You only have two options really... either they manually change each product themselves via a web based form, or the process is managed by a CSV file. The first thing you need to ensure is that every product in the catalogue has a unique key (identifier / product number / barcode number / whatever).
This value needs to be present in the database, and in the case of a CSV file, needs to match the CSV. You take the following CSV: '10034','Socks - Red','2.99' '10485','Socks - Blue','3.24' And parse it into your database, where you'd have columns like: id,description,price They can change the description all they want... they can also change the price, but they need to leave the id alone. If they change the ID, it's like a new product. If their supplier can't supply an Excel or CSV file, or doesn't have unique codes for each product, then your client has no choice but to manually update the data themselves via web forms, or maintain THEIR OWN Excel file which you can parse weekly/daily/whatever. I'd avoid doing anything manually. Try to get an agreed format CSV from the supplier monthly, and parse it. Justin on 11/03/03 9:51 AM, Pag ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: > > Hi, > > I have to write a PHP/MySQL online store with product catalogs, prices, > descriptions, and ordering (no payment) etc, but i have a big doubt when it > comes to updating. > How is it usually done? I mean, i never did a project like this, with a > big amount of products to update. Whats the easiest way of updating the > prices like say, every week? The suppliers send a list of the new prices to > the store, and the store has to update the prices online manually, one by one? > Also i thought of saving the excel file in csv format and uploading to the > site, where some sort of parser would collect the new info from it. The > problem with that approach would be if the supplier changes a cel on some > product name, then everything would be ruined. > How is it usually done? > > Big thanks, i am completely blind in this. > > Pag > > -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
