Dropshipping Monitor

Overview

The Dropshipping Monitor provides real-time visibility into all dropshipping background operations. This monitoring system tracks product synchronization, order publishing, and status update tasks, allowing you to identify and resolve issues quickly. The interface automatically refreshes every 30 seconds to provide live updates on job progress and failures.

Purpose

• Job Tracking: Monitor all dropshipping automation tasks in real-time
• Performance Metrics: View success rates and processing statistics
• Error Detection: Quickly identify and diagnose failed operations
• Retry Mechanism: Restart failed jobs without manual intervention
• Audit Trail: Maintain complete history of all dropshipping operations
• Troubleshooting: Access detailed error information for debugging
• Quality Assurance: Ensure automation is working as expected

Accessing Dropshipping Monitor

Navigate to: Dropshipping > Dropshipping Monitor from the sidebar

Note: The navigation menu shows a red badge with the count of failed jobs (if any), providing immediate visibility into issues requiring attention.

List View

The monitor displays all dropshipping jobs with automatic refresh every 30 seconds, ensuring you always see the latest status without manually reloading the page.

The top section displays key metrics and statistics about your dropshipping operations.

Stats Widgets

Four key metrics provide an instant overview of dropshipping operations:

Total Jobs (Today)

• Shows: Count of all jobs initiated today
• Includes: All statuses (queued, processing, succeeded, failed)
• Purpose: Track daily activity volume
• Usage: Monitor overall automation load

Succeeded (24 Hours)

• Shows: Successfully completed jobs in the last 24 hours
• Color: Green (success indicator)
• Purpose: Verify automation is working correctly
• Target: Should be the majority of total jobs
• Best Practice: Monitor trends for performance degradation

Failed (24 Hours)

• Shows: Failed jobs in the last 24 hours
• Color: Red (alert indicator)
• Purpose: Identify automation issues
• Action Required: Investigate when count is non-zero
• Alert: This number appears as a badge on the navigation menu

Processing

• Shows: Currently running jobs
• Color: Blue (active indicator)
• Purpose: Monitor real-time activity
• Expected: Typically 0-5 for most stores
• Warning: High numbers may indicate a backlog

Auto-Refresh Feature

• Interval: Automatically reloads data every 30 seconds
• Behavior: Updates stats and table without page refresh
• Benefit: Real-time monitoring without manual refresh
• Note: Does not interrupt your viewing or scrolling

Table Columns

Action

• Shows: What the job is doing
• Values:
• Publish Order: Forwarding a customer order to the supplier
• Update Orders: Syncing order status from the supplier
• Update Products: Syncing product data from the supplier
• Searchable: Yes
• Sortable: Yes
• Filter Available: Yes

Order

• Shows: Order number (e.g., "#12345")
• Appears: Only for "Publish Order" jobs
• Clickable: Links to the order details page
• Purpose: Identify which order the job relates to
• Filter Available: Yes

Supplier

• Shows: Plugin name (e.g., "Gate4cards - Primary")
• Purpose: Identify which dropshipping plugin is running the job
• Clickable: Links to the plugin configuration
• Searchable: Yes
• Filter Available: Yes

Status

• Shows: Current state of the job with color-coded badge
• Values:
• Queued (Gray): Job is waiting to start
• Processing (Blue): Job is currently running
• Succeeded (Green): Job completed successfully
• Failed (Red): Job encountered an error
• Filter Available: Yes
• Updates Automatically: Changes as the job progresses

Attempts

• Shows: How many times this job has been tried
• Typical: 1 for succeeded jobs
• Warning: Multiple attempts indicate recurring issues
• Usage: Helps identify persistent problems

Started At

• Shows: When the job began (e.g., "5 minutes ago")
• Hover: Shows exact date and time
• Sortable: Yes (default: newest first)
• Searchable: Yes
• Filter: Date range filter available

Completed At

• Shows: When the job finished (for completed jobs only)
• Appears: Only for succeeded or failed jobs
• Visibility: Hidden by default (can be shown via column toggle)

Duration

• Shows: How long the job took to run
• Format: "3s", "2m 15s", "30s"
• Shows: "—" for queued jobs that haven't started yet
• Purpose: Monitor job performance

Items Processed

• Shows: Number of items handled by the job
• Appears: Only for batch jobs (Update Orders, Update Products)
• Example: "150" means 150 products were processed
• Hidden: For single-item jobs like Publish Order

Items Failed

• Shows: Number of items that had errors during processing
• Appears: Only for batch jobs with some failures
• Color: Red text if non-zero
• Purpose: Identify partial failures
• Example: "5" means 5 items failed out of 150 total

Queued At

• Shows: When the job was added to the queue
• Visibility: Hidden by default (can be shown via column toggle)
• Purpose: Track how long jobs wait before starting

Row Actions

View Details

• Function: Opens detailed job information in a modal window
• Available: For all jobs
• Purpose: See comprehensive job diagnostics

Job Information Section

Shows core job details:

• Job UUID: Unique identifier for tracking
• Action: Job type with description
• Status: Current state with color badge
• Attempt: How many times the job has been tried
• Duration: How long it took to run
• Items Processed: Count for batch jobs
• Items Failed: Error count for batch jobs

Related Data Section

Shows associated records:

• Order: Link to the related order (for Publish Order jobs)
• Plugin: Link to the dropshipping plugin configuration
• Plugin Name: Descriptive name of the plugin
• Plugin Type: Supplier type (Gate4cards, Trinavo, etc.)

Timeline Section

Tracks the job's lifecycle:

• Queued At: When the job was added to the queue
• Started At: When execution began
• Completed At: When the job finished
• Created At: When the record was created
• Updated At: Last modification time

Summary Section

For batch jobs, shows operation results:

• Format: Structured summary data
• Contains: Statistics from the job execution
• Examples:
• Number of products updated
• Number of orders synchronized
• New items created
• Items skipped

Error Details Section

Appears only for failed jobs:

• Error Message: Brief description of what went wrong
• Error Details: Technical information about the error
• Contains:
• Specific error that occurred
• API response (if it was an API error)
• Status code (if applicable)
• Location in the system where the error occurred
• Usage: Share with support staff if you need help

Retry

• Function: Re-run a failed job
• Available: Only for failed jobs
• Color: Blue
• Process:
• Creates a new attempt at running the job
• Uses the same settings as the original
• Starts immediately
• Result: New job appears in the monitor
• Note: The original failed record remains for tracking

Search Functionality

Use the search box to find jobs by:

• Action type (publish, update, etc.)
• Order number
• Plugin name
• Job UUID
• Status

Filters

Action Type Filter

Filter by specific job types:

• Publish Order: Only order publishing jobs
• Update Orders: Only order sync jobs
• Update Products: Only product sync jobs
• Clear: Show all actions

Status Filter

Filter by job status:

• Queued: Jobs waiting to run
• Processing: Currently running jobs
• Succeeded: Completed successfully
• Failed: Encountered errors
• Clear: Show all statuses

Supplier Filter

• Shows all configured dropshipping plugins
• Purpose: Isolate issues to a specific supplier
• Usage: Compare performance across suppliers

Order ID Filter

• Input: Enter an order ID number
• Purpose: Find all jobs related to a specific order
• Usage: Troubleshoot individual order issues

Date Range Filter

• From Date: Start of date range
• To Date: End of date range
• Purpose: Analyze historical data
• Usage: Performance reporting, auditing

Bulk Actions

Select multiple jobs using checkboxes, then choose from:

Delete

• Function: Remove job records from the monitor
• Warning: Permanent deletion - cannot be undone
• Confirmation: Shows confirmation dialog before deleting
• Use Case: Clean up old successful jobs
• Recommendation: Only delete succeeded jobs
• Note: Does not affect actual orders or products

Export

• Function: Export job data to Excel/CSV
• Exported Data:
• All visible columns
• Error details for failed jobs
• Complete timestamps
• Summary data
• Use Case: Reporting, analysis, auditing
• Format: Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx)

Understanding Job Types

Publish Order

When It Runs:

• Manual: When you click "Publish All Orders" in Dropshipping Plugins
• Automatic: When a new order is placed (if the plugin has "Auto Publish Order" enabled)

What It Does: Forwards customer orders to your supplier for fulfillment

How It Works:

1. Collects the order details
2. Formats the data for the supplier
3. Sends to the supplier's system
4. Receives confirmation
5. Updates the order status

Success Means:

• Supplier accepted the order
• Supplier provided an order reference ID
• No errors occurred

Common Reasons for Failure:

• Invalid API credentials
• Product is out of stock at the supplier
• Order data is incomplete
• Network connection problems

Typical Duration: 2-5 seconds

Update Orders

When It Runs:

• Manual: When you click "Fetch All Orders" in Dropshipping Plugins
• Automatic: Scheduled regularly (if the plugin has "Auto Update Order Status" enabled)

What It Does: Syncs order fulfillment status from your supplier

How It Works:

1. Requests order updates from the supplier
2. Matches supplier orders with your local orders
3. Updates shipping status
4. Updates tracking numbers
5. Updates delivery dates

Success Means:

• Connected to supplier successfully
• Retrieved all order updates
• Updated your system

Common Reasons for Failure:

• API rate limit exceeded (too many requests)
• Invalid API token
• Network timeout
• Data format issues

Typical Duration: 30 seconds to 5 minutes (depends on number of orders)

Items Processed: Number of orders checked

Items Failed: Orders that couldn't be updated

Update Products

When It Runs:

• Manual: When you click "Fetch All Products" in Dropshipping Plugins
• Automatic: Scheduled regularly (if the plugin has "Auto Update Product Data" enabled)

What It Does: Syncs product catalog from your supplier

How It Works:

1. Downloads supplier's product catalog
2. Compares with your current products
3. Updates prices
4. Updates availability (in stock / out of stock)
5. Updates descriptions and images
6. Creates new products (if that feature is enabled)

Success Means:

• Complete catalog downloaded
• All products updated correctly
• No data issues

Common Reasons for Failure:

• Large catalog takes too long (timeout)
• System runs out of memory
• Invalid product data from supplier
• Image downloads fail

Typical Duration: 2-30 minutes (depends on catalog size)

Items Processed: Number of products synchronized

Items Failed: Products that couldn't be updated

Troubleshooting Failed Jobs

Step 1: Identify the Failure

1. Check the Failed (24 Hours) widget
2. Filter the table to show only Failed status
3. Note which Action type is failing
4. Check if failures are isolated to one Supplier

Step 2: View Error Details

1. Click View Details on the failed job
2. Review the Error Message section
3. Examine the Error Details for more information
4. Note the Attempt count

Step 3: Common Issues and Solutions

"Authentication Failed" / "Invalid Token"

Cause: API credentials are incorrect or have expired

Solution:

1. Go to Dropshipping > Dropshipping Plugins
2. Click Edit on the affected plugin
3. Verify the Token and Token 2 fields are correct
4. Check with your supplier if the tokens are still valid
5. Update the tokens if needed
6. Return here and click Retry on the failed job

"Connection Timeout" / "Network Error"

Cause: Your system cannot reach the supplier's system

Solution:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Verify the Endpoint URL in the plugin settings is correct
3. Wait a few minutes and try again (supplier system may be temporarily down)
4. Check if the supplier has announced any outages
5. Contact your hosting provider if the issue persists
6. Contact the supplier's support team

"Rate Limit Exceeded"

Cause: Too many requests sent to the supplier in a short time

Solution:

1. Wait 10-15 minutes before retrying
2. Reduce how often syncs run in the plugin settings
3. Contact your supplier to request a higher rate limit
4. Space out manual sync operations

"Product Not Found" / "Order Not Found"

Cause: The referenced item doesn't exist anymore

Solution:

1. Verify the order or product exists in your system
2. Check if the item was deleted
3. Verify the supplier still carries this item
4. May require manual intervention
5. Safe to ignore if the item is obsolete

"Validation Error" / "Invalid Data"

Cause: Data format doesn't meet the supplier's requirements

Solution:

1. Review the error details to see which field has the issue
2. Check the order or product data in your system
3. Verify all required fields are filled in
4. Contact the supplier for requirements
5. Contact support if you need help

"Memory Limit Exceeded" / "Execution Timeout"

Cause: Processing too much data at once

Solution:

1. Contact your hosting provider to increase resource limits
2. Process large catalogs in smaller batches
3. Schedule large syncs during off-peak hours (late night/early morning)
4. Upgrade your hosting plan if needed

Step 4: Retry the Job

1. After addressing the root cause
2. Click the Retry button on the failed job
3. Monitor the new job in real-time
4. Verify it succeeds

Step 5: Prevent Future Failures

1. Document the issue and solution for future reference
2. Update plugin configuration if needed
3. Set up a regular monitoring schedule
4. Schedule large syncs during low-traffic periods
5. Review error logs regularly

Related Sections

• Dropshipping Plugins - Plugin configuration
• Orders - Order synchronization
• Products - Product synchronization