How do I update my website from your product feed?

There are two ways to download your feed.

  1. Clicking the XML or CSV icon to the right of the feed listing.
  2. Programmatically downloading it using the feed access key

For many users, it's impractical to download the feed manually every day and then update your inventory by hand. For this reason, we've provided you with a way to download the feed programatically.

Programmatically downloading a feed

  1. Write a script that can download files from the web.A developer or programmer should be able to help with this.

  2. Copy down your feed access key. The feed access key is a 32 character key that is unique to every feed.

    Note: The feed access key should be kept a secret. The key can be found in the table above next to the feed name.

  3. Decide on which format you prefer. Currently we have 2 available formats.

    1. xml (opens in new window)
    2. csv (opens in new window)
  4. Direct your script to the url below (minus the brackets and substitute the variables with your own).

    https://dropship.koleimports.com/download/{FEED ACCESS KEY}/{FORMAT}

Note: You must use HTTPS to access your feed.

We recommend you download the feed and update your database daily to ensure accurate inventory.

Basic Programmatic Download Example

Setting up a script to download a feed every day may require programming or system administration experience. Check out our resources section for additional help.

This is the typical process to update your database with a feed:

  • Download the feed to your server.
  • Parse (read) the feed and compare the data to what is already in your product database.
  • Update, add, or remove product information according to the feed.

Following this process will help avoid sales disruptions or out of stock items from appearing on your website.

A common approach to download a feed programmatically (linux only) is to use a combination of Cron Jobs and Wget.

This is just an example and may not work on all systems.

Step 1:

Open your terminal emulator of choice, connect to your webserver, and type the following at the command line prompt:

[~:] crontab -e

Step 2:

Your cron tab file should be open. Add a job to this file like the one below (Be sure you substitute the variables with your own).

30 03 * * *  wget https://dropship.koleimports.com/download/{FEED ACCESS KEY}/{FORMAT}

This will tell your system that at 3:30 am to download the file at the links location. Wget is very powerful and be sure to read more about it if you have questions.

Step 3:

Save your cron and exit.

Important

This is only a very brief introduction to one of the many ways to automate a feed download. We recommend consulting a professional before attempting any shell scripting as you could do a lot of damage if you make a mistake.