Google Merchant Product Feed via Views for Ubercart

March 2, 2012 – 1:25 pm

I searched for a long time for a module to submit an RSS feed of a client’s Ubercart products to Google Merchant but as it turns out the best way is through views. Using this technique you can update the fields and the feed as Google changes their requirements. Lord knows they love to change their minds. It also allows you to submit a different product title and description than what shows up on your website so you can fine tune it for Product Search.

I have it set to tack the SKU on to the back of the Product Tile but you can easily change and customize as needed. I also set it to default to “in stock”. If you actually track the stock on your site you will need to edit that.

As of yet, I have not figured out how to submit Attributes or Options.

What you will need:

You will need to enable XML Format.

What to do:

  1. Add this  Field Group to your “Product” Content Type:  group_google_merchant
  2. Add Submit to Google field to the Field Group:
    • Label: Submit to Google
    • Name: field_submit_to_google
    • Type: Text
    • Form: Check box
      • Allowed values list: Yes No
      • Number of values: 1
      • Default Value: Yes
  3. Add Google Product Title field to the Field Group:
    • Label: Google Product Title
    • Name: field_google_product_title
    • Type: Text
    • Form: Text Field
      • Number of values: 1
  4. Add Google Product Category field to the Field Group:
    • Label: Google Product Category
    • Name: field_google_product_category
    • Type: Text
    • Form: Text Field
      • Number of values: 1
  5. Add Google Product Brand field to the Field Group:
    • Label: Google Product Brand
    • Name: field_google_product_brand
    • Type: Text
    • Form: Text Field
      • Number of values: 1
  6. Add Google Product Description field to the Field Group:
    • Label: Google Product Description
    • Name: field_google_product_description
    • Type: Text
    • Form: Text Area
      • Number of values: 1
  7. Add Google Product Condition field to the Field Group:
    • Label: Google Product Description
    • Name: field_google_product_condition
    • Type: Text
    • Form: Check Box
      • Allowed values list: new used refurbished
      • Number of values: 1
      • Default Value: new
  8. Import this Google Merchant XML View Export
  9. Update the Node: Path link Rewrite to contain your website name
  10. Update the Store info in this Google Merchant XML Template File, save it as php and upload it to your themes directory.
  11. Fill out the fields on your products and save
  12. Your feed can be found at www.yoursite.com/google_merchant.xml
  13. Submit your feed to Google Merchant

Based on the following:

http://www.dzieyzone.com/content/06-07-2010/publish-ubercart-product-google-base-using-views

http://www.buentec.com/knowledge/ubercart-and-google-merchant-integration

By Emily | Posted in Tips and Tricks, Web Design | Comments Off

HireTheBestEmployees.com relaunched using Drupal

June 30, 2011 – 1:45 pm

HireTheBestEmployees.com One of my clients decided update their main e-commerce site to run on Drupal. The only issue being all their other sites ran on something else. We decided it was time to consolidate. HireTheBestEmployees.com was the first site to be tackled. It’s nice having one interface to manage multiple sites.

Drupal is a little more intense than Joomla and has a way steeper learning curve than WordPress but it more than makes up for it in options. I by no means have it all figured out yet but I have managed to bend it to my will.

By Emily | Posted in Interesting Stuff | Comments Off

Fly Air Mouse with Keyboard Remote – The ultimate wireless mouse and keyboard

January 22, 2011 – 1:02 pm

air_mouse If you’re one of those people that likes to hook their computer to their TV, you are going to love this.

My parents decided to dump their satellite TV and go totally online and I must say they haven’t missed a thing. The only problem is, the usual wireless mouse and keyboard setup is cumbersome and bulky. So, for Christmas I went on the quest for the ultimate wireless mouse and keyboard you could use with a TV.

There are a lot of options out there, but you can lay down a huge chunk of cash for a good one.

I was about to throw my hands up in the air and give up, when I stumbled upon the Fly Air Mouse with Keyboard Remote. It’s small, plug-n-play, super easy to use and stylish. Plus it won’t break the bank if you know where to buy.

This thing is so easy my 6-year-old uses it to play online games like Wizard 101 and Jump Start without missing a beat. Sure the instructions are in Engrish but you don’t need them. You put the batteries in, plug the wireless usb transmitter into your computer and it works. It’s about the size of a universal remote and comes in several colors including black and white. The best part it’s a single unit, both a keyboard and a mouse.

As far as price, I bought one for my parents on Ebay for about $50 bucks. Now I just need to get one for myself.

If your interested you can buy it here. Mine showed up in my mail box in about 2 weeks. oh, I do love a good gadget!

By Emily | Posted in Interesting Stuff, Tools and Software | Comments (1)