a reference in the integrated documentation.

Many thanks

Jim

There is no documentation for it. You will find it in the plugins manager of joomla. There are only three options with some explanation for them. You will also have to setup your cron in the Cron tab of the configuration of HikaShop so that the CSV can be imported periodically. There is a documentation about the cron task here:
www.hikashop.com/en/support/documentatio...ashop-cron-task.html

I assume that the data feed plugin is only in the Joomla plugins if you have installed the Businees version. Is that the same updater as the currency updater?

Thanks again

Jim

It's only in the commercial editions, Essential and Business. It's another plugin than the currency updater.

Thanks, Nicolas. I just did the upgrade to Essentials.

Can I import a csv containing just the Main items or must the main items be in the same csv at the variant items.

When I imported this data:product_parent_id;product_name;product_description;product_quantity;product_code;product_type;product_dimension_unit;product_width;categories;price_value;price_currency_id;images;related;Size;Colour

Parent-ASO-Y40413;Simplicity - Solo Breakfast Bowl;;;ASO-Y40413;Variant;cm;13;Simplicity - Solo;9.95;CAD;image1068.jpg;;13 cm;Yellow
Parent-ASO-Y40413;13 cm Green;;;ASO-G40413;Variant;cm;13;Simplicity - Solo;9.95;CAD;image1074.jpg;;13 cm;Green


I got the message that all the items were Main types and therefor could not have a parent entry. I had earlier imported all the Main items.

Jim

Please try to add the column product_type with the value variant on your variants CSV file.
You should be able to import both separately but having it all in one file is usually the way it's done.

That column IS there with that value in the file, Nicolas. It's in the example I included in the message. Is the variant value case sensitive?


Jim

yes. It should be variant and not Variant.

nicolas wrote:

yes. It should be variant and not Variant.

Thanks, sometimes I forget I'm now working in a Unix environment.

Jim

nicolas wrote:

You should be able to import both separately but having it all in one file is usually the way it's done.

Just an FYI. It does not work to import the main products separately from the variants. I found that if I did that, the program automatically creates new product_codes for all the possible variants,

Jim

Isn't the problem that you can't have a - in the product code ?

Everything seemed to work as expected, Nicolas, when I put the main and variant items in a single file. Every product code for this company includes a hyphen. js-ca.net/potluckcms is the test site that I am working on to learn how to use Joomla and Hikashop

Thanks

Jim

Well, if it works, then, it's all good