Batch editing items in the shop

Discussion in 'Shapeways Shops' started by 217131_deleted, Oct 17, 2012.

  1. Hi there,

    Is there a way to batch edit my items in the shop? We've just generated an app that uploads our models to Shapeways using the API, but the API doesn't support specifying material, and disabling other materials. For this reason, i wanted to know if there was any way of batch editing all our items ( ~200 ) to use a certain setting.

    Thanks in advance,
    David
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2012
  2. woody64
    woody64 Well-Known Member
    Interesting, .... does the upload Api work for you. the last time I've tried it failed ....

    YES. Batch processing would be great ....
    Woody64

    something like

    modell-Id.attribute = value

    409345.Material-78.markup = $1.07
    409345.Material-78.buyable = yes
    .....
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2012
  3. 7943_deleted
    7943_deleted Member
    You can batch edit items in your shop by downloading the CSV markup document in your 'My Shop' section.
     
  4. Bathsheba
    Bathsheba Well-Known Member
    I realize this is probably a design decision that you thought carefully about, but for me personally it's a step backwards. I used the batch editor for materials and markups a lot, and after that editing a text file feels very wtf.

    In particular, I miss that editor when a new color of WSF is pushed, and is automatically turned off and set to markup zero in all my models. I just can't be arsed to deal with editing CSV text every time that happens, nor am I going to grovel through every model clicking and scrolling through the awkward (sorry) material and markup editor. I'll turn those materials on when I happen to be editing that model for whatever other reason, but I'm sure the latest colors are still turned off in most of my models. I wish I weren't this lazy, but I am: this chore is now just difficult enough that I never get around to it.
     
  5. woody64
    woody64 Well-Known Member
    Recently I've tried to add a subset of items to a new section. I've stopped after doing 3 items (it's a click orgie).

    The same with Batsheba. When a new color is out the old system was at least helpfull.

    The csv download still hasn't the (sep=,) on it's first line to handle the seperator proberly. (guys it's a one liner)

    The new "my model" was a good start. Would have wished that also materials and sections were searchable. Thus having the possibility to sort the items according to some criteria,

    Iteration through a selection is still not possible. Like sorting the models as mentioned above and then iterate through the models directly from the "edit page". Thus allowing to do some editing in an easy way model per model.
    (In the old edit system the page had the next and previous buttons).

    I wish some of the shapeways guys try such a editing once. Could have two results:
    1) they have a method I currently don't know (then please publish it) or
    2) there will be an immedate change supporting this.

    But seems that proper shop handling is priority 0 :( :( :(
    (to be honest I really can't understand that)

    Woody64
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2012
  6. 7943_deleted
    7943_deleted Member
    Hi Guys,

    I hear you. Shops are a big priority for me, I want it to be easy to use so that we can enable you to power your businesses.

    While we can not bring back the old batch inventory editing page, we DO want to create something new, and better. The old page was buggy but if there were specific functions you liked, lets get a list going (good start woody!)

    If there are things you want to see or would find helpful for managing shops, lets list them here, so we can work towards tools that you want.

    We can also use part of SW Live today to talk about things you want to see in Shops in general, and I know this is a big part of it.

    Looking forward to creating better shops together!
    Natalia

     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2012
  7. Bathsheba
    Bathsheba Well-Known Member
    The old page didn't seem buggy to me. (Though it was pretty slow, and reordering models sucked pretty bad.) Anyway, I understand that it's gone.

    Regards future incarnations of a batch markup and material editor, I'm sorry to be curmudgeonly, but I don't really feel like I should have to do the UI design to see it happen. Big shops are a fact of life, some of you yourselves have them, and you've done this feature once already. I understand that you were dissatisfied with the result, enough so to shoot it in the head, but such is the nature of learning experiences.

    I need to be designing sculpture: that's what you pay me for.

    Go to it guys.
    ;)
     
  8. bartv
    bartv Member
    @Bathsheba true :) We're not asking you to design the thing though, but it would help if everyone here could tell us what they think are the most important features or usage scenarios. That way we won't be designing something that you'll hate ;)

    Still, we'll be sure to share our initial designs here and give everyone a chance to give feedback.

    Bart
     
  9. woody64
    woody64 Well-Known Member
    1) Add the following things to My Elements
    - Add a Filter for in Section, not in Section
    - Add a Filter buyable in Material not buyable in Material
    2) Easy moving between elements/groups/Selections of my elements.
    3) Add Operators on this Selection (working on the whole group)
    - add Material
    - remove Material
    - set buyable
    - unset buyable
    - add to section
    - remove from section
    - change user markup in % or in EUR/$

    Use case
    1) Give a discount to a group/material
    I select all Items of the Group "My Jewelery"
    I select all Items in silver
    I reduce the markup 10%
    => results that the markup for silver in this group is reduced 10%

    2)
    Filter per name to "ring" (feature already exists)
    add to section "Rings"
    add material "Silver"
    select material Silver
    set markup 10 EUR
    => results that all items having ring in their name were added to the new section Rings. Additionally for all elements silver is enabled.
    Then silver is selected and the markup is set to 10 EUR
    (note in both case the selection of a material also applies to setting material parameters)

    Sounds complicated? I think not!!!!

    I think tha majority is already here. The mymodel page already should have some custom list behind.
    The new selections can be added to the existing ones (material and sections resulting in drop downs so that only one button materal and section is needed). Thus adding or removing elements to the custom list.

    The <list operator> can the be a selector of available operations.

    What I always had in mind was that I'm able to move from element to element (after having done the selection in My models):
    Seems a normal workflow to me. I do the selection in my models. Enter one model and then want to move directly to the next of this selection.

    Woody64
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2012
  10. Bathsheba
    Bathsheba Well-Known Member
    What I liked about the old version was seeing as much as possible at a time on one screen. I don't want to click from object to object, I want to see them all in a list: model names scrolling down, materials scrolling across. I don't object to being able to show pictures for each model, but I want the option to have those pictures absent or very small, because space is paramount. Only in this way I can scan and check that markups and material availability are consistent across my whole store.

    To make this shorter horizontally, I want to be able to collapse together columns of identical-except-for-color materials (e.g. all ceramic colors), and edit their markups and availability as one. (I do _not_ want to collapse materials that differ in any way affecting build characteristics or price. Only identical materials may collapse.)

    Dittoes to Woody for ability to organize by section.

    I want to set the default order of items by dragging and dropping. I understand this can't be the only method, you need something else for when a store is too big to fit on one screen, or a noncontiguous subset of the store is shown, but when it applies I want this. I'd use it even if it was on a separate page that only does this one thing.

    Ability to auto-set markups percentagewise.

    Ability to auto-round total prices to the nearest dollar.

    I'll let you know anything else if I happen to think of it. But gosh guys, it's the Christmas rush. Gotta sell the product!
     
  11. woody64
    woody64 Well-Known Member
    @Batsheba remarks - nearly YES to all:
    - list form with very small pictures would be fine
    - seeing at least 50 items on the screen (then having next/previous) side
    - collapsing materials and setting markups and availability for material groups - YES!!!!
    -- never set different markups for WSF
    -- by the way: Setting the markups in the normal edit page needs also some support. At least copy the first markup to all materials
    - setting markups %
    - rounding

    Woody64
     
  12. bartv
    bartv Member
    Thanks for your input all, keep it coming!

    And good luck with the Christmas rush - we're feeling it here, too..

    Bart
     
  13. Bathsheba
    Bathsheba Well-Known Member
    PLEASE.

    Every time I see that wretched scrollbar I want to harm someone. If there were nothing else wrong with it, after the 5th or 6th time I've set a material to default while trying to edit its markup, I don't even want the money any more.
     
  14. PeregrineStudios
    PeregrineStudios Well-Known Member
    I think just generally, the edit page feels really cramped. The materials and markups are crammed into a little box on the side, the edit description box is puny (you can resize it, but if you click out you have to resize it again because it defaults back), the image uploads section is a nightmare in various ways (can't re-order the images, can't resize thumbnails, the box generally is just tiny). The edit model page really needs to be the next big focus for your staff I think. First priority should definitely be the material/markup box. There's a ton of information crammed into a tiny little box on the side - it's just not intuitive or user-friendly.

    Personally, I'd like to see the box get bigger (and/or moved elsewhere), and in addition to being able to set individual markups, I'd like to see an edit field for 'Markup - All' so we can set the markup for all materials. Even for people like me, who round up and down to make a product $24.99, $23.99, etc. it would still be super useful, since I round up or down from a markup of around $6 or $7 (generally speaking). So I have to go in and individually set each markup, then go back and individually round each one to the nearest dollar.
     
  15. stonysmith
    stonysmith Well-Known Member Moderator
    Why are you not using the CSV markup upload option?
     
  16. PeregrineStudios
    PeregrineStudios Well-Known Member
    Because it's complicated, it doesn't import or export properly into and out of OpenOffice anyway, and I have no particular desire to navigate through every product in every material in my shop, both public and private, to change the markup on a single product. Ease of use, here. I'm not saying the CSV doesn't work (well, again, it doesn't for me, because OpenOffice won't open it correctly), but it's overly complicated and hardly intuitive. Elegance is in simplicity.