VMConnector changes & improvements

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21 October 2009 | Written by Administrator | Posted in VMConnector

We've made some improvements and functionality changes to our VMConnector VirtueMart component, including support for digital products and changes to the VMClient.

Read on for a full list of changes and improvements.

Improvement:

• Digital products references can now be uploaded so that clients can download their purchase.
• Proxy settings have been added to the light open source VMCClient (vb.net).
• Mutliple selective category download based on the name or part of the name (hand|tools|circular…)
• Select category rows (+Shift or +Ctrl) and download only related products.

New functionality:

PRODUCT_TYPE AND PARAMETERS

• You can now manage all your product types and parameters from VMConnector web services.
• Product types and parameters enables you set advanced Virtuemart catalog search filtering and criteria.

Basic rules and procedure to use PRODUCT_TYPE and PARAMETERS:

1. Please note that the “product_type_name” and the “prod_type_param_name” are used, they are not case sensitive and they are validated from within the VMCClient with real Virtuemart available “product_type” and “parameters” listed within datagrids.
   
   
2. Parameter values are not validated before the upload, if an incorrect value is assigned to a valid product type parameter, the default value or the first of the list values is assigned to the product. Please use the product's type and parameters datagrids to validate values.
   
   
3. One product row in XLS can assign only one product type and many product type parameters.
   
   
4. A product row in XLS can be added to VM (productAdd) but the product type information will be ignored at this time.
   
   
5. The same row with the “product_id” defined when it has been created, can updated (productUpdate) and this time the product type information will added and update automatically.
   
   
6. This works the same for child products.
   
   
7. You can now add and update all your product's types and parameters for all your products in one shot.

How to start:

1. Download and install VMConnector
   
   
2. Create all your product types and parameters from within Virtuemart administration screen.
   
3. Download some or all your products with the VMCClient
   
   
4. Export all your products to MS Excel
   
   
5. Refresh from within the VMCClient the valid product types, parameters and values to help you write the correct product type names and parameters name in the spreadsheet.
   
   
6. Update XLS fields, i.e.
   
   • Field --> prod_type --> Monitors
   • Field --> prod_type_params --> diagonal_size=22|max_resolution=1024X768
   • Syntax: parameter_name1=value1| parameter_name2=value2
   • Import the saved spreadsheet.
   • Upload to VM with the VMCClient.
   • All your Virtuemart products can now be filtered and searched based on you parameters.