CSV Product Import Prestshop 1.6 Error

[kitfoxster]

Hello.

 

I have a shop in prestashop 1.6 and I'm trying to import products into it with csv files.

 

Now, I've already lost about 3 days of work without success, getting the same error, reading everything there is on the web, and finding complete lack of help regarding this topic whatsoever: there are people that say it works perfectly, and people that say that the cvs import doesn't work, no gray area.

 

I'd like a "complete troubleshooting guide for idiots" because I really am starting to get very irritated by this problem, other than losing money (given that these hours of work weren't calculated in the initial prospect given to the client because I assumed everything worked as should have).

 

My process with prestashop 1.6:

1. I downloaded the shop from the web and installed it on my mac with mamp, configured and perfectly working.
2. I downloaded your example product csv file and tried populating it both with excel and open office.
3. Non of the resulting csv files work for me: files from both excel and open office have been exported mainly with ";" as field separator and "," as multiple values separator.
4. The resulting errors are:
   1. "iPod Nano (ID: 1) cannot be saved"
   2. "Property Product->name is empty"
5. The resulting warnings are:
   1. "Rewrite link for friendly-url-autogeneration-failed"

Now, that is the result WHATEVER i try. And by whatever I mean I've tried everything. I even tried downloading the example csv file and loading it "as is", without even opening it, and the example csv DOESN'T WORK and gives the same error, that's pretty funny. I'm assuming that it's prestashop's problem and not the file's, or that it's prestashop's problem AND the file's.

 

I even downloaded the latest version of prestashop and installed it fresh and clean, both importing the example product csv and my million test files, and same error occurs in every case.

 

I need help, and fast because my client's products are "seasonal" and they will lose a lot of money if I don't upload these products quickly. Prestashop needs to be more clear on this topic because something so simple and essential can't be left in this unclear "fog".

 

Thanks for the help in advance,

- Joseph

 

[_YJ_]

Joseph, thanks for posting this as I've been having the same problem.  No matter what I do or try, no product goes into the database. Everything else does but no product. I'm just about ready to just chuck it all in and forget having an online shop.

YJ

[kitfoxster]

Same feeling, problem is that it's my client's website and I have to fix this XD

 

And I know how to di mysql stuff to insert by hand the various columns, but it's very time consuming and useless, given that there is an import function. I saw there are a lot of third party plugins and stuff, but I refuse to buy one since this should be easily done via normal prestashop. Let's see if they help us find a quick solution and then release a fix because of all the "forgivable" bugs prestashop could have had, this definitely isn't one of them ^^"

[kitfoxster]

Funny story: I'm installing in local every 1.6 version of prestashop in order to see if at least one of them imports the csv file, so i could copy the precompiled database tables to mine, this is my experience so far:

 

• ​prestashop 1.6.1.6: my store's version and you know what happens;
• prestashop 1.6.1.5:
  • category import: same error seen above, can't import the categories because empty name and same warning;
  • product import: NO ERROR, the system says it imported correctly.... then you go see if the products are there and nope, no products!
• prestashop 1.6.1.4: same as 1.6.1.5;

I don't have time at the moment to try 1.6.1.3 and below. But it's a strange behavior that is present in many versions.

 

Please let there be a 1.6.1.6.1 version that fixes this problem. Please.

 

PS: the tests consists of importing prestashop's example file so I didn't even touch the csv file

Edited April 24, 2016 by kitfoxster (see edit history)

[riras]

I am using 1.6.1.4 and csv import works fine here.

categoris, products, combinations, etc...

 

did you try install prestashop and use it other but localhost?

[kitfoxster]

Hi Riras!

 

Thanks for the response! In complete honesty I think that's the only thing I haven't tried. Thanks for the idea!

 

I'll try a fresh installation on a remote server, ASAP. If it works, it would be completely strange, meaning that the csv import depends on server characteristics. If that's so, I haven't seen any guides on server stats for the CSV import process and prestashop would have to make that very clear. 

 

Get beck to you all as soon as I test a fresh installation. Thanks again for the idea!

- Joseph

[riras]

Well, from what I know prestashop doesn't work fine with some combinations of apps.

so, try a host running linux and apache

PHP best use the 5.5 or 5.6 version.

 

That is what i remenber now.

[kitfoxster]

Good news, I installed a clean prestashop 1.6.1.4 on my server and it does import the example csv file correctly, but it doesn't import my personal one. I'll make sure that it's not related to excel or open office errors, and I'll get back to you asap.

 

Riras, in the end you were right. If prestashop's guide specified this very clearly in the beginning it would have been way better, they should provide the specific technical requirements for the csv import process because it really is strange that in local the site works perfectly except for that particular function! i wouldn't have wasted so much time!

 

PS: the only difference between my remote and local server is PHP version: in local (where the import process doesn't work) i have php 7. Could the problem actually be a newer version of php? I guess it could be! I'll get to you as soon as I' able to test my personal csv files!

[kitfoxster]

Ok, now HERE'S the troubleshooting guide for importing CSV files in Prestashop 1.6.1.4:

 

1 - YOUR SERVER MAY BE THE PROBLEM. If the import process doesn't work, try on another server. The only difference between my remote and local server (it wasn't working on local) was the PHP version (on remote it's 5.6 and in local it's 7).

 

2 - When you are able to finally import one CSV file (I always recommend testing both with one of your personal files and the default csv given by prestashop), if prestashop imports it's default file and not yours, the solution may be the editor. I'm on mac and my file wasn't being imported, so i downloaded the example csv file and opened it with open office instead of excel, modified it from there, therefore saved it with a new name, and it finally worked.

 

Thanks for your support guys, Prestashop could have been more clear since the beginning and I really do hope they make a better intro guide for people out there, I wasted a lot of time. I hope this thread helps other people!

- Joseph

[scumdk]

I also had this problem for at long time and i made it work by changing the PHP version of the server from v7.0 to v5.5 :-)

 

Hope this helps

[kitfoxster]

Hi Guys!

 

Thanks for the answers and heads up! Can't wait for prestshop 1.6.1.7 then! yay!

- Joseph

[kulekas]

Look for this topic here...

 

https://www.prestashop.com/forums/topic/513701-unable-to-import-using-csv/

 

regards

[PaulJANSSENS]

Thanks to the Ambassador Netherlands.

 

The imports in PHP 7 is now working.

 

Thanks a lot.

[kitfoxster]

Oh yeah, nice news! :D  

YAAAAYY!! 

- Joseph

[fortuner]

Here is the solution:

https://www.prestashop.com/forums/topic/513701-unable-to-import-using-csv/?do=findComment&comment=2366481

[carlosptt]

<prestashop>
<category>
  <id_parent>2</id_parent>
  <id_shop_default>0</id_shop_default>
  <nleft>0</nleft>
  <nright>0</nright>
  <active>1</active>
  <position>0</position>
  <is_root_category>0</is_root_category>
  <name>
    <language id="1">COCINA</language>
  </name>
  <link_rewrite>
    <language id="1">cocina</language>
  </link_rewrite>
  <description>
    <language id="1">COCINA</language>
  </description>
  <meta_title />
  <meta_description />
  <meta_keywords />
  <associations>
    <categories />
    <products />
  </associations>
</category>
</prestashop>

9QSKFWGFG1YGIN198HNNS2ZF4EY31DP4

application/json, application/xml, text/json, text/x-json, text/javascript, text/xml, text/html

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<prestashop xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<errors>
<error>
<code><![CDATA[84]]></code>
<message><![CDATA[Validation error: "Property Category->name is empty"]]></message>
</error>
</errors>
</prestashop>
  HttpStatusCode: BadRequest

[Innosons]

I always use Storemanager for Prestashop if it comes to migrating, exporting and importing products.

Works like a charm.