Custom / Bespoke Courier

Custom/Bespoke Courier Integration

The Custom/Bespoke Courier Configuration can be found by navigating to:‘Settings’ > ‘Shipping Management’, find the row for ‘Custom/Bespoke Courier’, and select the ‘Configure’ option. 

This integration method allows you to connect to a courier’s desktop software where Linnworks does not have a direct integration method available. It allows you to configure multiple import/export routine configurations to produce export files for the software to import, or to be sent to the courier’s website. The resulting files from the courier can then be imported back into Linnworks with the shipping details for the orders that can be passed onto the channel.

Click on ‘Configure’ to display the configuration screen.

At the top right are the ‘Save’ and ‘Exit’ buttons, and below that are 3 buttons. ‘Switch to v3’, ‘Add New’ and ‘Delete’.

Add New

Click ‘Add New’

Specify a name for the set of services you will be setting a configuration for.

Click OK

This produces a new entry on the list.

Select ‘Edit’ to make changes to this.

Add

Allows you to select the postal services affected by this configuration

Batch size

Batch size denotes the number of orders you want output to each file.

eg.

Batch Size 1, with 3 orders exported, produces 3 files

.Batch Size 10, with 3 orders exported, produces 1 file.

Tick the entries to include, then use the ‘Select’ button to add them.

Once you have selected services for one configuration, they will no longer be shown in as options for other configurations.

Delete

Allows you to adjust the list of services included.

The ‘X’ next to a Postal Service allows you to remove it from the list.

Save the selection to make sure it is retained.

You can reopen it if you need to make any adjustments.

Options

This section allows you to specify fields and values for inclusion in the export file in addition to the values supplied by Linnworks. For example, you may create a field named ‘Insurance Code’, and give it a value of ‘3’.

Save ensures the changes are retained by LinnWorks.

Export File

The Export file section has 3 buttons, and 3 columns:

Options

File Path

The path and file name for the export file. See Tags

Delimeter

The character used to separate fields in each row of the file. Can be comma(,), tab, pipe (|), semicolon(;) or colon (:)

Column Headers

If Active, the column titles you have specified for the file will be shown in the first row.

UTF8

Produce the text using this character set instead of standard ASCII.

Text Separator”

Use “ as a separator around character string fields in case of spaces.

Backup Exported File

Make a backup copy within the folder (“Copy of”) of the old export file, before overwriting it with the most recent file.

Add Column

Add new column in the list, see below for the headings.

Remove

Remove the highlighted entry from the list of export file columns.

Index

Index value for the column, affects where the field is within the file.

eg:

Would be in the file as:

Test,Impossible,Possible

Column Name

A descriptive name for the value to be entered in that column by the export. Will be shown in the file if ‘Column Headers’ has been enabled for export.

Output Column

Specify which value will be output in this column from the database record for that order. Produces a dropdown list, including all the fields available from the order. Will also include any fields specified in ‘Service Name’, ‘Options’ for selection.

Also includes special fields:

{Nothing} – An Empty Field

{Default} – Instead of drawing a value from a record, you can specify a default value that will be written in this column for every record. To edit after creation, click on the button containing the three full stops (…)

{Expression} Allows you to allocate the result of a formula manipulating other field values to this field.

Expressions

Import/Export Evaluation Expressions

Import File

The Import File section allows you to map the columns in the file exported by your courier software to the required import fields for LinnWorks. You MUST have the Order ID in the Import file. The Import File section contains 2 buttons:

Load Sample

The recommended method of setting up the mappings is to have a sample file which you can load using this button. LinnWorks will then load the Column Name headers from the file into the drop downs against the Column Names. This way you ensure the column names are accurate, including any misspellings.

Options

File Path

The path and file name for the import file. See Tags

Delimeter

The character used to separate fields in each row of the file. Can be comma(,), tab, pipe (|), semicolon(;) or colon (:)

Column Headers

If Active, the system will expect the column titles will be present in the first row.

UTF8

The text uses this character set instead of standard ASCII.

Text Separator”

Uses “ as a separator around character string fields in case of spaces.

Wait for Export file to be deleted

System will monitor the export file location, and attempt import once the export file has been deleted or renamed by the Courier program.

Delete after import

Delete Import file when processing completed.

Backup before delete

Make a backup copy of the Import file before deleting it.

Timeout

Time to wait for Import file to be created by Courier program.

Tags

Tags can be used in file names. Different tags are useable for Import and Export, and are enclosed in square brackets []

Import

DATE

Will be substituted by LinnWorks for the current Date at time of file creation

DATETIME

Will be substituted by LinnWorks for the current Date and Time at time of file creation

TIME

Will be substituted by LinnWorks for the current Time at time of file creation

RAND

Will be substituted by LinnWorks for a Random Number

COUNT

Will be substituted by LinnWorks for a number, incremented each time you generate another file

Any Column Name

Will be substituted by LinnWorks for the contents of the first row in that Column.

Export

EXPORTNAME

Will be substituted by LinnWorks for the name of the Export File previously created.
eg.

Export:

C:\Import\Velocity\CourierProgram\output_[RAND]_[DATETIME].csv

Would be created as:C:\Import\Velocity\CourierProgram\output_300125_2012-07-13_12_35_54.csv

eg.

Import:

C:\Export\Velocity\CourierProgram\[EXPORTNAME].out

Would look for:C:\Export\Velocity\CourierProgram\output_300125_2012-07-13_12_35_54.out

You can also use the wildcard (*) symbol:C:\Export\Velocity\CourierProgram\*.out