Output Feeds

Table of Contents

• Step 1 — Channel
• Creating an Output Feed for Google Shopping
• Custom Output Feed (Custom Format)
  • XML Format
  • CSV Format
• Previewing the Generated File
  • How to Get the File URL
  • Manually Forcing an Update
  • File Verification
  • Generation History
• Output File Statuses

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An output feed (output file) is a file generated by Sembot based on the products in your project — filtered, processed through optimization rules, and formatted according to the requirements of a specific advertising channel. This is the file that Google Merchant Center, a price comparison engine, or any other advertising platform fetches.

To manage output files, go to Feed Settings in the left menu, then switch to the Output Files tab. Create a new output file by clicking Add New Output File.

The wizard consists of six steps: Channel → Mapping → Products → Settings → Actions → Save.

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Step 1 — Channel

In the first step, you select which advertising channel the file will be generated for. Sembot offers two types of channels: predefined and custom.

Predefined channels — Sembot knows the structure required by a given platform and automatically configures the file schema. Simply select the channel, and the mapping is ready with the option for manual adjustments.

Channel	Identifier	Purpose
Google Merchant Center	API-GOOGLE	Product feeds for Google Shopping and Google Ads
Facebook Business	API-FACEBOOK	Meta product catalog (Facebook, Instagram)

Custom formats — a blank template where you define the file structure yourself. Used for platforms not natively supported by Sembot: price comparison engines, ERP systems, Microsoft Advertising, and custom integrations.

Format	Identifier	When to Use
XML	Blank file	Price comparison engines (Ceneo, Skąpiec), Microsoft Advertising, custom integrations requiring XML
CSV	Blank file	ERP systems, spreadsheets, custom tabular formats

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Creating an Output Feed for Google Shopping

Select the Google Merchant Center channel (identified as API-GOOGLE). This is a predefined channel — Sembot knows the required file structure according to Google's specification and maps product attributes to it automatically. Alternatively, you can use the XML format (Blank file) if you want to manually define the schema or need a custom data structure.

Step 2 — Mapping

For Google Merchant Center, the mapping is pre-configured by Sembot in accordance with Google's specification. The view is displayed as a read-only preview. If you want to customize the mapping to your feed, use the Customize schema button — it allows you to manually edit field assignments.

Step 3 — Products

Specify which products should be included in the file:

• Select products to include in the output file — a table with all products in the project. Use filters to narrow the set (e.g., only products from a specific category, brand, or above a certain price).
• Take product visibility into account — a checkbox active when you have manually hidden selected products (by setting the visibility attribute to hidden in the products section). Checking this ensures hidden products are excluded from the output file.

Step 4 — Settings

The Settings step contains one field:

Field	Description
Name	A label visible only in Sembot — helps identify the output file in the list when a project has multiple files (e.g., Google Shopping PL — clothing)

Step 5 — Actions

An optional step — allows you to add optimization rules that apply only to this output file and do not affect other files. Example: add UTM parameters to product links only in this feed.

The flow is shown as:

Products in Sembot
        ↓
    [Actions]
        ↓
Products in this output file

If you do not want to add actions, click Next Step, then Save Output File — the file will be generated.

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Custom Output Feed (Custom Format)

If you want to generate a file in a custom format — for a price comparison engine, ERP system, custom integration, or a platform not natively supported by Sembot — select the XML or CSV channel (identified as Blank file).

XML Format

A file in XML format with a manually defined structure. Used for:

• Ceneo, Skąpiec, and other price comparison engines
• Microsoft Advertising / Bing Shopping
• Custom systems requiring XML

CSV Format

A text file with data separated by a delimiter. Used for:

• E-commerce platforms requiring CSV import
• ERP systems
• Custom spreadsheets and data analysis

Step 2 — Mapping (Custom)

For XML and CSV formats, the mapping is fully editable — you define the structure of the output file yourself. The wizard allows you to:

• Add columns / XML nodes
• Assign Sembot product attributes to them
• Define field names matching the requirements of the target platform

Steps 3, 4, 5 — Identical

Product selection, file name, and optional actions are configured the same way as for predefined channels.

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Previewing the Generated File

Sembot does not have a built-in file preview in the interface (no XML/CSV content preview). The file is generated automatically on the server — immediately after the output feed is first saved and at every subsequent processing cycle of the input file.

How to Get the File URL

After saving the output file, return to the Output Files tab in the Feed Settings section. In the table, each output file has a URL column containing the direct link to the generated file. This URL:

• Can be copied and pasted into Google Merchant Center as a data source
• Can be provided to any other platform that requires a URL to fetch the product file

The URL is permanent — it does not change with subsequent file updates. Each update overwrites the file at the same URL.

Manually Forcing an Update

If you want to generate a new file without waiting for the schedule, click the Update Output Files button (available on the Feed Settings page). Sembot will generate all active output files for the project. During generation, the following message is displayed: "Output files are being generated".

File Verification

To check the file contents, paste the URL into a browser or download the file and open it in a text editor or spreadsheet. You can also paste the URL directly into the Google Merchant Center feed verification tool (Feed Diagnostics), which will identify any errors required by Google.

Generation History

For each output file, a generation task history is available — showing the date, number of products, and status of each cycle (pending, in progress, completed, error). Access it via the context menu next to the output file row.

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Output File Statuses

Status	Meaning
Active	The file is generated in every processing cycle
Inactive	The file is not generated; the URL still exists, but the file is not updated

The activity toggle (Is Active) is available directly next to each output file in the list. Deactivating is useful when you want to temporarily pause a feed without deleting it — for example, while testing a new rule structure.

Before deleting an output file, Sembot displays a confirmation prompt: "Are you sure you want to delete the output file?" — the operation is irreversible, and the advertising channel will stop receiving product updates.