How to Upload an Order from Shopfront to ALM when the iOrder Service is Down

If you are receiving an error when trying to send an ALM order to the iOrders service, the ALM iOrders service might be down. This is quite a common occurrence after ALM has performed maintenance to their server over a weekend. This guide will show you how to email the Shopfront order to yourself, modify the CSV attachment to the required ALM format specifications and upload it directly into the ALM web portal.

If you are looking for an easier way to send orders directly from Shopfront to the ALM portal then you can select this link.

Modifying your ALM Supplier to email an order attachment

The ALM portal requires a CSV formatted file to upload orders. By following the steps below you will need to ensure the email format is set to CSV.

1. Navigate to Menu > Stock Management > Suppliers
2. Search for ALM by typing into the text box
3. Select Edit for ALM
4. Scroll down to or select the Ordering tab
5. Change the Email Format to CSV
6. Select Save

Emailing the Order to Yourself

Once you have created your order in Shopfront and selected Save & Send, follow the steps below to send a copy of the order to your chosen email address.

1. Navigate to Menu > Stock Management > Orders & Invoices
2. Change the Status to Sent and select Filter
3. Locate the order and select View
4. Select Email Order
5. Change the email address to your most accessible address
6. Select Send

Receiving the CSV and Uploading the Order to the ALM Portal

Once the order arrives in your inbox, download the attached CSV file. ALM requires the file to meet the specifications pictured in the image below. See https://www.almliquor.com.au/upload-order/ for further ALM instructions.

You will need to open the CSV file in excel or a program that allows you to modify CSV files. The table below will show you how the columns should be named or if the column needs to be deleted in order to be accepted by ALM. Below the table, you will also find a GIF that demonstrates an example of an order being edited to the ALM specifications.

Uploading the order to the ALM portal

Once you have edited and saved the CSV, you will need to log into your ALM portal and upload it, the steps to import the order at the time of publishing this article are listed below.

1. Log in to your ALM portal
2. Select Order
3. Select Upload Order
4. Drag the CSV file or Select Browse to find the CSV file

Note: If you don't have Microsoft Excel and cannot view or open the file, please refer to the google guide on how to open a .csv in docs.