Configuring Item Export from 1C:UT to 1C-Bitrix
Item export is the first and most critical stage of integration. This is where the structure of the product catalog on the website is formed: section hierarchy, property set, and relationships between SKUs and parent products. Errors at this stage are difficult to fix without completely rebuilding the catalog.
What Is Transmitted During Item Exchange
The CommerceML mechanism in 1C:UT 11 transmits several blocks in XML:
Classifier (CommercialInformation → Classifier) — the catalog structure:
- Item groups with hierarchy (folders)
- Properties (characteristics that products will have)
- Property values (directory of allowed values)
Catalog (CommercialInformation → Catalog) — the products themselves:
- Each
<Product>= one item entry - Inside: name, part code, unit of measure, images,
AdditionalAttributes,ProductCharacteristics
On the first run, the entire classifier and full catalog are exported. During incremental exchange — only changed items, but the classifier (groups and properties) is always exported in full.
Configuring Export Filters in UT
In the exchange node (section NSI and Administration → Website Integration), filters are configured:
By organization. If UT has multiple organizations — specify the relevant one.
By item groups. Specific folders from the directory can be selected. Useful when UT stores all items (including raw materials, internal kits), but only the "For Sale" product group is needed on the website.
By item type. In UT 11, item types exist — analogous to categories with predefined properties. Filtering by type allows exporting only "Finished Products," for example.
By additional attribute. A convenient approach — add a boolean attribute "Publish on website" to the "Items" directory. A filter on this attribute gives precise control over what is published to the site.
Property Mapping: Where Data Is Lost
Item properties in UT are divided into two types:
-
Standard attributes (Name, Part Code, Unit of Measure, Weight, Volume) — transmitted in fixed XML tags; Bitrix reads them automatically.
-
Additional attributes (everything else) — transmitted in
AdditionalAttributes. Bitrix automatically creates infoblock properties from them on first import.
Problem: on the first import, Bitrix creates properties with automatically generated codes (typically CML2_ATTR_1, CML2_ATTR_2, etc.). These are unreadable codes that are inconvenient to work with when developing templates. Before the first real import, assign correct codes to properties manually or via the OnIBlockPropertyAdd event handler.
Images in the Export
Method 1: Base64 in XML — images are encoded directly in the XML file. A simple approach, but it significantly inflates the file size. With 10,000 products and 3 photos each = XML of 2–5 GB.
Method 2: File links — image paths are transmitted in XML; Bitrix downloads them via separate HTTP requests. Slower, but the XML remains compact.
Method 3: FTP folder — images are exported to a separate folder (via FTP or shared network directory); XML contains relative paths. The fastest option on a local network.
For production, Method 3 (FTP) or Method 2 (links) with caching of already-downloaded images on the Bitrix side is recommended (do not re-download an image if its MD5 has not changed).
Item Characteristics → Trade Offers
If items in UT have characteristics (color, size, volume), they are exported in ProductCharacteristics. Bitrix uses them to create trade offers (SKUs) in the offers infoblock.
Structure: one product (parent element) + N trade offers. Each offer inherits the product's properties and adds its own specific ones (color, size). Price and stock level are at the offer level.
Product: Polo T-Shirt
├── Offer: White, S
├── Offer: White, M
├── Offer: Blue, S
└── Offer: Blue, M
The link between a product and its offers in XML is established via a match between the product's XML_ID and the ProductId field in the offer.
How Long Does the First Import Take
| Catalog size | Without characteristics | With characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5,000 products | 2–5 min | 5–15 min |
| 5,000–50,000 products | 10–30 min | 30–90 min |
| 50,000+ products | 45–120 min | 2–6 hours |
For large catalogs, the first import should be run manually via cron with max_execution_time = 0, rather than through the browser.