GeorgeGaz
28-02-08, 13:34
Hi All,
I am pleased to inform you all that we are due to release a new version of the ShopWindow ProductServe API in the coming weeks.
We have been working on this for a few months now, with the help of some of our affiliates and key partners. We do believe we have made some excellent improvements in the API which will benefit you all greatly, with more commissions and more click throughs.
I would like to take the time to explain to all the features and how this will impact you, the affiliates.
Below, are the features of the new API coupled with a description to further enhance your understanding of the changes and improvements involved:
Features of ShopWindow API v.2
Moving forward, this version of the client will only support PHP5 (as PHP4 has now been officially discontinued). Most of the code has been completely rewritten, both on the server and the client side, for optimal results. Advanced caching and data stripping techniques are used to minimize data transfer, improving speeds and minimizing bandwidth costs significantly.
Rewritten optimised code from the ground up:
The code has been rewritten to PHP5 to fully support object-orientated programming, more advanced data structures and native SOAP functionality. Due to the fact that PHP4 has been officially discontinued our code is PHP5 only, this means that there will be no outdated or erroneous code relating to PHP4 within any of the scripts.
Simplified file structure:
The file structure of the SW Client has been made much simpler, incorporating fewer directories, fewer files, and fewer configuration files; therefore it will be much easier to implement and to customise.
Just two configuration files for all client settings (data, presentation):
With just two configuration files this makes it easier to craft changes, since all data related settings are in one file and all presentation settings can be found in another.
Category Verticals are now easily achievable:
You, the affiliates, can set a specific category ID within the configuration file, which then becomes the root of the site. This will mean that it is really easy to create a site focused on one particular category, for example Swimwear.
Image size standardization to a single size:
The images that are received from the merchants will be restricted to a specific size. All thumbnail images will be 70x70 pixels and all full size images will be restricted 200x200 pixels. Standard sized images will allow for more consistency in the layout.
Expandable category tree:
Drilling down categories, doesn’t remove the previous level. Therefore Parent, Children & Grandchildren nodes of the category tree are all visible, one underneath the other.
Merchant name search results:
In version two, if the user types the merchant name into the search box and submits this then the products returned will include all of those products listed under the merchant that was entered. So if “Dixons” was to be used as a search term then this will return all Dixons products.
Intelligent search on product codes (ignoring dashes, slashes, etc.):
If a user searches for a product “Samsung LCD32L355” then it will return the products that include those characters, whether or not the characters are broken up by dashes, for example, “Samsung LCD32-L/355”. The dash and the slash would be ignored, thus still returning the string “Samsung LCD32L355”.
Partial search term recognition:
If the user searches for a product but does not have the full name then they can simply enter the part of the term that they do know and the search will pick this up and display the relevant product where the search term is included within the product name.
Retailer list:
An A-Z list of all promotable merchants will be made available for affiliates to use in their own sites.
Stricter filtering of products (only product data meeting certain criteria is served):
Search filtering has been implemented whereby only those products that have an image and a title will be served. All products passed to us in a feed must meet these criteria else they will not be displayed or returned on any site.
Refine by functionality for: price, merchant, brand and category:
This feature allows the user to exclude certain products from the search results. For example if they just want to see Apple products from Currys priced £100 - £200 then they can use this refine by feature to filter out those products that do not meet that criteria. This allows the user to narrow down the results to choose what they want as opposed to what they do not want.
Friendly management of SOAP errors:
When a soap error occurs there is a redirection on that error to a different page. So on a SOAP error, the client could by default redirect traffic to a homepage. It could also be set so that the user is redirected to a “Sorry we’re busy” page on their site for example.
-------------------------------------------------
Timeline:
The ETA of completion is the beginning of March, with the middle of March used for testing and final tweaks looking for a full and final launch for the end of March.
Support of API v1
We would like to offer affiliates a smooth transition from the current version of the API to the newer version. We will therefore be supporting V1 for a few months (exact date to follow) before finally taking it offline and burying it with military honours. We would therefore recommend that you all transfer over to take full advantage of the new features that v2 boasts.
How will this benefit you?
For those that will use the API directly then this new version allows for a much more controlled approach to tackling issues that were apparent in the earlier versions. The reduction in the number of files used will also aid you because it makes for a more manageable system with one file for data and one for presentation.
New Client Software
For those of you using the client, we will also be releasing a new version of the Client Software to reflect the new release. We will confirm the number of new templates available.
Testing:
We are looking for ten to twelve affiliates to help test the API and welcome you to become part of this team. If you would be interested in this please email me and I can provide further details and arrange access.
On a general note, we are currently working on some vertical developments which will enhance the level of data received and distributed through the API. As we make progress on this we will provide details on this forum. Watch this space...
I am pleased to inform you all that we are due to release a new version of the ShopWindow ProductServe API in the coming weeks.
We have been working on this for a few months now, with the help of some of our affiliates and key partners. We do believe we have made some excellent improvements in the API which will benefit you all greatly, with more commissions and more click throughs.
I would like to take the time to explain to all the features and how this will impact you, the affiliates.
Below, are the features of the new API coupled with a description to further enhance your understanding of the changes and improvements involved:
Features of ShopWindow API v.2
Moving forward, this version of the client will only support PHP5 (as PHP4 has now been officially discontinued). Most of the code has been completely rewritten, both on the server and the client side, for optimal results. Advanced caching and data stripping techniques are used to minimize data transfer, improving speeds and minimizing bandwidth costs significantly.
Rewritten optimised code from the ground up:
The code has been rewritten to PHP5 to fully support object-orientated programming, more advanced data structures and native SOAP functionality. Due to the fact that PHP4 has been officially discontinued our code is PHP5 only, this means that there will be no outdated or erroneous code relating to PHP4 within any of the scripts.
Simplified file structure:
The file structure of the SW Client has been made much simpler, incorporating fewer directories, fewer files, and fewer configuration files; therefore it will be much easier to implement and to customise.
Just two configuration files for all client settings (data, presentation):
With just two configuration files this makes it easier to craft changes, since all data related settings are in one file and all presentation settings can be found in another.
Category Verticals are now easily achievable:
You, the affiliates, can set a specific category ID within the configuration file, which then becomes the root of the site. This will mean that it is really easy to create a site focused on one particular category, for example Swimwear.
Image size standardization to a single size:
The images that are received from the merchants will be restricted to a specific size. All thumbnail images will be 70x70 pixels and all full size images will be restricted 200x200 pixels. Standard sized images will allow for more consistency in the layout.
Expandable category tree:
Drilling down categories, doesn’t remove the previous level. Therefore Parent, Children & Grandchildren nodes of the category tree are all visible, one underneath the other.
Merchant name search results:
In version two, if the user types the merchant name into the search box and submits this then the products returned will include all of those products listed under the merchant that was entered. So if “Dixons” was to be used as a search term then this will return all Dixons products.
Intelligent search on product codes (ignoring dashes, slashes, etc.):
If a user searches for a product “Samsung LCD32L355” then it will return the products that include those characters, whether or not the characters are broken up by dashes, for example, “Samsung LCD32-L/355”. The dash and the slash would be ignored, thus still returning the string “Samsung LCD32L355”.
Partial search term recognition:
If the user searches for a product but does not have the full name then they can simply enter the part of the term that they do know and the search will pick this up and display the relevant product where the search term is included within the product name.
Retailer list:
An A-Z list of all promotable merchants will be made available for affiliates to use in their own sites.
Stricter filtering of products (only product data meeting certain criteria is served):
Search filtering has been implemented whereby only those products that have an image and a title will be served. All products passed to us in a feed must meet these criteria else they will not be displayed or returned on any site.
Refine by functionality for: price, merchant, brand and category:
This feature allows the user to exclude certain products from the search results. For example if they just want to see Apple products from Currys priced £100 - £200 then they can use this refine by feature to filter out those products that do not meet that criteria. This allows the user to narrow down the results to choose what they want as opposed to what they do not want.
Friendly management of SOAP errors:
When a soap error occurs there is a redirection on that error to a different page. So on a SOAP error, the client could by default redirect traffic to a homepage. It could also be set so that the user is redirected to a “Sorry we’re busy” page on their site for example.
-------------------------------------------------
Timeline:
The ETA of completion is the beginning of March, with the middle of March used for testing and final tweaks looking for a full and final launch for the end of March.
Support of API v1
We would like to offer affiliates a smooth transition from the current version of the API to the newer version. We will therefore be supporting V1 for a few months (exact date to follow) before finally taking it offline and burying it with military honours. We would therefore recommend that you all transfer over to take full advantage of the new features that v2 boasts.
How will this benefit you?
For those that will use the API directly then this new version allows for a much more controlled approach to tackling issues that were apparent in the earlier versions. The reduction in the number of files used will also aid you because it makes for a more manageable system with one file for data and one for presentation.
New Client Software
For those of you using the client, we will also be releasing a new version of the Client Software to reflect the new release. We will confirm the number of new templates available.
Testing:
We are looking for ten to twelve affiliates to help test the API and welcome you to become part of this team. If you would be interested in this please email me and I can provide further details and arrange access.
On a general note, we are currently working on some vertical developments which will enhance the level of data received and distributed through the API. As we make progress on this we will provide details on this forum. Watch this space...