File linking using CVS importer/exporter

  • I’m building a photographic website for the sale and download of thousands of sports images covering a variety of categories. Instead of creating thousands of individual products for each photo, I have grouped photos categorically under a single product name/designation each photo retaining its filename. The problem I’m encountering, is the linking of low-res watermarked images to their clean high-res counterparts at the checkout/cart.

    Obviously, linking each photo individually in WooCommerce is daunting and impractical. No one has suggested and approach beyond using the WooCommerce CVS importer-exporter tool, and I’ve gotten conflicting opinions about the usability of this tool for that purpose. Someone had also suggested writing script in ImagMagic, but provided little details. I’m using Envira Gallery for the creation of my photo galleries and lightbox viewing and frankly, find the use of the WooCommerce Product gallery redundant. After all, if the customer can view, select photos and place them in their cart, why would I need an addition plugin by WooCommerce beyond creating the product and categories in the background.

    Of course all of my images reside in the WordPress media library, but I have no idea where I would find the database for my low-res images that I could export for linking in any kind of scripting or manipulation. I don’t know where I would then upload such a file if the linking could be accomplished. I very well may need to hire a professional to undertake the writing, but I’d like to check with this community before proceeding to the next step. Thank for your patience and consideration of this problem.

    The page I need help with: [log in to see the link]

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • Moderator bcworkz

    (@bcworkz)

    You may want to verify in the WooCommerce dedicated support forum for a definitive answer from its devs, but AFAIK the downloadable product (clean hi-res image) is independent of the product’s image gallery. Or preview image, I don’t think you have to have a gallery. Ideally you’d link from the Envira gallery to these pages. I don’t know how feasible this is. You’d have to ask through Envira support.

    It’d be feasible to create a custom script that places data for existing images into the WooCommerce data structure. One image reference for the downloadable hi-res image, and another for its product data that will appear on each image’s product page. I’m unsure if the exact data structure, that’s something to ask in WC dedicated support forum.

    Is there an existing plugin that already does this? IDK. Again, ask in dedicated support. They have all sorts of WC extensions available that I cannot even begin to know about.

    Thread Starter winepress52

    (@winepress52)

    Thanks so much for your reply and suggestions. The WooCommerce devs were the first people I made inquiry of and the answer I received seemed to not grasp the issue and skimmed over a meaningful response. I responded with what I think was a much clearer explanation, but the second reply from them was even more evasive – they referred me to this forum,

    If you’ve viewed my website (it’s online even though its still under development) you’ll note that the gallery and watermarked images are fundamental to the process of image viewing and selection. Inasmuch as the downloadable high-res counterpart of each image must be linked in some way or order fulfillment process, I’m not sure I understand what you mean when you say they are independent of the watermarked/low-res images on display. The same is true when you mention that I don’t need a gallery. For a guy who always thought CVS was just a drugstore that gives long receipts, I’m certain I’m going to need someone to write the custom script you refer to – if that is in factor the solution. Your second paragraph sounds interesting in referencing the high-res images, but I’m not clear about your reference to product data and each images product page – especially in a gallery setting when the entire window IS the product page. Any clarification you could provide would be greatly appreaciated.

    Moderator bcworkz

    (@bcworkz)

    Hah! CVS drugstore ?? I know core WordPress backwards and forwards, WooCommerce not so much. I’m a little afraid of confusing more than helping, but here goes…

    Downloadable products aren’t necessarily images, they are frequently software, so the actual product purchased doesn’t have to be the image that appears on the product page. In your case it’d be a lo-res, watermarked image of the product. So in WC, the product must be specified separately from the product page’s image, AFAIK. References to these files are kept somewhere in the database, that much I’m sure of. So this script’s job would be to collect necessary data from somewhere, (could be a CSV file, or the nature of the image locations, EXIF data, etc.) and place this data in the DB in a manner consistent with how WC does things.

    With all the data in place as WC expects, it’ll display product pages and offer downloads for purchase. These pages could be linked to from an image gallery, if it’s the right kind of gallery. If you cannot find a suitable plugin (or a few plugins that’ll work together) that does this for you, it’d have to be custom coded by someone with decent WordPress experience and good WooCommerce experience. You might find such a person from resources like https://jobs.wordpress.net/ or https://jetpack.pro/

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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