How to Use cobby API Events and Observers

Learn how to extend cobby functionality by hooking into API events and creating custom observers for your Magento extensions.

Prerequisites

• Magento 1.x or Magento 2.x
• cobby extension installed (version 1.38.1.1 or higher recommended)
• PHP knowledge for observer development
• Understanding of Magento event/observer pattern

Overview

cobby provides API events that you can hook into to:

• Manipulate data before import
• Modify export behavior
• Notify cobby of database changes made by third-party extensions
• Customize product type handling

Steps

1. Set Up Your Extension Structure

Create a custom Magento extension to contain your observers.

For Magento 1:

app/code/local/YourCompany/CobbyExtended/
├── etc/
│   └── config.xml
└── Model/
    └── Observer.php

For Magento 2:

app/code/YourCompany/CobbyExtended/
├── etc/
│   └── events.xml
└── Observer/
    └── YourObserver.php

2. Review Example Extensions

Download and study the official example extensions:

Magento 1:

git clone https://github.com/mash2/cobby-magento1-extended

Magento 2:

git clone https://github.com/mash2/cobby-magento2-extended

3. Notify cobby of Database Changes

If your extension writes directly to the Magento database, notify cobby of changes.

Code Example (Magento 1):

<?php
// After your extension modifies products
Mage::dispatchEvent('cobby_handle_changes', array(
    'entity' => 'product',
    'action' => 'save',
    'ids' => array(1, 2, 3), // Product IDs that changed
    'context' => 'custom',
    'username' => 'Bob'
));

Code Example (Magento 2):

<?php
namespace YourCompany\Extension\Observer;

use Magento\Framework\Event\ObserverInterface;

class NotifyCobby implements ObserverInterface
{
    protected $eventManager;

    public function __construct(
        \Magento\Framework\Event\ManagerInterface $eventManager
    ) {
        $this->eventManager = $eventManager;
    }

    public function execute(\Magento\Framework\Event\Observer $observer)
    {
        $productIds = [1, 2, 3]; // IDs of modified products

        $this->eventManager->dispatch('cobby_handle_changes', [
            'entity' => 'product',
            'action' => 'save',
            'ids' => $productIds,
            'context' => 'custom',
            'username' => 'System'
        ]);
    }
}

Expected result: cobby is notified of changes and updates its product data accordingly.

4. Hook Into Import Events

Manipulate data before or after import operations.

Example: Modify Data Before Import

<?php
// Magento 1 Observer
class YourCompany_CobbyExtended_Model_Observer
{
    public function beforeProductImport(Varien_Event_Observer $observer)
    {
        $products = $observer->getEvent()->getProducts();

        foreach ($products as &$product) {
            // Modify product data before import
            if (isset($product['custom_field'])) {
                $product['custom_field'] = strtoupper($product['custom_field']);
            }
        }

        $observer->getEvent()->setProducts($products);
        return $this;
    }
}

Register in config.xml:

<config>
    <global>
        <events>
            <cobby_import_product_import_before>
                <observers>
                    <yourcompany_cobbyextended>
                        <class>yourcompany_cobbyextended/observer</class>
                        <method>beforeProductImport</method>
                    </yourcompany_cobbyextended>
                </observers>
            </cobby_import_product_import_before>
        </events>
    </global>
</config>

Expected result: Product data is modified according to your custom logic before cobby processes it.

5. Hook Into Export Events

Customize how data is exported to cobby.

Example: Change Attribute Type on Export

<?php
// Magento 2 Observer
namespace YourCompany\CobbyExtended\Observer;

use Magento\Framework\Event\ObserverInterface;

class ModifyAttributeExport implements ObserverInterface
{
    public function execute(\Magento\Framework\Event\Observer $observer)
    {
        $attributes = $observer->getEvent()->getAttributes();

        foreach ($attributes as &$attribute) {
            // Change text attribute to dropdown in cobby
            if ($attribute['attribute_code'] == 'custom_field') {
                $attribute['frontend_input'] = 'select';
            }
        }

        $observer->getEvent()->setAttributes($attributes);
    }
}

Register in events.xml:

<config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
    <event name="cobby_catalog_product_attribute_export_after">
        <observer name="yourcompany_modify_attribute_export"
                  instance="YourCompany\CobbyExtended\Observer\ModifyAttributeExport"/>
    </event>
</config>

Expected result: Attributes appear with modified properties in cobby.

6. Test Your Implementation

1. Install your custom extension
2. Clear all caches
3. Test the specific cobby operation that triggers your event
4. Verify your custom logic executes correctly
5. Check cobby logs and Magento logs for any errors

Common API Events Reference

Product Events

Import Events:

• cobby_import_product_import_before - Before product data import
• cobby_import_product_import_after - After product data import
• cobby_import_product_stock_import_before - Before stock update
• cobby_import_product_stock_import_after - After stock update
• cobby_import_product_category_import_before - Before category assignment
• cobby_import_product_category_import_after - After category assignment
• cobby_import_product_media_import_before - Before media import
• cobby_import_product_media_import_after - After media import
• cobby_import_product_link_import_before - Before related products import
• cobby_import_product_link_import_after - After related products import
• cobby_import_product_tierprice_import_before - Before tier price import
• cobby_import_product_tierprice_import_after - After tier price import
• cobby_import_product_started - Import process started (cobby 1.41+)
• cobby_import_product_finished - Import process finished (cobby 1.41+)

Export Events:

• cobby_catalog_product_export_after - After product export

Corresponding API Requests:

Magento 1 API	Magento 2 API	Purpose
cobby_import_product.importProducts	POST cobby/import/products	Import product data
cobby_import_product.updateStock	POST cobby/import/products/stocks	Update stock levels
cobby_import_product.updateCategoryAssociations	POST cobby/import/products/categories	Assign categories
cobby_import_product.updateMedia	POST cobby/import/products/media	Import media files
cobby_import_product.updateTierPrices	POST cobby/import/products/tierPrices	Import tier prices

Attribute Events

• cobby_catalog_product_attribute_export_after - Modify attribute properties
• cobby_catalog_product_attribute_option_export_after - Modify attribute options

Corresponding API Requests:

Magento 1 API	Magento 2 API	Purpose
cobby_catalog_product_attribute.export	GET cobby/product/attributes	Export attributes
cobby_catalog_product_attribute_option.export	GET cobby/product/attribute/options	Export attribute options

Configuration Events

Note: Most configuration exports do not trigger events.

Magento 1 API	Magento 2 API	Purpose
cobby_core_website.export	GET cobby/store/websites	Export websites
cobby_core_store.export	GET cobby/store/storeViews	Export store views
cobby_catalog_category.export	GET cobby/categories	Export category tree

Event Pattern Naming

Events follow this pattern:

• cobby_import_[entity]_[operation]_import_before - Before data manipulation
• cobby_import_[entity]_[operation]_import_after - After data rendered

Where:

• [entity] = product, category, attribute, etc.
• [operation] = stock, category, media, link, etc.

Troubleshooting

Observer not executing?

• Clear Magento cache: rm -rf var/cache/*
• Verify event name matches exactly (case-sensitive)
• Check observer is registered in config.xml or events.xml
• Add logging to confirm event fires: Mage::log('Observer executed', null, 'cobby.log')

Data modifications not appearing in cobby?

• Ensure you modify the reference, not a copy of the data
• Use setData() or reference modification (&$variable)
• Check event fires at correct time (before vs after)

Compatibility issues after cobby update?

• cobby 1.38.1.1+ uses different API naming
• Update observers to check for both old and new event names
• Review changelog for breaking changes

Changes not persisting in Magento?

• Verify _after events save changes correctly
• Check for conflicting observers from other extensions
• Review Magento logs: var/log/system.log

Code Examples

Complete Extension Example

Magento 2 Custom Extension:

<?php
// app/code/YourCompany/CobbyExtended/Observer/CustomProductHandler.php

namespace YourCompany\CobbyExtended\Observer;

use Magento\Framework\Event\ObserverInterface;
use Psr\Log\LoggerInterface;

class CustomProductHandler implements ObserverInterface
{
    protected $logger;

    public function __construct(LoggerInterface $logger)
    {
        $this->logger = $logger;
    }

    public function execute(\Magento\Framework\Event\Observer $observer)
    {
        $this->logger->info('cobby import started');

        $products = $observer->getEvent()->getProducts();

        foreach ($products as $key => &$product) {
            // Custom logic: Set default value if missing
            if (!isset($product['custom_attribute'])) {
                $product['custom_attribute'] = 'default_value';
            }

            // Custom logic: Validate SKU format
            if (isset($product['sku']) && !$this->isValidSku($product['sku'])) {
                $this->logger->error('Invalid SKU: ' . $product['sku']);
                unset($products[$key]); // Skip invalid products
            }
        }

        $observer->getEvent()->setProducts($products);
    }

    protected function isValidSku($sku)
    {
        return preg_match('/^[A-Z]{2}-[0-9]{6}$/', $sku);
    }
}

events.xml:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
    <event name="cobby_import_product_import_before">
        <observer name="yourcompany_custom_product_handler"
                  instance="YourCompany\CobbyExtended\Observer\CustomProductHandler"/>
    </event>
</config>

Related Documentation

• How to Handle Custom Product Types
• How to Troubleshoot with Postman
• Third Party Extension Compatibility
• Magento 2 Event List