Lightspeed Bulk Product Category Assigner

WHAT IT DOES

Lightspeed Bulk Product Category Assigner solves a common retail management challenge: categorizing multiple Lightspeed products is tedious when done one at a time. While Lightspeed allows individual product editing, there is no native way to assign categories to many products simultaneously. This tool reads your current Lightspeed product list page, detects all visible products, and displays them in a scrollable checklist with product names, SKUs, current categories, and statuses. You select the products you want to organize, choose a target category from a dropdown that detects all your existing categories, and click "Assign Categories." The tool then processes each selected product sequentially through Lightspeed's API, updating the category for each one. You can also add new categories directly from the tool. A preview shows your selection before assignment, and progress tracking shows each product as it's processed.

WHERE IT RUNS

This extension panel runs directly inside your browser as an overlay on Lightspeed's product management page. It works on the product list, inventory views, and category management pages. The tool detects products and categories from the page's DOM and uses Lightspeed's API (via GM_xmlhttpRequest) for category updates. It requires no additional API keys beyond your existing authenticated session — the tool extracts your API key from the page.

HOW TO USE

After installing the BotGentz extension and activating Lightspeed Bulk Product Category Assigner, navigate to your Lightspeed product list page. Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar to open the panel. The tool automatically detects all products displayed on the current page. Each product appears with its name, SKU, current category, and status alongside a checkbox. Next, select a target category from the dropdown — the tool detects all existing categories in your Lightspeed account. You can also add a new category by entering a name and clicking "Add Category." The preview section shows how many products are selected and the target category. Finally, click "Assign Categories." The tool processes each product with a 500ms delay, showing progress as each product is updated. A notification appears when all products have been processed. Click "Export Report" to copy a report of all product category data to your clipboard in CSV or JSON format.

TECHNICAL OPERATION — Lightspeed API Category Updates

This tool uses Lightspeed's API to perform category updates reliably. It first extracts the user's API key and store ID from the page (using regex to find `api_key` or `access_token` in scripts or meta tags), then constructs a PUT request to `/v1/account/items/{productId}` with a payload containing the `category_id`. The API approach is more reliable than DOM-based simulation because it works independently of Lightspeed's UI structure, supports proper error handling with HTTP status codes, and can handle large numbers of products efficiently without triggering UI event delays. A 500ms delay between updates prevents rate limiting and API congestion. The tool also supports adding new categories via the UI, which are then available for selection. Results can be exported as CSV with proper field quoting for Excel compatibility, or as structured JSON.

THE PANEL

The extension panel is fully draggable and remembers its position per site session. It snaps to the nearest edge of the browser viewport when dragged within 50 pixels of any side. You can collapse the panel to a compact title bar using the minimize button, preserving your selection state. The panel resizes vertically by dragging the bottom edge. Press the Escape key to close the panel instantly without losing your product selection. The preview updates in real-time as you select products or change the target category.

PLEASE NOTE

This tool requires the free BotGentz extension to function. The script uses Lightspeed's API and requires your session to be authenticated. It does not store, transmit, or log any product data, category information, or user activity. All API requests are made locally from your browser session. The tool relies on extracting your API key from the page, which may expire if your session times out. Lightspeed may update its DOM structure over time, which could affect product and category detection; we monitor and release compatibility updates as needed. Category changes affect your product organization — review the preview carefully before confirming. The "Add Category" feature adds the new category to your Lightspeed account via the interface. Export formats include CSV and JSON for maximum compatibility with analysis tools.