The main additional functions in Merlin Backoffice ® FLEX compared to the STANDARD version

Posted on1 Year ago by

As you probably already know, Merlin Backoffice ® Flex brings you :

  • Greater security and speed thanks to the use of more recent technologies such as PHP8, MySQL7.x, WD8, HTTP2, PS8...
  • Free access to all updates and innovations.
  • Continuity of free support and assistance.
  • The guarantee of a very attractive price thanks to pre-payment at -50%.
  • The flexibility to change offers whenever you want.

A reminder:

  • The Standard version has not been updated or maintained since April 25, 2023.
  • The interface doesn't change, we've only added extra features, making the switch to Flex effortless.

But that's not all: Flex also includes a large number of major innovations, all designed to help you work even faster and in an almost playful way. Here are 25 of the most frequently requested, including 12 important new features in version 2.2.0.a :

Mass processing of custom field data

The only tool for PrestaShop capable of mass management of items added manually or via a module in the database. The number of use cases is unlimited.

Revolutionary: use ChatGPT on any heading and a large number of products in a single operation

Logo ChatGPT

Whether it's generating or reformulating product descriptions and summaries, translating product sheets or any other work you need to entrust to AI on a product-by-product basis without Merlin Backoffice ® FLex.

 

Cascade association of products in parent categories

New features in version 2.2.0.a.

When importing

When importing, to automatically associate products with the parent category of their default category. Choose the number of levels in the tree structure, and whether to include or exclude Home.

Automatic reassembly for imports

In mass processing

Grouped action on all products in a category selection, or more finely on a selection of products, enabling automatic cascading associations between products and categories, moving up the tree structure from the main category or categories already associated.

Nombreux choix de réglages pour s'adapter à tous les cas possibles :

New tool for upward association of products in their parent categories

As the tool for associating products with parent categories is richly configurable, it also comes with a graphical wizard, making it easy to understand and choose each parameter.

Wizard to guide you through association settings

Export "products plus declinations" totally redesigned

New in version 2.2.0.a.

Redesigned export tool for files combining products and declinations.

Removal of duplicate columns.

Merge or sum certain columns as desired (price, stock, weight, keys, other...).

Can hide or include rows for parent products of declinations.

Choice of list separators other than commas.

As the export tool has been enriched with new settings, we have developed and integrated a second configuration wizard for even simpler use (Wizard):

Wizard facilitant les exportations combinant produits et déclinaisons

Exclusive price management for pros, rounding and psychological exclusive prices in BtB

New in version 2.2.0.a.

The tool for rounding and creating psychological sales prices can now be used on HT prices.

Rounding of sales prices excluding VAT for professionals

Furthermore:

Addition of the column "Total sales price before tax and before discounts" in the declinations table (in addition to VAT). Useful for sites selling to professionals, and had become necessary to allow rounding on prices before tax.
The final price before tax after discounting in the table of declinations is displayed with 6 digits after the decimal point for greater precision in rounding.

Multi-column mapping

New in version 2.2.0.a.

It is now possible to select, map or delete several columns at once in the column mapping table at step 2 of the import.

Significant time savings when a large number of feature, attribute or image columns need to be mapped.

Multi-column mapping

Stability: no more sudden app shutdowns

New in version 2.2.0.a.

Introduction of a non-blocking, fatal error detection system that previously closed the program. The new system interrupts the operation in progress without blocking the program and gives you back your hand, allowing you to continue.

The "Sitolog" button is now available.

The "Sitolog QuickSupport" button is then available without having to close the error message, allowing you to immediately request Sitolog assistance.

Significant server space savings

New in version 2.2.0.a.

Ability to empty and no longer store uploaded images in /img/p/merlin and /img/c/merlin folders on the server, to save disk space.

Anti-duplicate management is retained.

Planner: knows how to avoid unnecessary imports

New in version 2.2.0.a.

The scheduler only launches an import event if the file has been modified since the previous import.

Allows events to be scheduled with very short intervals, but which only occur when necessary and useful.

Import only carried out if the file has been modified since the previous import

Forms for creating and editing suppliers and brands (or manufacturers)

It is no longer necessary to exit the application and go into PrestaShop's back office, to create or modify these entities before being able to associate them with products.

Know sales volumes product by product, date by date

Be able to choose a free date period for calculating sales volume and stock coverage. Also a wider choice of pre-defined periods, such as "Current quarter", "Floating quarter", "Previous quarter"...

Presentation of sales volume by product from date A to date B

Decimal quantities

Support of decimal digits for quantities, for retail sellers (e.g. selling fabric by the half-meter). With choice of precision (number of decimal places displayed) in display options.

The inventory tool allows you to count decimal quantities. This bypasses the problem encountered with some handhelds that flash twice (by setting a counter to 0.5).

The inventory tool enables decimal quantities to be counted.

All image types supported: WEBP, image script URLS, files without extension...

Know how to process images whose file name has no extension.


Import images from PHP script URLs such as http://xxxx.fr/getImage.php?ean=9782215142058.


Support for WEBP images, both local and via url, and for both products and categories (requires a compatible version of PS).

Product creation form including VAT

New in version 2.2.0.a.

Be able to enter the sales price in VAT in the new product creation form.

The new form also makes it possible to associate a group of tax rules with products, before taxes are activated in the store.

Prices including VAT and tax rules for new products

No more concerns about empty lines in Excel and CSV files

New in version 2.2.0.a.

Automatic cleanup to Ignore empty lines present in or at the bottom of csv, xls or xlsx files.

These types of rows are often present by mistake in Excel files, when you've emptied rows without deleting them. This automatic feature eliminates the need to manually deselect or filter empty lines in step 3 before importing an entire file.

This automatic feature eliminates the need to manually deselect or filter empty lines in step 3 before importing an entire file.


Above all, it avoids creating phantom products, devoid of any data apart from a generic name.

Automatic deletion of empty rows at the end of Excel files, before import.

Unlocking files imported by the scheduler

New in version 2.2.0.a.

Automatic closing of the import file at the end of the processing of each event (scheduled task) in the scheduler.

This makes it possible to open the file in Excel in write mode and modify it, between two successive imports, without having to stop the scheduler and close the import window.

Inventory management also possible at Infomaniak and LWS

A setting option allows you, for each connection, to disable the use of stored mySQL procedures, used among other things to manage inventory and which are forbidden on shared hosting at LWS and Infomaniak in particular.

When this option is checked, the program uses instead standard MySQL queries, admittedly slightly slower, but enabling work on these hostings prohibiting the use of stored procedures.

Stock management without stored procedures at LWS or Infomaniak

MagicEdit and MagicFormula 3D: chain operations on cells containing lists of values

MagicFormula and MagicEdit have a new mode of operation that allows each value in cells containing a list of values to be modified (acts on each value independently). Perfectly suited to mass modifications in multi-value custom columns.

Also enables a block of text to be broken down into several pieces (into sentences, words etc...) to apply the modification to each block.

Examples of classic use: capitalize the 1st letter of all the first words of each paragraph of descriptions, or of all words:

MagicEdit multi-value

Before / After: validation, modification, cancellation line by line possible

At the end of a mass operation with MagicEdit, it shows you for each line processed, the before and after value. You can freely keep or modify the result, or even cancel it for certain lines only.

Very handy when using ChatGPT to cancel wacky responses in certain lines.

Before/after for each line modified with MagicEdit

MagicFormula: easier calculation formulations

New in version 2.2.0.a.

To avoid phenomena such as 1+2=12 instead of 3.

Automatic detection of texts that are numbers, to automatically treat them as such and not as strings. Enables calculations to be made without having to add Val() for each numeric column name used as a parameter in the formula or being obliged to set a condition test other than 0 for the formula to be accepted.

Complementary button to the "Current value" button, which inserts the current content of the cell, but converts it to a numerical value. This also makes it possible to perform mathematical operations without having to think about adding the val() function.

Numerical value of the current field value

MagicEdit auto-executable before import

More powerful than Excel!

As was already the case with MagicFormula, MagicEdit can be configured in "Automatic" mode, to self-execute column by column each time files to be imported are reread.

Possibility to deactivate without losing formulas and to choose the execution order of MagicEdit and MagicFormula.

Automated MagicEdit for imports

Smart imports

Dynamic filters and calculations before import, using as possible parameters the current data in the database in addition to those in the file.

Example of use: use for an update only those lines in the file containing a product from a certain supplier, when the supplier of each product is not present in the file.

Advanced obsolescence

  • Can also be used to import declinations
  • New action condition: out-of-stock items
  • Can act on all suppliers or on products without a supplier
  • New “Hide products” action
  • New interface

 

Numerous ergonomic improvements

    • Support for Windows "Auto Zoom" and "Large Fonts".
    • Possibility of viewing the passwords you have just entered or are currently entering. This enables you to check your keystrokes. They remain protected, as they are totally invisible once saved. Once entered, they cannot be viewed for security reasons.
    • It is no longer necessary to unroll the entire category tree to produce a PDF catalog organized by category, as long as the column containing the default category name is included in the product table configuration (without necessarily being visible, i.e. not even included in the catalog to be produced).
    • From the import window, the choice of country and state for calculating taxes (or from VAT to HT) is now made from drop-down lists (no need to know country/state identifiers).
    • In the import table (step 3), quick search in each column. New in version 2.2.0.a.
    • The wording of the validation button in MagicEdit and MagicFormula varies depending on the context (e.g. no saving to base when editing the import table, and whether or not you also want to save your own columns).
    • The settings for validating photo uploads are visible from the "Getting Started" mode, in step 4 of the import process. New in version 2.2.0.a.
    • Re-organization of import step 4 options to make them more logical. New in version 2.2.0.a.

Faster

Opening the table column configuration window was sometimes very slow, on the order of a minute. The window now always opens in 2 or 3 seconds max.

The default stock creation query is only included in the import process if you're in creation mode.

Now avoids, in declination update import, calling the stock management procedure if the quantity column (and other stock_available columns) is not mapped.

Noticeable acceleration of scripts performing several successive string replacements.

More stable

With over 305,000 lines of code, and as many different uses as there are user workstations (over 8,000), it's normal for programming errors to occur from time to time. When a bug is reported to us, we often correct it immediately; when it's a minor defect, we make a note of it for later.
The switch to Flex and successive updates over the past 8 months have enabled us to correct the vast majority of these, including 25 in the latest V2.2.0.a update, making it the most stable version since the beginning of the Merlin Backoffice ® adventure.

There's more to come, with exclusives reserved for Flex subscribers: 

  • Use the latest version of CSharp and Chromium, for an even more secure HTML editor that's compatible with any hosting, with no need for configuration.
  • Dynamic filters and calculations before import, using as possible parameters the current data in the database in addition to those in the file. Example of use: use for an update only those lines in the file containing a product from a certain supplier, when the supplier of each product is not present in the file.
  • Import attachments or documents.
  • Management of declination obsolescence, as is already the case for products in step 4 of the import process.
  • Read files and import in the background, giving you back control and allowing interruption.
  • Convert batches of products into variations of a single product and vice-versa.
  • Export planning.
  • GTP4 Vision for photos.
  • Redesigned login phase for faster launch.
  • Multi-column MagicEdit for find/replace everywhere in a single operation!

And dozens of other surprises in the pipeline, each as practical as the next.

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