ChannelEngine: custom feed builder

About this article

This article describes ChannelEngine's custom feed builder, how to set it up, and how to use it.

Table of contents

Introduction

Setup

Examples of templates

FAQs

Introduction

Although you can create a product feed using spreadsheet software such as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, ChannelEngine provides a custom feed builder.

With the custom feed builder, you can create your product feed in CSV or XML format. Then, you can use the custom feed builder to:

• Organize your product data on ChannelEngine into a feed and then submit this to a marketplace that ChannelEngine does not support yet.
• Add more attributes to your existing product data on ChannelEngine.

Setup

Custom feed builder is available as an optional add-on to your existing package. To activate it, either:

• Reach out to your customer success manager, or
• Click Request to configure (see step 1), and a ChannelEngine representative will reach out to you.

Complete the following configuration steps:

1. From the left-hand side menu, go to Channels. Search for 'feed channel', and click Request to configure.
2. Go to Setup. Enter a suitable name for the feed channel. Under Export data type, select the format for the feed – CSV or XML.
3. Go to Product selection, and create a new product selection or copy the existing one. To learn more about how to set up a product selection and use filters, check out the article ChannelEngine: product selection.
4. Go to Feed settings.
   
   If you opted for a CSV feed, you can upload a CSV file template that defines the attributes to be added to the feed. However, you can also add the attributes manually (see step 6).
5. If you opted for an XML feed, make sure the XML structure exactly matches what the marketplace requires.
   To do this, enter the name of the root element, which is the top-level element in an XML file. Alternatively, upload the XML file template, which defines the correct hierarchy of elements (a.k.a. nodes). E.g.: ArrayOfProduct/Product/Name. In this example, 'ArrayOfProduct' is the root node, 'Product' is a parent node, and 'Name' is a child node and represents the attribute itself.
   
   NB: it is not yet possible to add options to attributes in an XML feed format. This feature is planned for a future release.
6. To populate your product feed, click Add attribute. Enter a name and value for the attribute. Click Add to add more options. Make sure the attribute names exactly match those used on the marketplace where you will apply this product feed.
7. To edit the attribute, click the pencil icon. In the edit screen, you can add multiple options. To do this, select Add multiple and paste a list separated by a delimiter, such as a comma ( , ), a space ( ), or a semicolon ( ; ). Below, select the correct delimiter from the dropdown list.
   NB: in edit mode, you cannot change the name of your attribute. If you want to do this, delete the existing attribute and add a new one with your desired name.
8. Use the toggle to indicate whether the attribute is required or optional.
9. When you have created all attributes, click Save.
10. To reorder the attributes, use the six-square icon to drag and drop them.
11. Go to Mappings, and map your attributes. Click Save. To learn more about attribute mapping, check out the article ChannelEngine: content mappings.
12. Go to Overview, and toggle the Activate synchronization for [feed channel] setting. This setting triggers a scheduled task, which updates the feed once new attributes or options are added. We recommend that you keep this setting enabled and get automatic feed updates.
13. Click Generate feed. When generated, the URL of your product feed is shown on the Overview page, where you can copy and use it on connected marketplaces. ChannelEngine also sends the URL of your product feed to your login email address.

Examples of templates

The following examples can help you understand the templates mentioned in this guide:

• CSV product feed template
• XML product feed template

FAQs

How frequently does ChannelEngine update the custom feed?

ChannelEngine uses scheduled tasks to update the custom feed. The task runs every 30 minutes as long as the Activate synchronization for [feed channel] setting is enabled, and the product feed is actively used on at least one channel. If the feed is not in use, it is generated only once.