What syncs to the website
A quick reference for what BookKeeper does and doesn't send to Shopify.
What appears on the website
A product appears on the website if it meets all three of these conditions in Bookscan:
- It is web-listed (marked in WEBLIST)
- Its status code is not excluded — see table below
- Its department is a book department (not Audio, Magazines, Gifts, etc.)
Excluded status codes:
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OP | Out of Print |
| RP | Reprinting |
| RUC | Remainder Under Cover |
| NLA | No Longer Available |
| OSI | Out of Stock Indefinitely |
When a product is visible vs hidden
| Condition | Status on website |
|---|---|
| Title present + price > $0 | Active — visible to customers |
| Price = $0 (no price set yet) | Draft — hidden until price is added |
| Title missing | Draft — hidden until title is added |
| Status changed to OP / RP / RUC / NLA / OSI (see above) | Draft — hidden automatically |
| Marked inactive in WEBLIST | Removed from sync entirely |
Once a hidden product gets its missing information (title or price) in Bookscan, the next hourly sync will automatically make it visible. No action needed in Shopify.
What fields sync
Every time a product is created or updated, BookKeeper sends:
| Website field | Where it comes from in Bookscan |
|---|---|
| Title | MASTER.DBF → TITLE |
| Author | MASTER.DBF → AUTHOR |
| Publisher | PUBLISHER.DBF → PUBLISHER |
| Price | MASTER.DBF → SELL_PRICE |
| Stock count | MASTER.DBF → ONHAND |
| Format (Paperback, Hardback, etc.) | MASTER.DBF → BINDING |
| Description / blurb | PUBLISHER.DBF → BLURB |
| Categories / genre tags | WEBMAINCAT + WEBSUBCAT |
| Cover image | Image folder on shop machine (best available resolution) |
What doesn't sync
- Customer orders — these must be entered manually in Bookscan (see Louisa's Guide for the process)
- Shopify-specific content (banners, promotional text, collection images) — managed directly in Shopify
- Manually curated collections (Staff Picks, NZ Authors) — managed directly in Shopify
How often
Every hour, automatically. Only products that have changed since the last run are processed (delta sync). A full sync of all ~38,000 products only happens if forced manually.