DespatchCloud settings and gotchas
Lesson 18 of 28 4 min read
Choose the order reference and shipping method translation for DespatchCloud, and pick which field identifies each imported shipment.
DespatchCloud has five settings in total. This lesson covers each one and how they fit together.
DespatchCloud Order
| useBuyerOrderNumberAsChannelAltId | When enabled, the buyer's purchase order reference is sent as channel_alt_id instead of the order reference. Useful when orders should be tracked by the customer's PO number. |
|---|---|
| shippingMethodMap | A dictionary translating shipping method names from the source system into the method names DespatchCloud requires. |
No default documented
Unlike Mintsoft's courier map, the DespatchCloud guide describes shippingMethodMap as a
plain dictionary and does not mention a default. Map every shipping method your source
system uses.
DespatchCloud Shipment
| lastImportDate | Managed by the system; each run fetches shipments changed since the last import. |
|---|---|
| importDelay | A wait before a shipment is imported, such as 00:05:00, so other systems can finish changing it. |
| referenceSource | Which DespatchCloud field becomes the shipment reference: ProcessRef (the default), ChannelOrderId or ChannelAltId. If the chosen field is empty, process_ref is used instead. |
Making orders and shipments agree
If you send the buyer's PO as channel_alt_id, consider whether the shipment reference
should be ChannelAltId too. Then the despatch arrives carrying the PO number that started
the order. Whichever you choose, check that the downstream system (ERP or storefront) can
match a shipment by that reference.
Kestrel Cycles' settings
Kestrel's implementer sets:
useBuyerOrderNumberAsChannelAltId: enabled, so the warehouse sees each shop's PO number.shippingMethodMap:Standard→ the warehouse's standard method name,Next Day→ its next day method name.referenceSource:ChannelAltId, so shipments come back with the shop's PO number.
A test shipment comes back with the PO number as its reference, and it is matched to the right order.
Recap
- useBuyerOrderNumberAsChannelAltId sends the buyer's PO as channel_alt_id.
- shippingMethodMap translates shipping methods; map every method, as no default is documented.
- referenceSource picks the shipment reference and falls back to process_ref when the field is empty.
- Choose order and shipment references together so matching works.
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