Google Shopping Connector Bundle Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup Steps

1. Installation

   composer require agence-dnd/google-shopping-connector-bundle:1.3.*
   

   Enable the bundle in app/AppKernel.php:

   $bundles[] = new Dnd\Bundle\GoogleShoppingConnectorBundle\DndGoogleShoppingConnectorBundle();
   

   Add routing in app/config/routing.yml:

   dnd_google_shopping_connector:
       prefix: /google-shopping-connector
       resource: "@DndGoogleShoppingConnectorBundle/Resources/config/routing.yml"
   

2. Symlink for Images Create a symlink from app/file_storage to web/file_storage:

   ln -s /path/to/pim/app/file_storage /path/to/pim/web/file_storage
   

3. First Use Case: Export Products

   • Navigate to Spread > Export Profiles in Akeneo.
   • Create a new export profile of type GoogleShoppingConnectorBundle.
   • Map Akeneo attributes to Google Shopping’s required fields (e.g., title, description, price, image_link, availability, gtin, mpn).
   • Test the export by generating an XML file.

Implementation Patterns

Workflow for Daily Use

1. Attribute Mapping

   • Use the Export Profile to map Akeneo attributes to Google Shopping’s mandatory fields:
     • title → Akeneo’s name or meta_title.
     • description → Akeneo’s description or long_description.
     • link → Product URL (e.g., reference + domain).
     • image_link → Image path (symlinked to web/file_storage).
     • availability → Stock status (e.g., in_stock, out_of_stock).
     • condition → Product condition (e.g., new, used).
     • gtin/mpn → Akeneo’s ean or custom attributes.
   • Leave unmapped fields empty if unused (Google Shopping ignores them).

2. Taxonomy Import

   • Download Google’s product taxonomy (XLSX format).
   • Create an Import Profile in Collect > Import Profiles to load Google’s category IDs into Akeneo.
   • Assign Google category IDs to Akeneo categories for proper product classification.

3. Scheduled Exports

   • Use Akeneo’s Job Queue to schedule exports (e.g., nightly updates).
   • Example cron job (via Akeneo’s CLI):

     php bin/console akeneo:job-instance:execute --job-code=export_google_shopping
     

4. Validation & Debugging

   • Validate XML against Google’s schema using tools like XML Validator.
   • Check Akeneo logs (var/logs) for mapping errors or missing attributes.

Integration Tips

• Channel-Specific Exports: Create a dedicated Google Shopping channel in Akeneo to isolate product data.
• Dynamic Attributes: Use Akeneo’s family variants to handle product conditions (e.g., new/used) dynamically.
• Image Optimization: Ensure images are resized to Google’s recommendations (e.g., 800x800px) before export.
• API Sync: Automate XML uploads to Google Merchant Center via a Laravel task:

  use GuzzleHttp\Client;
  $client = new Client();
  $response = $client->post('https://merchantcenter.googleapis.com/content/v2/{merchantId}/products:upload', [
      'headers' => ['Authorization' => 'Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN'],
      'body' => fopen('path/to/export.xml', 'r'),
  ]);
  

Gotchas and Tips

Common Pitfalls

1. Missing Symlink

   • Error: Image links in XML are broken (e.g., http://example.com/file_storage/...).
   • Fix: Verify the symlink exists (web/file_storage → app/file_storage).

2. Unmapped Mandatory Fields

   • Error: Google Shopping rejects the feed with errors like "Missing required field: 'gtin'".
   • Fix: Ensure all required fields are mapped in the export profile.

3. Incorrect Taxonomy IDs

   • Error: Products are categorized under the wrong Google Shopping category.
   • Fix: Double-check imported taxonomy IDs and Akeneo category assignments.

4. Character Encoding Issues

   • Error: XML contains invalid characters (e.g., &, <, >) or UTF-8 encoding errors.
   • Fix: Sanitize product data in Akeneo (e.g., use htmlspecialchars) or configure Akeneo’s export to use UTF-8.

5. Large File Sizes

   • Error: XML files exceed Google’s size limits (e.g., >50MB).
   • Fix: Split exports by category or use Akeneo’s chunked exports.

Debugging Tips

• Log Export Details: Enable debug mode in app/config/config.yml:

  framework:
      profiler: { only_exceptions: false }
  

  Check var/logs/dev.log for mapping errors.

• Test with a Subset: Export a single product or category first to validate mappings:

  php bin/console akeneo:export:execute --export-code=google_shopping_test --limit=1
  

• Google Merchant Center Diagnostics: Use the Diagnostics Tool to identify feed issues.

Extension Points

1. Custom Field Mappings Override the bundle’s mapping logic by extending the DndGoogleShoppingConnectorBundle\Manager\ExportManager:

   namespace AppBundle\Manager;
   use Dnd\Bundle\GoogleShoppingConnectorBundle\Manager\ExportManager as BaseExportManager;
   
   class CustomExportManager extends BaseExportManager {
       public function getMappedValue($attributeCode, $value) {
           // Custom logic for specific attributes
           if ($attributeCode === 'gtin') {
               return strtoupper($value); // Ensure GTIN is uppercase
           }
           return parent::getMappedValue($attributeCode, $value);
       }
   }
   

   Register the service in services.yml:

   services:
       app.google_shopping.export_manager:
           class: AppBundle\Manager\CustomExportManager
           tags: ['akeneo_export_manager']
   

2. Post-Export Processing Trigger a Laravel event after export to process the XML (e.g., upload to S3):

   // In a custom event listener
   use Symfony\Component\EventDispatcher\EventSubscriberInterface;
   use Dnd\Bundle\GoogleShoppingConnectorBundle\Event\ExportEvent;
   
   class GoogleShoppingExportSubscriber implements EventSubscriberInterface {
       public static function getSubscribedEvents() {
           return ['google_shopping.export.post' => 'onExport'];
       }
   
       public function onExport(ExportEvent $event) {
           $xmlPath = $event->getXmlPath();
           // Upload to S3 or trigger API sync
       }
   }
   

3. Dynamic Attribute Values Use Akeneo’s Attribute Calculators to generate Google-specific values (e.g., availability based on stock):

   // Example: Calculate availability from stock
   $stock = $product->getStock();
   $availability = $stock->getQuantity() > 0 ? 'in_stock' : 'out_of_stock';