ChannelEngine: setup

About this article

This article describes the Setup section of the ChannelEngine back-end.

Table of contents

Getting started

Connection settings

OAuth

API keys

Advanced settings

Other settings

Getting started

Once you have added a channel, go to the Setup tab where all the necessary credentials and settings required to set up a connection with a channel are displayed. Note that the number of settings and type of credentials varies per channel. Some channels use API keys, some a username and password, and others an OAuth authentication system based on tokens.

Connection settings

Below you can see an example of common Connection settings on the Setup page.

eBay requires that you provide information such as your eBay policy names, warehouse locations, if you want limit the stock exported (eBay has sales limits based on the total value of submitted items), if you want to use localized SKUs per country, etc.

OAuth

If the channel you are connecting to uses OAuth authentication, in the Authorize ChannelEngine field, an orange Authorize button is displayed. When you click Authorize, a pop-up that prompts you to log into your marketplace account displays.

API keys

Other channels, such as Mirakl-based Galeria INNO, use public/private API keys to connect with ChannelEngine's back-end. Go to the Connection section, and fill in the Mirakl API key and the Mirakl shop ID.

Note that regardless of the type of connection, many of these settings are mandatory for the channels to work properly. If a required setting is missing, either a validation warning near the input field or a notification under the Activation tab will be displayed.

Advanced settings

Some channels, such as Amazon, also give you access to the Advanced settings. Selecting this section triggers a pop-up, which contains a warning regarding the impact these features may have. Once you confirm that you are aware of what you are doing, the channel's Advanced settings appear.

Apart from certain channel-specific options, these Advanced settings may include the following:

• Disable price updates - disables ChannelEngine's price updates.
• Disable VAT calculation - disables ChannelEngine's VAT calculation (e.g.: if you use Amazon's VAT calculation service).
• Disable stock reservations - disables stock reservation performed by the marketplace. E.g.: bol.com.
• Product extra data aspects - appends the selected custom attributes to the order line extra data. E.g.: if you need to communicate the dimensions of ordered products to your ERP or carrier, you can add the Height, Length, Width, and Weight attributes to the order extra data.
• Set orders to closed after import - closes all orders imported by ChannelEngine, with no stock reservation applied.
• Use grandparent products - ignores parent products, establishing a grandparent-child relationship.
• Use fulfillment service - imports fulfillment stock from the channel.

Other settings

The Setup section contains additional settings:

• General (channel name and logo) - it is possible to change the default name and logo of a channel. This can be useful in case of custom channels, but also if you have multiple accounts for the same channel and/or need to differentiate between multiple eBay countries.
• Channel API key - for most channels, this API key will not be visible as it is not used for anything. However, for custom channels or channels that are directly connected via ChannelEngine's Channel API (e.g.: V&D, HomeDeco, Refurbed, etc.), this is also where you can find the API key required by these channels to get products, shipments and cancelations, and to submit orders.

  Note that this API key is generated once when the channel is created and can not be changed.

  
• Invoice settings - if you want to have (VAT) invoices automatically sent when an order is received, you can enable this here. However, make sure to go through the documentation on the requirements for this feature, as it your invoice, mail server and VAT settings are needed.
• Remove channel - should you wish to remove the channel, it can be done here as well. Note that deleting a channel removes it and its tasks, but it does not automatically remove products from the channel itself.