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How to import products from a URL

Already have your CSV or XLSX file online? Paste the link and let the Catalog Generator pull your products in, no downloading or uploading needed

Table of contents

Overview

Sometimes your product list already lives online. It might be a spreadsheet published from your online store, a file someone on your team keeps on a public web page, or a shared link that anyone can open without signing in.

When that is the case, the Catalog Generator can pull the products straight from that link. You copy the link, paste it in, and Flipsnack reads the file for you. No juggling files, no keeping track of which copy is the latest one.

The one thing that matters is that the link is public. If you can open it in a browser window where you are not logged in, and the file starts downloading or opening, Flipsnack can read it too.

Requirements:

Plan: Enterprise

A link to your product file that anyone can open without signing in

The file needs to be a spreadsheet saved as .csv or .xlsx

Use cases

  • Your online store or supplier gives you a link to a product spreadsheet, and you would rather use the link than download the file each time.
  • Your product file sits on a public page of your website, and someone updates it there whenever prices or stock change.
  • Several people on your team build catalogs from the same file, and passing around one link is easier than emailing copies.
  • Your file is stored somewhere online with sharing set to anyone with the link.

How to import products from a URL

  • In your workspace, click Create and choose Product catalog.

Create menu with the Product catalog option selected

  • In the Select product feeds pop-up, click Import URL.

Select product feeds pop-up with the Import URL option highlighted

  • Paste the link to your product file in the From URL field, then click Import.

Import dialog with a product feed link pasted in the From URL field

  • Wait while Flipsnack reads the file and pulls in every product.

Importing feed progress bar

  • Pick a layout in the Select template window and click Continue. The panel on the right previews how your products will sit on the page.

Select template window with a layout preview and the Continue button highlighted

  • In Map feed content, choose the column that holds each item's unique code under Select unique ID, then click Generate catalog.

Map feed content step with the Select unique ID dropdown highlighted

Caution: Changing the unique identifier means future updates cannot be pushed to the products already inserted in the flipbook.

  • Your catalog is generated. You can keep the window open or click Run in background and carry on working.

Generating your Catalog window while product information is structured

Note: The link has to open the file directly, without asking anyone to sign in. A quick way to check: open it in a private browsing window. If it asks you to log in, or shows a preview page instead of the file, Flipsnack will not be able to read it either.

Additional tips

  • Not sure how to structure your feed? How to prepare your product feed for automation covers the columns and formatting the Catalog Generator expects.
  • No product file yet? The Select product feeds pop-up includes a Download template link and a Try demo option, so you can see how the flow works before setting your own file up.
  • Once a link has been imported, the file stays listed under Use existing feed, so you can build another catalog from it without pasting the link again.

Troubleshooting

What to do if the URL is rejected right away

  • Make sure the link is publicly accessible. If opening it in a private browser window asks for a login, Flipsnack cannot reach it either.
  • Use a link that opens the file itself, not a page about the file. Sharing links often lead to a preview page instead, so set sharing to anyone with the link and copy the link that downloads the file.
  • Check that the link starts with https:// and has no extra spaces at the beginning or the end.

What to do if the import finishes but no products show up

What to do if some fields import empty

  • Empty values usually mean a column name did not match. Go back to Map feed content and pair each Flipsnack field with the right column from your feed.
  • Image columns need links that open the picture itself, ending in something like .jpg or .png. A link to a product page will not show up as a product image.

What to do if your updated feed is not reflected in the catalog

  • Check that whoever updated the file saved over the same one, rather than creating a new file with a new link.
  • If the link changed, import the new URL and generate the catalog again.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of file does the link need to point to? A spreadsheet saved as .csv or .xlsx. If the link asks for a login, or opens a preview page instead of the file, the import will not work.

Do I need to paste the link again next time? No. Once a file has been imported, it stays listed under Use existing feed in the Select product feeds pop-up, ready to pick again.

Next steps

Useful resources:

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