Rule boxes cheat sheet

Use the rule boxes cheat sheet to get a glimpse of which rule boxes are available, most popular, and to understand why or how they're used. in Productsup.

Introduction

View the rule boxes cheat sheet to see which rule boxes are available, most popular, and to understand why or how they're used.

Add or overwrite your data with static values

Table 1. Add or overwrite your data with static values

Box name	Definition	Popular	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)
Static Value	Appends, prepends, or assigns a predefined value to the column.	Yes	Set, Append		All
Append/Prepend Column	Appends or prepends a dynamic value based on a column to the column.	Yes	Append		All
Append/Prepend Value	Appends or prepends a predefined value to the column.	Yes	Append		All
Append/Prepend Value if not Empty	Appends or prepends a predefined value to the column, but only if the column is not empty.	Yes	Append	Not empty	All

Clean and format your data

Table 2. Clean and format your data

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Typical use	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Notes	Popular	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)	Works with
Manage whitespace	Remove Consecutive Whitespace	Removes consecutive instances of whitespaces and replaces them with a single whitespace.						Yes	Remove	Static, Best Practice	All
	Separate Words	Adds whitespace between StickyWords.							Add
	Remove Spaces At Beginning And End (Trim)	Removes any whitespaces found directly at the beginning or at the end of the column.							Remove	Static, Best Practice	All
Remove text	Remove Terms in Brackets	Removes all words found in rounded parentheses.							Remove
Remove text	Remove Duplicate Words	Removes all duplicate words in a column, leaving only the first-mentioned one.							Remove	Static, Best Practice
Spellcheck	Spellcheck	Checks for misspellings and offers suggestions in brackets.	Check for possible misspellings and show suggestions in brackets	`Indoorshoes`	`Indoorshoes(Indoor shoes)`	Analyze and Correct Value			Detect, Replace		`title`, `description`
Capitalization	Lowercase	Converts letters to lowercase.	Remove all uppercase	`SHOES SNEAKER BLUE`	`shoes sneaker blue`	Text Normalization Boxes			Replace, Convert		`title`, `description`
	Uppercase	Converts each letter within the column to uppercase.							Replace	Static
	Uppercase to human	Converts upper-cased words greater than three characters and leaves only the first letter in uppercase.						Yes	Replace	Static
	Capitalize Words	Eliminates sticky words by capitalizing each word and applying lowercase letters in a word. Includes option to include words entirely in caps.	Make every first letter uppercase	`NIKE Air shoes sneaker`	`Nike Air Shoes Sneaker`	Text Normalization Boxes	Must include a space before the first letter		Capitalize	Static
Invalid GTINs	Filter GTINs	Analyzes the GTIN in the given column and removes it if it is not a valid GTIN.							Replace	Static	GTIN (Amazon)	Data Service - ASIN Fetch
Decode HTML and remove HTML tags	Remove HTML Tags	Removes HTML tags from the column.		`<HTML>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr`	`Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr`			Yes	Remove	Static, best practice	All	Data Service - Crawlers
	Fix and Decode HTML	Fixes and decodes special characters encoded in HTML.	Remove broken HTML Tags	`Fu&szlig`, `Apple &amp, Banana`	`Fuß`, `Apple & Banana`	Analyze and Correct Value		Yes	Replace	Static, best practice	All	Data Service - Crawlers
	HTML getElementById	Analyzes an HTML code and retrieves the value based on the given HTML ID.							Detect, Set			Data Service - Crawlers
	HTML getElementByTagName	Analyzes an HTML code and retrieves the value based on the given HTML tag name.							Detect, Set			Data Service - Crawlers
	HTML getElementByXpath	Analyzes an HTML code and retrieves the value based on the given tag name and its use.							Detect, Set			Data Service - Crawlers
	Sanitize HTML	Frees the column of complex HTML tags and only leaves standard formatting tags.							Replace	Static, best practice	All	Data Service - Crawlers

Combine attributes from different columns to create dynamic values

Table 3. Combine attributes from different columns to create dynamic values

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Popular	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)
Stock/availability	Set Availability	Provides a static value of Google accepted availability statuses.		Set	Best practice	availability
Stock/availability	Set Availability by Stock	Sets a positive availability status if the stock given is larger than 0.		Set	Best practice	availability
	Set Column by Column Compare	Compares two columns and sets a column as a dynamic value when the comparison is true.		Set, Compare		All
	Set Column by Time	Assesses if a time column is in the future or the past and, accordingly, appends, prepends, or assigns a column.		Set	Time
	Set Column if Contains	Assesses if a defined column contains a certain value and appends, prepends, or assigns another column or value.	Yes	Set		All
	Set Column if Empty	Applies a different column if the column is empty.		Set		All
	Set Column if not Empty	Applies a different column if the column is not empty.		Set		All
	Append/Prepend Column	Appends or prepends a dynamic value based on a column to the column.
	Append/Prepend Value	Appends or prepends a predefined value to the column.
	Append/Prepend Column if Value Not Present	Appends or prepends a value in the selected column only if this value is not present in the column.
	Compare Columns	Lets you define a value if two other columns match or don't match each other.		Compare
	Contains String	Searches a column for a string and sets a value based on its presence.		Set

Count the number of characters and words in your data

Table 4. Count the number of characters and words in your data

Box name	Definition	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)
Word count	Counts the number of words in a given column.	Count	Static	All
Trim to 150 characters	Trims characters in the column down to 150 characters.	Trim	Static	`title`
Trim to 70 characters	Trims characters in the column down to 70 characters.	Trim	Static	`title`
Character count	Counts the characters in a column.	Count	Static	All
Cut first characters	Deletes a defined number of characters at the beginning.	Cut		All
Cut last characters	Deletes the last characters if the length exceeds a specific value.	Cut		All
Cut last words	Deletes the last words if the length exceeds a specific value.	Cut		`description`, `title`

Transform data with regular expressions and split strings

Table 5. Transform data with regular expressions and split strings

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Typical use	Example: Before	Category	Notes	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)
RegEx	Preg Match	Uses a regular expression to match a term in the column and only shows this term.					Detect, Set		All
	Preg Replace
	Set Value if Match
	Preg Match All
Split string	Split String	Uses the defined delimiter to split the string depending on where to start splitting and how many items to show.	Extract the value "Tires"	`Wheels > Tires > Pirelli`	Split String		Split		`product_type`, `custom_labels`
	Split String & Filter	Uses the defined delimiter to split the string depending on where to start splitting and how many items to show, as well as the maximum length	The Split String & Filter rule box works similar to the Split String rule box but the filter function is included.		Split String	The filter detects if something is wrong and skips it and does not list the error.	Split		`product_type`, `custom_labels`
	Split String for PLA	Similar to Split String					Split	Best practice	`product_type`, `custom_labels`
	Split Group evenly	Assesses identical strings and appends a random number after the string. The range depends on the number of defined subgroups.					Split	Best practice

GMC optimization

Table 6. GMC optimization

Box name	Definition	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)
Translate Google Category	Translates Google categories into another language or replaces them with the category IDs.	Translate	Best practice	`google_product_category`
Set Gender	Provides a static value of Google accepted genders.	Set	Best practice	`gender`
Set Gender by Regex	Uses regular expressions to indicate which product gender Google has.	Set	Best practice	`gender`
Set Identifier Exists	Analyzes the intermediate column's brand, manufacturer part number (MPN), Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), and the export column category to assess whether the Google `identifier_exists` column is true or false.	Set	Best practice	`identifier_exists`
Set Size System	Provides a static value of the accepted Google size systems.	Set	Best practice	`size`
Set Size Type	Provides a static value of Google accepted size types.	Set	Best practice	`size`
Set Size Type by Regex	Uses regular expressions to indicate which Google size type the product has.	Set	Best practice	`size`
Set Age Group	Provides a static value of accepted Google age groups.	Set	Best practice	`age_group`
Set Age Group by Regex	Uses regular expressions to indicate which Google age group the product has.	Set	Best practice	`age_group`
Set Availability	Provides a static value of accepted Google availability statuses.	Set	Best practice	`availability`
Set Condition	Provides a static value of accepted Google conditions.	Set	Best practice	`condition`
Set Condition by Regex	Uses regular expressions to indicate which Google condition the product has.	Set	Best practice	`condition`

Images or image links

Table 7. Images or image links

Box name	Definition	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Functions	Applied to? (suggestions)
Add Image From Column	Only appends or prepends a column if it is an image link.				Add	`image_link`
Add Logo To Image	Adds a predefined logo on the image.				Add	`image_link`
Add Text To Image	Adds text to the image.				Add	`image_link`
Separate Link and Take First Image	Takes multiple comma-separated images and only keeps the first image.				Separate, Replace	`image_link`, `additional_image_link`
Separate Link and Take Last Image	Takes multiple comma-separated images and excludes the first image.				Separate, Replace	`image_link`, `additional_image_link`
Add / Change Link Parameter	Changes a parameter within a link to the static or dynamically-defined value or adds if not present	`www.yourdomain.com/1html`	`www.yourdomain.com/1html?param_name=123`	Edit Link
Add / Change Link-Param		Add `utm_campaign=idealo` in your product URL `http://www.yourdomain.com`	`http://www.yourdomain.com?utm_campaign=idealo`	Edit Link
Trim Image Border	Analyzes an image and removes excess border.				Trim	`image_link`, `additional_image_link`

Apply lists to your data

Table 8. List

Box name	Definition	Popular	Functions	Applied to? (suggestions)	Works with
Blacklist	Uses a Standard Inclusion/Exclusion list to skip specific items.		Skip	All (ID mostly)	Lists
Taxonomy Mapping (formerly Category Mapping)	Uses a Partner Taxonomy Mapping List to search for terms in the column and replace them with the provided terms on the list.	Yes	Replace	`google_product_category`, `product_type`	Lists
Detect and Extract Value	Uses a Replacement List to search for the entire text of a given single term and appends, prepends, or assigns a value to the listed term.		Detect		Lists
Mapping	Takes a list of search terms and replaces them with a defined value if the entire string has an exact match.		Detect, Replace		Lists
Negative Blacklist	Uses a Standard Inclusion/Exclusion list and skips all products that do not contain a listed term on the list.		Skip	ID	Lists
Replacement (formerly Normalization)	Uses a Standard Replacement List to replace only the part of the string that exactly matches the Replacement List values.	Yes	Replace	`title`, `description`	Lists
Replacement Sensitive (formerly Normalization Sensitive)	Uses a Standard Replacement List to replace only a part (as the Replacement rule bos) or the entire string (as the Taxonomy Mapping rule box) depending on the selected option.	Yes	Replace	`title`, `description`	Lists
Whitelist	Uses a Standard Inclusion/Exclusion list to white-list specific items, even if you added a skip rule to these items.		Skip		Lists
Whitelist Row If Value In	Uses a Standard Inclusion/Exclusion list to white-list specific items, even if you added a skip rule to these items.		Skip
Whitelist Row If Value Not In	Uses a Standard Inclusion/Exclusion list to white-list specific items, even if you added a skip rule to these items.		Skip
Classification Mapping	Uses a list containing classification standards for products. For example, ETIM classifications.

Make valid prices

Table 9. Make valid prices

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Typical use	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Notes	Popular	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)	Works with
	Make Valid Price	Provides a price column with a valid format.							Change	Static, Best practice	`price`, `sale_price`

Manage the date and time in your feed

Table 10. Manage the date and time in your feed

Box name	Definition	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Notes	Popular	Functions	Type
Set Timestamp	Sets a timestamp with a defined date and time format.						Set	Time
Set Value by Datetime	Compares a date or time to a number of days and sets a static value if the statement is true.						Set	Time
Convert to Timestamp
Convert Datetime Format	Uses the PHP time format to transform how you present your date.	`2014-05-29`	`29 May 2014`	Date/Time	The date format in this rule box is not the same as in Limited Time Only. For example, use `Y`, not `YYYY`.
Set Value by Datetime
Set Column by Time
Set Datetime	Sets a timestamp with a defined date and time format.					Set	Time
Set Expiration Date	Adds `X` number of days to the current day.					Set	Best practice, Time

Miscellaneous

Table 11. Miscellaneous

Box name	Definition	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)
Comment	Lets you leave a comment in your boxes. The Data Flow section also displays your comment.			All
Custom Product_type	Only shows the category branch, as separated by a comma, which has the longest length.	Split	Static	`product_type`
Delta Update/New Date	Sets a product-specific timestamp based on its delta status.	Set	Time
ePro Tracking	Lets you set your parameter values for ePro redirect tracking.	Set	Static	`link`
Extend Text	Extends a sequence of characters until a set maximum length is achieved.	Add
Ignore IDs	Skips products based on the exactly defined value.	Skip		`id`
Set Property Value	Uses the site or export tags to define a value. This is useful for changing values in copied sites without having to change any boxes.	Set	Static
Set To Site ID	Sets the value to the Productsup site ID.	Set
Trim Category Tree	Uses the delimiter `>` and trims sub-categories depending on the length of the value.	Trim		`product_type`, `google_product_category`
XML Key Value Mapping	Maps the given Key and Value according to the desired structure.

Search and replace data

Table 12. Search and replace data

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Typical use	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Popular	Functions	Applied to? (suggestions)	Works with
Detect and extract info from a column	Detect and Extract Value	Uses a Standard Replacement list to search the entire text for given single terms and appends, prepends, or assigns a value in the list.						Detect		Lists
	Detect Brand	Uses a Productsup database for brands to detect a brand within a column and only extract a brand for another.	Extract a brand and add it to the title	`Sportswear PRE Montreal Racer Trainers`	`Nike Sportswear PRE Montreal Racer Trainers`	Analyze and Correct Value	Yes	Detect	brand
	Detect Color	Uses a Productsup database for color names to detect the color within a column and only extract the color for another. This means that it recognizes the color in all languages stored in your database.	extract the color and add it to the title	`Nike Sportswear PRE Montreal Racer Trainers`	`Nike Sportswear PRE Montreal Racer Trainers grey`	Analyze and Correct Value	Yes	Detect	color
Search and replace static text	Text Replace	Searches for a term in the column and replaces it with a static value.					Yes	Replace	All
	Map-Replace	Takes a list of search terms and replaces them with the defined value within a string.					Yes	Detect, Replace	All
	Mapping	Takes a list of search terms and replaces them with the defined value if the entire string is an exact match.						Detect, Replace		Lists
Dynamically search and replace text based on a condition	Replace Dynamic Value	Searches the column for terms found in another column. Once there is a match, it replaces them with a static or dynamic value from another column.						Replace	All
	Preg Replace	Uses a regular expression as a search term to replace values within the column.						Detect, Replace	All
	Replace if Column Contains	Searches another column for a specific string. For those rows that contain a match, it then performs a search and replaces a function for those products only.						Replace	All
	Replace In Between	Uses defined strings for search criteria and replaces the value between these strings with a static value.						Replace	All
	Text Replace if Column Contains	Searches for a term in a column and replaces it with a static value if specific columns contain a specific static value.						Replace	All
	Replace dynamic value	Searches a column for terms found in another column. When a match is made, it replaces them with a static or a dynamic value from another column.						Replace
	Text Template	Links several columns together with static placeholder text.		`The {{title}} from {{brand}} is available in {{color}} {{size}}`	`The sweatshirt from MOKA is available in blue XL`

Set a value based on an "if" condition

Table 13. Set a value based on an "if" condition

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Typical use	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Popular	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)
Add a static value if another column meets a condition	Set Value if Contains	Compares a column if it contains a value. Whether the condition is true or not a value is assigned, appended, prepend, or left unchanged.						Set		All
	Set Value if Empty	Sets a static value if the column is empty.	Extract the brand and add it to the title	`Sportswear PRE Montreal Racer Trainers`	`Nike Sportswear PRE Montreal Racer Trainers`	Analyze and Correct Value	Yes	Set		All
	Set Value if Greater Than	Replaces all values that are greater than the value you enter in the box, either by the word or number you chose for output. If you work with prices, you may have to use the Make Valid Price- Box before this box.	Extract the color and add it to the title	`Nike Sportswear PRE Montreal Racer Trainers`	`Nike Sportswear PRE Montreal Racer Trainers grey`	Analyze and Correct Value		Set	Math
	Set Value if Match (RegEx)	Searches for expressions in columns and replaces them with other values. If you work with prices, you may have to use the Make Valid Price-Box before this box.						Set
	Set Value If Value In	Compares a column if it contains one or more values. When it makes a match, a static value is set. If you work with prices, you may have to use the Make Valid Price-Box before this box.						Set		All
	Set Value if Value Not in
	Set Value if Column Contains	Searches a column for various terms and appends, prepends, or assigns the corresponding assigned term.					Yes	Set		All
Add a dynamic value based on the attribute of another column	Add Column if Fits	It only adds the column and optional text if the maximum length of the column isn't exceeded.						Add
	Add Column if Value Not Present	Only adds the selected column value if this value isn't already present in the column.						Add	Not present
	Add Value if Fits	Only adds a value to the column if the maximum length of the column isn't exceeded.						Add
	Set Value by Column Compare ( Multi-condition )
	Set Value if Empty ( Conditional )
	Set Condition	Provides a static value of accepted conditions by Google.
	Set Condition by Regex	Uses regular expressions to indicate the Google condition that the product has.
Compare data across columns and set values based on the outcome	Set Value by Column Compare	Compares one or two columns and sets another column or static value when a match is made.						Set, Compare		All
	Set Value by Compare	Compares a column to a static value and appends, prepends, or assigns a static value when a match is made.						Set, Compare		All

Skip products with conditions

Table 14. Skip products with conditions

Box name	Definition	Functions	Applied to? (suggestions)
Skip Row By Content Length	Skips all rows depending on the number of characters within the column.	Skip	All
Skip Row If Empty	Skips all rows where the value of the column is empty.	Skip	All
Skip Row If Isn't URL	Skips all rows where the value of the column isn't a valid URL.	Skip	link
Skip Row If Match	Uses a regular expression and skip all rows where the regular expression finds a match.	Skip	All
Skip Row If Value In	Skips a row if one of the defined values is in a column.	Skip	All
Skip Row If Value Not In	Skips a row if one of the defined values is not in a column.

Sort your data within an attribute

Table 15. Sort your data within an attribute

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Typical use	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Notes	Popular	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)	Works with
	Sort Values	Separates items in a cell based on a delimiter and sorts them alphabetically.							Sort
	Sort Values in Cell	Separates items in a cell based on a delimiter and sorts them alphabetically or by using a defined sorting system.							Sort

Translate your data into another language

Table 16. Translate your data into another language

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Typical use	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Notes	Popular	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)	Works with
	Translate Colors	Searches the colors database and if available it translates the colors into the language you selected.	translate English colors into German	`Sandaletten - green - leder - Größe 39`	`Sandaletten - grün - leder - Größe 39`	Analyze and Correct Value	Also other languages		Translate		`color`

Work with numbers and math functions

Table 17. Work with numbers and math functions

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Typical use	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Notes	Popular	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)
Generate random numbers	Generate MD5 Hash	Creates an MD5 hash out of the given value.							Generate
	Generate Random Number	Creates a random number.							Generate	Static
	Generate Unique ID	Creates a unique ID based on a selection of given columns.							Generate		`id`
Add VAT to prices	Add VAT	Adds a given VAT percentage to your price column.	Adds 19% or another rate of VAT to the price	`17.25€`	`20.53€`	Correct price/Math	default is 19%	Yes	Add	Math	`price`, `sale_price`
Discount	Discount	Sets a reduced price if specific or multiple columns contain specific terms.							Discount	Math	`price`, `sale_price`
	Discount Percentage	Calculates the difference in percentage between to prices.							Discount	Math	`price`, `sale_price`
	Limited Time Only	Sets a value or discounted number based on the current date.							Set	Time
Perform mathematical equations	Math	Performs mathematical operations on a numeric value.							Convert	Math
	Numeric Compare	Compares two dynamic sets of numbers and sets a value based on the comparison.							Compare, Set		`custom_labels` (price buckets)
	In-Row Math	Adds, divides, or multiplies a sequence of numbers separated by a delimiter.	Use operator (`+`,`-`,`*`, `/`) to perform maths with numbers from one row	2,3,6	11	Correct price/Math			Convert	Math
	Round Numeric Values	Takes a numeric value and rounds it according to the defined decimal points.							Replace	Math

Work with URLs

Table 18. Work with URLs

Purpose	Box name	Definition	Typical use	Example: Before	Example: Result	Category	Functions	Type	Applied to? (suggestions)
Adding and changing URL parameters or fragments	Add / Change Link Parameter	Changes a parameter already within a link to the static or dynamic value that you defined. It adds a value if it is not yet present.					Add		`link`, `additional_image_link`
	Add Column URL-Encoded	Adds a column and encodes it in the process.					Add
	Add URL Fragment	Adds a fragment (#) to the URL.					Add		`link`
	Get Filename from URL	Extracts a filename and its type from an URL.	Get Filename from URL takes just the filename out of the URL	`http://example.com/path/to/file.name`	`file.name`	Edit link	Detect, Set
Encoding and decoding URLs	URL Decode	Decodes a column.	Decode URL	`http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourdomain.com%2F1.html%3Futm_campaign%3Dgoogle_pla`	`http//www.yourdomain.com?utm_campaign=google_pl`	Edit link	Replace	Static	ALL
	URL Encode	Encodes a column.	Encode URL	`http//www.yourdomain.com?utm_campaign=google_pla`	`http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourdomain.com%2F1.html%3Futm_campaign%3Dgoogle_pla`	Edit link	Replace	Static	ALL
	Shorten URL
	Raw URL Encode

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