How to Create a Custom Channel

Maria Updated by Maria

DataFeedWatch supports +2000 channels, but if you want to add another customized channel, you can do it by setting up a custom channel. 

In Data Feed Watch, you can obtain the custom channel in the following format: 

  • CSV
  • XML
  • RSS
  • TXT
  • JSON

The first 6 steps are the same for all types of channels, then follow the instruction for each channel type separated into different sections: 

  1. Once logged into DataFeedWatch, select the shop to which you want to add a channel.
  2. Click on the Add channel button under the shop list table.
  3. From the first drop-down menu, select the country.
  4. Next, click on the create a custom channel below. 

  1. The Add Channel menu will appear.
  2. Choose the channel type you want to receive your output feed. 

The fields with asterisks * are required fields. 

Choose Channel Type:

👉 CSV: 

  1. Click on the drop-down menu Encoding*, and choose an encoding type. 

There are a lot of encoding types available in DataFeedWatch. However, the ones that are usually selected are UTF-8 or UTF-8 MAC. 

  1. Next, go to the drop-down menu Separator*, and select the separator, also known as a delimiter.  Regarding CSV file stores, the values in each row are separated with a separator. 

  1. Then go to Quote Character* drop-down menu, and select one of the options.

Quote character, also known as text qualifier, takes a text and wraps it together into one value. It helps DataFeedWatch better understand which feed data should be displayed as one value. 

For example, your description includes commas, and you have selected a comma as a separator. Quote Character will let the DataFeedWatch app understand what commas are just a separator and what are part of the description content.

If you want to track the performance for that channel, go to the URL attribute, and paste the tracking code into the field URL attribute. 

This field is optional and used only for analytical purposes. 

  1. Next, if you have the HTML tags in your output feed, please select the checkbox Allow HTML.
  2. Your input feed may contain unnecessary whitespace characters. To remove them from the output feed, just tick Remove unnecessary whitespace characters.

  1. Click Add Channel. 

👉 XML: 

  1. Click on the drop-down menu Encoding*, and choose an encoding type. 

There are a lot of encoding types available in DataFeedWatch. However, the ones that are usually selected are UTF-8 or UTF-8 MAC. 

  1. In the field Root node, introduce the parent of all nods in your XML document. 

For example, in your XML, your root and product notes look like this:

 <products>

  <product>

     <id>

     </id>

</product>

 <product>

     <id>

     </id>

  </product>

</products>

Where <products> is a root node, and <product> is the product node. 

In this case, in the field Root Node, you need to introduce products, and into the field product node product.

Remember to add the root note without <>.

  1. If you want to track the performance for that channel, go to the URL attribute, and paste the tracking code into the field URL attribute. 

This field is optional and used only for analytical purposes. 

  1. Next, if you have the HTML tags in your output feed, please select the checkbox Allow HTML.
  2. Your input feed may contain unnecessary whitespace characters. To remove them from the output feed, just tick Remove unnecessary whitespace characters.
  3. If you want to remove CDATA from the input file, just tick Remove CDATA. 

  1. Click Add Channel. 

👉 RSS: 

  1. Click on the drop-down menu Encoding*, and choose an encoding type. 

There are a lot of encoding types available in DataFeedWatch. However, the ones that are usually selected are UTF-8 or UTF-8 MAC. 

  1. Next, into the RSS Header* field, introduce your RSS Header.
  2. RSS Header is the first line of RSS like <rss version=”2.0”>

  1. In the field Root node, introduce the parent of all nods in your XML document. 

For example, in your XML, your root and product notes look like this:

 <products>

  <product>

     <id>

     </id>

</product>

 <product>

     <id>

     </id>

  </product>

</products>

Where <products> is a root node, and <product> is the product node. 

In this case, in the field Root Node*, you need to introduce products and into the field product node product.

Remember to add the root note without <>.

  1. If you want to track the performance for that channel, go to the URL attribute, and paste the tracking code into the field URL attribute. 

This field is optional and used only for analytical purposes. 

  1. Next, if you have the HTML tags in your output feed, please select the checkbox Allow HTML.
  2. Your input feed may contain unnecessary whitespace characters. To remove them from the output feed, just tick Remove unnecessary whitespace characters.
  3. If you want to remove CDATA from the input file, just tick Remove CDATA. 
  4. Click Add Channel. 

👉 TXT: 

  1. Click on the drop-down menu Encoding*, and choose an encoding type. 

There are a lot of encoding types available in DataFeedWatch. However, the ones that are usually selected are UTF-8 or UTF-8 MAC. 

  1. Then go to Quote Character* drop-down menu, and select one of the options.

Quote character, also known as text qualifier, takes a text and wraps it together into one value. It helps DataFeedWatch better understand which feed data should be displayed as one value. 

For example, your description includes commas, and you have selected comma as a separator. Quote Character will let the DataFeedWatch app understand what commas are just a separator and what is part of the description content.

  1. If you want to track the performance for that channel, go to the URL attribute, and paste the tracking code into the field URL attribute. 

This field is optional and used only for analytical purposes. 

  1. Next, if you have the HTML tags in your output feed, please select the checkbox Allow HTML.
  2. Your input feed may contain unnecessary whitespace characters. To remove them from the output feed, just tick Remove unnecessary whitespace characters.
  3. If you want to remove CDATA from the input file, just tick Remove CDATA. 

  1. Click Add Channel. 

👉 JSON: 

  1. Click on the drop-down menu Encoding*, and choose an encoding type. 
    There are a lot of encoding types available in DataFeedWatch. However, the ones that are usually selected are UTF-8 or UTF-8 MAC. 
  2. DataFeedWatch, by default, will give your output field the name of the source URL. The field Overwrite URL lets you change the heading of your output feed file. If you want to change it, introduce the name you want to give to your output feed in this field.

  1. If you want to track the performance for that channel, go to the URL attribute, and paste the tracking code into the field URL attribute. 

This field is optional and used only for analytical purposes. 

  1. Next, if you have the HTML tags in your output feed, please select the checkbox Allow HTML.
  2. Your input feed may contain unnecessary whitespace characters. To remove them from the output feed, just tick Remove unnecessary whitespace characters.

  1. Click Add Channel. 

If you need an FTP connection:
1. Click the toggle option FTP connect.
2. Once it is rolled out, provide the requested information about your FTP. 

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