Merchant API: testing flow

About this article

This article describes the process of testing your integration with ChannelEngine's Merchant API.

Table of contents

Introduction

Product content

Product offers

Orders

Shipments

Cancelations

Merchant returns

Marketplace returns

Introduction

It is recommended that you start testing your integration with ChannelEngine's Merchant API as early as possible in the process. This helps identify and resolve any issues or errors that arise before going live with the integration. If you do not already have a dev environment (e.g.: account-name-dev.channelengine.net), make sure to request one.

Below you can find the ChannelEngine standard testing flow, divided per resource: product data, product offers, orders, shipments, cancelations, and returns.

Product content

1. Create a single product via POST /v2/products.
2. Update the product’s content via POST /v2/products.
3. Update a specific attribute for that product (e.g.: Description) via PATCH /v2/products/{merchantProductNo}.
4. Delete the product via DELETE /v2/products/{merchantProductNo}.
5. Create multiple products at once via POST /v2/products.
6. Update multiple products at once via POST /v2/products.
7. Update a specific attribute for multiple products (e.g.: Name) via PATCH /v2/products.
8. Add extra data (custom fields) for the products via PATCH /v2/products/extra-data/bulk. Specify the operation as 'add'.
9. Delete products’ extra data via PATCH /v2/products/extra-data/bulk. Specify the operation as 'remove'.
10. Delete multiple products at once via POST /v2/products/bulkdelete.

Product offers

Update stock and/or price for multiple products at once via PUT /v2/offer.

Orders

1. Create a test order by following the steps in the article ChannelEngine: how to create test orders.
2. Retrieve a new order via GET /v2/orders/new.
3. Acknowledge the order via POST /v2/orders/acknowledge.
4. Create a marketplace-fulfilled test order on ChannelEngine (e.g.: FBA, FBC, LVB, ZFS, etc.). For more information, check out the article Marketplace fulfillment services: FBA, LVB, FBC, and ZFS.
5. Retrieve the marketplace-fulfilled test order via GET /v2/orders by specifying the query parameter and the value fulfillmentType=ONLY_CHANNEL. Narrow down the search to only retrieve unacknowledged orders with isAcknowledged = false.
6. Acknowledge the orders you previously retrieved via POST /v2/orders/acknowledge.

Shipments

1. Create a test order by following the steps in the article ChannelEngine: how to create test orders.
2. Create a shipment for a test order via POST /v2/shipments and provide a tracking code and a shipment method by adding TrackTraceNo and Method parameters to the request body.
3. Create a shipment for one order line of a test order with several order lines via POST /v2/shipments. Check if the status of the order line is Shipped, and if the full product quantity is shipped. The status of the other order lines should still be In progress.
4. Create a shipment for a single product of a test order with a quantity higher than one in the order line via POST /v2/shipments. Check if the status of that order line is Combined, and if the correct product quantity is shipped. The remaining quantity stays open, and the status of the other order lines remains In progress.

For more information on channels and their order support, check out the article ChannelEngine: what channel supports what features?.

Cancelations

1. Create a test order by following the steps in the article ChannelEngine: how to create test orders.
2. Create a cancelation for a test order via POST /v2/cancellations.
3. Create a cancelation for a single order line of a test order with multiple order lines via POST /v2/cancellations. Check if the status of the order line is Canceled, and if the full product quantity is canceled.
4. Create a cancelation for only one item of a test order having several same items in an order line via POST /v2/cancellations. Check if the status of the order line is Combined, and if the correct product quantity is canceled.

Merchant returns

1. Create a test order by following the steps in the article ChannelEngine: how to create test orders.
2. Create a shipment for a test order via POST /v2/shipments and provide a tracking code and a shipment method by adding TrackTraceNo and Method parameters to the request body.
3. Create a merchant return for a test order via POST /v2/returns/merchant.
4. Create a merchant return for a single order line of a test order with several order lines via POST /v2/returns/merchant. Check if the status of the order line is Returned, and if the full product quantity is returned.
5. Create a return for a single product of a test order with a quantity higher than one of the same product in an order line via POST /v2/returns/merchant. Check if the status of the order line is Combined, and if the correct product quantity is returned.

Marketplace returns

1. Create a test return on ChannelEngine and simulate a marketplace return by following the steps in the article ChannelEngine: how to create a test channel return.
2. Retrieve a new marketplace return via GET /v2/returns/merchant  by specifying two query parameters as follows: isAcknowledged = false, statuses = IN_PROGRESS.
3. Acknowledge the return via POST /v2/returns/acknowledge.
4. Mark the return as Received to indicate that it was handled in your system via PUT /v2/returns.