Installation
Update
Before you start
- The plugin requires at least a 128 MB memory limit. Find out how to raise memory limit in PHP configuration
- The cURL library must be enabled on your server
- wp-cron.php must be active and cron tasks must be processed automatically. Read more about settings cron.
- Server with PHP 7.4 and large memory for the script, at least 256MB.
- Server with no time limit for max_execution_time scripts.
- Server without the http server-side script execution time limit parameter (apache, nginx).
- Enable the allow_url_fopen option and the fileinfo extension for PHP.
- Server with large transfer and SSD.
Settings
Visit the plugin settings page by clicking the plugin submenu in your WordPress admin panel: Dropshipping XML → Settings.
Products in one batch - plugin is splitting products from an XML/CSV file into parts. Each part is imported individually one by one to maintain efficiency. The default number of products in one part is 30. You can change this value to a lower number if you are experiencing problems with stability during the import process. If your server is strong and efficient, you can try to make this value higher to increase the speed of the import process.
Import manager
To visit the list of imported files, go to the menu: Dropshipping XML → Import Manager.
On this screen, you will see a list of all files that are being imported to your shop.
You can also make a copy of the import here.
Import clone - to create a clone of your import choose the one from the list and click Clone.
Columns description:
ID - URL of the imported file. When you hover the link, options will appear: mapper settings, synchronization options, schedule, file preview, and delete file.
PRO Cron schedule: Days and hours selected as a cron task schedule for the process to run automatically.
Actions:
Import now - run the import process manually. After manually running the task, you will have a preview of the Import Log which will show the products created, updated, and skipped during the import.
Stop synchronization - a link that allows you to pause the import, especially useful when initially mapping the import file. Pause import causes the file will not to be automatically synchronized at the indicated times.
Activate synchronization - use this option to activate automatic synchronization of the file in the indicated periods. Link is available when automatic synchronization is disabled.
Status:
Synchronization active - the file is ready for import and will be automatically synchronized at the periods indicated in the Cron schedule settings
Synchronization stopped - the import is paused and will not be performed automatically. You can resume it at any time. When synchronization is paused, you can still run the synchronization manually.
Synchronization in progress - the import process is running. At this point, synchronization is taking place.
Import statistics: Information about the number of products created, updated, and skipped during the import process.
Created: Date and time when the file was initially added to the list.
Bulk - Use this option for bulk removing files from the list. Simply select the files from the list and use this option to remove them.
Import process
Go to Dropshipping XML → Import. In four steps, you can set all parameters of the import and synchronization processes that will be run recurrently in the scheduled days and hours.
Step 1 File import
Fill in the URL address to CSV / XML file containing information about products you are about to import to your shop. Paste the URL address and click the Import file button.
After clicking the button, the file will be downloaded and you will see a notice saying that the file has been downloaded correctly. Please move to the next step by clicking the Go to the next step button.
Step 2 File preview
CSV
If you are using CSV file format, it will be previewed on the screen in a table containing all information about the products. Please make sure that all parameters and values are presented correctly. You can toggle between the products using the arrows on the left and right.
The file will automatically detect a separator used in the CSV file. If CSV file preview is not shown correctly, enter a valid separator in the Set separator field and click the Apply button.
XML
After downloading the XML file, you can manually choose from the XML tree an element that contains all information about the product.
The plugin will automatically choose the suggested element. Please make sure that it contains all parameters needed for the import process. For a preview, you can switch between the next/ previous product using the arrows on the left and right. You can also manually enter a number of the position that you want to preview.
How to find out that the chosen element is the right one?
- after selecting an element, you should see all the parameters in the preview: title, price, stock quantity, description, and so on,
- the number of appearances of the element should be the same as the number of products positions in the file,
- if you are still not sure, download and open your XML file and manually look for the repeating pattern
After choosing the right element, please continue by moving to the next step.
Step 3 Product mapper
Before starting the field mapping, you can give the import a name. Enter a specific name in the Import namefield to name an import.
During this step, you will map WooCommerce product fields with values of the parameters used in your XML or CSV file. Use drag and drop interface to insert a specific tag from the file in the WooCommerce product field:
Product title
Here, enter a pattern that will be used to create and identify products in your WooCommerce store. It is best to use the tag corresponding to the product title in the file here. You can also include, for example, attributes in the title. If you want, you can add your own prefix or suffix.
Product description
Fill in the product description. For flexibility, you can use any tag you want. All parameters that you want to put there will be saved in the product description. You can add any text, your own decorations, and annotations.
Product data parameters
This screen looks similar to standard WooCommerce product settings:
Product type
Select whether the imported products are to be created as:
- Simple product
- Variable product
- PRO External/ Affiliate products
Check the Virtual checkbox if you want the product to be created as virtual. In this case, the shipping settings will be hidden.
General
Price - drag the price tag from the metabox on the right to the price field. The price will be loaded from the product file. You can also enter a fixed value
PRO You have the option to modify the price in flight by a fixed value or a specific percentage:
- PRO Add percentage value - the price of the product in the store will be increased by the percentage that you enter in the next field. Example: If you want the price in the WooCommerce store to be 20% higher than the price in the file, select this option and enter the number 20 in the Value field.
- PRO Add fixed value - the price of the product in the store will be increased by the fixed value that you enter in the next field. Example: if you want the price in the WooCommerce store to be $10 higher than the price in the file, select this option and enter the number 10 in the Value field.
Tax status – Taxable / Shipping only / None
Tax class – Choose which tax class should be applied
Set one tax class for all imported products - import products to one selected tax class in the store
Tax class - select from the tax classes available in the store to which products should be assigned during import. Tax classes allow you to assign different tax rates to different product types.
Tax class mapper - This option allows you to map tax rates from a tax class file in your store. Tax class names or identifiers must be defined in the file. If the value is different, the standard rate will be set.
Tax class field - place a tag in this field from the file that corresponds to the name or identifier of the tax. If there are multiple tax fields in the file, and you want each field to be mapped, place comma-separated tags here.
The tax class mapper fields consists of the WooCommerce Tax Class field (left) and the External Tax Class field
WooCommerce tax classes - select a WooCommerce tax class from the list. If the class you are interested in is missing from the list, add it to the list of WooCommerce tax classes
External tax class - enter in this field the identifier of the given tax class coming from the file you are importing from, corresponding to WooCommerce tax classes.
Add more classes in the list for all classes that exist in the file. Add them using the Add button. You can delete existing entries using the Delete button.
Inventory
The inventory section allows you to manage stock for the product individually and define whether to allow back orders and more. It enables you to sell products and allow customers to add them to the cart to buy.
SKU - enter the unique identifier of the product in your store here. It is worth entering the code used in the file by the manufacturer or wholesaler here. This will allow you to use this field for product identification in the next step. The SKU field is not shown to buyers in the store.
Enter the Stock Quantity, and WooCommerce auto-manages inventory and auto-updates Stock Status as Stock, Out of Stock, or On Backorder.
Select whether to Allow Backorders.
Low stock threshold – Enter a number upon which you are notified.
Tick the Sold Individually box to limit the product to one per order.
Shipping
Weight – Weight of the item.
Dimensions – Length, width, and height for the item.
Shipping Class – Shipping classes are used by certain shipping methods to group similar products.
Attributes
In the Attributes section, you can define the product's attributes. They will be added to the product during import.
The attributes list is divided into two columns: Name and Value.
Name - enter the name of the attribute. You can enter it manually or use a tag from the file preview.
Value - enter the value of the attribute that will be added to the products. To get the values dynamically from the file, add a tag from your product feed in this field.
Add more attributes using the Add + button. Define each attribute you want to save within a product in your WooCommerce store. Existing items can be deleted using the Delete button.
Short product description
Please fill out a short description of the product if you are using it in your store. You have full flexibility, as in the case of the main description.
Images
Drag and drop tags containing image URLs to this field. The plugin automatically downloads images to the store from the indicated locations. The images are downloaded to the WordPress Media Library and added to the product gallery. The first image is set as the Product Image.
To correctly map all images related to products, indicate in the mapping field all the elements that lead to them. The following tags must be separated by a set separator character.
Images separator - set a separator that will separate tags in the field from each other.
Scan <img> tags and import images - check this option if the imported file contains images in HTML format. The plugin will automatically download image URLs from HTML tags. If there are paths formulated as <img src = "URL"> inside the given field tags, the plugin will download their URLs.
Do not add Product Image to the Product Gallery - this option will disable adding the first image to the Product Gallery. The first image will only be set as a Product Image and won't be added again to the gallery.
Do not replace the existing images. Instead, append new photos to the product - check this option to add new images without overwriting images from previous imports.
Images hints
The images in the file structure are placed in catalogues.
If in the structure of the XML file, paths to the images leads catalogues/folders direction, as in this example:
Place a reference to the address of the server where the files are located before the XPath to complete the URL:
{//XPath to the images in XML structure}
Variable Products
Variable products have the same name - Check this option if variants from the file will be identified by the plugin based on the product name.
Checkbox: Check if variable products have a parent product in the file structure.
This situation occurs when there is a parent product in the XML file.
Variable products have the same SKU number - Check this option if the variant products use the SKU number of the main product. The product SKU number will then be downloaded into the SKU field in the WooCommerce main product settings.
Variable products and main product have different IDs - check this option if the variant products on file use a unique ID.
Variable products have the same identifier - check this option if in the XML file the main product has a "parent" identifier for the identifiers of the variant products. Then point the XPath to both identifiers - the parent product and the variant product.
Checkbox: Check if variable products have a parent product in the file structure.
Variant products are embedded as child tags in the XML file - check this option if in the XML file the main product and individual variants are arranged within one node and are distinguished by their attributes.
After selecting this option, the input field will be expanded. Place an XPath tag in it that points to the path to the first product variant:
After selecting the tag, the fields with which you can configure the creation of individual product variants will be presented:
Open window with variations - use this option to switch between variants nested in the XML file in a new window.
Virtual - select the checkbox if you want the variants created to have the status of Virtual products.
Create products without variants as simple products - use this option so that if the plugin does not detect variants within the node (i.e. if there is only one variant), a simple product is created, not a product with variants
First variation as default value in the product dropdown - select this option to make the first created variant the default. If this option is not checked, none of the variants will be treated as default.
Get the values from the main products settings for the fields - check the box if you want to disable the configuration of individual fields at the variant level and use the parameters set at the configuration level of the parent product. The multiselect field will be expanded, where you can select which variant configuration fields should be disabled. The values of these fields will be set according to the configuration of the parent product.
Image URL - Set a featured image for the variant by providing the path to the field containing the image url. The image will be downloaded to the media library and set as the product variant image
SKU - drag and drop the field marker where the product SKU is.
Price - drag and drop the field marker where the price of the product is located. You can also enter a fixed value.
PRO You have the option to modify the price in flight by a fixed value or a specific percentage:
- PRO Add percentage value - the price of the product in the store will be increased by the percentage that you enter in the next field. Example: If you want the price in the WooCommerce store to be 20% higher than the price in the file, select this option and enter the number 20 in the Value field.
- PRO Add fixed value - the price of the product in the store will be increased by the fixed value that you enter in the next field. Example: if you want the price in the WooCommerce store to be $10 higher than the price in the file, select this option and enter the number 10 in the Value field.
Sale price - If you want the product to be on sale, enter the promotional price in this field.
Weight, dimensions - drag and drop tags from the file corresponding to this product information. They are useful for buyers and also help in calculating the shipping cost.
Manage stock? - After enabling inventory management, you can configure:
Stock quantity - if you want the stock level of products at the variant level to be synchronized with the file, enter (drag and drop) the value from the file here.
When you click on the selection list under Allow Pending Orders , you will get the following options:
- Don't allow - choose if you don't want to order with zero stock
- Allow, but inform the customer - select if you want to give this option, but the store should display relevant information.
- Allow - select, if the sale from the product view side in the store is to be the same as in the case of a positive stock with zero stock.
Shipping class - select the product's shipping class. Useful when you import products with very large or very small dimensions. Thanks to the shipping class, you can better estimate the shipping cost.
Tax status - Optionally enable or disable taxes for a product. Leave as is to use store settings. Or you can tax only shipping costs (Shipping only)
Tax class – Choose which tax class should be applied
Set one tax class for all imported products - import products to one selected tax class in the store
Tax class - select from the tax classes available in the store to which products should be assigned during import. Tax classes allow you to assign different tax rates to different product types.
Tax class mapper - This option allows you to map tax rates from a tax class file in your store. Tax class names or identifiers must be defined in the file. If the value is different, the standard rate will be set.
Tax class field - place a tag in this field from the file that corresponds to the name or identifier of the tax. If there are multiple tax fields in the file, and you want each field to be mapped, place comma-separated tags here.
The tax class mapper fields consists of the WooCommerce Tax Class field (left) and the External Tax Class field
WooCommerce tax classes - select a WooCommerce tax class from the list. If the class you are interested in is missing from the list, add it to the list of WooCommerce tax classes
External tax class - enter in this field the identifier of the given tax class coming from the file you are importing from, corresponding to WooCommerce tax classes.
Add more classes in the list for all classes that exist in the file. Add them using the Add button. You can delete existing entries using the Delete button.
External/ Affiliate Products
PRO
Product URL - place a tag in this field from the file that corresponds to the external/ affiliate product URL. If in the structure of the XML file, paths to the products are relative, enter the beginning of the URL before the XPath to complete the URL:
https://siteaddress.com/{//XPath to the images in XML structure}
Button text - enter the text for the button linking to the external product. You may also place a tag here.
Categories
The plugin allows you to import categories according to the following options:
- Set single category to all imported products - import products to one selected category in the store.
- Map categories - the option allows you to map categories from a file with categories in the store. Category names or IDs must be defined in the file.
- Import only products from mapped categories - if you check that option the plugin will import products only from categories with IDs set in the mapper below.
- PRO Create or select categories automatically - check this option if you want WooCommerce product categories to be automatically created on the fly during sync. The plugin will create products, categories and assign products to the created categories. There must be a tag containing the category name in the Product Category Field.
- Product category field - put in this field a tag from the file that holds the name or ID of the category. If your file has multiple tags with categories, you can paste many of them in this field and separate them with a comma. Product will be added to every mapped category.
- Categories mapper - a list of categories. The components are: WooCommerce category and External ID from the file.
- WooCommerce category - select the WooCommerce category from the list. If the category you are interested in is missing from the list, add it to the WooCommerce category list.
- External ID in the file - enter in this field the ID of the given category from the file you are importing from, which will be mapped to the selected WooCommerce category.
- Map all the categories that occur in the file. Add more using the Add button. Existing items can be deleted using the Delete button.
If the ID is not found during the import process, the product will be added to the default WooCommerce category (default: Uncategorized).
- Create category trees - import categories according to their hierarchy e.g. Women > Clothing > Dresses.
- Product category field - put in this field a tag from the file that holds the name or ID of the category. If your file has multiple tags with categories, you can paste many of them in this field and separate them with a comma. Product will be added to every mapped category.
- Add product to all subcategories - mark this checbox if you want the product to be added to all categories in the category tree (e.g. Women > Clothing > Dresses) and not only to the lowest level category (e.g. Dresses).
- Category tree separator - set the character that separates the categories in the file e.g. categories in the category tree Women > Clothing > Dresses are separated by >.
Step 4 Import options
This step allows you to set Import Options, for example, products fields synchronization, conditional logic & import schedule.
Import into products on the basis of - select a product parameter. Based on this, the plugin will synchronize the products from the file with the existing products in WooCommerce. Products will be identified according to this parameter. If the plugin detects an existing product with this parameter, it will be updated. If no product with the same name / SKU is found in the store, a new product will be created.
No product in XML/CSV file - select what to do when products are not found in the next imports. You may choose to:
- do nothing with previously imported products,
- change shop products stock to 0 - leaving the products in the store, but setting their inventory to 0,
- PRO move products to trash - "missing" products, previously imported from the file, will be moved to the trash.
PRO Enable conditional logic - check this option to see conditional logic fields
Conditional logic fields:
PRO Import / Don’t import- check this option to choose or skip fields
PRO XPath to field - Use drag and drop interface to choose a specific field
PRO Conditional logic field values:
- Empty
- Not empty
- Higher than
- Lower than
- Equal
- Not equal
- Contains
- Not contains
Examples of the use of conditional logic:
Skip product with Stock quantity equal to 0
PRO
To skip products with Stock quantity 0, drag the tag corresponding to the value of the Stock quantity. Then enter the field value as the digit 0.
Skip product without SKU
PRO
To skip the import of products that do not have an SKU, drag the tag that was used as the SKU in the product mapping and set the field value to Is empty.
Import products with price Higher than $15 and Lower than $100
PRO
In the logic condition settings, drag the tag that handles a price. Select the value of the less than field and enter the value 100. Then click the + icon to add a second condition. Select the same tag as in the previous condition, set the value of the field greater than, and enter the number 15.
Import products only with a 23% tax rate
PRO
Select Import product if and select a specific tag with the tax rate. Then select the field Equals and enter the number 23.
To do this, use the | symbol (On computer keyboards, it is accessed by pressing ⇧ Shift + \ simultaneously)
For example:
If you want to import products that have the color attribute: black or white, select Import product if, select the specific tag for color. Then set the field value to Contains and type black | white
Don't create, only update existing products - Check this option if you want to update only products that exist in the store. During synchronization no new products from XML file will be created
Create new products as draft - Check the box so that all products created by the plugin have the status Draft. Products with the Draft status are not visible to buyers. This option is useful if you want to test the import process in a live store. The option will only be active if the Don't create, only update existing products option is not active. If the checkbox remains unchecked, new products will be created with the Published status.
Synchronize product fields: select product fields to be updated on subsequent imports. By default, the plugin will synchronize all fields. Remove from the list those which should be skipped. This option is useful especially when it comes to updating prices, stock levels.
PRO Cron schedule - select the days of the week and hours of the automatic file sync. If you do not select any options, the process will not start automatically in the future.
If you leave the browser tab open, the import will be faster as subsequent tasks will be invoked by AJAX functions. If you close your browser tab, the process continues in the background with wp-cron jobs.
Import Log
If you start the import process manually, the event log will be displayed on the screen, allowing you to monitor the process progress. If you leave the browser tab open, the import will be faster as tasks will be run by AJAX functions. If you close your browser tab, the process will continue in the background using wp-cron jobs.
Explanation of the information on the screen:
Time elapsed - time since the import process started.
Progress - percentage value showing what part of the process has already been completed.
Created - the number of products that were created in the WooCommerce store during import (if no products were found in the store based on the selected parameter, therefore they were created).
Updated - The number of products that have been identified based on the selected parameter, therefore they have been updated based on the products feed.
Skipped - the number of items in the file that have been skipped (they were not saved in the WooCommerce store). This message appears when an error occurs while importing or WooCommerce does not allow you to add products. Information about the reason should be available in the box below:
Import log - the event log is saved here. Explanation of the messages:
- Starting new import - starting the import with the given individual file identifier,
- Downloading - start downloading an XML / CSV file from the indicated URL,
- Downloading is finished - the file has been correctly saved on the server,
- Converting - starting to convert an XML / CSV file to a format prepared for import,
- Converting is finished - the process of converting an XML / CSV file to the format prepared for import,
- Import in progress - starting the process of saving information about products in the store,
- Searching product by SKU - identifying the product based on the selected identifier - SKU,
- Searching product by product name - identifying the product based on the selected identifier - product name,
- Product not found - the product has not been found in the store based on the selected identifier
- Creating new product - Start creating a new product from an item in the file,
- Created product ID X - a new product with the indicated ID has been created correctly,
- Updated product ID X - the product with the indicated ID was correctly updated,
- Found attachment in the media library, attachment X - while downloading photos to the product gallery, the photo with the specified ID was found in the media library and assigned to the product (the photo was not downloaded again),
- Created new attachment X - the photo has been downloaded to the store and saved in the Media Library under the given ID
List of imported products
Go to WooCommerce → Products. In the Dropshipping column, you will find information on the import of the products. If you have given a name to the import, you will find its name in the column. If the import has no name, you will find the URL of the file used for the import in the column.
Advanced options
Modify data on the fly
PRO
Plugin has built-in filters which allow to modify the product data during the saving process. Below there are three filters with example uses. The code will cut out brackets - { and }. This code will also cut out the text which is not included inside given HTML tags:
Modify product name on the fly
PRO
Modify product description on the fly
PRO
Modify product short description on the fly
PRO
Filter special characters in image addresses
PRO
Mapping of unusual stocks
PRO
Correct file encoding
PRO
Correct mime encoding
PRO
Correctly download images when the file does not contain the full image address
PRO
Roadmap
In the future, we plan to develop the plugin with the following functionalities:
- Import Variable Products - completed,
- Adding new file import methods (FTP) - completed (see the add-on),
- Exporting orders
If you have an idea for functionalities that the plugin could support, write to us about them.
FAQ
What shall I do if the product update (import) does not work?
First of all, check if any errors were noted in WooCommerce during import. Errors may appear in the admin panel, when you prepare the import. If you find this type of message, send its content in a message when contacting our support.
It also happens that a problem may have occurred, but the error message is not displayed. If the import is taking an unusually long time, or if it doesn't want to complete, check the WooCommerce Logs for possible errors or warnings.
Go to WooCommerce > Status > Logs and check if there are any fatal errors or notices. An example message might look like the following:
2022-09-09T14:37:12+00:00 CRITICAL Uncaught RuntimeException: The import file does not contain XML content. in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml/vendor_prefixed/wpdesk/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml-core/src/Analyser/XmlAnalyser.php:146
Stack trace:
#0 /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml/vendor_prefixed/wpdesk/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml-core/src/Analyser/XmlAnalyser.php(162): DropshippingXmlVendor\WPDesk\Library\DropshippingXmlCore\Analyser\XmlAnalyser->load_xml()
#1 /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml/vendor_prefixed/wpdesk/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml-core/src/Analyser/XmlAnalyser.php(65): DropshippingXmlVendor\WPDesk\Library\DropshippingXmlCore\Analyser\XmlAnalyser->get_analysed()
#2 /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml/vendor_prefixed/wpdesk/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml-core/src/Action/View/ImportCsvSelectorViewAction.php(108): DropshippingXmlVendor\WPDesk\Library\DropshippingXmlCore\Analyser\XmlAnalyser->count_element('node')
#3 /var/w in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml/vendor_prefixed/wpdesk/woocommerce-dropshipping-xml-core/src/Analyser/XmlAnalyser.php on line 146
You can clearly see from the path wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/dropshipping-xml that the noted problem is related to the Dropshipping XML plugin. If you find this type of message, please contact our support and send the error content in the ticket.
When the browser is off, the import proceeds slowly or not at all, even though WP Cron tasks are set every minute. What to do?
Check if the server parameters meet our recommendations. You can find them above in the documentation. If the parameters are fine, make sure that Cron really executes every minute.
Install a plugin for managing Cron, for example, Advanced Cron Manager, go into tasks, and refresh the view every minute. You can check whether the tasks that are in progress are disappearing from the queue.
If Cron is executing properly, change the number of products processed at one time in the plugin settings. Go to Dropshipping XML > Settings and increase the product limit in the Products in one batch option.
If the import still proceeds at an unsatisfactory rate, see if disabling the image download will help. Importing images can consume a lot of server resources. If the images are already uploaded, consider disabling images import when updating the import settings.
Go to Dropshipping XML > Import manager and select the feed with the problem. Select the link, edit options.
Delete Product Images from the Synchronize product fields option.
If the above measures do not help, check whether any of the plugins installed in the store or the theme you are using don't run into conflict with our plugin. To do this, disable all plugins except WooCommerce and plugins from WP Desk for the test and run the import.
If it speeds up, it will mean that one of the plugins or the theme conflicts with our plugin. Enable the plugins one by one and test after enabling each successive plugin to see if the import slows down. As soon as the import slows down, you will find the source - the plugin that is slowing down the import.
If the import still doesn't speed up, it's worth checking whether the conflict is generated by the theme used in the store. If changing the theme to Storefront, for example, does not improve the import speed, contact our support.
During the import, a message appears: NOTICE: Waiting, another process is importing now.
This happens when at least two imports are scheduled at the same time. The plugin can perform one import at a time. If you set more imports to run at the same time in the Cron schedule, you may see this message.
The plugin will wait until the first import is finished, and then it will start the next one. So it's a good idea to set the Cron schedule so that individual imports don't overlap. Otherwise, a queue of imports will start to form, which means they will be initiated later than you expected.
The queue of tasks (imports) will gradually increase. This can lead to malfunctioning of the plugin and importing products with a delay.
Despite the import configuration, products are not added, the NOTICE appears: Category for product is not mapped and product will be skipped.
Depending on how many levels (hierarchy) of categories you want to have, you need to define all categories and subcategories. Let's assume that the product you want to import (football shorts) has a category like this one: Football/Men. If the product is to be placed in both the main category and two subcategories, each of these categories must be mapped.
First, select Create or select categories automatically in the import mapper. This option will allow you to create categories in the store according to the file record during the first import, i.e. the Football/Men category will be added to the store.
After completing the first import, you will be able to create manually a category tree based on the added categories, in this case, one category Football/Men, should be turned into two: one main Football and one subcategory Men:
Football
- Men
Next, you can start mapping the category tree which was prepared in this way.
You will find two fields in one row, in the categories mapper. On the left, select one of the categories from your store, on the right, add the category ID from the feed. If the file does not have a category ID, you need to put a category name in the field, in this case, it will be Football/Men. You can add more rows, which will allow you to map full category trees:
Football > Football/Men
- Men > Football/Men
The effect will be as follows, the product will be added to the parent category Men and the Football subcategory.
The mapping of embedded variants is not working correctly. Only one variant is added and the others are skipped. What can I check?
An important part of the correct mapping of embedded variants is proper mapping of the variant tree. We use the option Variable products are embedded as child tags in XML. Let's assume that the structure of the file looks as follows:
<sizes>
<size id="B" code="3127-B" weight="800">
<price gross="9.99" net="8.12"/>
<srp gross="0.00" net="0.00"/>
</size>
<size id="D" code="3127-D" weight="800">
<price gross="9.99" net="8.12"/>
<srp gross="0.00" net="0.00"/>
</size>
<size id="F" code="3127-F" weight="800">
<price gross="9.99" net="8.12"/>
<srp gross="0.00" net="0.00"/>
</size>
</sizes>
Which tag <size></size>, <sizes></sizes>, or perhaps ID should be drop into the mentioned field? Adding the appropriate tag makes a difference. In this case, you need to drag the second one, so that the {//product/sizes/size} rule is in the field. After selecting the link open window with variations, a window with all the variants for the specified product will appear.
Further, drag the tags from this window that will have the value {//sizes/@code}, for the SKU number. What happens if you drag the <sizes></sizes> tag? First, you will get the {//product/sizes} rule, so when you open the window, all the variants will appear. And you will be able to add only one to the mapper.
For the SKU field, the {//sizes/size[1]/@code} rule will be used, which will cause only the first variant to be added to the store. When adding rules for the other variants, you will add {//sizes/size[2]/@code} or {//sizes/size[5]/@code}. No matter which one, you choose, it will always be only one variation.
Try to map the variants so that there is only one variant per card in the variant window.
