Product Galleries per Partner and a More Complete Personal Index File: Icecat Release Notes 259 

Release 259 is about making the data partners receive fit their own world. The Personal Index File now speaks the partner’s language: their own product codes, brand names and GTINs, with a row for every catalog item. Product XML delivers each locale and partner their own gallery, and brands can automate image imports using an API token. Alongside this come new EU document names, easier search on icecat.biz, and a round of behind-the-scenes improvements. 

For additional details, please refer to the previous Icecat Release Notes.

Product Gallery

This release includes two Product Gallery updates. First, Product XML now delivers a separate gallery for each locale: the gallery can be a Channel Partner’s own gallery, and each locale has its own image order and main image. Brands can therefore present the image set they intend for each market and each partner. Second, the Icecat Gallery API now accepts the API token, so brands can automate image imports.

Market-Specific Product Galleries in Product XML

Product XML now delivers product galleries per locale in a new way. For each locale, the file contains the gallery that applies to the account, the image order set for that locale, and its own main image. Brands can therefore present a different image set in each market and to each Channel Partner.

How the gallery is selected

A product can have more than one gallery:

• Icecat gallery. The brand’s standard images, which all partners receive.
• Channel Partner gallery. Images the brand has published for one specific Channel Partner, such as lifestyle shots, a different first image, or images in that partner’s own format.

Every account has a taxonomy priority list, set by the Icecat Account Manager. It defines which galleries the account receives and in what order of priority, and the Icecat gallery is one of the entries. For each locale, Icecat goes through the list in priority order and uses the first gallery that has at least one valid image for that locale. An image counts as valid when it is not deactivated, has not expired, and is not a private image the account is not entitled to see.

The selected gallery is delivered complete, and only that gallery is delivered: images from the Icecat gallery and a Channel Partner gallery are never combined. When a gallery has no images of its own for a locale, that locale receives the gallery’s images for its backup language. Otherwise, the images follow the order set for that locale, or the global order if the locale has none.

Descriptions, bullet points and product stories already follow the taxonomy priority list and are marked with TaxonomyName. Galleries now follow the same model.

Image numbering and main image

In every gallery, No now runs 1, 2, 3 and so on, without gaps or duplicates. Feature logos keep No=”999″ and stay outside this numbering.

The main image is the first image the account receives, and it is marked IsMain. For an account entitled to private content, a private image can now be the main image. It keeps its IsRich marker.

Local Product XML

Local Product XML keeps its current format. <ProductGallery> holds the gallery selected for the language of the file, and the only new element is one attribute:

• When a Channel Partner gallery is selected, <ProductGallery> has a TaxonomyName attribute, written once for the whole gallery. This follows the same pattern as <ProductDescription>.
• When the Icecat gallery is selected, TaxonomyName is not written at all.

Nothing else in the structure changes, and the file remains backward compatible. HighPic, LowPic and Pic500x500 on the <Product> element refer to the same image as the main image of the gallery.

International Product XML

The international Product XML file combines several locales in one file. Galleries can now differ between locales, so the file has a new <LocaleGalleries> element next to the existing <ProductGallery>.

• <ProductGallery> is unchanged. It always holds the Icecat gallery, with its feature logos and without TaxonomyName. Its main image follows the previous rule: the international image with the lowest order number, excluding private images. As a result, IsMain in this element is not necessarily on the image with No=”1″. The image on the <Product> element also stays the same as before.
• <LocaleGalleries> holds one <LocaleGallery> block for each distinct gallery. Each block lists the locales it serves by numeric langid. It carries TaxonomyName when a Channel Partner gallery was selected for those locales, and no TaxonomyName when the Icecat gallery was selected. Locales that receive identical galleries share one block.
• Every locale the account is entitled to appears in exactly one block.
• Images inside a block use a new element, <GalleryPicture>. It has the same attributes as <ProductPicture>, but a different name, so an integration that searches the whole file for <ProductPicture> does not get duplicates.
• Blocks do not contain feature logos. Feature logos stay in <ProductGallery> and <FeatureLogo>, as before.
• The order is fixed. Blocks are sorted by the lowest langid they serve. The locales inside each block are listed in ascending langid order.

To get the gallery for a locale, find the block that lists its langid; there is exactly one. All images in that block form the gallery for that locale. No gives the display position of each image, and the main image is marked IsMain.

<ProductGallery>
  <ProductPicture No="1" IsMain="Y" ... />
  <ProductPicture No="999" Type="FeatureLogo" ... />
</ProductGallery>
<LocaleGalleries>
  <LocaleGallery>
    <Locales><Locale langid="1"/><Locale langid="2"/></Locales>
    <GalleryPicture No="1" IsMain="Y" ... />
    <GalleryPicture No="2" ... />
  </LocaleGallery>
  <LocaleGallery TaxonomyName="...">
    <Locales><Locale langid="4"/></Locales>
    <GalleryPicture No="1" IsMain="Y" ... />
  </LocaleGallery>
</LocaleGalleries>

Compatibility

The XML structure is backward compatible. No element or attribute has been renamed, removed or changed in type, and <ProductGallery> still holds <ProductPicture> elements. The DTD and XSD referenced by the file have been updated to include <LocaleGalleries> and the TaxonomyName attribute on the gallery. Files that validate today still validate.

The gallery content can change for existing integrations in these cases:

• the account’s taxonomy priority list places a Channel Partner gallery above the Icecat gallery
• No values are renumbered from 1 without gaps
• in local Product XML, the main image is the first image of the gallery
• for accounts entitled to private content, a private image can be the main image and appear on the <Product> element

This change applies to Product XML only. JSON, Live HTML, CSV and icecat.biz still deliver galleries using the previous logic and will be updated in upcoming releases.

API Token Authentication for the Icecat Gallery API

The Icecat Gallery API now accepts the API token as a credential.

How it works

• Token. The token is the same API token brands already use for the Brand API. Brands create and revoke it on icecat.biz, in the My profile section. No new type of token is issued.
• Header. The token is sent in the Api-Token header on every request.
• Existing integrations. Integrations that send a session key in the Access-Key header continue to work without changes. If a request contains both headers, the session key is used and the token is ignored. When moving an integration to the token, stop sending the session key.
• Refused requests. A request with no credential is refused with 401 Missing credentials. A request with an unknown, revoked or otherwise unaccepted token is refused with 401 Invalid API token. For security reasons, the response does not say why the token was rejected.
• Permissions. A token identifies the account but does not grant additional rights. The account’s own permissions and the limits that apply to brand accounts stay in effect.

Authentication for the Icecat Push-API (API-IN) are unchanged.

Full details, including all endpoints and error responses, are in the Manual for Brand Partners: Icecat Gallery API.

Your Product Code, Brand Name and GTIN in the Personal Index File

The Personal Index File now includes the product code, brand name and GTIN from the partner’s own feed. Each product in the partner’s catalog can now be linked directly to the Icecat product it was matched to. This covers every matched catalog item, including items previously left out of the file.

New columns with the partner’s own identifiers

Partners set up Product Matching on icecat.biz, on the My Downloads page. There they map the columns in their feed that hold their product code, brand name and GTIN. Icecat uses these values to find the matching product. Until now, the Personal Index File described each product only by Icecat’s identifiers. The values the partner supplied were not included.

Three new columns now carry the partner’s values:

• Your product code
• Your brand name
• Your GTIN

A column appears only if the partner mapped that identifier when setting up Product Matching. Identifiers that were not mapped produce no column, not even an empty one.

Values are written as the partner supplied them. Accents, non-Latin alphabets and special characters are kept. The length limits used internally for matching do not apply. Only three things are removed:

• leading and trailing whitespace
• damaged characters caused by incorrect file encoding
• anything beyond 255 characters, which guards against a wrongly mapped column, such as a product description mapped as the brand

The partner’s own spelling of the brand

Previously, when a product was matched by product code and brand name, the brand name from the partner’s feed was replaced with Icecat’s version. For example, “HP Inc.” became “HP” and no longer matched the partner’s catalog. Your brand name now always shows the brand as written in the partner’s feed. Icecat’s brand name is still available in supplier_name.

One row per matched catalog item

Distributors and resellers often list the same product under several product codes of their own. Previously, the Personal Index File contained one row per Icecat product and kept only the first of these catalog items. The others were dropped, and nothing in the file showed that they were missing.

Each matched catalog item now has its own row. The Icecat information and datasheet links repeat on each of these rows, and each row carries that item’s own product code, brand name and GTIN.

Products that are excluded from the file for other reasons are still excluded, along with every catalog item matched to them. For example, this applies to products that have not been editorially processed, or that belong to non-sponsor brands when the account does not have Full Icecat access.

Compatibility

• Existing columns are unchanged. The new columns are added after all current columns. Every existing column keeps its name, meaning and position. prod_id, supplier_name and ean_upc still contain Icecat’s product code, brand name and GTINs.
• The columns appear after the next Product Matching run. If a partner’s latest run took place before this release, the new columns appear only after matching runs again. For partners with regular updates switched on, this happens automatically.

Nothing changes about who can receive a Personal Index File or which products an account can see in it. The Product Matching setup on icecat.biz is also unchanged: partners map the same identifiers, under the same rules about which ones are required.

EU Guarantee Label: Nested Version, EU Data Act and Search

Release 258 added “EU GARAN Label” to the predefined short descriptions for other digital assets in Multimedia objects. This release continues that work. Two more documents brands now send have their own predefined names, and products that carry the EU GARAN Label can be found through search in Icecat Brand Cloud.

Two New Predefined Short Descriptions

Two values have been added to the Short description list for other digital assets:

• EU GARAN Label (nested): the nested version of the EU harmonised guarantee label
• EU Data Act: documentation that brands provide under the EU Data Act

Until now, both documents could only be stored with a short, manually typed description, so the same document could reach customers under different names. Each document now has one agreed name, whoever adds it.

The EU GARAN Label and the EU GARAN Label (nested) are two separate documents. A product can carry both, and each keeps its own short description, so retailers can tell them apart by name alone.

The documents are added the same way as any other digital asset: in the same dialog, with the same file handling. You can add both for a specific locale or as an International version. Anyone who can add a multimedia object today can select the new values, and permissions are unchanged.

Once saved, both documents are delivered under these exact names in XML, JSON, CSV/PCF, Live HTML, icecat.biz, the export tool report and the multimedia downloader archive. The names are not translated or changed per locale.

Finding Products with the EU GARAN Label

The EU rules on harmonised guarantee labels apply from 27 September 2026. The Assets filter on the search page in Icecat Brand Cloud now includes “EU GARAN Label”, under “Other digital assets”. Users can see which products already carry the label and which still need it.

The new value works like the other values in the group:

• It can be found by typing part of its name.
• It can be combined with other filter values.
• It can be narrowed to one or more locales, including International.

The filter also finds labels uploaded before this release, so no one needs to re-open or re-save existing objects.

“EU GARAN Label (nested)” and “EU Data Act” will be added to the Assets filter in the next release.

Icecat.biz Improvements: More Reliable Search & Clearer Feedback for Users

This release includes three updates to icecat.biz. Product search now finds products when the product code is typed imprecisely, and applied filters stay in place when you run a new search. Catalog import now explains in plain language why a product feed file failed to load. 

Search That Keeps Up With How Users Actually Search

Search results now stay reliable even when a manufacturer part number is typed imprecisely – shortened, missing a separator, or with extra characters. Users searching for a product they know exists will keep finding it, without needing to type the exact, full code.

Applied search filters are now preserved when a user runs a new search. Filters remain in effect throughout the session, allowing users to narrow down results step by step without having to reapply their filters each time.

Together, these changes make search a dependable tool for finding the right product quickly, whether a query is typed or how many filters are already in place.

Clearer Guidance During Catalog Import

When a product feed file fails to load during catalog import, users now see a clear, plain-language explanation of what happened instead of a technical error code.

This helps users understand what went wrong and what to do next, without needing to interpret system-level error messages or contact support for clarification.

Other Developments in Release 259: Behind-the-Scenes Improvements

Release 259 also includes mostly invisible, behind-the-scenes work. It speeds product data delivery, completes the move to the new Product Gallery, strengthens platform stability, and resolves several issues.

Faster Product Data Delivery

Product XML responds faster when several requests need the same product data at the same moment. About half of the delay that remained after the August improvement is gone.

Completing the Move to the New Product Gallery

• Variant images are no longer delivered. Images attached to individual product variants are no longer maintained. They have been removed from Product XML and live content, and you can no longer add new ones. The product’s own gallery is not affected. Variant galleries and gallery options that no longer apply have also been removed from the API documentation.
• Duplicate image detection covers the whole catalog. Around 22 million images moved from the previous gallery now have the fingerprint used for duplicate detection. Editors are warned when they add an image that a gallery already contains, regardless of when that image was uploaded.
• Monitoring of the new Product Gallery. The Product Gallery is monitored continuously, and small issues are fixed as they appear.

Reports and Statistics

• Brand Statistics no longer shows brands deleted from Icecat. They are removed automatically.
• Personal Catalog File statistics now count actual downloads rather than file generation, so regular automatic updates no longer count as user activity.

icecat.biz

• Better search engine visibility. Fixed errors that prevented pages from being indexed by Google.
• “Report mistake” reports go straight to editors. Product data errors reported through the “Report mistake” form on icecat.biz are now created directly as tickets in Icecat Brand Cloud, where the editorial team handles them.

Security and Platform Stability

• Firewall and VPN. New firewalls have been prepared and put into service with a compatible VPN solution. A semi-annual review of firewall rules, backed by a maintained rule registry, is now in place.
• Infrastructure. Database connections are now spread across all nodes of the database cluster, so a single node no longer limits capacity and a failing node no longer blocks services. Internal name resolution has been stabilised, storage has been extended where needed, and core infrastructure components have been updated.
• Development and delivery tooling. Automated checks for new services run two to three times faster with the same scope. Security scans no longer depend on an external service. Fixes now reach release branches automatically in all repositories. Request tracing lets you see exactly where time is spent in a slow request.

Resolved Issues

• An issue that could cause the product API to occasionally report an existing product as not found has been resolved.
• Resolved an issue that could delay current product updates in search while a large background update, such as re-indexing all products of a brand, was running.
• An issue that could cause Meta XML to show a product quality different from the rest of Icecat has been resolved. This includes products whose images are stored in the new Product Gallery.
• An issue that could cause products with images to appear without images in search in Icecat Brand Cloud has been resolved.
• An issue that prevented the product history in Icecat Brand Cloud from showing the original link of an added image has been resolved.
• An issue that could cause request limits on icecat.biz to block visitors who had not exceeded them has been resolved.
• An issue that caused Coverage to send file reports more than once has been resolved.
• An issue with the length of product descriptions on icecat.biz that affected search engine indexing has been resolved.

Summary

Release 259 brings Icecat content closer to the way partners actually work, with their own identifiers in the Personal Index File, a gallery for every locale in Product XML, and image automation that no longer conflicts with account security. Together with new EU document names, friendlier search and clearer import messages on icecat.biz, and steady work on platform reliability, these changes help partners connect Icecat content to their catalogs faster and help brands show the right images in every market. Want to know how partner-specific galleries or the updated Personal Index File affect an integration? Contact the Icecat team for more information.