PUPS FEED INSTRUCTIONS

This document includes step-by-step instructions that will show you the simplest way to create a feed and send it to PUPS. After your feed has been accepted, you may also be interested in using the Vendor's Back Office to maintain your data.

Important: The content in your feed must be the same as the content visible to users on your website. The description and price you provide in the feed must be exactly the same as the description and price on your item URL page. We have made a special exception for vendor's without websites. These vendor's may submit a price list in lieu of a website. You may fax it to 509-464-1857, or mail it to:
Postal Uniforms Vendor Directory
2910 E Pine Needle Ave
Colbert WA 99005

Here is what you will need to create a data feed and send it to PUPS:

• A spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel or a file editor to create the feed file.
• An email client such as Microsoft Outlook Express to submit the file to PUPS.

Your data feed must be a tab-delimited text file. The first row should contain the field names (described below), and each subsequent row should contain the information for a single price level for a single item. Price levels will be discussed further below. It is important that each field be separated by a single tab, and that there be no extra tabs. At the end of each line, there should be a single newline, no tabs.

Microsoft Excel makes it easy to convert files into this format, so we will walk you through the process of making a feed using Excel. If you prefer to work with a text editor, such as Notepad or WordPad, you may do so; just make sure that every field is separated by only one tab when you create your file.

Important: The process for creating the data feed file described in this document is targeted to vendors without access to advanced programming. On the other hand, if you have an inventory database and access to a programmer, you may choose to have your programmer create your data feed file using the specifications described herein.

One concept that is important to understand is the concept of a "price level." A price level is defined as "the set of sizes for a particular item that are sold at a specific price." Thus, a particular item may have multiple price levels. For example, a jacket may be sold at three prices: $90 for sizes S-XL, $100 for size 2XL, $110 for size 3XL. For this item, you will list three rows, one for each price level.

PUPS requires that you include the following information for each price level for each item:

• The item URL
• The stock number
• The price
• The price type
• The size description
• The size(s)
• The quantity
• The item description
• The sex
• The craft
• The manufacturer
• The brand
• The union made (Y/N)

Using Excel, here is what to do to create your feed the first time.

1. Start your spreadsheet program.
2. Using only lowercase letters, enter the field names in the first (header) row. The field names and an explanation of what each one means are listed below.
3. On the next rows, enter each of the items you carry, one price level per row for each item. An item will have at least one row. It may have more than one row if it has multiple price levels. Each line of your worksheet is a price level.

Note: The following elements should not be included in your data feed:

• Tabs, carriage returns, or new line characters - If any of these appear in a field, we will not be able to load that item into PUPS.
• HTML tags, comments, and escape sequences - For best results, you should not include HTML in your feed.

The example below shows an example of what your file should look like in a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel.

Here is an explanation of the data fields:

Notes:
(1) All of the fields listed above are required, with the exception of manufacturer. Manufacturer is optional, but highly recommended. It will be used in the future to point prospective buyers to your site based upon searches for a specific manufacturer and/or brand. If you provide more than one manufacturer for an item, please separate each one by a colon (":").
(2) The Vehicle Service craft refers to Motor Vehicle Operators and others who wear type 1 clothing. For Vehicle Service, list only the items which are unique to the craft. Do not duplicate Letter Carrier items.
(3) For footwear, set the item_craft equal to Letter Carrier. List footwear items one time. Do not duplicate these items for other crafts.

After you have finished listing all of your items in your spreadsheet, you must save your file in a format that PUPS can process. Here is how:

1. Open the File menu in the top left corner and click Save As.
2. Next to Save as type, highlight Text (Tab delimited).
3. Type in your file name. We suggest you use a name that is easy to remember, eg. storename.txt, or yoursite.com.txt.
4. Click the Save button. If you see a warning window pop up, click the OK button. If you see a second warning message, click the Yes button.

Note:
(1) It is best to save the feed to your default local disk (usually the C: drive). That way, it will be easy to find later.
(2) The file name must be the same each time you send your feed to PUPS. If not, your feed may not be processed and your items may not be added/updated. Do not include the date in the name of the file.

Now that you have saved your data feed file, you are ready to register your data feed!

Before you send your data feed, you should register your data feed. That way we will know what to do with your feed when you send it. If you do not register your feed, we may have difficulty processing your feed.

To register your feed, go to http://www.postaluniforms.net/pups_feed_registration.html.
Complete the registration form and click the submit button.

After you have submitted this form you will receive a message confirming your registration.

You may send your data feed file using any email client. You will want to send the data feed file as an email attachment. Below is a description of how to send the file using Outlook Express:

1. Click the "Create Mail" button.
2. Enter pups_data@postaluniforms.net in the "To:" field.
3. Enter "PUPS Data Feed" in the "Subject:" field.
4. Click Insert -> File Attachment.
5. Using the Insert Attachment dialog window, select the data feed file that you created earlier and saved to your hard disk (C: drive), then click the "Attach" button.
6. Click the "Send" button.

If you notice that you have made a mistake in your feed and you want to send a new file, feel free to do so. Please remember that it will take some time for us to review, approve and process your initial data feed file.

Updating Your Data Feed File

Each data feed file replaces the previously submitted file. So, each file should include all of your items. You may send a new data feed file at any time. However, your items will automatically expire after one year, so you must send a new feed at least once a year.

Obviously, it is best to upload a new file whenever you change prices, add or discontinue items. If you discontinue an item, do not list it the next time you send in a data feed file. If you add new items, simply list those items in your data feed file.

Notes:
(1) We will be glad to provide a dump of your existing PUPS data if you want to use it as a starting point.
(2) Your data feed file name must be the same each time you send it to PUPS. If not, it may be difficult for us to identify and process your file.

Feedback On Your Data Feed

After you upload your data feed for the first time, we will need to check it before it appears in PUPS. If it has any errors, we will notify you to make corrections. Otherwise, we will send you an email to let you know that your feed has been approved.

If you have questions about creating and submitting a feed, please contact us. Be sure to include the following information in your question:

• Vendor Name
• Feed File Name

After your data feed is approved, the file will be processed and your items should appear in PUPS shortly. Any future updates with the same file name will be processed automatically. You will not receive any email from us when you send updates, but if you have any questions, please contact us.

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