Sometimes you want to send a new product already, but not make it visible in the shop yet. There are a few common ways to handle this, which we will sum up for you below:
1. Schedule publication in the source system
The simplest solution is to set a publication date in the PIM, CMS, or source system, for example online_from or publish_at.
The feed will then only include products whose date has been reached.
Benefit: Tweakwise does not need to hide or filter anything. The product only enters the feed when it is actually allowed to go live.
2. Import the product earlier, but hide it temporarily
You can also import the product into Tweakwise earlier and keep it hidden with an attribute such as visible = false.
When the product may go live, you change this to true. The frontend or export must respect this attribute.
Benefit: The product is already available in Tweakwise.
Note: This works best when the time between import and go-live is not too long.
3. Use a date attribute
Another option is to use a date field, such as online_from.
The frontend or export can then only show products whose date falls within the correct range.
Benefit: Useful when products are imported early but should only become visible later.
Drawback: This is a bit more complex to set up and maintain.
4. Update the status through the API
If you want more control over the exact publication moment, the Backend API is often a better option than waiting for a new feed import.
You can first import the product as hidden and then update its status through the API around the right moment.
Benefit: More control over the exact go-live timing.
Advice
In most cases, this is the preferred order:
Schedule publication in the source system
Use a visibility attribute
Use a date attribute
Use the API when timing is important