I uploaded a few hundred products with one of the features being “material”. Several of these products were initially designated as “Stone” when they were supposed to be “Glass”.
I made the change in my spread sheet and re-uploaded the CSV (taking care to check the “Delete all existing product files before import” check box).
When I examine the “corrected” products, they now list: “StoneGlass” as the material. Not good.
It seems the only way around this is to completely delete the products in question and then upload corrected version, but obviously this is a PITA that I'd rather avoid.
Can someone tell me where I'm going wrong?
Have you tried the “Edit Selected”-option? Still a pain with hundreds of products, but better than doing it one by one.
Thanks for answering, but while that might work, it's almost the same deal as deleting/re-upolading.
It's FINDING the incorrect products that's a pain (as there are 1,000's of products in this category altogether).
I mean… just why does the “Delete all existing product files before import” check box DO if it's useless in this case?
[quote name='MFD' timestamp='1379871681' post='168556']
I mean… just why does the “Delete all existing product files before import” check box DO if it's useless in this case?
[/quote]
The clue is in the name. It deletes all product files from products which match the product IDs you are importing. It does not delete the product entirely (ie. deletes product info, images, addon settings, etc). I think the failure here is the wording which is used to describe the functionality of that checkbox - or at least the lack of a tooltip which explains this in better detail.
Which version are you running?
Check the format here for product features - the features you intend to change should not have any instances of the 'old' feature when importing.
Why don't you use the Bulk Edit and change the feature? Alternatively, dive into the database, find the instance of “StoneGlass” and use a 'find and replace' type SQL statement to alter this to “Glass”.
Hey Steller,
You might have misread my post. I don't expect that check box to delete the product, but to do as you suggested… delete all product data, including whatever features it might have. The way CSC is keeping the old features and simply adding the new ones on is akin to changing the description in my CSV and finding that I now have TWO descriptions (new and old) for the product. Ridiculous.
Yes, I could do a bulk edit, but as I mentioned, the products in question are several out of thousands, so identifying them is not an easy task. If forced to go that route, it's just as “easy” to delete them once I find them and then do a re-upload (which just takes a few keystrokes).
Again, the fewest products in the dozen or so CSV's I use for this category contains 300 entities, while several number 1,500 products or more. These features change from time to time, so I don't have time to fool around hunting. What I want is to change the spreadsheet, and then simply upload the new CSV file… done.
I think I have the syntax down pretty well for importing features, but maybe you or someone else can see the cause of the problem by looking at the example below:
(General Information)Brand:S[Hickory];(General Information)Days to ship:S[1-3];(General Information)Restocking fee:S[20%];(General Information)Manufacturer part#:S[K48-BNV];(Product Specifications)Theme:S[Transitional];(Product Specifications)Type:S[Appliance Pull];(Product Specifications)Color family:S[Black];(Product Specifications)Length/Dia.:N[8.88];(Product Specifications)Collection:S[Williamsburg];(Product Specifications)Material:S[Zinc];(Product Specifications)Finish:S[Black Nickel Vibed];(Product Specifications)Projection:S[2-3/8"];(Product Specifications)Screws included:S[Included for 3/4" door.]
BTW, while the example I cited above refers to the “Material” feature, I get the same problem of the old features remaining no matter which one is changed.
FWIW I'm using the latest release of V3.