Getting Started

Using Awesom!

If you are reading this, you have probably already installed Awesom!
In the Awesom! submenu you will find five items:

Manage Lists
Manage Items
Manage User Comments
Configure amazOOP
About Awesom!

From the bottom, up, this is what each item is for:

• About Awesom!: This item will take you to a page similar to this one.
• Configure amazOOP: amazOOP is the software that allows Awesom! to obtain information from Amazon's Web Services. You may need, or might want, to change some of the parameters in this page, but normally the default configuration should allow you to start testing Awesom!
• Manage User Comments: Awesom! allows users to leave comments on items from your customized lists. You will be able to review and delete comments here, if you consider it necessary.
• Manage Items: Here you will be able to add, delete and modify items from all of your lists.
• Manage Lists: Here you will be able to add, delete and modify all your lists.

Creating a list

Although usign Awesom! is very simple, you may need a few pointers on where to start...

First, you should go to the Manage Lists page.
Clicking on the New button, will present a form with the following fields:

• Name: You must specify a, preferably unique, name for each of your lists. This name will appear in th front-end and will allow visitors to view the list's contents.
• Locale: The locale represents the Amazon site you want to obtain information from. Currently, you can only choose between Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and Amazon.co.jp.
• Category: Categories are different for each locale, and can be configured in the amazOOP Configuration page. If you choose to tie a list to a category, Awesom! will fetch the list contents directly from the Browse Node that the category represents (read more about Browse Nodes below).
• Keywords: Additionally, you can choose to tie a list to Keyowrds also. In this case you must specify a category in which to perform the keyword search. The keyword search is not performed on the Browse Node the category represents, but on its mode (read more about modes below).
• Creator: This field is automatically completed by Awesom! with the user name of the person creating the list.
• Position: You can decide in what order your lists will appear in the front-end. By default, "last" is selected, but you can choose to place your list in any position.
• Description: This description will appear in the front-end to tell your visitors what each list contains.
• Published: Determines whether the list should appear in the front-end.

Adding items to a list

If you tied your list to an amazOOP Category, and eventually to keywords, your list has already been automatically populated with products from Amazon. These items will be sorted starting with the bestsellers and will display Amazon ratings.
You will not be able to comment or rate these items, and neither will other users, unless the exact same item exists in one of your custom lists.

In order to add items to a custom list, you can either click the (Items) link next to the name of the list, or go to the Manage Items page.
Clicking on the New button, will present a form with the following fields:

• Title: You cannot set this field. The item's title will be automatically obtained from Amazon when you set the ASIN.
• ASIN: Every unique product in Amazon's catalog has an "ASIN", which is short for "Amazon Standard Item Number". (For books, their ASIN is the same as their "International Standard Book Number", or "ISBN"). You can find a product's ASIN in one of two ways:
  1. It should be listed in the fine print on a product's detail page.
  2. Alternatively, you can look in the URL of that same detail page. In most cases, the format of the URL should start like this: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/nnnnnnnnnn/. The ASIN number is the 10-digit string that appears directly after "ASIN".
     As an example, the following product’s ASIN would be B00005JKZY: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JKZY
  Once you write the ASIN, you should click the "Update" button. The page should update automatically when you leave the field, even if you don't press the "Update" button. When you click the "Update" button, the ASIN will be verified and the item's title will be displayed.
  If the ASIN is not valid, or if any other error occurred, you will see an error message. If you are sure that the ASIN you entered is valid, check that it corrensponds to the locale from the field below.
• Editor: This field is automatically completed by Awesom! with the user name of the person entering the item.
• Locale: The locale represents the Amazon site you want to obtain information from. Currently, you can only choose between Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and Amazon.co.jp.
  ASINs vary between different locales, and you can only add items to lists defined in the same locale, therefore you should click the "Update" button if you modify the locale to reverify the ASIN if you already entered it, and to display a list of lists created for the selected locale.
• Rating: You can (should) rate the items you list in a scale of 0 to 5 starts.
• Description: This description will appear in the front-end to tell your visitors what you think about the item.
• Enable Ratings: if you set this to "yes", registered users of your site will be able to rate and comment this item.
• Published: Determines whether the item should appear in the front-end.

You're done!

These simple steps, should have allowed you to create new lists and tie them to amazOOP categories and/or keywords, or to personalize them with your own selection of items.
The paragraphs below will explain a little more about terms such as browse nodes, modes and amazOOP Categories which have been used in this document.

More about Browse Nodes

Coming soon.

More about Modes

Coming soon.

More about amazOOP Categories

Coming soon.