csv pictures work-a-round, temporary solution, red x problem solved

[kgj222]

As many people have experienced with v.1.2.5, the csv upload does not resize the pictures properly (or at all). I have looked at and tried at least 8 other free (or partially free) ecommerce programs and this is the best, most inclusive I have found. Documentation is MUCH better too!

After many hours and reading a lot of tips here with no luck, I finally tried creating the pic sizes needed on my computer and uploaded them. There are 2 free utilities that work really great in renaming and resizing pictures in bulk.

The problem: csv uploaded pictures show as uploaded but a red x shows as a placeholder for the pictures in the back office and front office. The pictures are never resized during the csv import, but the hooks are put in place for each product to display the picture and thumbnails if you do the following steps.

For simplicity, the trick to getting this scheme to work is that you will need to use the same product id as is the picture name. Eg. Product ID "1" and picture name "1.jpg" When you upload the csv data the import utility will create the proper "placeholders" or hooks for the lack of a better name for each of the 5 picture sizes needed for each original picture. You will be using the original pictures that you previously loaded to the root directory for creating these "placeholders". After uploading and assuming no errors, you should have all inventory uploaded and placeholders in place (eg. the red x) for the pictures and thumbnails.

In your csv file i would use your full domain name with each picture name (eg. http://www.mydomain.com/temp-pics/1.jpg) to access the original pictures for this work-a-round.

During csv import process 5 picture name placeholders (for each picture) will be created, by the import utility, with the following naming convention:

1.jpg 380x561 original working files - Sizes may vary from your product pictures

PrestaShop picture sizes needed (The first digit or digits is the product ID. it adds the "-1-home" or "-2-home" to the original names. the second "1" is the picture number. (eg ID 1 + picture 1 +home.jpg) If you don't delete previous test inventory, you will end up with something like 1-43-home.jpg. 1 being the product id and 43 being the original picture name (changed by prestashop to the first available serialized number.)

1-1-home.jpg 129x129 front office - category listing thumbnail

1-1-large.jpg 300x300 front office - item listing picture

1-1-medium.jpg 80x80 I forget where this one is displayed

1-1-small.jpg 45x45 back office - pic thumbnail

1-1-thickbox.jpg 520x746 front office - item listing popup picture with whitespace. I changed this file size in the back office to the largest picture I wanted to display... other pictures can be smaller and will work ok. I am listing DVD case artwork. For this one picture, I took copies of the original pictures and renamed them to eg 1-1-thickbox.jpg with the sizes varying. For the 4 other pictures I used the 2 programs listed below to get the resized and renamed pics needed.

Programs Needed:
NOTE: Use these steps at your own risk. I recommend working on a copy of the original pictures folder, just in case.

1. Download Google Picasa (picture indexing. editing, managing) located at http://picasa.google.com/intl/en/
Picasa allows you to resize a whole folder of pictures when you export them!
Highlight the pictures you want to resize. Then click on "File > Export Picture to Folder". This will resize the selected pictures and it will make a copy from the original pictures and save them to the folder you choose.

2. Download Bulk Rename Utility (allows renaming of lots of files/pictures at one time) http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Download.php Don't let all the options scare you. This is a bulk rename program. You highlight the pictures you want to rename Using the options listed at the bottom it shows you what the renamed picture names will be in a new column. They picture names are not actually changed until you click on "Rename" in the lower right.

Install both programs listed above. Google Picasa will want to search your hard drive for all photos and videos. Just click on the box to do the my documents, pictures for now.

Step 1: Create 5 copies of each picture using these 2 programs. I used 6 separate folders (original, home, large, medium, small, thickbox).

Step 2, Rename and ftp upload original pictures only to the temp file: Name all pictures the same as the product IDs. I only used 1 picture per product. You will need to upload all of your original product pictures to a temp folder on your server. To do this make a temp folder, using ftp, in the root directory. If you are doing a new installation of Prestashop, choose to overwrite any test or example inventory so you don't have naming issues. It is a check box.

Step 3: import the csv data file in the back office. the hooks for the pictures will now be in place.

Step 4: ftp upload the 5 different picture formats from the separate folders you created on your hard drive. All 5 folders pictures will be uploaded to 1 folder (the same folder) on the server. The location is: in "root > img > p".

Step 5: You can now delete, using ftp, the original pictures in the temp folder.

Done! Now when you go to either the front office of the back office the pictures and thumbnails will display for each product.

A lot of work, but I will have 500 DVDs or more when I am done. My website is at: http://www.bestpricedvds.info

I am adding more products this week. The method listed above works great!