file exchange: header length limit?

[masavini]

hi,

i used to put a lot of data into the header metadata.

i.e.:

Action(SiteID=Italy|Country=IT|Currency=EUR|Version=745|CC=UTF-8|*Format=FixedPriceItem|*Description=<div>some html code</html>);*Category;GalleryType;[...]

since a few days ago i noticed that files with a long header ( > 10000 chars) were not processed anymore.

has such a header length limit been recently introduced?

thanks

[reed-sales]

Why would your description be in the action header?  Shouldn't it be it's own column with unique html code for each item listed below?

[masavini]

not in this particular case. html is the same for all of the items, the only difference is in listings titles.

[shipscript]

@masavini 

It is very possible that eBay has placed a limit on the size of header cells; and if they did, it was probably based on the largest data used by the largest number of sellers, cutting off a few like yours that go way beyond.

Boilerplate data can often be added to a listing with an external stylesheet, as long as the terms are clearly stated elsewhere in you listing.

I was looking at some of your older listings and found that the stylesheets hosted on your website are not working, so it may be time to update your descriptions anyway.  Do you have an old ended listing that still has the correct description code?

[Anonymous]

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@masavini wrote:

not in this particular case. html is the same for all of the items, the only difference is in listings titles.

---

Hello @masavini ,

I definitely believe it would be best to remove some information from your Meta Data. You can still use the method called "Smart Header" to limit the amount of work. I recommend taking Description and just create a new column and the header be called "Description=<div>some html code</html>".

I recommend keeping this simple and easier to read for you and File Exchange by keeping your action column to the following: Action(SiteID=Italy|Country=IT|Currency=EUR|Version=745|CC=UTF-8) and then have each other header be their own column.

That way if there are errors, it might be easier for you to work with. Just friendly advice!

Jacob@eBay

eBay Customer Support

[masavini]

hi jacob,

thanks for your suggestions. they did not help in this case, unfortunately...

as you suggested i moved information out of metadata and placed it in the smart header, but the result is the same: if the description smart field is short (less than 10k chars) the file is correctly uploaded and processed.

if the html description is more that 10k chars (i tried with 20k) the file won't be processed...

[Anonymous]

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@masavini wrote:

hi jacob,

thanks for your suggestions. they did not help in this case, unfortunately...

as you suggested i moved information out of metadata and placed it in the smart header, but the result is the same: if the description smart field is short (less than 10k chars) the file is correctly uploaded and processed.

if the html description is more that 10k chars (i tried with 20k) the file won't be processed...

---

Hello @masavini , 

Sorry that my suggestion didn't work. I looked at some of the files you uploaded to File Exchange on September 11th and I noticed the file type is Tab Delimited. I have had most success with File Exchange, using Comma Delimited. Try that!

Let me know.

Jacob@eBay

eBay Customer Support

[masavini]

hi @Anonymous ,

i've just tried to upload the same file using commas instead of tabs, same result...