How to prepare data for uploading to catalog/uploading updates

How to prepare data for uploading to catalog/uploading updates

Use the application's internal tools; this information is intended for technical specialists only.
Data files are located in the DATA folder (Menu: Catalog -> Open Data Folder, /DATA). One file for each product group (you can have just one file). File names can be viewed in the Groups section, in Add/Edit Groups, 'Group data file' line.

How you are going to generate these Catalog data files from your database is beyond our competence and lies entirely on your company's staff.

Format - UTF-8; the file can be marked or not marked by BOM.
An example of the complete structure is enclosed.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<MyBusinessCatalog_ProductList>
  <Item Code="Subgroup" Ch="6" ID="255788348" ico="3">
	<Item Code="New - 661" Desc="test item" Price="1,00"  Add1="field 1 data" 
			 Add2="field 2 data" Add3="field 3 data" FL="music.mp3;docs.mp3;" 
			 FP="New - 931,New - 526" ID="255429420>
	<Item Code="New - 931" Desc="new item" Price="2,00" ID="255198888" ico="2"/>
	<Item Code="New - 526" Desc="not available" Price="3,00" ID="255423076" ico="0"/>
	<Item Code="New - 425" Desc="expected" Price="4,00" ID="255346284" ico="5"/>
	<Item Code="New - 640" Desc="sale" Price="5,00" ID="255424392" ico="6"/>
	<Item Code="New - 859" Desc="invisible for customers" Price="5,00" ID="255433808" ico="1"/>
  </Item>
</MyBusinessCatalog_ProductList>

Code - product code - SKU, Art etc (enter subgroup name in this field too; the application will properly recognize and display it).
Desc - name
Price - price, decimalseparator - period or comma.
Add1 - first additional field, etc. through Add15; specific field names are not described here; their names are given directly in the application's interface.

FL - list of files attacked to the item, separated by semicolon
the files are stored in the files folder
FP - list of related products, separate related SKUs by comma
ID - generated automatically, but you can set your own unique ID from your database (Integer)
ico - product icon code
blank or empty shows no icon
0 - product not available
1 - hidden, on the list but appears invisible in the customer's CD catalog or online store
2 - new
3 - folder
5 - product in transit; truck icon
6 - percent icon - sale

photos are located in the images folder
format .jpg
file names - product_code.jpg
if a product code contains characters not allowed for file names - space, parentheses, etc. - they are replaced with '-'; read this for more.
The images and files folders can be easily located by selecting "Catalog-Open Data Folder " on the menu.

Data files are to be uploaded to the updates folder on the server.
More
At least one successful upload is to be completed using the application's internal tools.
Before uploading, the file must be zipped with a compression utility; this appends ".pk" to the target file name Download compression utility
That's the file you are to upload as an update to server.
Next, make sure to refresh and upload the version file. That's a plain-text file with the version of the data stated in the first line. Before uploading, the number in the file is to be increased by 1. The bzip.zip archive includes a simple .bat file that does this for you.
Summing it up
To manually form a data file for the catalog, upload your data to the above described format and place it to the catalog data folder,
which is normally c:\documens and settings\%user name%\application data\MyBusinessCatalogPT\

To update data on server for CD/DVD catalog users, zip that file with a compression utility, increase the number in the version file by 1 and upload all that to server.
This entire process can be fully automated and run as a relatively simple .bat file.
Example: (assumed that the data file has been prepared)

bzip.exe 938360.xml 938360.xml.pk
call pluser.bat version
ftp.exe -s:job.txt
pause
exit

Content of job.txt

open www.site.com
login
password
cd /update_folder/
binary
put
E:\data_folder\file.xml.pk
file.xml.pk
put
E:\data_folder\version
version
close
quit

Download BZIP and bat files example.