Config

The printformer template includes containers that are filled using a feed (for example, products). In this process, a pre-defined or automatically selected article template, including placeholders (DataKeys), is inserted into the container. The assignment of text snippets or images for the individual placeholders is done through a table (CSV file)

Screencast Feed einrichten und Medienquelle erstellen

Tutorial Feed erstellen

Prepare upload files

IMDL-Templates

For a feed, a template with containers:

and at least one article template is required, with Placeholders for texts and images:

The image blocks that are filled using the feed must be empty.
(If an image has already been linked, it will remain for all data records).

Feed File

The feed is created as a CSV file.
This file contains all the desired content, structured in columns (assignments) and rows (individual content).

For each text placeholder or image block placeholder in the article template, a separate column must be created. The column header must exactly match the data-key of the respective placeholder. The corresponding content is then added to the rows.

Images can be integrated in two ways:

System Media:
Images must first be uploaded to the system. In the CSV file, the full filename including the file extension (e.g., image1.jpg) must be specified.
External Links:
Alternatively, a direct URL to the image can be provided.

HTML formatting is supported.
If content is HTML-formatted, the option Interpret HTML must be enabled in the feed configuration.

The CSV file must include an identifier column. (X)
This column is used to uniquely assign content (e.g., via an article number). Each entry in this column must be unique. The column header can be freely chosen and will be specified later in the configuration.
Note: For technical reasons, the column header must not be "id".

Example CSV shown in table form

Connection CSV file to template and editor

System settings

Feed-Mapping

First, a feed mapping (Publish > Product Feeds > Mapping) is added. Here, it's determined how the individual products will be displayed in the Products menu of the editor's sidebar (see Example).

Initially, a name is assigned to the feed.

Feed Display in the Editor

Example Mapping in the Editor:
In the feed sidebar menu, multiple entries from the CSV file can be displayed. Additionally, search fields can be used to define various filter options to narrow down the data records as needed.

Creating Assignments for the Editor
Under Assignments, predefined keys are added and assigned a desired value. These keys control which texts and images are displayed in the editor sidebar for each product (see screenshot):
1 = title
2 = subtitle
3 = shortDescription
4 = discountPrice
5 = price
6 = image

In the Value field, the column name from the CSV file is entered. There are two formats for this:

For text placeholders (1–5): ${pf-ca-DataKey}
Here, DataKey corresponds to the exact column name in the CSV file.
(Multiple data keys can also be assigned, separated by commas.)
For the image (6): column name
For the image key, the value must be the plain column name from the CSV file – without the ${...} syntax.

For the "images" key, only the column name from the CSV should be entered as the value, received without ${...}

Configuring the Search Function in the Editor

By default, the product menu in the editor includes a search field that allows users to search by article number, name, and product identifier.
Without any custom configuration, this field only searches the following keys for exact matches:
title (1), subtitle (2), and shortDescription (4).

Advanced Search Options:
Additional search fields can be defined (see screenshot 7 and 8).
These allow for more targeted searches and are each based on a single column from the CSV file.

Note on multi-column search:
If you want to enable a search across multiple content fields (see screenshot 9), an additional column must be created in the CSV file. This column should combine all relevant content from other columns.
It can then be used as the basis for a combined search field within the editor.

Through the feed settings, the default search can be hidden, allowing only the search fields created in the mapping to be visible in the editor.

The search type can be distinguished between Fuzzy and Exact: Fuzzy performs a wildcard search for the search term, while Exact looks for only the exact term (for example, searching by item number). If nothing is specified, the search field in the editor will only search for exact matches in the keys: title, subtitle, and shortDescription (default behavior).

Feed setup

To set up the feed (Publish > Product Feeds > Overview > Add Feed), you'll enter the name, type, and optionally, the clients.

General configuration

In addition to specifying the delimiter (for example, ;), you'll need to fill in the "Header Offset" field (indicating the row where headers are located, typically the first row indicated as 0). Using checkboxes, you can determine whether HTML should be interpreted or removed, and whether changes to local products should be updated across drafts.

The behavior when replicating a draft can be chosen by selecting the "Replicate Feed" checkbox. This determines whether the feed should also be copied when replicating a draft (an existing draft used as a template). If this checkbox is enabled, any updates made to the original CSV file in the original feed won't be considered in the new project.

Additionally, the designation given to the identifier attribute in the CSV file (as in the example below, "Id") needs to be specified

Due to technical reasons, "id" cannot be used as a column title

The values in this column used for identification must be unique and distinct (for instance, item numbers).

Through the Badge Icon upload field, an SVG file can be uploaded to serve as a distinctive element for specific products in the editor (Sidebar Tab Products/Placed Products, see screenshot below). Within the SVG file, a column named "premium" can be inserted. If this field is populated for a product (for example, with "yes"), the icon will be displayed. (Empty field = no display).

Additionally, through search and sorting, there's the option to display products (with or without search filters) alphabetically, by relevance, or according to the order of the CSV file.

The "Delete data before import" checkbox must be activated if, during the replacement of the CSV file (for example, during an update) for the feed, the existing records in the feed should be deleted or replaced, or if polling (Type FTP/sFTP; URL) is activated

Type local

Here, you'll start by uploading a CSV file that contains all the information, such as the identifier, product name, filename, and content.

The checkbox "Transfer changes to the feed" allows you to determine whether the feed stored in the system should be overwritten. All adjustments made in the editor will be applied to new drafts created using this feed.

An example CSV-file shown as a table.

Type URL

Here, you'll enter the desired URL (link to the CSV, for example, https://example.com/my-feed.csv).

If this configuration is used, it's important to note that the URL must be accessible and retrievable multiple times.

Type FTP/SFTP

The FTP/SFTP type operates on the same principle as the URL. You enter the filename of the CSV and provide details for automatic import, along with the FTP/SFTP settings (credentials and directory path on the FTP server).

Automatic Import

If the polling checkbox is activated, the data for the feed (FTP/SFTP or URL type) will be automatically retrieved once daily at the specified interval. The interval field uses a Cron expression and only accepts Cron inputs. The default is 0 1 * * *, equivalent to every day at 1 AM.

To ensure that the old feed not only expands but also potentially deletes records no longer present, the "Delete data before import" must be enabled.

Mapping

Under Mapping, the previously created Feed Mapping is assigned.

Media

If the feed accesses media, you'll activate the checkbox here and select the desired provider.

When you save, the data is sent to the Feedcon. Under Log, you can review the responses from the Feedcon. If it says "success," the feed was created successfully; otherwise, an error message will appear.

General Settings

Further settings for the Product Feed are available under the general Settings > Page Planning. These can be set across the system or across tenants or individually within the template configuration:

Feature	Description	Screenshot
Product search	Display of the default search field	A
Add product	In the editor, a new product can be created; the content is entered using form fields (The product is only saved on the draft and has no effect on the feed)	B
	Template DataKeys can be used to change the label in the formeditor or to hide the DataKey completely.
Compare product with original data	If adjustments are made to the content of a product either in the editor (via "Edit Product") or in the feed, it will be flagged in the "Placed Products" view. Clicking on the arrow symbol opens the form editor, highlighting the fields with modified content (active arrows). Hovering over them will display the original content.	C
Show separately placed products	In the Products menu, only the products already placed in the editor are displayed. A slider can also limit the display to the current page	D
Edit product	Overwriting the content from the feed, where the content is entered using form fields	E
Fill page automatically	Through the "Place Selection" button, all containers on a page can be automatically filled. The desired items can be filtered through search, for example, using item numbers. Contents are placed successively in a container until it's full, then the next container is filled. This process continues until all containers on the page are full, which may result in products within a template being placed twice	F
Import product csv	The option to upload a new feed CSV file within the editor	G
Refresh product images	A specific feature, in combination with Crossmedia, allows for the re-importation of all images from the feed via this button. The image references of the products are deleted and rewritten, necessary for instance when image files in Crossmedia have been updated.	H
Product content exchange	By activating this menu in the sidebar (Start), container contents can be moved via drag and drop. When a container's content is replaced, it's copied to the clipboard and can then be pasted into another (previously activated by click) container in the sidebar using the plus symbol next to the preview. Rearranging contents is also possible. Note: To ensure that all elements from the article template are transferred correctly, the two containers must have the same size	I + Screencast
Update local copies	All content adjustments made in the feed are updated across all products.	J
Badge Icon	The designation element for certain products is defined through the CSV file and the feed configuration.	I

There are further setting options for the feed (not listed here); these apply to a special use case and are therefore not relevant for the regular feed.

Template

Some of the general settings can also be defined specifically for a (master) template. Additionally, a feed can be directly defined: Template > Editor > Page Planning > Choose "Always create a page planning" and enter the desired feed:

The indicated feed will automatically load every time the template is opened but can be overridden upon opening or via API.

Alternatively, when opening the template from the admin, the checkbox "Create page planning" is activated:

Under Feed, the desired pre-created feed is selected. Optionally, a Project ID, code, or name can be entered.

Define mandatory products

Using identifiers from the feed's CSV file, you can specify which products must be placed in a draft: Mandatory feed item identifiers, as seen in the screenshot above. (Via API or upon opening from the admin) Missing mandatory products can be defined as a warning or an error through the editor settings: Warnings and validations settings: Errors for missing mandatory feed item identifiers.

Feed type Local: Download or replace the feed file.

Through the Feed menu, you can download the CSV file by clicking on the "Download file" button in the respective feed.

Only the most recently uploaded file is always pulled into the backend. If adjustments are made to the feed via the editor, these changes are only contained within the feed file in the database, not within the admin area.

After revising the CSV file, it can be re-uploaded in the configuration, and the feed can be saved.

To ensure that the old feed doesn't just expand but potentially deletes records no longer present in the system, enabling "Delete data before import" is necessary.

In existing drafts, items that have already been placed won't be updated. Only the records that haven't been used yet will be adjusted by the new feed file.

Filter products through search and place them automatically

Through the "Automatically fill page" feature (which can be activated via the general Settings > Page Planning), products no longer need to be individually dragged into containers.

Once this feature is activated, a button called "Place Selection" appears in the Editor. Using the search function, desired products can be filtered. It's helpful to create corresponding search fields through Feed Mapping beforehand, such as a search field for the column "Article Name" in the CSV file. In the Editor, all desired articles can be entered (confirmed with Enter), and upon clicking the "Place Selection" button, they will automatically be placed into the available containers.

* The printformer can interpret various tags, attributes, and values. Examples:

CODE

supported tags
h1 - h5
p
br
b
strong
i
em
u
s
strike
del
ul
ol
li
super
sub

### supported css attributes and values

#### on any supported tag
    - font-family
        - postscript or family name of an available font
    - font-weight
        - bold
    - font-style
        - italic
    - text-decoration
        - underline
        - line-through
    - text-transform
        - uppercase
    - font-size
        - values in px/pt (px get converted)
    - text-align
        - left
        - center
        - right
    - color
        - hex notation: \#ffffff
        - rgb notation: rgb(x, x, x)
        - cmyk notation cmyk(x, x, x, x)
        - color names [available color names](https://www.w3schools.com/colors/colors_names.asp)
#### only on ul / ol
    - list-style-type
        - lower-alpha
        - circle
        - square
        - or any single ascii char (unicode characters will follow soon)

### supported attributes
#### html
    - ..
#### data
    - data-leading
        - values in px/pt (px get converted)
    - data-overprint-stroke
        - true / false
    - data-overprint-fill
        - true / false