Product Feeds - Version 2

pistol101 · 07-03-05

We've just upgraded our product feed files. If you login to the Data Export Section then you now have options of 2 file formats.

The Version 2 is the new latest files. You will see that we've now added the category field and the thumbnail url. The layout of the feeds is next to each file version and we provide a link to our category tree which is the category field.

The layout from version 2 is slightly different to version 1. Version 1 is still available and you will continue to receive these via FTP. You will need to select the version 2 files so that you receive these.

It's important that you take these feeds rather than directly from the merchants as we check each link each night to ensure that the data is upto date. You'll be suprised how many products are removed from each merchant.

pistol101 · 07-03-05

We're just working through the feeds populating the category column, so you may find that some of the least popular feeds don't have it. These will all be sorted in the next couple of days.

darrenw · 07-03-05

I may have missed it, but where can I download the category table (mapping category id to category name)?

Thanks,
Darren.

pistol101 · 07-03-05

When you click the version 2 check box it'll give you the option just beneath. Let me know if your still lost.

Jeff · 19-03-05

I'm having a problem getting the feeds I want.

I currentlry receive feeds for around half the available merchants. But when I try to select more, by ticking the boxes then clicking on submit, the new ones don't appear in the list of feeds I'm receiving, they don't get ftp'ed to my site, and when I go back to the data export screen they appear unticked again.

Feeds that I can't get that I'd like include:
1store4office.com
Jewellery.tv
UKsoccershop.com

I can get them by clicking on them and downloading them to my PC, so they're definitely available, they just refuse to be added to my ftp list.

darrenw · 19-03-05

I've seen that as well - but for me, they get ftp'd across anyway, even though they don't appear in the list!

darrenw · 21-03-05

Please can you make it possible to download the feeds directly without having to be logged on?

E.g.

http://affiliates.affiliatefuture.co.uk/productfiles/getFile.aspx?v=1&id=390

This would download the product feed version 1 for merchant id 390

Thanks,
Darren.

Itchy · 21-12-05

Quote:

Originally Posted by darrenw

Please can you make it possible to download the feeds directly without having to be logged on?

E.g.

http://affiliates.affiliatefuture.co...spx?v=1&id=390

This would download the product feed version 1 for merchant id 390

Thanks,
Darren.

Is this possible yet as its a pain logging in to download and yes we could ftp but the feeds we want are out of date by the time they get uploaded so arent of much use being 2 days out of date.

pistol101 · 21-12-05

Quote:

Is this possible yet as its a pain logging in to download and yes we could ftp but the feeds we want are out of date by the time they get uploaded so arent of much use being 2 days out of date.

This is the biggest issue we are trying to solve, as we have to quality control the feeds so we don't end up with the junk, however it causes a time delay. Hopefully we'll be sorted soon.

Itchy · 21-12-05

cheers peter

only trouble is now ive got to work out what you call soon

mobiles4everyone · 21-12-05

Do you need to check the feeds? I already use a number of datafeeds provided directly from merchants rather than from the affiliate networks. I've never had any problems with them. They're usually based on the product inventory - an extract of the merchants database.

I quality control the feeds myself and convert them into my own format. How about providing a 'version 3' feed of the data direct from the merchant before AF have checked it, which we can use at our own risk?