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The WalkTheLot.com system is designed to have vehicle data uploaded
to it via FTP (file transfer protocol) in the form of a ASCII delimited
text file (comma separated with a double-quote qualifier).
Using DeskLot:
If you are using the DeskLot
Window Sticker Printing and Data Publishing Software for exporting
collected data to a WalkTheLot.com dealership account simply:
- Login to your Administrative account.
- View the dealership account you would like to send vehicle data
to WalkTheLot.com for.
- Follow the simple instructions in the section "Publish this
dealers vehicles with
DeskLot" to
download a pre-configured export configuration for
DeskLot.
Manually
Entering/Changing Data:
Alternatively, you may manually enter vehicle data, upload vehicle
photos and change/delete vehicle data via the web-based members section
by logging in here.
Using a Different
Software Package or Service:
If you are using a different software package or have another service
sending vehicle data to WalkTheLot.com on your behalf you/they may
configure an export to WalkTheLot.com using the Format below. However, if you need support
configuring it beyond the details outlined in this document and the
members only configuration document, you will have to contact the
manufacturer of that software as WalkTheLot.com can only provide support
for the DeskLot/WalkTheLot.com
product combination.
The Export File Format
- The text file you send to WalkTheLot.com must be a raw ASCII text
file (such as one that can be opened with Windows Notepad, not a
proprietary format such as Excel).
- The filename must be named the Dealers WalkTheLot.com ID # (without
the "D" preceding it) and have a file extension of either
.txt or .csv. For example:
13456.txt or 13456.csv
- Each line in the text file contains data for one vehicle record.
For example:
"1GNDU06E7TT112250",
"ABC123","1996","Chevrolet","Lumina
Sport", "191000","5995", etc...
"2ZNOU13F4TX013341",
"ABC456","2000","Ford","F-150
Super-Cab", "54000","10995", etc...
...etc...
- The first line of the text file must contain the column names, not
actual vehicle data. The column names must be named exactly
as one or more of the supported
WalkTheLot.com column names. For example:
"VIN","StockNumber","Year","Make","Model","Mileage","Price",
etc...
- The actual columns and column data may be in any order. For
example, both of the samples below would be acceptable.
"VIN","StockNumber","Year","Make","Model","Mileage","Price",
etc...
"1GNDU06E7TT112250",
"ABC123","1996","Chevrolet","Lumina
Sport","191000","5995", etc...
"2ZNOU13F4TX013341",
"ABC456","2000","Ford","F-150
Super-Cab","54000","10995", etc...
...etc...
...or...
"Year","Make","Model","Price","Mileage","VIN","StockNumber",
etc...
"1996","Chevrolet","Lumina
Sport","5995","191000","1GNDU06E7TT112250","ABC123",
,, etc...
"2000","Ford","F-150
Super-Cab","10995","54000","2ZNOU13F4TX013341","ABC456",
etc...
- The field VIN must be included for each vehicle or the
record will not be imported.
Valid WalkTheLot.com Column Names.
Fields in red are required fields. All other
fields are optional.
| Column Header Name |
Data Type |
Max Length |
Acceptable Values |
| VIN |
Text |
20 |
N/A. More Than 20 Characters Will Be
Truncated |
| StockNumber |
Text |
50 |
N/A. More Than 50 Characters Will Be
Truncated |
| NewUsed |
Text |
N/A |
New, Used, Cert, Certified, N, U or
C |
| Sold |
Boolean |
N/A |
True, False, Yes, No, Y, N, 1, -1,
or 0 |
| Year |
Text |
4 |
N/A. More Than 20 Characters Will Be
Truncated. If 2 Characters, A 20 Will Be Prefixed Onto The Value |
| Make |
Text |
50 |
N/A. More Than 50 Characters Will Be
Truncated |
| Model |
Text |
50 |
N/A. More Than 50 Characters Will Be
Truncated |
| Trim |
Text |
50 |
N/A. More Than 50 Characters Will Be
Truncated |
| Engine |
Text |
255 |
N/A. More Than 255 Characters Will
Be Truncated |
| Transmission |
Text |
255 |
N/A. More Than 255 Characters Will
Be Truncated |
| Price |
Numeric |
N/A |
Numeric, Without Any , or .
Characters. 0 Is Valid For None |
| Lease |
Boolean |
N/A |
True, False, Yes, No, Y, N, 1, -1,
or 0 |
| AcceptableOffer |
Numeric |
N/A |
Numeric, Without Any , or .
Characters. 0 Is Valid For None |
| MSRP |
Numeric |
N/A |
Numeric, Without Any , or .
Characters. 0 Is Valid For None |
| NADA |
Numeric |
N/A |
Numeric, Without Any , or .
Characters. 0 Is Valid For None |
| KBB |
Numeric |
N/A |
Numeric, Without Any , or .
Characters. 0 Is Valid For None |
| Mileage |
Numeric |
N/A |
Numeric, Without Any , or .
Characters. 0 Is Valid For None |
| BodyStyle |
Text |
255 |
N/A. More Than 255 Characters Will
Be Truncated |
| Exterior |
Text |
255 |
N/A. More Than 255 Characters Will
Be Truncated |
| Interior |
Text |
255 |
N/A. More Than 255 Characters Will
Be Truncated |
| Category |
Text |
50 |
N/A. More Than 50 Characters Will Be
Truncated |
| MPGCity |
Numeric |
N/A |
Numeric, Without Any , or .
Characters. 0 Is Valid For None |
| MPGHW |
Numeric |
N/A |
Numeric, Without Any , or .
Characters. 0 Is Valid For None |
| Option |
Text |
Unlimited |
N/A. See
Option/Equipment Notes Below |
| Equipment |
Text |
Unlimited |
N/A. See
Option/Equipment Notes Below |
| StickerText |
Text |
Unlimited |
N/A (Both StickerText and Comments
columns are the same and go to the same field. Additional field
name only provided for clarity. Use whichever one you want. |
| Comments |
Text |
Unlimited |
N/A (Both StickerText and Comments
columns are the same and go to the same field. Additional field
name only provided for clarity. Use whichever one you want. |
| ConsumerInfo |
Text |
Unlimited |
N/A |
| AuctionItemNumber |
Text |
255 |
N/A. More Than 255 Characters Will Be
Truncated |
| Special1 |
Boolean |
N/A |
True, False, Yes, No, Y, N, 1, -1,
or 0 |
| Special2 |
Boolean |
N/A |
True, False, Yes, No, Y, N, 1, -1,
or 0 |
| Special3 |
Boolean |
N/A |
True, False, Yes, No, Y, N, 1, -1,
or 0 |
| VideoURL |
Text |
255 |
Example:
http://video.someserver.com/12345.wmv
More Than 255 Characters Will Be
Truncated |
| VideoCode |
|
Unlimited |
The complete HTML code needed to
display the video. |
| Photo1 through Photo50 |
Text |
N/A |
N/A. See Photo
Notes Below |
Options/Equipment Exporting Notes
For vehicle equipment you may send your data in one of two ways.
You may use the "Option" field to send each
individual option in a field all by itself. However, each fields
column name is to be named "Option". You may export an
unlimited number of options. For example:
- "VIN","StockNumber","Year","Make","Model","Option","Option","Option","Option","Option","Option","Option",
etc...
"1GNDU06E7TT112250",
"ABC123","1996","Chevrolet","Lumina
Sport","Power steering","Power
brakes","Power windows","Power door
locks","AM/FM cassette","Cruise
control","Tilt steering wheel","Leather seats",
etc...
-
VIN|StockNumber|Year|Make|Model|Option|Option|Option|Option|Option|Option|Option,
etc...
1GNDU06E7TT112250|ABC123|1996|Chevrolet|Lumina Sport|Power
steering|Power brakes|Power windows|Power door locks|AM/FM
cassette|Cruise control|Tilt steering wheel|Leather seats, etc...
You may send all vehicle equipment in one field named "Equipment".
Each item should be delimited by your choice of the following
characters:
- ^
- ~
- <cr>
- <lf>
- <crlf>
- | (you may only use pipe | if you are NOT sending a PSV (Pipe
Separated Value) file.
Examples:
- "VIN","StockNumber","Year","Make","Model","Equipment"
"1GNDU06E7TT112250",
"ABC123","1996","Chevrolet","Lumina
Sport","Power steering^Power
brakes^Power windows^Power door
locks^AM/FM cassette^Cruise
control^Tilt steering wheel^Leather seats",
etc...
- "VIN","StockNumber","Year","Make","Model","Equipment"
"1GNDU06E7TT112250",
"ABC123","1996","Chevrolet","Lumina
Sport","Power steering~Power
brakes~Power windows~Power door
locks~AM/FM cassette~Cruise
control~Tilt steering wheel~Leather seats",
etc...
- "VIN","StockNumber","Year","Make","Model","Equipment"
"1GNDU06E7TT112250",
"ABC123","1996","Chevrolet","Lumina
Sport","Power steering<cr>Power
brakes<cr>Power windows<cr>Power door
locks<cr>AM/FM cassette<cr>Cruise
control<cr>Tilt steering wheel<cr>Leather seats",
etc...
- "VIN","StockNumber","Year","Make","Model","Equipment"
"1GNDU06E7TT112250",
"ABC123","1996","Chevrolet","Lumina
Sport","Power steering|Power
brakes|Power windows|Power door
locks|AM/FM cassette|Cruise
control|Tilt steering wheel|Leather seats",
etc...
- VIN|StockNumber|Year|Make|Model|Equipment"
1GNDU06E7TT112250|ABC123|1996|Chevrolet|Lumina
Sport|Power steering^Power
brakes^Power windows^Power door
locks^AM/FM cassette^Cruise
control^Tilt steering wheel^Leather seats,
etc...
Handling Carriage Returns within Field Data
If any of your fields contain carriage returns, they need to be
replaced with your choice of one of the following:
- ^
- ~
- <cr>
- <lf>
- <crlf>
- | (you may only use pipe | if you are NOT sending a PSV (Pipe
Separated Value) file.
For example:
- This is one line.<cr>And this is the next one.
- This is one line.~And this is the next one.
- This is one line.^And this is the next one.
- This is one line.|And this is the next one.
Carriage returns may be common in items such as the Options, Sticker
Text or Consumer Info fields.
Photo Notes
When exporting photo's (up to 50) to WalkTheLot.com, you do not
have to include the Photo column names or field data in the export.
WalkTheLot simply looks for photo's in the ZIP file that match the
below listed photo naming conventions, and if found, imports them. The
only reason including Photo fields is mentioned, is because in order for DeskLot to export the actual photo's, their field(s) must be in the
export file, however, WalkTheLot.com does not require it, and in fact,
ignores it and simply looks for the photo's in the ZIP file.
Photo Naming Conventions
If sending photo's with your export, the photo's must have either a
.jpg or .gif file extension and be named VIN-PhotoNumber.Extension. For
example, if you are sending VIN "1GNDU06E7TT112250", then
acceptable photo names would be:
- 1GNDU06E7TT112250-1.jpg or 1GNDU06E7TT112250-1.gif for photo
number 1
- 1GNDU06E7TT112250-2.jpg or 1GNDU06E7TT112250-2.gif for photo
number 2
- 1GNDU06E7TT112250-3.jpg or 1GNDU06E7TT112250-3.gif for photo
number 3
- etc...
Photo file sizes are limited to a maximum of 200kb. If sending photo's with your export, the photo's and the CSV or TXT
file MUST be included in a single ZIP file named DealerID.zip (without
the preceding "D". For example 12345.zip or 23134.zip). Do
not send the files individually or they will be ignored. If you are
not sending photo's with your export, you may still ZIP the CSV or TXT
file or just send it by itself. It is your preference. It only has
to be zipped if you are also sending photos.
Alternate Pipe Delimited Format
The normal file format is comma separated values with a quote text
qualifier surrounding all fields. If for some reason you need to send a
Pipe | delimited format you may do so. This format is handy if some of
your vehicle data will have quotation marks in it.
The filename extension MUST be psv rather than csv or txt. For
example, 12345.psv. If the filename does not have a PSV extension, the
system will treat the file as a CVS file. The PSV file may be located
within a ZIP file with photos as with the CSV/TXT format. You should NOT
use a text qualifier such as double-quotes. Example:
VIN|StockNumber|Year|Make|Model|Option|Option|Option|Option|Option|Option|Option,
etc...
1GNDU06E7TT112250|ABC123|1996|Chevrolet|Lumina
Sport|Power steering|Power
brakes|Power windows|Power door
locks|AM/FM cassette|Cruise
control|Tilt steering wheel|Leather seats,
etc...
Caution: DeskLot users who download the automatic generated DLE file
for their configurations, make sure and change the Custom 1st Row Field
Headers in DeskLot.
Click Here To View a Sample
Export ZIP File | Click
Here To View a Sample Export Text File
FTP login parameters as well as step by step configuration notes are
available within your master account once you signup for a
WalkTheLot.com account. We do not make this information public to
non-account holders and it changes on a scheduled basis.
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