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Icecat URL Import Implementation Notes
Last revised June 24, 2014, Version 1.18
Contents
1. Our Mission
2. Getting data
3. Mapped product numbers to improve the match
4. GTIN: UPC and EAN to improve the match
5. Content quality level
6. How do URLs work?
7. Have more questions?
Our Mission
It is our mission to provide channel partners and buyer orientation websites with
high-quality product information. More and more manufacturers work together with
Icecat to take care of their product content; this makes it possible for us to distribute
their product content for free. Here, you can always find the latest overview of
sponsoring (free) brands in Open Icecat:
http://www.icecat.biz/en/menu/partners/index.htm .
However attractive the free Open Icecat database is, the Full Icecat database still
contains many, many more brands: 9000+. If you are interested in subscribing to
the Full Icecat database, please contact us via the website.
Is there a catch with the free product content? No, because in that case the
manufacturers take care of the product content and related costs. There is one thing
that we ask the users of free Open Icecat: inform your business partners
(distributors, manufacturers, resellers) via a newsletter and/or on your website that
you are using Open Icecat, and that you would like your partners to join as well. The
more partners join, the better and more complete Open Icecat will become.
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Getting the data
There are two methods of getting URL links. By creating direct links, or by downloading
the pre-defined links from our server.
a. Creating direct links (URLs):
In response to client requests, and to make it more easy to integrate the URL versions
of Open
Icecat and Full Icecat, we allow since today also direct linking without Icecat ID. Of
course, the old method is also still supported, which has the advantage that the
webshop knows in advance for which products product data-sheets are available.
General format I:
http://prf.icecat.biz/index.cgi?prod_id=<MPN>;vendor=<vendor_name>;shopname=<s
hop name>
Example Open Icecat user:
http://prf.icecat.biz/index.cgi?prod_id=LX.TEQ06.029;vendor=acer;shopname=openIC
Ecat-url
General format II:
http://prf.icecat.biz/index.cgi?shopname=<shop name>;smi=product;ean_upc=<EAN
or UPC
code>
Example Open Icecat user:
http://prf.icecat.biz/?shopname=openICEcaturl;smi=product;ean_upc=0829160582733
Note:
- MPN= the Manufacturer Part Number or product code
- Use your own Icecat or Open Icecat registration code (shopname=<your registration
code>).
- If you have a Full Icecat subscription, you will be able to access all data-sheets using
your own registration code. As we also monitor the referrers, we are able to detect
and limit unauthorized 3rd party referrers.
- EAN_UPC=the GTIN bar codes where EAN is the European variant and UPC the NorthAmerican.
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b. Downloading pre-defined URLs from Icecat
The URL data are supplied in two formats – CSV and XML.
The export file already contains all data, required to import URLs. It contains: the
Icecat product id, the vendor product id and the vendor brand name, plus the URL to a
rich content product page. The explanation of supplier codes can also be found in the
same data export file in case of the XML format, and in a separate file in case of the
CSV export.
You can download XML data from the locations below
http://data.icecat.biz/export/export_urls.xml.gz or
http://data.icecat.biz/export/export_urls.xml
You can download CSV data from the locations below
http://data.icecat.biz/export/export_urls.txt
http://data.icecat.biz/export/export_suppliers.txt
or
http://data.icecat.biz/export/export_urls.txt.gz
http://data.icecat.biz/export/export_suppliers.txt.gz
Open Icecat users should make use of the following server folder
http://data.icecat.biz/export/freeurls/
Information about the categories we use, can be found here:
http://data.icecat.biz/categories.xml
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Mapped product numbers to improve the match
Sometimes distributors give their own interpretation of vendor product numbers,
instead of using the original ones. And thus, one product can be mentioned a few
times, e.g.:
Z891-091 and Z89/091
They refer to the same product. To avoid such redundancy, ICEcat supports product
code mappings.
In the export_urls.xml (or .txt) file, you can find the attribute called m_prod_id. In this
attribute ICEcat stores the mapped part number, which (sometimes) differs from the
one supplied in prod_id (conforming to distributor data).
You can follow the following rule: when products have the same m_prod_id, they are
treated as the same product in ICEcat.
Using the m_prod_id attribute might help you to increase the match with ICEcat
descriptions.
GTIN: UPC and EAN to improve the match
GTIN (Global Trade Identification Number) is the family name for bar code standards
that include UPC codes (GTIN-12) as they are used in North America and EAN (GTIN-8,
GTIN-
13 or GTIN-14) that are used in Europe.
Especially in some industries like consumer electronics, solely UPC or EAN are used or
identifying a product. We have added a separate attribute to match on EAN or UPC.
Note: there can be multiple EAN / UPC codes per product, because per packaging
variation a new code is published. Further, dependent on logistic processing and
import/export sometimes different codes are given out per region.
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Content quality level
Quality stands for the amount of data we can present on the product sheet. SUPPLIER
and ICECAT are the highest level of quality. In this case, product images and features
are always included. ICECAT stands for products edited by Icecat staff. SUPPLIER means
that product content is imported from a vendor CMS. Qualifier NOEDITOR means that
the respective product is not yet enriched.
How do URLs work?
When a visitor will follow an Icecat link, our product viewer will perform an on-line
request. Data will be supplied real-time by the Icecat server.
Please, note that obtained URLs should be appended with the parameter shopname.
So, e.g. if your login is “axio” you should append “shopname=axio”, e.g.:
http://www.icecat.biz/prf/index.cgi?product_id=65926;mi=start;smi=product;shopna
me=axio
or
http://prf.icecat.biz/index.cgi?product_id=65926;mi=start;smi=product;shopname=axi
o
In case of Open Icecat, please register online via the website: choose “Login”, and then
“Register as new user”. Your username / password combination will be provided
immediately. Please, note that also unregistered usage with shopname=openICEcat-url
is supported. However, this will provide less freedom to customize and optimize your
templates. In case of Open Icecat, it is important to include the language identifier:
http://prf.icecat.biz/index.cgi?product_id=439355;mi=start;smi=product;shopname=o
penICEcat-url;lang=en
English: lang=en German: lang=de French: lang=fr Dutch: lang=nl
etc. In total we support up to 26 languages. If you need support for your language,
check the website or contact us.
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More Open ICEcat examples:
http://prf.icecat.biz/index.cgi?product_id=439355;mi=start;smi=product;shopname=o
penICEcat-url;lang=nl
http://prf.icecat.biz/index.cgi?product_id=439355;mi=start;smi=product;shopname=o
penICEcat-url;lang=en
http://prf.icecat.biz/index.cgi?product_id=439355;mi=start;smi=product;shopname=o
penICEcat-url;lang=fr
http://prf.icecat.biz/index.cgi?product_id=439355;mi=start;smi=product;shopname=o
penICEcat-url;lang=de
Category information can be obtained via
http://data.icecat.biz/export/freeurls/categories.xml.
Have more questions?
Please, contact us mailto:info@icecat.biz if you have any additional questions.
