FAQs - Channels/Connectors
1. Can I import a file that includes the same reference twice with different data using the import connector?
R: If you are importing a file with several lines of the same reference, the system will consider only the first line of a reference and ignore the rest.
The file will read and update the data according to the references. If a reference is updated at a certain point in the import, it is marked internally as modified. For this reason, when reaching the second line with the same reference, the system will not change it, as it had already been updated during the process. This method always applies except for a case: the use of the INSERT_IN_TABLE macro in specific cases.
2. Can I send stock info to Sales Layer?
R: Sales Layer allows you to store the data, although it does not work with the immediacy of a stock system. You can speed up the import, using the API connectors instead of uploading CSVs, but it must be taken into account that if you modify the products with the new stock data, the export processes of the connector may slow down because of the elaboration of all the elements affected by the modification.
3. How can I export the Status field through a connector?
R: If you need to export the status of the products through a connector you have to use a formula. To do this, you need to map a new field as Empty in the connector and add a formula like the following:
Note: In the formula, only replace {Status} with the exact name of the corresponding field in your account.
4. Why doesn't the export with merged tables work for me?
R: The export connector allows you to customize the page name (Sheet) for each table. It is important to note that if we want to merge the tables and output them into an Excel, the pages must have the same name.
Moreover, the field names in export (you can see them in the Namein column in Excel, inside the connector, cannot have the same names in different tables (Products, Categories, Variants, etc.) if we are exporting the content, merging tables.
5. Some of my connectors turned off by themselves. Why?
R: After 30 failed connection attempts, connectors like Shopify or import connectors are automatically disabled by Sales Layer to free up unnecessary resources and increase platform performance.
6. Why do I get an error when putting a URL to connect a CSV file?
R: First of all, check if the port, access data, and path are correct. To access the external server, Sales Layer IPs must not be blocked. In the case of a server with a firewall, the following IPs should be added to the white list:
52.16.19.36
34.252.100.48
52.16.206.155
52.16.132.188
7. Can I import multi-language content using the import connector?
R: It is possible to import content in multiple languages. To do this, you need to map the field that must contain the multilingual content, like the Technical PDF in our example below:
Please, keep in mind, that the import CSV should contain one column per language. Next to the column name, add a colon and the language ISO, for instance, following our previous example: Technical PDF:en, Technical PDF:es, etc.).
Do not forget to select the corresponding languages in the Connector Parameters, so that the system can import the translations into their fields.
Warning: Column names are case sensitive; the connector must have the same lower/upper cases of the field names in the import file.
8. How do I know if my import connector sync has already started?
R: In the connector list you will find the date when the last update started:
You can find this info, not only for the import connector but also for all the Sales Layer connectors.
9. The last update date is greater than the latest version date in the import connector. Why?
R: When importing, the downloaded file date will not change if the file does not contain any modifications since the last synchronization.
10. I can't refresh the connector again. Why?
R: If you have just refreshed your connector, you won't be able to see the option to force the refresh again. This option can be used in a limited way: it will disappear and it will be back after a few minutes.
11. What date appears as the modification date of the product in a connector?
R: The connectors are considered the product modification date regardless of which fields have been modified. Any modification in any field or in any language implies that that product has been changed, on the date of that modification.
12. Is it possible to request a list of Attribute Sets from the API and which attributes apply to each Attribute Set?
R: The API exports the fields defined in the connector. If you define the fields of a specific Attribute Set, only the fields of that particular Attribute Set will be exported, but not automatically. The aim is to export products, so their fields will be exported because they are defined in the connector but with the products that are selected to be exported.
13. Is it possible to request the list of items of a List type field from the API?
R: The API does not allow you to send lists of items unless they are the concrete values of a product.
14. I want to use the Excel Connector from Template and fill it using data from the Sales Layer but this already contains other data. Is there a way to keep that data when using the connector?
R: The Excel connector from Template always deletes the entire sheet starting from the line indicated as "First row of data".
15. How can I export the translations of a list-type field using a connector?
R: The list-type fields work a bit differently than the usual way in Sales Layers, with regard to translations. In this case, you must establish a default value when you configure them and then you can add the translations. By default, the value that is given when creating them is the same as the translation of the main language in the account.
Using a connector, If you need to obtain the translations of the values contained in the field you must use the GET_LIST TRANSLATION() formula, adding the field and the language of the translation that you want to extract.
E.g.: GET_LIST_TRANSLATION({my_list_field}, "es")
16. Some files don’t download on my website but others do. Does Sales Layer restrict some extensions?
R: If the file doesn’t have any Sales Layer errors and can be downloaded correctly from the corresponding account or connectors, the restrictions usually come from the browsers that, for security reasons, block the download of some file extensions, like .step, .dxf, and others. If this happens, we can modify the "Export secure links" (SSL) connector option by setting it to "Yes". This should solve the problem in most cases.
17. Why doesn’t Sales Layer have a configurable XML connector?
R: Due to, the variety of options that the XML structure allows, a configurable connector would be too complex to use. There are some connectors in Sales Layer that internally generate an XML file like Google Manufacturer, for instance, but those are actually made for a specific service whose structure is already designed.
In the case, a specific XML is needed, a custom implementation can be made usually using one of our generic connectors and an intermediate service. If the client has no resources to do it internally, one of our specialized partners can help. Sales Layer can recommend one that best fits according to the project. Just contact us through our usual support channels.
18. Is it possible to map the same field multiple times in my connector?
R: Yes, our connectors allow you to map the same field multiple times in a table. In this way, you can use different formulas and export the same field in different ways if you wish.
19. How can I apply a formula to the template field in my connector?
R: The template type field does not accept the use of formulas like the other normal fields do. However, we have the option of creating fields in the connector and applying a formula to them, so that we can use it in a template afterwards, as shown in the following screenshot:
Add the field with the formula {{"test"}}, and subsequently include it in the template field. In this way, the template will show the result of the formula applied to {{"test"}}.
Note: Although this field does not accept formulas, it is possible to use a little trick in certain cases. For example, it is allowed to use .source/.org in the image type field, so the content of the template type field in the connector would be as follows {Field_Name.source}
20. Why does the system export double quotes?
R: The function for the double quotes complies with the international convention RFC-4180. There are several options, but regardless of the escape character \ or quotes, by convention in CSV, when they are also the string encapsulation character, they are exported with other quotes. This keeps the interpreters of the CSV from confusion when converting the text to Excel cells. For instance, this can happen when you use a word between quotation marks.
21. Some references appear in scientific format and/or the zeros at the beginning of the reference disappear. Why?
R: When exporting references containing big numbers, Microsoft Excel or Libre Office usually change their format because they don't interpret them as text but as a number and assign the scientific format to them. The same happens with references starting with zero(s). To maintain the same format, Sales Layer internally forces the file to define all columns as “text”. However, CSV files cannot define cell attribute definitions. As a result, you might see the exported value in the correct way in Excel files and another way in CSVs, even if they are both exported from the same form.
22. How can I import a specific language contained in my input CSV file?
R: You can import several languages using an input CSV file, as shown in the screenshot below:
If you want to import only one specific language, you can use the following formula: GET_COLUMN_VALUE(“name:es”).
23. Why do I get a connection error in EasyCatalog for InDesign?
R: One of the possible reasons could be related to the Alias of the tables being case sensitive. We recommend checking the names to see whether they need to be in lowercase letters.
24: Why am I getting the API Error 14 or “Updating data. Try again later”?
R: This API error is returned when a call is made to a connector while there an ongoing export didn’t end yet. This can happen to a Custom API Connector or to the Magento type.
