How To Create Xpath For Tactical Arbitrage

Import Bulk Category List

Searching with an imported bulk category list.

Alex Moss avatar

Written by Alex Moss
Updated over a week ago

Introduction

In this article, you learn how to run a Product Search using the standard Import Bulk Category List tool. This is a great tool if you want to run a search with up to 500 source categories (i.e. URLs) on one website. This search tool is available on the Product Search portal.

By the end of this article, you'll know how to:

locate the Import Bulk Category List switch
create and format a list
upload the list
run a search

Multi domain search

A multi domain easy bulk search is another kind of bulk search available with in Tactical Arbitrage. It is similar to the standard import bulk category tool in many ways with a couple of important differences.

You can use the multi domain search on the Product search portal and the Library search portal.

For more information, see:

Multi domain bulk list search

1. Locating the switch

Open the Product Search portal.
Select Advanced mode at the top of the page.
Locate the Import Bulk Category List switch.
Toggle On the switch (blue). The Use Bulk Category List panel displays. You may need to Select UPLOAD NEW FILE, if there is not one already uploaded.

2. Creating a list

You need to create a csv, xls, or xlsx file filled with rows of source categories (URLs). These categories must come from a website in the Tactical Arbitrage database either built in for the global community, or added by yourself in the Advanced User Xpath tool that allow you to add your own site. You cannot add URLs for a website that does not sit inside the Tactical Arbitrage database.

2.1 File format

With the Use Bulk Category List open, you can see the basic file structure that you need to create:

3 columns
1 heading per column
URLs or category numbers

Note: The Start Page and Final Page columns are optional. Tactical Arbitrage is able to decipher where a search should start and end automatically. The Category column is mandatory.

2.2 Adding categories

With your bulk list file open, add a column heading (or headings).
Open the browser in a new tab and load the website you want to research.
Locate a page with products you want to research.
Copy the page URL and paste it into a line on the spreadsheet.
Repeat until you have finished the list URLs.
Save the file on your computer or using a Google Sheet.

The image below shows a spreadsheet with 3 columns. There is no data in the start or last columns.

2.3 Checking the category link format

While building your bulk list, it's a good idea to make sure your category format can be read by Tactical Arbitrage during the scan. Most sites use standard URL links and others use category numbers or ID's.

You can find examples of acceptable link formats (and other useful information) by opening the Category Example panel.

Go to Product Search portal.
Click the Website field and then select a source from the menu. New information displays on the right side of the page.

Reviewing the category example panel

Scroll to the right side of the page.
Click the Category Example tab. Detailed information about the domain displays in the panel.
Review the information.

Example

The image below shows three sets of information on the Category Example panel:

instructions for creating a URL
examples of acceptable category formats
other information, such as number of products per page

Use this information to confirm the categories in your bulk list match the requirements of the source URL or source category ID or category number.

3. Uploading a list

Return to the Use Bulk Category List panel.
Click the Choose File button or Import from Google Drive.
Locate the file on your computer or Google Drive and then click Open. The file uploads.
Scroll to the bottom of the Use Bulk Category List panel and then click UPLOAD.

4 Checking column headings

After uploading a file, a new panel displays. This is your chance to check or modify column headings.

The system finds the name of the first column and auto-fills the title as category.

In our example, we have columns with the headings start and last but no data. In this example, we click the drop-down menu and select not defined.

After the changes, click UPLOAD.

4.1 Changing the file

After uploading a file, a new button displays on the page. Click UPLOAD NEW FILE if you want to replace the current bulk list file with a new list.

5. Starting a search

The final step is to start a search.

5.1 Selecting the website

Before launching a search, select the website from the menu. All the categories in the list must be part of this site.
If you would like to have the source site open, click the blue icon to open the company website in a new browser tab.