The Ultimate Google Base Exporter Fix, replaces the previous fixes Options

[Ilya Vassilevsky]

Here's a combined patch containing all the fixes made to Google Base exporter since the last Avactis release (version 2.1 build 10169).

It includes the smaller patches previously posted here. It is safe to overwrite your build 10169 system files with these.

Attached File(s)

 google_base_changes.zip ( 22.88K ) Number of downloads: 34

 

[DforDog]

Hi Ilya,

Not sure where to ask this and as we were talking about google base (froogle) feeds here I shall add it here but please move it if I have posted in the wrong place.

Basically I had this email from Google last week as I subscribe to their updates:

Hello,

Thank you for participating in Google Product Search. We are reaching out to you to inform you about important changes we're making to our Product Search attribute requirements for unique identifiers and tax and shipping information.

Starting May 3rd, 2011, we'll require your product listings to include at least two of the three unique identifiers (Brand, MPN, GTIN). In order to provide as much information as possible to our users, we need your help in matching your products to our "product pages", where users are able to view useful data such as product specifications or reviews. While these attributes will not be required for your data feed to process correctly, they may prevent your items from appearing in Product Search results if not included. For more details, including what specific identifiers you should include for each category of item, please see our Help Center at http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=160161

Starting June 6th, 2011, we'll also require your product listings to include tax and shipping information to provide buyers with important price information. This information will be required at either the account or item level (in the "tax" or "shipping" attribute) in order for your items to process and appear in Google Product Search results. For instructions on how to include tax and shipping information, please visit http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=160162

Please update your account settings or data feeds as soon as possible to ensure that you are complying with these new requirements by the dates specified above. For more information about these changes, please visit our Google Merchant blog at http://googlemerchantblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/changes-for-google-product-search.html

Sincerely,

The Google Product Search Team

So it seems that the changes listed starting May 3rd, 2011 are optional, so I am not worried about those. But the ones listed as starting June 6th, 2011 sound like they are compulsory for the feed to work. So starting from 6th June our feeds will have to include tax and shipping information. I had a look at the link http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bi...p;answer=160162 and it seems that the tax info is only needed if you are in the US. My business is UK, so I don't think I need to worry about the tax aspect. However, it is saying I will need to specify a global shipping rule and include a weight column:

Here is what it says:

shipping weight [shipping_weight]

This is the weight of the product at shipping. If you have specified a global shipping rule that is dependent on shipping weight, this attribute will be used to calculate the shipping cost automatically. The accepted values must include both a number and a unit of weight.

TypeWe accept only the following units of weight: lb, pound, oz, ounce, g, gram, kg, kilogram.Text/Tab delimited3 kilogramsXML<g:shipping_weight>3 kilograms</g:shipping_weight>Recommended forall items with weight-dependent shipping costs.

So can our Froogle feeds be updated for this new requirement please?

[Ilya Vassilevsky]

Wow, thanks Jenny! We'll be improving Avactis' Google Base exporter to correspond to the new rules. They ain't letting you live quietly, are they?

[DforDog]

Hi Ilya, how is the new patch going please? We will all need to be adding weight to our froogle feeds soon.

[Ilya Vassilevsky]

Avactis 2.1.2 will support the new fields. No ETA as of now.

[phil4v19]

Hi Ilya the deadline for these new feeds is this weekend so was wondering if you have the update yet

Thanks very much for all your hard work so far

Avactis 2.1.2 will support the new fields. No ETA as of now.

[Bmer7]

Hi Ilya,

please also see http://www.avactis.com/forums/index.php?sh...amp;#entry17917

It may be a quick interim solution using two spreadsheets from the normal Export CSV and Google Base CSV files, just missing 'manufacturer' to make a fully useable feed. Sort by ID, Line em up, and cut and paste and you've got a feed (just watch any offline items as these are in the normal export but not the Google Base export).

Thanks

Brad

Hi Ilya the deadline for these new feeds is this weekend so was wondering if you have the update yet

Thanks very much for all your hard work so far

Avactis 2.1.2 will support the new fields. No ETA as of now.

[phil4v19]

The google base feeds hasd 3 missing fields not one and its too messy and time consuming to cut and paste.

We really need the feed.

Hi Ilya,

please also see http://www.avactis.com/forums/index.php?sh...amp;#entry17917

It may be a quick interim solution using two spreadsheets from the normal Export CSV and Google Base CSV files, just missing 'manufacturer' to make a fully useable feed. Sort by ID, Line em up, and cut and paste and you've got a feed (just watch any offline items as these are in the normal export but not the Google Base export).

Thanks

Brad

Hi Ilya the deadline for these new feeds is this weekend so was wondering if you have the update yet

Thanks very much for all your hard work so far

Avactis 2.1.2 will support the new fields. No ETA as of now.

[DforDog]

I guess we are all still waiting for this froggle feed update, are we Or if not, let me know if I have missed some announcement or something please.

[Ilya Vassilevsky]

1) The format of this feed is called "Google Base" from April 18, 2007. Details

2) Avactis 2.1.1 has a Google Base exporter that exports a feed that fully conforms to the new requirements. You can download the installer right now. The update script is coming soon.

3) If your store has been customized and modified files block the update, the update script will provide you with a list of such files and will allow you to resolve the conflicts right in place. Also, all updating is done in a temporary directory and changes are only applied to the live store if everything is alright.

This post has been edited by Ilya Vassilevsky: Jul 18 2011, 04:00 PM

Reason for edit: Update script behavior has changed in 2.1.1

[DforDog]

This is what is worrying me. I have had so many changes made to my store, I don't understand how I will ever be able to update?

I am new to Avactis and this is my first update so I am not sure what we get given, update wise. As I say I have had many many changes made to my cart so won't be doing an automatic update. But in the update do we clearly get shown what has changed in each file for each fix so we can cherry pick the changes we wish to install and we can just make code changes to the appropriate files only?

[Ilya Vassilevsky]

Are you kidding? You're not new, you're a PRO user already Fear not: we have a record of all customizations so after the auto-update erases all custom code we can re-apply them all. For a much smaller fee than they originally cost.

[DforDog]

But I do feel fear... I really do. I have a number of paid mods, a number of smaller mods paid from my credits and also a number of errors I found that were fixed on my cart. I have it just so, apart from the Google Base feed, and really don't want it all messed up. You did a patch for me once to fix my store profile address. Then a recent paid for mod was done and they over wrote that patch you did me... so this is why I am afraid. It makes me nervous when things like that get overwritten.

Aye well... if pro means accumulating a record number of support tickets then I am that I suppose, lol. I was with my old cart 5 years so still consider myself a newbie here, and this is my first experience of an Avactis upgrade.

IDK (learnt that one from you, lol)... I think I only want the change to the Google Base (yes, I preferred Froogle... fab name ) but looking at the change log I can't tell if anything else on that list is essential or even recommended. IMO a guide on the change log as to what is essential and what can be left would be helpful. But now I digress.

15 July

Did you all get the latest Googe Base notification this week... more changes

[phil4v19]

But I do feel fear... I really do. I have a number of paid mods, a number of smaller mods paid from my credits and also a number of errors I found that were fixed on my cart. I have it just so, apart from the Google Base feed, and really don't want it all messed up. You did a patch for me once to fix my store profile address. Then a recent paid for mod was done and they over wrote that patch you did me... so this is why I am afraid. It makes me nervous when things like that get overwritten.

Aye well... if pro means accumulating a record number of support tickets then I am that I suppose, lol. I was with my old cart 5 years so still consider myself a newbie here, and this is my first experience of an Avactis upgrade.

IDK (learnt that one from you, lol)... I think I only want the change to the Google Base (yes, I preferred Froogle... fab name ) but looking at the change log I can't tell if anything else on that list is essential or even recommended. IMO a guide on the change log as to what is essential and what can be left would be helpful. But now I digress.

15 July

Did you all get the latest Googe Base notification this week... more changes

Suggestion:

How about performing fresh install 2.1.1 in a different directory and creating a copy of your existing database to be used by the new version. You can then access the new version pf avactis and prodice a google product feed without worrying about altering your existing live site.

In fact I think I will do it that way as from previous experience I dont trust the update process to be problem free either.

Phil

[DforDog]

Hi Phil,

Thanks for the suggestion but my gosh is that a lot of work for a product feed. Eeeeek.

Anyway, I don't think the feed includes everything it should... unless the new one has changed drastically... which I would not know as I have not seen it. Don't the new requirements include unique product identifiers and so on. Not sure if Avactis allows for that info or not... but I haven't seen anywhere to put upc and ean numbers, so I assume not?

If the Avactis feed included everythng is should then maybe it would be worth all that effort, but I don't think it does, does it?

And as you know, Ilya did a patch just for the feed before (not as part of an upgrade or anything) so I don't see why we can't have another updated patch just for Google Base feed changes?

[Ilya Vassilevsky]

The new update to version 2.1.1 is not like all the previous ones. It works differently. It kinda allows fine-tuning of the upgrade process. So it makes even updates of modified stores possible. It is almost ready, and we'll start updating the stores, owners of which purchased the update service, very soon.

[DonH]

Not sure if Avactis allows for that info or not... but I haven't seen anywhere to put upc and ean numbers, so I assume not?

UPC and EAN numbers are available inputs in 2.1.1. But, since those are new database fields, hooking up to your existing database will not give those to you.

[DforDog]

Great... that has cheered me up. I am keen to comply with the EAN thing. Have you tried it out yet Don? If a product has multiple EANs because of variants, does the new 2.1.1 Google Base feed make all the necessary extra lines required and adjust the [id] so those aren't duplicated? And does it make an [item_group_id]? And how does it deal with the new [google_product_category]?

Hi Ilya. Approx when will I be able to upgrate to 2.1.1? And what will it cost me considering all my various mods and changes which I do not want to lose?

[DonH]

No, I haven't tried out the feed, yet. I've decided to go through my entire custom theme to bring everything up to date. I created it several versions ago. Though it still works, I want to take full advantage of the 2.1.1 refinements.

[Ilya Vassilevsky]

New product attributes do not require new database columns. All attributes are stored as text, in a single column. That makes it possible to create unlimited custom attributes as well.

But that doesn't make the idea of pointing Avactis 2.1.1 to database 2.1.0 or older version less horrible. They must absolutely match. Only the official update can do that.

We will announce general availability of 2.1.1 update in our news, so stay tuned.