Generate and verify PDF catalogs

Generation is an explicit administration task. Saving catalog settings does not regenerate existing PDFs automatically.

Start a run

1. Save the PDF catalog settings.
2. Open Products → PDF catalog.
3. Confirm no generation warning is active.
4. Click Regenerate catalogs.
5. Keep the page open while each catalog is prepared and rendered.
6. Wait for Catalog generation completed.
7. Reload the screen and review Generated catalogs.

The table identifies the catalog, source, feed template, generation date, filename, size, and download action.

What a run includes

Every valid manual catalog is generated. When automatic category catalogs are enabled, one output is also generated for every product category. Product rendering is split into bounded chunks before the PDFs are assembled, which reduces the work performed in any single browser-driven step.

If no valid feed template or catalog definition exists, generation stops with a configuration message.

Download an ephemeral catalog

An ephemeral catalog is a one-off PDF containing products you choose for a particular recipient or purpose. Users who can edit products can create it from Products → PDF catalog.

Before starting, select and save a valid Feed template in the automatic category catalog settings. The same template, covers, font, columns, spacing, header, and footer are used for the download. You do not need a separate catalog definition or additional layout settings, and automatic category generation does not need to be enabled.

1. Click Generate ephemeral catalog, next to Regenerate catalogs.
2. In the dialog, use Search products by name, SKU or ID. Enter at least two characters, or a numeric product ID.
3. Click Add beside each product. Selected products appear below the results and cannot be added twice.
4. Drag the selected products into order, or use Move up and Move down. Use Remove to exclude a product.
5. Click Generate and download and keep the page open until the download starts.
6. Open the downloaded PDF and confirm its product selection, order, and presentation.

Only published products are available; individual variations are not separate entries. A download supports 1–200 products. Search displays up to 20 matches at a time; refine the search if the product you need is not shown.

The PDF follows your chosen order without grouping products into categories or adding category introduction pages or a table of contents. It is downloaded to your computer and does not appear under Generated catalogs. The selection lasts only while the administration page remains open. Closing and reopening the dialog preserves it; reloading the page clears it.

If generation fails, the dialog keeps your selection so you can correct it and retry. If a selected product has been unpublished or deleted, remove it and search again. A missing-template message means the automatic category catalog feed template needs to be selected and saved. For a rendering error, check that template and its media, or retry with fewer products.

Review before distribution

For every file:

• open the first, middle, and last pages;
• test table-of-contents links;
• confirm covers and back covers;
• check category hierarchy and product counts;
• inspect images, prices, stock, attributes, and links;
• search the PDF for a known product;
• compare the generated timestamp and filename with the intended run.

The download action is an authenticated administration download. Publishing or linking the PDF to customers is a separate editorial decision.

Failed or interrupted runs

Do not distribute partial working files. Reload the page, check whether another generation remains in progress, correct the reported product/template/file problem, and start a complete regeneration. Existing distributed PDFs are not invalidated automatically when products or settings change.