Digikey lost my saved carts - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: apelly
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 07:12:42 pm
content: FAARK!Their website is slow as a wet week, but I persisted; they have a part I can't find anywhere else. Over the last few weeks I've been adding bits and pieces as I need them for my current project, and other odds and sods as I think of them. There werehoursof research in there. I'm pretty sure I have the data sheets for the stuff that was tricky to find, so finding them again will be a lot simpler, but fuck! What's the point of giving me multiple carts and syncing them with dropbox, ofallplaces, if you're software is so loose some random event is going to erase them?Digikey needs a punch in theface!/rantSo, this is obviously an amateur mistake, and I won't be making it again; this is the second time, the other time I switched to element14.Do you guys save your orders in a spreadsheet and upload them when you're ready to go? Or have you got a better way?

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 07:19:06 pm
content: I've had that happen to me as well, Grrrrr.Wish they'd save CC info as well, or offer Paypal as an option.

author: lapm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 09:02:16 pm
content: This is why i keep my shopping list on my computer and google drive. Most big distributors will accept CVS format file dump or copy&paste to text field to basket.

author: suicidaleggroll
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 09:06:29 pm
content: People actually use that stuff?Put your info in a BOM spreadsheet on your local system and then upload it when you're ready to order. I get pissed off when companies try to save my cart content from weeks prior, it means when I go to actually order it my quantity gets doubled. I can't imagine anybody actually relying on a website's "saved cart", it's just a nightmare waiting to happen.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 09:15:47 pm
content: I'd never, ever trust a website to keep an order open for more than a few hours without saving.And definitely not til the next day, as updates etc. that tend to lose carts typically happen overnight.And that's if I already have a BOM to work from - results of parts research is even more invested time.

author: corrado33
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 09:21:18 pm
content: Did you look into your "orders" page? They will often keep unordered "orders" there. I still have ones from years ago stuck in there...

author: rx8pilot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 09:30:29 pm
content: Did you update your profile at all? Name, position, address, etc? I did that and it created a whole new profile and I 'lost' all my order history and un-ordered carts. I have other places to get the data, but it was a bummer. I called the webmaster and he told me nothing is deleted and he only needed to merge the records. Boom - it was all back.I use the system as a scratch pad, but have other places as well including Evernote and local spreadsheets as I design. I have been burned enough times to justify keeping data in multiple places if it has any value.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 09:49:25 pm
content: Farnell did this to me a few times, so I've taken to saving the cart as a CSV file to my PC as often as possible.

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 10:18:07 pm
content: I think I've lost, misplaced or mangled quite a few customer orders this week! If only I could blame my online shopping cart instead of my dodgy memory and shoddy eyesight!

author: Dave Turner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 10:49:20 pm
content: You mean that some companies retain a cart for more than 30 minutes?Not electronics - but I buy cat food online - the prices are good but the web site is sh**. I login in, search for deals, add stuff to the basket - and go to checkout. 9 times out of 10 my basket mysteriously empties and I have to start everything from scratch.Sometimes I ring up to talk to a human bean (sic), generally they are helpful and even offer cheaper equivalents.Hmmm! I wonder if there is a market for knowlegable staff?Note even EEVBlog replies suffer from this timeout.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2015, 10:56:13 pm
content: Quote from: Dave Turner on May 28, 2015, 10:49:20 pmI keep stuff gathering in my Amazon cart for weeks!

author: Mr.B
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 12:52:55 am
content: I use Mouser for most of my purchasing.They have a "Project" feature.I just spend days/weeks adding to my named project.When I am ready... One click - Copy project to cart...Done.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 12:58:58 am
content: DigiKey has that too, it's just a saved cart. Set the name at the top.

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 02:35:31 am
content: QuoteLol don't forget the topic name.Yes I have dropped a couple of carts.I try to remember to save a local copy as well just in case but doesn't always happen.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 02:38:52 am
content: Wasn't sure, I've only had it drop unnamed carts.

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 02:47:13 am
content: QuoteOh ok I was assuming they would work the same.QuoteThis is because the info is temporarily resident in the web server as a session variable. These often have a no refresh timeout of about 20 minutes. After that your session is deleted and with it all your info. Normally happens when you get a telephone call.Most other sites eg. Amazon would use a cookie stored in your browser to lookup your user in their database. Once they have this they get your cart.This will be ok until you clear your cookies. Even if you delete cookies hopefully all will be restored next time you log in.

author: cimmo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 04:14:11 am
content: Quote from: HackedFridgeMagnet on May 29, 2015, 02:47:13 amWhy is this the default value?Whoever designed this clearly has no real world experience of online shopping.

author: apelly
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 04:40:08 am
content: Well, as expected, not a lot of sympathy here for me.Not a lot of advice either. Do you create your cart, then export it, or build it in your spreadsheet by copy and paste?I've never tried it, but with good data it should be easy to upload to all the major suppliers and compare prices.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 05:52:51 am
content: CLOUD

author: SArepairman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 05:54:35 am
content: this happened to me once and i got mad pissed lol. always save digikey in notepad.

author: con-f-use
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 08:25:41 am
content: The only time I ever lost a cart, was my own fault: I foolishly cleared my cookies because of a problem with another website. Then I realized the mouser cart was empty. "Shite!" Since then I have an extra bookmark folders named "cart-projectname-date" and put the URLs in there (having them in the cart still). When I'm done, I delete the whole folder.Regular backups of your harddrive help as well.As for sympathy: At first I thought "stupid you for trusting a website, and digikey most of all - they suck." Then I read about syncing to dropbox, and now I'm thinking "digikey sucks even more for implying your cart is save and for using dropbox." So for what it's worth, you do have my sympathies, because they kind of guaranteed the safety of your shopping-list and failed. On any other website that doesn't, it would have been on you. Every computer-user of more than a year, should have learned the importance of backups and made it a habit. Especially in times of cheap (cloud-) storage.

author: bombledmonk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 07:14:45 pm
content: Digi-Key syncs to dropbox? ... or did I read that wrong.

author: Dave Turner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 07:23:38 pm
content: HackedFridgeMagnet - Thanks for the explanation. Unfortunately it takes time to browse, check data compare prices etc. Oh well - just have to live with it.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2015, 07:42:47 pm
content: Quote from: cimmo on May 29, 2015, 04:14:11 amSo if you forget to log out or lock your computer there's less chance of someone else coming along and abusing your login. What would you rather have happen, lose a form you haven't submitted or find out someone's slagged off everyone on a forum you like in your name or even worse ordered stuff on your account?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 10:10:32 am
content: Something I just remembered with Farnell is that you should log in before,after or during filling a cart - thinks seem to remain in definitely. If you have previously done this, then create a new cart, when you log in, the old stuff gets merged with the new one.

author: apelly
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 11:49:35 am
content: Meh,My cart (actually multiple carts) were there for some months. Logging in is a requirement for multiple carts.Something made them go away.It will not happen again.I'm a bit surprised nobody has shared their ordering secrets though. Copying/pasting stuff into a spreadsheet is quite a pain in the arse. Do people just use their relevant BOM export tool from their design package?

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 12:01:47 pm
content: QuoteYesQuoteYesBring it into a spreadsheet, move the columns around with separate manufacturers part and digikeys part, compare against what you have in stock, subtract the difference, add other stuff projects to the order, up each to a reasonable buy amount, get quotes from the distributors ( I don't really bother normally, just digikey).I save this purchase order in with the design as a sub folder.The hard bit for me, if I lose it, is losing the part numbers. Especially the worry that you may later order the wrong part.I don't see an easy way, even if you have a stock control database.Not for me anyway, as a one man band.

author: posplayr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2016, 03:56:35 pm
content: I know the thread is old, but I'm posting to this same thread because it seems to have happened to me as well. I have read many of the posts about having your own backup and while I can understand that, I also understand that the Digikey website is intended to provide persistent storage of your orders.I have several previous orders and carts (going back several years) I had created are all still available on the website.I posted a picture of the Digi Key website that you use to manage a cart; there is no way to save the information you have maintained other than the implicit saving that it does itself in your cart. The only way to get anything out is a "share" which is limited to quantity, part number and customer ID. So it would seem the BOM upload is simply an import method to accumulate parts into CARTS which is the basis for orders. Several BOM's could be used to produce one order.It would seem clear that they intend for you to use the website as a persistent and secure workspace for your orders and after you order it becomes a permanent record that you can refer to in the future.I'm using KiCAD and have been maintaining parts information in the schematic so all is not lost except for parts I was maintaining that were not in the schematic.I emailed the webmaster under "Problems With Digi-Key Web Site", I will see if they can restore the cart. If you call Sales support they are clueless and could not answer the most basic questions without going to ask and even then I had to put the words in their mouth to get the answer I was after. Basically the sales supports recommendation was to only upload BOMs and to not store them on line which is counter to the way the website it is designed. They also recommend using Internet Explorer and not Chrome which is yet another rabbit hole recommendation. I have been using Chrome for several years now.There seems to have been a significant upgrade to the website coincident with the lost of my cart. The login is a popup now. What I'm hoping is that this was a transient due to a web site upgrade and that they can simply restore the cart and everything will be back to normal.I do not maintain my schematics on the Digkey website, but I would like to not be in fear of losing anything I type into that website as it has worked very well in the past. I use DigiKey part numbers and links as a main BOM reference because of the ease of ordering parts.Will update if I hear back from the Webmaster.

author: posplayr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 06:19:02 pm
content: Well I think I found out the answer to my question. When you save to a Shopping Cart, that cart is anonymous unless you give it a name. While you have an anonymous cart it seems to persist as long as you are logged in which can even be maintained when my Windows machine shuts down and I restart it.The big deal seems to be that you need to "Save " the shopping cart (it is at the top of the shopping cart) and give it a name and then you can recall it.I don't have to do this in Amazon or ebay where I also maintain running shopping carts under my login that exist on multiple computers.Apparently there is no default behavior to save an unnamed shopping cart that has information in it, they assume because you did not give it a name that you don't care about 50+ items in the shopping cart and it is deleted.Some of this information is simply based on my inference of observation as I could not get an answer yet that did not involve "did you use the BOM upload manager" which I have not done yet.This is simply a matter question of "How do you save manually entered shopping cart items?".The answer is at the top left of your shopping cart is a "save button" and a box to give it a name.FYI, when I finally get to a finished schematic and layout and when my my KiCAD generated BOM is complete I will probably auto generate and upload the BOM to the Digikey BOM Manager, but I'm just not there yet.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 06:34:02 pm
content: QuoteWith Mouser, you can not only save your carts and/or projects. You can also give parts your own internal identification numbers/names/pcb designator. You can email your carts and/or projects to yourself or other people in case you don't trust them to keep your info. You can give permission for other parties to view your projects, only; or you can give them permission to edit the contents.And yeah, your default cart is saved, even if you don't explicitly save it. Well as long as you are logged in while editing it. I've never lost a cart, anyway.Whenever I am ordering components unique to a specific project, I will save the carts and put them into a project if multiple carts. When the parts arrive, I can put them all together with the name and date of the project/cart. So I can ditch the bulky packaging, for instance, and just give a small handwritten label to each component. "22uF 1206," and the fact it is part of the " project" means I can look up the project/cart name on my Mouser account to find the actual manufacturer part number and datasheet.Mouser has an amazing website. They don't sell everything, but most of my admittedly simple projects are covered by Mouser. Usually I make my BOM just copying and pasting into Excel from my Mouser project/cart. Units per, designator, part number, description, can all be put in a Mouser project. Everything you need for a BOM; it might be a pain to copy/paste, but you also get links to the full datasheet, lead-time/stock, and current price. And a search bar to check for the latest and greatest (and cheapest). This is why Mouser is my first option.

author: posplayr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 08:55:10 pm
content: The ability to save your own cart information local to your own machine would really be nice. At Digikey, there is no way to download anything but a qty, ref number and Digikey part number so you can share it.To do more I created a separate account created the BOM/Shopping Cart then gave the login information to the other party. Brute force but it worked.Right now I'm probably about 80% DigiKey and almost the rest in MOUSER. A few odds and ends on special things with the lowest cost supplier from findchips.com but only on expecive parts, usually I just go with Digikey as a default if they have it.