Downloadable Goods

Downloadable Goods are software, documents, images etc. that can be downloaded by the shopper following a successful order transaction, as opposed to those that are shipped physically in the traditional way.

Downloadable goods are uploaded and administered in a similar fashion to the Image Library. . The upload method and allocation of ID numbers (for later attachment to products) is also very similar. A time limit is attached at product set up level (within within Catalogue Options), which dictates the amount of time the 'virtual' page holding the download link to the file is available to shoppers following authorised payment.  Download times are determined by the shopper's connection speed (see table below) and by bandwidth throttling at the server. Bandwidth throttling is used by a Web Server Manager to limit the speed for individual download connections to control the load placed on the server and it’s communications channels.

Guideline Download Times

Download Goods Folders

Download folders have to be defined prior to including downloadable goods. It is recommended that more than one folder be used, enabling a more structured download inventory.

Adding a folder
Click the Add folder button to enter a new folder menu, now enter the new folder name into the form, then click either the Add and Return to Add folder button or the Add and Return to Menu button to include the new folder.

View / Edit a folder
Once the folder has been defined; you can View/Edit the contents of the folder. This edit menu enables you to change the folder name and edit or delete any of the download files included in this folder. When deleting, a confirm checkbox is displayed in order to avoid accidental deletions. To delete a downloadable, this box needs to be checked before the delete button becomes effective.

Operational Tip: Deleting multiple downloads from a folder is not possible in one action. For large download catalogues this will become very time consuming therefore deleting of the folder is preferred. We therefore recommend the use of additional folders to allow you greater control of your library.

Operational Tip: As the menu displays all the downloadable goods in the folder, the menu list has been split into pages making it easy to navigate and find the download that you want. At the bottom of each page you're see navigational tools that allow you to jump to the next or previous pages and also to a specific page.

Deleting a folder
In the folder options menu select the folder name from the drop down list that you wish to delete, once selected click on the Delete button. When deleting, a confirm checkbox is displayed in order to avoid accidental deletions. This box needs to be checked before the delete button becomes effective.

Adding a download to a folder
In the Folder Options menu, select the folder to take the new file from the drop down list then click the Add Goods button, this will take you to the Add Downloadable Goods Menu. Click the Browse button to search for the file to be added. When you have selected the image click the Open button to upload your file to the folder.
You can use the Description field to add a description to the file to make Reporting more descriptive. If you don’t enter a description, the file name is used as the description by default
When the details are complete click either the Add and return to Add Goods button or the Add and return to menu button to add the image to the folder.

In addition to single files, TecknaShop will upload Zip files containing many files. This can speed up the set up process enormously. To upload a Zip file, click the Browse button to search for the appropriate Zip file on your computer or network, click the Open button, check the Zip Archive checkbox and click either the Add and return to Add Goods button or the Add and return to menu button. Once the file has been uploaded it is automatically unzipped, and the folder is populated with the files. Dependent on the number of files within the Zip, a response to clicking Add could take some time. Note: If you enter a description, it will be used for all the files from the zip file, however, for each download the description label changes by allocating a number suffix. Should you wish to find out more about Zip archiving software, contact your TecknaShop supplier, or visit http://www.winzip.com.

IMPORTANT: While you are developing your store it will normally be set to test mode. This will enable you to test all of it’s functionality including connection to the payment gateway, but the gateway will not debit any cards used in transactions. If you load “live” downloadable goods onto your site, anyone that knows or finds the URL of your site can order and download goods without making any payment. So if you intend to sell downloadable goods make them invisible (See the Catalogue section for details) and use downloadable material of no value for testing.

Goods Options

Downloadable goods can be viewed, modified (detail only), overwritten or deleted from this menu. You can select a download file by finding the download name in the drop down lists or typing in the files ID number (if known).

View/Overwrite download file
Selected the required download file and click the View/Overwrite button. Within the View/Overwrite screen, you can change the description of the downloadable file or even replace the file with another while keeping the ID the same. The downloadable file can also be tested to see that it downloads correctly. To do this, click the Test Download hyperlink. To confirm any changes, click either the Update and Return to View/Overwrite button or the Update and Return to Menu button. Note: The ID number will stay the same.

Change download details
This enables you to change the reference name of the file and the description for the downloadable goods report. To confirm any changes click the Store button.

Deleting a download
When deleting, a confirm checkbox is displayed in order to avoid accidental deletions. This box needs to be checked before the delete button becomes effective.

Operational Tip: Unused downloadable goods should be regularly removed from the Click and Build folders, as they will increase the server space that your store uses, and may increase the hosting charges as a result.

Download Library Report

To view the report of the downloadable goods folders click Go in the Report Menu. This report displays by folder, the downloadable goods name, description, ID number, last uploaded date and file size.

To view the table of content when viewing this help file in an early browser version click here

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