After you import a Zip file of images into the Retail Image List, you can automatically create links between the images and existing items by running the Link Images to Items action on the Retail Image Import/Export page. Running the action again does not create duplicate links, so it is safe to repeat.
To link images to items
- Click the
icon, enter Retail Image List, and select the relevant link. - Click the Import from Zip action, and import a Zip file of images. See How to: Import and Export Images from a Zip File.
- On the Retail Image Import/Export page, click the Link Images to Items action.
- A message tells you how many images were linked, how many were already linked, and (if any) how many could not be linked. Check the Link Result column on the page to see the outcome for each line.
How images are matched to items
An image is linked to the item whose No. matches the leading part of the image's original file name — the text before the first space, or the whole file name if it has no space. For example, both an image imported from a file named 10010.png and one named 10010 Milk 2 Liters.png link to item 10010. Matching is based on the file name, not on the image's Code — the two are usually the same, but can differ, for example when the item number and a display order marker together are too long to fit in the Code field. The file name and the derived link value are stored on the Retail Image Card in the File Name and Link Token fields, see The Retail Image Card.
Linking multiple images to the same item
To link more than one image to the same item and control the order they appear in, add a number marker such as #1 or #2 to the image's file name. For example, name the files 10010 #1.png, 10010 #2.png, and 10010 #3.png to set the display order of three images linked to item 10010. The image with the lower display order is used as the item's picture.
Note: If the item number together with the marker is longer than 20 characters (the length of the Code field), the image is still linked correctly — the item number and display order are read from the file name. In this case, the image is instead assigned a Code from the Retail Image Number Series set up on the Retail Setup page. If no Retail Image Number Series is set up, the image is skipped and not imported. See How to: Import and Export Images from a Zip File.
Link Result values
After you run the action, the Link Result column shows the outcome for each line:
| Link Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Linked | A new link to the item was created. |
| Already Linked | The link to the item already existed. |
| Item Not Found | No item matches the leading part of the image's file name. |
| Image Not Found | The image itself could not be found in the system. |
A blank Link Result means the line has not been processed yet.
Note: The action only processes lines whose Import/Export Status is Completed or Skip — that is, images that already exist in the system. Lines that are still Pending are left untouched, so the results only reflect images that were actually processed. Because of this, you can re-import existing images without selecting Replace Images and still run Link Images to Items to link images that were imported before this feature was introduced.
See also
How to: Import and Export Images from a Zip File
How to: Update Item Picture with Retail Image