PIM Import Script Language

PIM supports powerful Import Script Language that allows the evaluation, manipulation and assignment of import values based on import data and business logic..

When working with PIM, the process of importing data is a critical operation that determines the accuracy, consistency, and usefulness of product data ultimately stored in the PIM. This data will be used across various sales and marketing channels. This data is sourced from multiple business systems, different product vendors and source channels. The complexity of this process is compounded by the diverse nature of data sources and the need for meticulous data transformation to fit the PIM system's schema. The power of a scripting language with comprehensive array functions, mathematical functions, variable handling, string functions, and assignments is essential. The ability to evaluate and execute transformation scripts for each data row during import allows for conditional checking and modification of import and saved values, ensuring that the data assigned to attributes is both accurate, optimized and conforms to standards.

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of using a scripting language in PIM data import is the ability to write evaluation and transformation scripts that can be executed for each row of import data. These scripts can conditionally check values and apply necessary transformations, ensuring that the data meets the PIM system's requirements. For example, if a product's weight is listed as exceeding a certain threshold, the script can flag it for review or automatically adjust the value if it's known to be a common error from a particular data source.

Allowed Script Function Calls

Mathematical Script Functions

Data import often requires on-the-fly calculations. Prices may need to be converted between currencies, dimensions might require conversion from one measurement system to another, and quantities may need to be adjusted based on inventory levels. A scripting language with built-in mathematical functions can perform these calculations seamlessly during the import process, ensuring that the data fed into the PIM system is accurate and ready for use.

Mathematical functions
ceil	Round fractions up
flor	Round fractions down
fmod	Returns the floating point remainder (modulo) of the division of the arguments
log	Natural logarithm
mt_rand	Generate a better random value
mt_strand	Seed the better random number generator
pow	Generate a random integer
sqrt	Square root
srand	Seed the random number generator

PIM Import Data Arrays

Assignments in scripting allow for the setting and updating of values associated with product attributes. During the import process, it's often necessary to assign default values, replace missing data, or update values based on certain conditions. The scripting language allows for straightforward and flexible assignments and can make these tasks simple and less error-prone.

PIM Import Scripting - Import Data Arrays.
$input	Data state of current data row as read from file. Overwriting these values is ignored by PIMInto.
$output	Post processing data state of current data row. These values will be consumed by PIMInto import process. To modify values consumed by PIMInto the output values should be set.

Script Variable Handling

Data import often requires on-the-fly calculations. Prices may need to be converted between currencies, dimensions might require conversion from one measurement system to another, and quantities may need to be adjusted based on inventory levels. The scripting language with built-in mathematical functions can perform these calculations seamlessly during the import process, ensuring that the data fed into the PIM system is accurate, transformed and ready for use.

PIM Import Scripting - Variable handling
empty	Determine whether a variable is empty
floatval	Get float value of a variable
intval	Get the integer value of a variable
is_array	Finds whether a variable is an array
is_binary	Finds whether a variable is a native binary string
is_bool	Finds out whether a variable is a boolean
is_double	Alias of is_float
is_float	Finds whether the type of a variable is float
is_int	Find whether the type of a variable is integer
is_integer	Alias of is_int
is_long
is_null	Finds whether a variable is NULL
is_numeric	Finds whether a variable is a number or a numeric string
is_real	Alias of is_float
is_scalar	Finds whether a variable is a scalar
is_string	Find whether the type of a variable is string
is_unicode	Finds whether a variable is a unicode string
isset	Determine whether a variable is set
strval	Get string value of a variable
unset	Unset a given variable

Array Functions

Array functions are indispensable when dealing with multiple values that are related to a single product attribute. For instance, a product might come in various colors or sizes, or may be used on a specific model of equipment from a specific manufacturer, and these variations need to be grouped and processed efficiently. The scripting language supports robust array operations and can allow the import process to manipulate these sets of data with ease, allowing for functions such as sorting, filtering, and mapping over the data to apply transformations at scale.

PIM Import Scripting - Array Functions
array_change_key_case	Changes all keys in an array
array_chunk	Split an array into chunks
array_combine	Creates an array by using one array for keys and another for its values
array_count_values	Counts all the values of an array
array_diff_assoc	Computes the difference of arrays with additional index check
array_diff_key	Computes the difference of arrays using keys for comparison
array_diff	Computes the difference of arrays
array_fill_keys	Fill an array with values, specifying keys
array_fill	Fill an array with values
array_flip	Exchanges all keys with their associated values in an array
array_intersect_assoc	Computes the intersection of arrays with additional index check
array_intersect_key	Computes the intersection of arrays using keys for comparison
array_intersect	Computes the intersection of arrays
array_key_exists	Checks if the given key or index exists in the array
array_keys	Return all the keys of an array
array_merge_recursive	Merge two or more arrays recursively
array_merge	Merge one or more arrays
array_multisort	Sort multiple or multi-dimensional arrays
array_pad	Pad array to the specified length with a value
array_pop	Pop the element off the end of array
array_product	Calculate the product of values in an array
array_push	Push one or more elements onto the end of array
array_rand	Pick one or more random entries out of an array
array_reverse	Return an array with elements in reverse order
array_search	Searches the array for a given value and returns the corresponding key if successful
array_shift	Shift an element off the beginning of array
array_slice	Extract a slice of the array
array_splice	Remove a portion of the array and replace it with something else
array_sum	Calculate the sum of values in an array
array_unique	Removes duplicate values from an array
array_unshift	Prepend one or more elements to the beginning of an array
array_values	Return all the values of an array
array	Create an array
arsort	Sort an array in reverse order and maintain index association
asort	Sort an array and maintain index association
compact	Create array containing variables and their values
count	Count elements in an array, or properties in an object
current	Return the current element in an array
each	Return the current key and value pair from an array and advance the array cursor
end	Set the internal pointer of an array to its last element
in_array	Checks if a value exists in an array
key	Fetch a key from an associative array
krsort	Sort an array by key in reverse order
ksort	Sort an array by key
natcasesort	Sort an array using a case insensitive "natural order" algorithm
natsort	Sort an array using a "natural order" algorithm
next	Advance the internal array pointer of an array
pos	Alias of current
prev	Rewind the internal array pointer
range	Create an array containing a range of elements
reset	Set the internal pointer of an array to its first element
rsort	Sort an array in reverse order
shuffle	Shuffle an array
sizeof	Alias of count
sort	Sort an array

String Functions

Product information is largely text-based, and string manipulation is a common requirement during data import. Whether it's formatting a product title, concatenating strings to form a unique identifier, or parsing and extracting information from a product description, string functions in the PIM import scripting language enables these tasks to be performed dynamically. This ensures that textual data is standardized and formatted correctly for the PIM system.

PIM Import Scripting - String Functions
chop	Alias of rtrim
count_chars	Return information about characters used in a string
explode	Split a string by string
implode	Join array elements with a string
join	Alias of implode
levenshtein	Calculate Levenshtein distance between two strings
ltrim	Strip whitespace (or other characters) from the beginning of a string
metaphone	Calculate the metaphone key of a string
money_format	Formats a number as a currency string
number_format	Format a number with grouped thousands
rtrim	Strip whitespace (or other characters) from the end of a string
similar_text	Calculate the similarity between two strings
soundex	Calculate the soundex key of a string
str_getcsv	Parse a CSV string into an array
str_ireplace	Case-insensitive version of str_replace.
str_repeat	Repeat a string
str_replace	Replace all occurrences of the search string with the replacement string
str_pad	Pad a string to a certain length with another string
str_repeat	Repeat a string
str_replace
str_rot13	Perform the rot13 transform on a string
str_shufffle	Randomly shuffles a string
str_split	Convert a string to an array
str_word_count	Return information about words used in a string
strcasecmp	Binary safe case-insensitive string comparison
strchr	Alias of strstr
strcmp	Binary safe string comparison
strcspn	Find length of initial segment not matching mask
stripos	Find position of first occurrence of a case-insensitive string
stristr	Get string length
strnatcasecmp	Case insensitive string comparisons using a "natural order" algorithm
strnatcmp	String comparisons using a "natural order" algorithm
strncasecmp	Binary safe case-insensitive string comparison of the first n characters
strncmp	Binary safe string comparison of the first n characters
strpbrk	Search a string for any of a set of characters
strpos	Find position of first occurrence of a string
strchr	Find the last occurrence of a character in a string
strrev	Reverse a string
strripos	Find position of last occurrence of a case-insensitive string in a string
strrpos	Find position of last occurrence of a char in a string
strspn	Find length of initial segment matching mask
strstr	Find first occurrence of a string
strtolower	Make a string lowercase
strtoupper	Make a string uppercase
strtr	Translate certain characters
substr_compare	Binary safe comparison of 2 strings from an offset, up to length characters
substr_count	Count the number of substring occurrences
substr_replace	Replace text within a portion of a string
substr	Return part of a string
trim	Strip whitespace (or other characters) from the beginning and end of a string
ucfirst	Make a string's first character uppercase
ucwords	Uppercase the first character of each word in a string
wordwrap	Wraps a string to a given number of characters

The use of the PIM import scripting language in the data import process allows for sophisticated data manipulation, ensuring that the information is accurate, consistent, and tailored to the needs of the business. By leveraging array functions, mathematical calculations, variable handling, string manipulation, and assignments, businesses can automate and refine the data import process. The ability to evaluate and transform data on a row-by-row basis with the PIM import script means that each piece of product information is given the attention it needs to serve its purpose effectively. In the competitive landscape of e-commerce and omnichannel retail, the right scripting language in PIM data import is a powerful ally in the quest for data excellence.

PIM Import Script Language

Allowed Script Function Calls

Mathematical Script Functions

Mathematical functions

PIM Import Data Arrays

PIM Import Scripting - Import Data Arrays.

Script Variable Handling

PIM Import Scripting - Variable handling

Array Functions

PIM Import Scripting - Array Functions

String Functions

PIM Import Scripting - String Functions