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XML Template

XML is a popular feed format used by major online marketplaces.

  • Why use a feed in XML format? The XML format provides more control over products included in the feed.
  • Where are XML feeds used? XML feeds are supported by many shopping engines, including Google Shopping, Facebook, eBay.
  • What are XML feed peculiarities? Each node of data should be defined individually. For example, if a product has a unique attribute, this attribute field should have a name in order to output it in the feed.
Typical XML schema for Google Shopping.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0">
<channel>
<title>Google Shopping den_test_store</title>
<link>https://den-test-store.myshopify.com</link>
<description>Data feed</description>
{% for variant in context.product_variants %}
    <item>
    <g:id><![CDATA[{{ variant.id }}]]></g:id>
    <g:item_group_id><![CDATA[{{ variant.parent_id }}]]></g:item_group_id>
    <title><![CDATA[{{ variant.title | t | truncate: 70, "" }}]]></title>
    <link><![CDATA[{{ variant.url }}]]></link>
    <g:price>{{ variant.price | currency }}</g:price>
    <description><![CDATA[{{ variant.body_html | strip_html | t | truncate: 5000, "" }}]]></description>
    <g:product_type><![CDATA[{{ variant.collection_title | t }}]]></g:product_type>
    <g:google_product_category><![CDATA[{{ variant.mapping_collection_title }}]]></g:google_product_category>
    <g:image_link><![CDATA[{{ variant.image_url }}]]></g:image_link>
    {% for image in variant.parent_image_urls offset:1 %}
    <g:additional_image_link><![CDATA[{{ image }}]]></g:additional_image_link>
    {% endfor %}
    <g:condition>new</g:condition>
    <g:availability>{% if variant.in_stock %}in stock{% else %}out of stock{% endif %}</g:availability>
    <brand><![CDATA[{{ variant.vendor }}]]></brand>
    {% if variant.weight_grams != 0 %}
        <weight><![CDATA[{{ variant.weight_grams }} g]]></weight>
    {% endif %}
    <g:gender><![CDATA[]]></g:gender>
    <g:age_group><![CDATA[]]></g:age_group>
    <g:mpn><![CDATA[{{ variant.sku }}]]></g:mpn>
    <g:gtin><![CDATA[{{ variant.barcode }}]]></g:gtin>
    {% if variant.vendor != "" %}
        <g:identifier_exists><![CDATA[true]]></g:identifier_exists>
    {% else %}
        <g:identifier_exists><![CDATA[false]]></g:identifier_exists>
    {% endif %}
    </item>
{% endfor %}
</channel>
</rss>

Customizing XML Template​

Mulwi Shopping Feeds app provides a set of default templates for popular online marketplaces. However, if you need individual feed output for some marketplace, you can customize the default XML template.

Template customization overview​

The feed modification is made with the help of Liquid variables and Liquid filters. A brief explanation of working with variables.

note

Characters like < and & are illegal in XML elements. Their appearance in the string will generate an error because the parser interprets it as the start of a new element and the start of a character entity, respectively.

Enclose all patterns in a CDATA block 

<attribute><![CDATA[{{ pattern }}]]></attribute>

In this case, the xml data feed will be valid.

How to list products in the feed​

To fill the XML feed with the list of products, you need to create a cycle within the context.products object.

Include product attributes you need to be present in the feed, for example, product ID, product title, product URL.

product cycle block
INPUT
{% for product in context.products %}
<item>
  <id><![CDATA[{{ product.id }}]]></id>
  <title><![CDATA[{{ product.title }}]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[{{ product.url }}]]></link>
</item>
{% endfor %}
OUTPUT
<item>
  <id>
    <![CDATA[ 7259352105158 ]]>
  <id>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[ Super Heroes ]]>
  </title>
  <link>
    <![CDATA[ https://store.myshopify.com/products/super-heroes-dropship-attack-set?om=8179 ]]>
  </link>
</item>

How to list product variants in the feed​

The list of product variants in the feed can be generated with a cycle within the context.product_variants object.

Here is an example of how to fill the feed with product variants with a price greater than 10.

product variant with a price greater than 10
INPUT
{% for variant in context.product_variants %}
<item>
 {% if variant.price > 10 %}
  <name>{{ variant.title }}</name>
{% endif %}
</item>
{% endfor %}
OUTPUT
<item>
  <name>
    <![CDATA[ Super Heroes ]]>
  </name>
</item>

How to list product collections in the feed​

You can generate a feed specifically for products within a certain collection as shown:

list of products from specific product collection
INPUT
{% for collection in context.collections %}
{% for product in context.products %}
 {% if collection.title == "TOYS" %}
   <item>
    <product_name><![CDATA[{{ product.title }}]]></product_name>   
    <collection><![CDATA[{{ collection.title }}]]></collection>
   </item>
 {% endif %}
{% endfor %}
{% endfor %}
OUTPUT
<item>
  <product_name>
    <![CDATA[ Mobile Command Center ]]>
  </product_name>
  <collection>
    <![CDATA[ TOYS ]]>
  </collection>
</item>
<item>
  <product_name>
    <![CDATA[ Fun Family Fair ]]>
  </product_name>
  <collection>
    <![CDATA[ TOYS ]]>
  </collection>
</item>

How to call product variants within the product context​

You can call variant collection object within the product context as shown in the example:

call product variants within the product context
INPUT
{% for product in context.products %}
  <product>
   <product_id>{{ product.id }}</product_id>
   <product_name>{{ product.title }}</product_name>
  </product>
 {% for variant in product.variants %}
  <variant>
   <variant_id>{{ variant.id }}</variant_id>
   <variant_name><![CDATA[{{ variant.title }}]]></variant_name>
  </variant>
 {% endfor %}
{% endfor %}
OUTPUT
<product>
  <product_id>
    7259352236230
  </product_id>
  <product_name>
    Super Heroes Attack
  </product_name>
</product>
<variant>
  <variant_id>
    41805189120198
  </variant_id>
  <variant_name>
    <![CDATA[ Super Heroes Attack ]]>
  </variant_name>
</variant>
<product>
  <product_id>
    7259352268998
  </product_id>
  <product_name>
    Mobile Command Center
  </product_name>
  </product>
<variant>
  <variant_id>
    41805189152966
  </variant_id>
  <variant_name>
    <![CDATA[ Mobile Command Center ]]>
  </variant_name>
</variant>