Actinoogle

Actinoogle is a free utility to convert and process Actinic datafeeds for upload to the Froogle ftp servers. Froogle's data feed is currently in F2 format, and will soon evolve again into F3. Actinoogle converts the Actinic output file into native F2, and can automatically send the result to Froogle's servers.

All you need is a website that supports PHP, and your web browser. File transfers are instant and reliable, with your exported feed usually posted to Froogle in less than 60 seconds. You can also choose to download the processed feed as a text file and send it manually. There are no limits to the size of files, and no confidential data is stored on the server - so the same copy of the script can be used to send feeds to as many different Froogle stores as you want!

How do I use it?

Firstly, click here to download the source file and upload the php script to your website. The script is entirely safe and will not interfere with anything else on your server. Usernames and passwords are not stored, so you can allow anyone to use it if you wish.

Now, open your store in Actinic and choose File..Export Froogle Data Feed - save the result to a text file. Remember the exported feed is in your chosen primary currency but if you're running the United Kingdom version, the exported file will NEVER include VAT even if you have set Actinic to use VAT-inclusive pricing. If you are posting a feed to Froogle UK, they insist on Pounds Sterling pricing and VAT-inclusive values, both in your feed and on your website. If you send a feed excluding VAT or switch to nett pricing on your website, Froogle may suspend your account. Users outside the UK can simply ignore the 'add VAT' option.

Point your web browser at the actinoogle.php script you've uploaded, and enter all the information including the name of the file you just saved. Click PROCESS and wait a few seconds. Your processed feed will be sent to your account on the Google servers, or shown on your screen as a text download. Note that as a security feature, the Google feedreader will prevent FTP uploads until it has parsed the previous copy, so allow at least two hours between feeds to the same account.

If you want to try Actinoogle, have a go with our Demo Version - it will process the first 100 lines of your exported feed, and does not allow FTP transfer.

Note that support for the F3 additional fields will be incorporated into Actinoogle in the very near future, but currently Actinic cannot generate the required data to populate them automatically so we're having to mine the database instead of the exported text file!