XML/JSON Feed Import/Export

Attracting and keeping users on a new site with only a handful of ads is a real challenge, no matter how well your site is built. We understand that it is crucial for your site to be populated with content sufficient for inviting real users to post their ads on your site. Using our XML/JSON Feed Import plugin, you'll be able to fill your site with content imported from other resources allowing you to start building your own audience.

How it works

The XML Plugin allows you to import data in XML and JSON formats. The XML Feed Export/Import Plugin is mainly designed for importing XML and JSON feeds from other classified ads sites and marketplaces. In other words, the Plugin allows you to populate your site with ads in a matter of a few minutes rather than waiting months for dealers to post enough ads for your site to become appealing to users. Similarly, you can use the Plugin to export data from your classifieds site and share it with other sites or dealers.

IMPORTANT: Setting up and maintaining data imports from XML/JSON feeds is a complex process. Changes in the structure of a configured feed can cause issues or completely halt the import process. Additionally, the import process may be disrupted if the XML import file becomes unavailable or is renamed by the data provider.

Help with plugin setup is available to customers who extended their monthly support package. If XML/JSON feeds need to be configured from scratch, the work is evaluated based on the feed structure. If the feed has a more complex structure, this increases the setup time, since we need to make adjustments to the plugin to access individual feed fields. Accordingly, the cost of the setup service also increases.

Back End

The Plugin creates a manager in the admin panel, from where you can configure, import and export XML and JSON feeds. When importing a feed, you will be able to give it a name, decide whether you wish to import only new ads or all of the existing ads, and choose the option of delayed photo import; that is, if a listing comes with a few photos the Plugin will import one and the others will be added later with the Cron Job manager.

You will also have the ability to choose a listing package and a listing type, to which the imported ads will be assigned. In addition, you can choose a default category under which all of the imported listings will be shown. Finally, you can specify the status of the imported ads and make them either active if you want them to appear instantly on your site or inactive, in case you wish to go over them before publishing them on the site. Much in the same way, you can export the ads on your site in XML and JSON formats if you wish to share them with others. The backend settings allow you to export ads from a particular user by specifying his username, and export ads belonging to a particular listing type, for instance, cars, boats or jobs, or all of the ads on your site.

Other features and options

There are different types of XML feeds varying in contents and data structure, for example, XML2U, Openmarine, etc, which negates the possibility of building a universal tool allowing you to import any XML feed from any resource. Nevertheless, we did our best to make the Plugin that will allow you to import the majority of XML or JSON feeds using a quite powerful XML manager in the backend. The Plugin also offers the following useful options and functions:

• Make the process of adding/updating ads automatic with the use of Cron;
• Ability to parse XML/JSON feeds with different data structures;
• Advanced mapping system allowing you to set correlation between feed and site fields;
• Track import stats, such as the number of imported/updated/removed ads for each import session;
• The Plugin can read XML/JSON files when importing ads to minimize file reading issues;
• Ability to import http-secured feeds as the Plugin supports HTTP authorization.

XML/JSON Feed Import/Export plugin is essential for classified ads sites both big and small. Webmasters who have just launched their websites may benefit from the Plugin by populating their sites with ads. Owners of major classifieds portals and marketplaces may also use the Plugin to share their ads with other sites and dealers.