NetMAXFAQ : Certified NetMAX Addon Packages : E-Commerce Suite - Store Front Software :
How do I add products to my Interchange store?
How To Add Products to your Interchange Store
Purpose:
To outline the procedure for entering products into the NetMAX Interchange store.
Prerequisites:
This document assumes the following:- The reader is executing the procedure herein on a supported platform, as defined here.
- The person performing this procedure can log into the target NetMAX system as the administrative user.
- The person performing this procedure is familiar with the basics of operating a NetMAX server, as outlined in the NetMAX Server Manual.
Overview
There are two distinct methods for entering products into your NetMAX Interchange store: adding items via the forms in the web administrative interface, and importing items from an XLS or GNUmeric spreadsheet.If you only have a few items to sell, and none of them are electronically deliverable,it is generally easier to use the web form method. However, if you have and downloadble items, or if you have many items or many categories, use the Spreadsheet method. Also note that once you have merchandise entered into your online store, you must specify the inventory count for each item. This procedure is included at the end of this document.
Web forms procedure
To add products via the web interface alone, log into the administrative interface of the store. Click the Items link at the top of the page. Click the Create new item link to access the item editor.You will be presented with a form presenting the various aspects of an item. Below the fields that whose purpose may not be obvious are explained. SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit and is a number associated with a product for inventory purposes. Product Group is the overall group you wish to place this item in, for example Software. Category is a further classification of the group, for example Downloadable, or Updates.Image provides you with a method for uploading the image of your product that the customer will see when they click they view the full description of your product. Thumb provides a method for uploading the thumbnail image that is displayed next to your product when it is displayed in the promotional portions of your store. (e.g. See also, Specials, Accessories)
To save your changes, ensure that auto-export is checked, and click the OK button.
Repeat this procedure for each of your items.
Once you have finished entering items, click the Administration link. Click the Wizard link. Click the Preview link. Ensure that Insert products data, and Insert sample order data have No selected, and that Rebuild category lists has Yes selected, then click the Finish button.
SpreadSheet method.
Access the administrative interface of your Interchange store. Click the Administration link. Click the Wizard link. Click the About Your Products link. Click one of the example spreadsheet links presented on the resulting page, depending on your needs. For an example of a purely tangible (e.g. non-electronic) store, chose the Hardware & Construction Tools spreadsheet. For an example of a mixture of both traditionally and elecrtonically delivered merchandise, choose the Marketing Reports spreadsheet. If you are familiar with the format of the spreadsheet in relationship to the Interchange database choose the template.xls link.Replace the information in the sample spreadsheet with data that reflects your merchandise, using the preexisting data as a reference point.
Creating downloadable items
One important aspect of the spreadsheet to note is how to add downloadable products. This involves specifying the proper values in your spreadsheet, and actually uploading the merchandise itself to the proper location. In the spreadsheet, supply a value of 1 for the download field, optionally specify a MIME-type for the download in the dl_type field, and specify the filename, beginning with deliver/ for the dl_location field. For instance, in the following image, the product is a PDF file that has been uploaded to /var/lib/interchange/foundation/deliver/90773sh.pdf
Note that all electronically deliverable products must be placed in the deliver subdirectory of the catalog root.
Once you have completed your spreadsheet, save it to disk on the machine from which you operate the Interchange administrative interface. Return to the About Your Products screen and click the Browse... button. Locate the spreadsheet file you created and confirm your selection back to the browser.Click the Next-> button. Ensure that Insert products data and Rebuild category lists are both specified as Yes. Click the Finish button.
After completing either method described above, you should be able to access the customer interface of your NetMAX Interchange store and view your items.
Merchandise Inventory
After you have all of your items entered into the administrative interface, perform the following steps to update inventory counts of all products:- In the Interchange administrative interface, click the Items link.
- Place a checkmark in the left-most column of all displayed rows.
- Click the Edit Checked Items in Sequence button
- Click the Inventory link.
- Specify the proper inventory count for On Hand.
- Click the OK button to accept inventory changes.
- Click the OK button to accept item edit changes and move to the next item.
- Repeat the above 4 steps until all products have been updated. (You will be returned to the main item list page when finished)
- Click the Administration link.
- Click the Apply Changes link.