Magento 1.x integration

Introduction

To connect your Magento webshop to ChannelEngine, you are required to install our Magento extension. This guide will explain how to install and configure the plugin.

Requirements

There are several requirements to install the ChannelEngine Magento extension:

• Magento 1.9 or higher
• Access to the Magento admin
• Working cronjobs in Magento

Installing the extension

Our Magento extension can be uploaded using the Magento Connect Manager, composer or modman. This guide will explain how to install the extension using the "Magento Connect Manager".

Please note: During the installation, the Magento Webshop will be temporarily put in maintenance mode. It is advised to pick a quiet moment for the installation.

The installation is started by logging in in the Magento Store Admin and opening the Magento Connect Manager. The manager is found in the menu: System > Configuration > Magento Connect > Magento Connect Manager.

Important to know

• A ChannelEngine account will always be connected to a single storeview. To manage separate catalogs for each channel, we suggest using a single 'ChannelEngine' storeview and use create filters in ChannelEngine to make decide which products will be fore sale on each channel. If separate storeviews are a requirement, then each storeview requires a separate ChannelEngine account.
• The channel order number and channel name are currently not visible in the Magento admin, because this caused conflicts with third party plugins, we are currently working on a solution. In the meantime, this information is available in the channelengine_order table.

Acquiring the extension key

1. Find our extension on the Magento marketplace: https://marketplace.magento.com/channelengine-tritac-channelengine.html
2. Add our module to your cart.
3. Complete the checkout process (No worries, it' free!).
4. On the confirmation page, click on the "install" button.

   
   

5. This will take you to the "My Access Keys" page where you can find the extension key

   
   

6. Copy this key, insert it in the Magento Connect Manager and click install.

   
   

Configuration

For the configuration of the Magento extension in the Magento Store Admin, the plugin settings should be opened at System > Configuration. The plugin can be configured under CHANNELENGINE.COM in the menu on the left.

The first block contains general settings (General), these settings are used to connect Magento to ChannelEngine. If you are using multiple store views in your Magento installation, these settings must be filled in for every store you intend to use.

The required credentials are located in the ChannelEngine environment on the Settings > Settings page. From this page, the fields API Key and Account Name need to be copied into the Magento plugin settings.

The second group list a number of optional settings, these can be used later to make changes to the product synchronisation but are not required.

The last group lists diagnostic settings. Here you can find the currently installed version of our Magento module. You can use the buttons to test whether the connection is working correctly.

Product feed

As soon as the product feed is generated for the first time you can check the feed on the feed location. You can find this in the settings section of the Magento Extension. You can open the feed URL in your browser to validate that it is generated correctly. After this you can copy the URL and go to your ChannelEngine account. Click on Products > Product Feeds and insert the URL.

Attributes

Most Magento installations make use of a "Flat Catalog" caching table that is automatically filled with attributes. You can check to see if your Magento installation uses the "Flat Catalog" by going to System > Configuration > Catalog > Frontend > Use Flat Catalog Product.

If that is the case and you do miss attributes in your product feed towards ChannelEngine, you can add these attributes by switching the setting "Use in Listing" to yes.

Activating your connection

After installing the plugin and connecting the feed you can send an email to support@channelengine.com. We will then verify your installation and activate your account.