1.1. What are these flags there?

Click on them to see a translation of the page you are looking at in the respective language. This is an external real-time translation service and is not a part of TransDat - do not blame us if you don't like the translation. Also, have in mind that it doesn't work for features that can be used only while you are logged in (i.e. supplier or user console, auction bidding etc.).

1.2. What time does the clock show?

It's in EST (Australia) - GMT+10

1.3. What do I do if I find an error on the site?

Please email mail@transdat.com.au and we will fix it as soon as possible.

1.4. What should I do if I have any comments/praises to share?

Follow the Guestbook link in the left-hand menu and post your comments there. We are notified of your post by email immediately and if you require any attention to anything, it will be taken care of as soon as possible.

1.5. What's the difference between users and suppliers?

Users are the normal registered users of the site. They can bid in auctions, sned messages to sellers, subscribe to services etc. Registration for this is free.
Suppliers can post machines, parts and wrecking listings, send FastSell emails, and see user details (to verify auction bids). This is a paid service.

1.6. How come the registration form doesn't ask me for a password?

The password is generated automatically, and will be emailed to you. This is our way of making sure the email address given is valid. You can later change the password to something you will remember easier.

1.7. So what if I change the email address in my profile later?

If you edit your user profile and change the address in it, your password will be automatically changed too. The new one will be emailed to the new email address you have entered. This is our way of making sure we always have a valid email address for you.

1.8. Can I submit my bank details for verification?

You don't have to have bank details as part of your profile. However, if you take part in auctions, your bids will have more credibility if you can be credit-checked.
You can send an email to mail@transdat.com.au and the site administrator will fill them into your profile.
This will enable sellers to do a credit-check on you, if that's required for high-priced items.

1.9. Can anyone see my user details?

Yes. If you bid in an auction, the seller will be able to see your user details.

4.1. How can I see my banner stats?

They will be in your supplier console after you log in. If you have no banner in the banner rotation, you will only see a default banner image with no stats.

4.2. How do I go about putting machines in that I am dismantling ?

Log In with your User Name and Password you should now see your Control Console press : + add Unit .. in wrecking section Select Category and Wait for the Sub-Categories to load select type of Unit Fill in ALL required fields (they have a * ) Enter ONLY Numbers for Price or only a (zero) 0 for POA (DO NOT enter $ , or letters) To add a Photo press Browse select your photo (double click) (make sure its not more than 500 pixels wide) or put it in and send us a email to check it for you :-) (when you see the Listing displayed, the photo should not be wider than the yellow background) Press Submit and this should bring you back to Console !! Then Your ready to go again (don`t use any ' symbols anywhere at present)

4.3. I have a machine I want to put for hire - how?

When you log into your supplier console, you have two ways to put a machine on the "for hire" list.
First, you can do it through the normal machine add/edit/delete controls - just fill in the relevant "for hire" part of the machine description and select the "yes, this unit is available for hire" option from the drop-down menu.
Alternatively, you can use the "For Hire" menu. The first button there shows you the machines you have announced for sale but not for hire - press "Hire" for each machine you want to appear on the list and fill in the required details.
The second button gives you a list of units that are for hire - use that to edit hire conditions or remove the unit from the list (it will still remain on the "for sale" list).
In this menu, you also have a "stock list" which you can use to send to your contacts or incorporate into your own website.

5.1. Can I link to a machine/part listing from my site?

Yes. However, have in mind that listings are quite dynamic and can be deleted/updated at any time, so make sure you check them out regularly.

5.2. Can I have a stock list on my site?

Yes, if you are a supplier you will see a link to a "stock list" in your control panel.
This shows a list of your machines on TransDat, but without the TransDat navigation or logos.
This makes it easier to integrate into other websites by a normal link, frame or IFRAME.

5.3. Can I have a custom stock list on my web site?

Yes, you can.
The stock list does not have to look the way it looks now - this is just an easy example.
You can have it look any way you like (see here for a customer who customized his).
Email mail@transdat.com.au for details.

5.4. What is the XML feed for?

TransDat has an XML export feature available. It exports machine listings in a standard RSS 0.91 format, which can be syndicated into web sites, or accessed through a news aggregator.
The address of the generic feed is http://www.transdat.com.au/rss.php which lists the latest additions to the TransDat machines database.
You can customize the feed and get only machines from a particular supplier by adding a "supplier id" parameter as follows: http://www.transdat.com.au/rss.php?s=XXXX where XXXX is the supplier id (if you are a supplier log into your console to see the correct link for yourself; otherwise go to the supplier info page to get the link).
The "Add to My Yahoo!" icon () is an extention to the XML feed, which lets you embed it into your personalized Yahoo! homepage. http://add.my.yahoo.com/rss?url=http://www.transdat.com.au/rss.php gives you all latest machine listings on TransDat, while http://add.my.yahoo.com/rss?url=http://www.transdat.com.au/rss.php?s=XXXX lets you specify a particular supplier by changing XXXX to the supplier id.

6.01. Overview

TransSync is a Windows-based application whose idea is to make it easier for suppliers to maintain their listings on the TransDat web site.
It creates a fully searchable local database, which can be used on its own as a stock management tool - you can keep track of what you have in it.
The biggest advantage though is that it can also keep track of what you have advertised on the TransDat server, and export thousands of new listings to it in a matter of minutes.

6.02. Installation

Installing the program is pretty straightforward.
You can find the download link in your supplier console. The installation file is over 13 MB and could be a bit of a wait on a slow connection, so be prepared.
Once you have the installation file, just double-click on it and follow the prompts.

6.03. OK, I installed it - what next?

You will now find a new icon on your desktop called TransdatSync - double-click on it to start the program.

6.04. The first time you run the program

Right after you install the program, it will have absolutely no data in it. It will need to download a lot of definitions from the TransDat server, so you will have to be online the first time you run it.
If you are behind some sort of personal firewall (like ZoneAlarm or Tiny Firewall) - make sure you give permission for the program to access the internet.
When you start it, the program will tell you it needs to synchronize with the TransDat server.

It will ask for a username and password (you have the option to save them, so you will not need to enter them again). These are the same as your username/password for your supplier console on the web server. They are case sensitive!

The program will then connect to the server and download all information about categories, makes, currencies etc, as well as all the listings you already have on the web site.
Be patient as it may take some time, especially if you have too many listings (they are downloaded together with all the respective photos). Click Finish when done.

6.05. Where's my stuff?

When you start the program, the first screen will look empty.
To see all your listings in "Machines", "Parts" or "Wrecking" - click the respective button on the left, then the "Search" button without selecting anything from the menu. This will show you all of your listings.
To see just some listings (or search your database to find something) - make a selection from the menu ("Make", "Years") and/or enter keywords in the boxes for model, number, description etc. - this will only show the machines, parts or wrecking units that fit into these restrictions.
Alternatively, you can browse by clicking the "Machines by categories" button.

6.06. Is there a faster way to browse by make?

Yes, when looking at makes list - just press the firts letter of the make on your keybord (i.e. - when you hit "K", the listings will jump to "Komatsu").

6.07. How do I edit a listing?

Select the listing (click on it once to highlight it), then press "Edit".

In the new window that opens - edit the respective fields, then press "Save".

6.08. How do I delete a listing?

Just highlight and then hit the "Delete" button.
Careful! There is no "Undelete"!

6.09. How do I add a new listing?

For Machines, Parts or Wrecking - first press the respective button on the left, then "Add" in the top right corner.
This will open a new window where you can enter all the listing's details. Fields marked with a red asterix symbol are required.

If you want to add a photo to your listing - press the "Load Picture" button and select a file from your hard drive. A small preview of the image will appear. To cancel - press "Clear Picture", to see full-sized image - double-click on it.

6.10. Can I add a photo to my listings?

Yes, you can add a photo by selecting one from your hard drive (press "Load Picture" and then select a file).
Please, keep photo sizes to not more than 500 pixels horizontal size!

6.11. So why are some of my listings green now?

When looking at the list of your machines, you will notice that some of them are green in colour.
This means that they have been edited since your last database synchronization and will have to be updated on the server.

6.12. My local database is now up to the minute - what next?

Once you are satisfied with the local version of your database, you will probably want to update your listings on the TransDat server as well.
Press the "Synchronize" button to do so (you have to be online for this).

You need the "Update newer listings on site" option - this will only upload whatever you have changed since your last upload.

6.13. What's Full Synchronization then?

You will not normally use this option.

What it does is: it connects to the server, deletes all of your listings there, then uploads them again from the local database.
This may be useful if you have huge discrepancies between your local database and the web site, but this can only happen if you decide to wipe out your whole catalogue and replace it with something new.
Since the database was synchronized when you first run the program, this feature should not be needed in normal circumstances.
Attention! - When synchronizing databases, the local one takes precedence. This means that wherever there is a difference between what you have locally and what's on the server - the content on the web server gets changed!
To put it simply, if you change or delete something locally and then do a full synchronization - it will be changed or deleted accordingly on the web server too, and the old content will be gone forever! There is no "Undelete" or "Undo" features here!

6.14. What do I do if I accidentally delete something and want it back?

If you have not yet updated your listings on the server - it will still be there, even though it's deleted locally.
Press the "Synchronize" button, then select "Advanced options".

Select Machines, Parts or Wrecking and press "Next". This will download the respective listings from the server.
All your changes to the local database since the last update will be lost.

6.15. Categories, makes or currencies are different on the server from what I have in my program?

If this is the case, it means that the definitions on the server were changed since you initially installed the program. Your copy of the program will need to get up to date with the new definitions.
Press "Synchronize", select "Advanced options" and then "Download Categories and Makes from site".

This will download all definitions again, so the next time you try to add or edit a listing - the correct values will appear in the selection menus.

6.16. I have too many listings already entered on another system - do I have to enter them one by one again?

No, you don't. There is an import method that will let you upload them all in bulk.
When you initially installed the program, it came with three empty .xls files. You will find them in your C:\Program Files\Transdat\ directory - they are called Machines.xls, Parts.xls and Wrecking.xls (or, you can download them again from the server - follow the download links in your supplier console).
Open these in Excel, then copy and paste your data in the respective columns.
Every supplier has a different data format so no generic instructions can be given - some of the data fields you have in your system would be named differently, or would not exist on the TransDat system.
Where a field doesn't exist on TransDat - just ignore it. Where they are just similar - find the nearest to it in the template file and paste the column there. For example, if you have a data field called "Machine description" - put that where it says "description", "m_url" is the URL on your site where more info can be found etc.
Some fields will be specific for TransDat - "category", "subcategory" or "make", for example, should be defined as they appear on the TransDat site. Just browse categories/makes on the site or in your TransdatSync program, see how they are named there, then edit the respective columns in the .xls file accordingly.
(if you make any errors here and try to enter categories or makes which do not exist on TransDat - you will be prompted to correct them later before you upload)
When you are done - export the file as a "comma delimited file" (press "Save as" in the "file" menu and select ".csv" from the list of file types).
This will create an importable file. Remember where it is, then go to the TransdatSync program and press "Import". You will be prompted to select the file, then after you do so and press "OK" the data will be entered into your local database.
From that point on, it's the same as if you entered all those listings manually into the program - just hit "Synchronize" and "Update".

6.17. Do I have to enter so many category names in the import file?

No, you don't have to enter a category name in all data rows.
If your file is sorted and you have listings from the same category following one after the other, you can enter the category name only for the first record.
If you leave the following "category" fields blank, they will be filled in automatically for you.
The moment the program reaches another category name - it will take that and start repeating it automatically for the records thereafter.

6.18. What can I put in the TAX field of the Excel template?

The values allowed are as follows:
n/a
GST Inclusive
GST Exclusive
VAT Inclusive
VAT Exclusive
TAX Inclusive
TAX Exclusive
Anything different will be automatically changed to "n/a".

6.19. I have an automated system - can it work with yours?

Obviously, this system will be highly specific for your business and as such - we can't know what it is beforehand, neither can we develop a generic tool that will work with every system.
However, as long as your system can export data in a standard format (SQL, Access, Excel, tab-delimited text, whatever) - we can make a module that will read it and "translate" it to our format.
Contact mail@transdat.com.au for more information.

7.1. What's the idea?

The feature we call X-DAT allows you to export data from the TransDat server, which you can then import into any standard spreadsheet program you may use (such as MS Excel, for example).

7.2. What is the data format of the export?

TransDat exports the data in the standard "comma-separated-values" format (or .csv files).
They are importable in any standard spreadsheet program.
The files consist of a number of lines, where each line is a data row from the data table, and each column is separated by a comma from the next column.
This is essentially a text file, so there can be no images in it.

7.3. How do I export the data?

If you are a registered supplier, you will find the X-DAT feature in your control console.
You have a couple of options to select from here:

• The first selection is for "owner" of the listings you want to export. Select "all" to see all regardless of owner, "other dealers" for listings by all other members of TransDat, excluding your own, or "my items only" for your listings only - this can be handy if you want a quick way to see what you have listed on TransDat, or you want to send a data file to one of your business partners.
• The second selection gives you the option to get the data as a file to save or open directly into Excel, or to see it straight in your browser.
• The number of listings can be either 100, 75, 50 or 25.
• By the last option you can select what type of listings to download - machines, parts or wrecking units ("attachments" is the attachments category in the Machines part of TransDat).

Additionaly, in the next table you can download earthmoving machines only - all or from a specified subcategory.

If you are not a member, you will see the export feature on the homepage of TransDat, but you will not have all of these options to select from.

7.4. What next?

If you have selected the "view in browser" option, you will see the listings in your browser.
If you have selected the "file" option, you will be prompted to save the file, which will have a name such as "machines", "parts" or "attachments" (depending on the content) and the standard .csv extension.
You can then email that to a business partner, or open it up in Excel and import into an .xls spreadsheet, or any other type of internal database you may have.

7.5. Can I bookmark the data file?

The one on TransDat's homepage is accessible by all and can be bookmarked without problems.
The data export file in your control console, however, is restricted - you have to be logged in in order for it to work. So, if you bookmark it, your bookmark will only give you a meaningfull file if you are logged in. If you aren't, you will get a blank file with no data in it.
So, if you are a registered supplier - do not bookmark the file you get in your console, use the link in the console instead.