Who This Guide Is For
This guide is written for everyone:
New users who are just starting with 3Dsellers and want plain‑language explanations
Advanced users who want detailed logic, edge cases, and real‑world use examples
You can read it top‑to‑bottom as a tutorial or jump directly to the sections you need.
1. Overview: What Are Catalog Channel Template Rules?
Catalog Channel Template Rules in 3Dsellers let you automatically transform, format, and control product data when publishing to different marketplaces.
In simple terms:
Your Product Catalog holds your raw product data
Marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Walmart, etc.) all have different rules and requirements
Rules help you adapt your data automatically — without editing products one by one
With rules, you can:
Format text (capitalization, cleanup, removing symbols)
Calculate prices (markup, rounding, currency conversion)
Apply conditional logic ("only if price > $50")
Set fallback values when data is missing
Create channel‑specific behavior using the same catalog
Think of rules as smart instructions that run every time your products are published or updated.
2. How to Access Attribute Mapping & Rules
Follow these steps:
Log in to your 3Dsellers account
In the left sidebar, go to Products Catalog
Click Products Settings
Select Mapping Templates
Choose an existing template or create a new one
📍 Direct URL:
https://app.3dsellers.com/catalog/attribute-mapping
This page shows:
All marketplace attributes
How each attribute is currently mapped
Whether rules or fallback values are applied
3. Understanding Attribute Mapping (The Basics)
Attribute Mapping defines where marketplace data comes from and how it is transformed before being sent to a selling channel.
When you map a marketplace field, you are choosing one of four mapping methods:
Mapping Options (What You Can Choose)
Each attribute can be mapped using one of the following options:
1. Product Property
This option lets you pull data directly from your catalog or related sources.
When you select Product Property, you can then choose one of the following sub‑sources:
Product Property
Built-in catalog fields such as Title, Price, Quantity, SKU, MSRP, Brand, etc.Variation Type Value
Variation-specific values like Color, Size, Style, or other variation attributes.Current Warehouse
Warehouse-related values such as warehouse name, location, or warehouse-specific stock data.Custom Attribute
Custom attributes you created in your Product Catalog for additional flexibility.
This option is the most commonly used and is ideal when you want to send existing catalog data without complex logic.
2. Free Text
Use Free Text when you want to send a static value that is the same for all products using this template.
Examples:
Fixed condition notes
Boolean values like
True/FalseMarketplace-required static text
3. Rule
Rules allow you to apply conditional logic and transformations.
With rules, you can:
Modify values based on conditions
Apply math operations (markup, rounding)
Format or clean text
Switch values dynamically based on product data
Rules are ideal for advanced automation and channel-specific requirements.
4. Lookup List
Lookup Lists allow you to translate or map values from your catalog into marketplace-accepted values.
They are commonly used when:
A marketplace only accepts specific values
Your internal values differ from marketplace terminology
📘 Related article (coming soon):
Using Lookup Lists in Attribute Mapping
4. Fallback Values (Why They Matter)
Fallback values prevent empty fields when data is missing.
How Fallbacks Work
The system first checks the primary mapping
If it’s empty or missing, the fallback is used instead
How to Set a Fallback
Click Set fallback + next to an attribute
Choose another source or enter free text
Save your changes
✅ Best practice: Always set fallbacks for required fields like price and title.
5. Creating Rules (Core Concept)
Rules allow you to say:
"If this is true → do that"
How to Open the Rule Builder
Find the attribute you want to control (e.g., Listing Price)
Click Select Rule or the Rule button
The Create New Rule modal opens
6. Rule Structure (Simple Explanation)
Every rule has four parts:
Rule Name
Clear and descriptive (e.g., Round Prices Over $100)Description (optional but recommended)
Explains what the rule doesConditions
Decide when the rule appliesOutput
Defines what value is returned
7. Defining Rule Conditions
Conditions control when a rule runs.
Available Condition Sources
Product Property
Variation Type Value
Current Warehouse
Custom Attribute
Common Operators
It will vary according to the Attribute previously selected, if it's either a text or numeric attribute.
contains / does not contain
equals / not equals to
starts with
greater than / less than
greater than or equals / less than or equals
has value
is empty
AND / OR Logic
Conditions inside one group = AND
Multiple groups = OR
📌 Important: If you add no conditions, the rule applies to all products.
8. Defining Rule Outputs
Outputs define what happens when conditions are:
When Conditions ARE Met
You can:
Select a data source by clicking in the + icon (Product Property, Attribute, etc.)
Apply transformations
Text Transformations
Capitalize first character
Capitalize first character per word
Lowercase / Uppercase
Remove non‑numeric characters
Remove digits
Remove line breaks
Remove HTML from text
Find and Replace
None (no transformation)
Math Operations
Round up
Round down
Calculate (custom formulas)
None (no transformation)
When Conditions Are NOT Met
You can:
Return an empty value
Add an alternative output
Add another condition group
⚠️ Always define this section to avoid missing values.
9. Preview Rule Output (Highly Recommended)
Before saving:
Enter a sample value in Preview Rule Output - you can search by Title or SKU
See exactly how the rule transforms it
This helps prevent publishing errors.
10. Applying the Rule to the Field
Creating a rule does not automatically apply it to your listing.
To make the rule take effect, you must attach it to the specific marketplace field and save your template.
How to Apply a Rule to a Field
After configuring your rule (conditions, outputs, and transformations):
In the Attribute Mapping page, locate the marketplace field you want to control
(for example: Listing Price, Title, Best Offer, SKU)In the Value to send column, click Rule
Select the rule you just created from the list
(or click Create New Rule if you haven’t saved it yet)Click Set to attach the rule to that field
At the bottom of the page, click:
Save Changes to continue editing, or
Save Changes & Exit to finish
📌 Important: If you don’t click Set and then Save Changes, the rule will not be applied — even if it was created successfully.
11. Practical Use Cases
Use Case 1: Round Prices Over $100
Goal:
Prices above $100 → round up
Prices below $100 → keep original
Condition:
Price > 100
Output (True - condition successfully matched):
Product Property/Price → (Action) Round up
Output (False - condition didn't match):
Product Property/Price (unchanged)
Use Case 2: Category‑Based Title Formatting
Goal:
Apparel → Title Case
Everything else → Sentence case
Condition:
Category = Apparel
Output:
Product Property/Title → (Action) Capitalize first character per word
Result:
Apparel: Blue Cotton T‑Shirt
Others: Blue cotton t‑shirt
Use Case 3: Wholesale Price + 20% Markup
Goal:
Use wholesale price if available
Otherwise fall back to MSRP
Formula:
value * 1.20
Use Case 4: Warehouse‑Based Pricing
Goal:
Add 10% premium for Warehouse A
Formula:
value * 1.10
Use Case 5: Remove Line Breaks for Compliance
Goal: avoid listing errors.
Action in the selected Attribute in the Output: Remove linebreaks
Example
Before:
Compatible with: iPhone 12 iPhone 13
After:
“Compatible with: iPhone 12 iPhone 13”
11. Best Practices
Rule Design
Use clear names
Add descriptions
Start simple
Always define fallback behavior
Performance
Avoid overly complex rules
Place specific rules before general ones
Testing
Always use Preview
Test multiple product scenarios
Check live listings after publishing
12. Troubleshooting (Quick Reference)
Rule not applying?
Check conditions
Verify mapping field
Review rule order
Unexpected output?
Recheck transformations
Verify formulas
Preview sample values
Missing values?
Set fallback outputs
Verify source attributes
13. Important Constraints
Required attributes must always return a value
Math operations require numeric values
Text transformations only work on text fields
Rules apply per mapping template
Permissions are required to edit rules
After making changes to a channel template (such as creating or updating rules), you must revise or republish the product for those changes to appear on the live listing.