reviseItem API - do you need to submit a full item or updates only?

[remotesandpowersupplies]

I am experimenting with the reviseItem API.

I am not clear on whether to submit an item containing updated elements only, or a complete item with all elements populated.

If I try performing a reviseItem call on an item with only the elements that I want to update, (ItemSpecifics get some error about delivery fields not being included in my call.

if I try it, having previously retrieved all the existing elements in a GetItem call and simply updated the ones I want to change, then used that as my reviseItem item, I get an error about ItemLookupArray being empty.

[shipscript · Accepted solution]

If your items were created using the Inventory API, then the ReviseItem call of the Trading API will not work.

https://developer.ebay.com/Devzone/XML/docs/Reference/eBay/ReviseItem.html 

In my experience with File Exchange and Seller Hub (offshoots of the Trading API), a revision should allow partials, but some elements are treated as a group or have dependencies. For instance, when updating ItemSpecifics, the entire group must be in the revision. Ditto with photos or with shipping.

You may be receiving errors associated with other unmet mandates. To avoid getting caught up in other issues, I would recommend creating a single listing through the web interface to ensure that all mandates are met, and then provide only the fields (or group of fields) that you want to change in that one listing.

[remotesandpowersupplies]

Thanks - it works pretty much the way you describe.  I've got it working with complete ItemSpecifics revisions.  (And occasionally revising title or category ids if my database has a more appropriate one)  Good heads-up on the images - I'll have to revise them en-masse when I get to that.

One question arising from revisions - can you retrieve a last revision date for an item using the traditional APIs?  I can see a boolean ReviseStatus in various calls and can specify ModDate as an input.  But struggle to get a modified date back out.  With 100,000+ listings modified both via the API and externally, retrieving a record of when an item was last modified would be useful.  On the public site, items show their revision history.   

[chiefrob]

I would like to ask if there is an API on eBay that will archive items from the sold section. Currently, I have to manually archive them every day I ship. Please point me in the correct direction for archiving sold items.