About
Imagine you are a wholesaler and you have ten retailers. You supply data about the offered products to partners in a feed (XML or CSV file). What happens if you don't get along with one of the partners and stop working with him? Isn't it unfortunate for you to leave him access to your data?
The solution is simple. In the Symlink Stork app, create each partner's own symlink. The partner will receive their own, unique address. At the same time everyone gets the same data. When you decide to stop working with one of your partners, you simply delete its symlink. The data connection of the other partners will continue working without changes!
Symlink use cases
There are many use cases. In general, these are situations where you want to control who has access to your data. And you want to be able to revoke access in the future. This applies to both XML / CSV feeds and other files (images, web pages ... anything with its own URL).
- Connection of business partners, see example above.
- Connection of affiliate advertising networks - be aware that, unlike product search engines, affiliate networks can be accessed by several partners in the network. Among them may be your competitors. And even if you stop working with the network in the future, they can keep the URLs of your feeds.
- Connection of different advertising or other systems.
Symlink Stork features
- Create symlinks.
- Symlinks can be temporarily deactivated and then re-activated, duplicated (for easier creation of multiple similar symlinks), and deleted.
- Record history of symlinks - when the given symlink was last visited by someone + basic information about the visitor.
Who is Symlink Stork for
For online stores or marketing specialists, who manage the data connections of both online stores with advertising systems and other systems.
Why try the Symlink Stork app
- Easy to install. Enable it here in the Mergado Store and start using it right away. No web hosting required.
- User Management in Mergado. The application is accessible to the same users who have access to your online store in Mergado. Adding or removing users is handled by Mergado.
- Symlinks to any files. An example above is the XML / CSV feed. However, symlinks can also be created for images, web pages or other URLs.
- Unlimited number of symlinks. So far. There are no limits and we do not plan to add them. We assume reasonable use in the order of, for example, tens of symlinks. If users fill the system with a significantly higher number of rows so that it can no longer handle it, we will introduce the limits consequently (and after prior information).
- Easy combination with other Mergado Store apps.
Administration
To activate this app it is first necessary log in .
How Symlink Stork works
Symlink Stork allows you to create multiple new URLs for one original URL. If the user enters the new address, he will be able to access the file. However, he will not know the original address. You can create one or more new URLs for one original URL.
How to create a new link
- Click the
Create New Linkbutton. - Fill in the information:
- Name: used for your internal use. It usually says what the target file is, or who the link is for. E.g.
XML feed for affiliate ABC.com,Price list, partner 123 ltd.etc. - Original address: URL of the file to which the link should lead. E.g.
https://data.mergado.com/example/123.xml. - New address: end of the new address. You can invent your system, e.g. for a partner with the Abc.com website create a link
abccom-keo594dLerdM. The form can be the id of the partner dash secret key so that no one else can guess the address. The system is up to you. - Note: optional field. It is intended for your internal information, e.g. for whom the link is intended, etc.
- Name: used for your internal use. It usually says what the target file is, or who the link is for. E.g.
- Save the new link
How to find out if someone is visiting the link
On the History page you can see all visits to your links. You can filter by selecting a specific link. You can also access this page by clicking on the clock icon next to the link on the Links page.
What is the purpose of enabling/disabling the link?
The link can be temporarily disabled. In such case, it is not functional and after entering that address the input file will not be loaded. After re-enabling, the link returns the input file again. Disabling is useful for temporarily suspending data if you know you will want the link to resume in the future.
What happens when I disable Symlink Stork in the Mergado Store
The contents of the app are deleted immediately. If you enable the application again, it will be empty.