Product Identifier & Description
Control which value your feed uses as each product's unique ID and which text field Facebook receives as its description.
Available since v1.0.0
Overview
Facebook's catalogue format requires two pieces of data on every product: a stable, unique identifier (id) and a text description. The module gives you full control over both.
The identifier is what Facebook uses to match catalogue entries to ad campaigns, pixel events, and shop listings. Choosing the wrong value — or switching it later — breaks the link between your catalogue and any active campaigns. Pick once and stick with it.
The description is what shoppers read on dynamic ads and catalogue browsing pages. PrestaShop products often have two or three text fields (short description, full description, meta description), and their quality varies by product. The module can pick the best one automatically based on a priority order you define.
Configuration
- Go to Modules > Module Manager, find Facebook & Instagram Product Catalogue Feed Pro, and click Configure.
- Click the Product Options tab.
- The Product Identifier block is at the top of the tab. The Product Description Priority field is directly below it.
- Adjust the settings described below, then click Save at the bottom of the form.
Product Main Identifier
The Product Main Identifier setting (FPF_PRODUCT_ID_TYPE) determines the value written to the id field of every catalogue entry.
| Option | Value used in feed | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| ID (default) | PrestaShop's internal numeric product ID (e.g. 42) | Your store does not have a consistent reference/SKU for every product, or you are starting fresh with no existing catalogue |
| Reference | The product's Reference field from the product sheet | Your products already have stable SKU/reference codes that also appear in your ERP, warehouse system, or other channels |
ID mode is the safest default. Every product in PrestaShop has a numeric ID and it never changes. The downside is that these numbers are meaningless outside of PrestaShop — if you ever migrate to a different platform, the IDs will not match.
Reference mode uses the value you enter in the Reference field on each product page. This makes the catalogue portable and consistent with other systems. The requirement is that every product (and every combination, if you sell combinations) must have a unique, non-empty reference. Products with an empty reference fall back to the numeric ID format automatically.
If you are already running active Facebook or Instagram ad campaigns against an existing catalogue, do not change this setting. Switching the identifier type changes every product's
idvalue, which breaks the link between your ads and the new catalogue entries.
Prefix and Suffix
If your store shares a product catalogue with another channel (a second feed, a Google Shopping export, another PrestaShop install), you may find that two catalogues contain products with the same ID. Facebook treats those as duplicates. A prefix or suffix makes every ID in this feed unique without touching the underlying product data.
| Field | Config key | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Product ID Prefix (optional) | FPF_PREFIX | Text prepended to every product ID in the feed. Example: shop1- produces shop1-42. |
| Product ID Suffix (optional) | FPF_SUFFIX | Text appended to every product ID, regardless of whether combinations are enabled. Example: -FR produces 42-FR. |
How IDs are built with both fields set:
- Simple product in ID mode:
{prefix}{id_product}{suffix}— e.g.shop1-42-FR - Simple product in Reference mode (with a reference):
{reference}{suffix}— e.g.MYSKU001-FR(prefix is not applied in reference mode) - Combination in ID mode:
{prefix}{id_product}{combination_prefix}{id_product_attribute}{suffix} - Combination in Reference mode (combination has its own reference):
{combi_reference}{suffix}
Leave both fields empty if your catalogue is the only one using these product IDs on Facebook.
The Combination ID Prefix field (also on this tab) is separate — it sits between the product ID and the combination ID for combination products in ID mode. It is not covered here.
Product Description Priority
The Product Description Priority setting (FPF_PRODUCT_DESC_PRIO) controls which text field the module writes to the description field in the feed, and in what order it tries them when the preferred field is empty or too short.
The available source fields are:
| Code | Source field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Short Description (s) | Product short description | Usually a one- or two-sentence summary. Often well-written and concise. |
Description (d) | Product full description | Can be long with HTML markup. The module strips HTML automatically. |
Meta Description (m) | SEO meta description field | Usually a short, clean sentence written for search engines. |
The dropdown lists every possible ordering of these three fields. Selecting Short Description > Description > Meta Description means: use the short description if it is long enough; if not, fall back to the full description; if that is also too short, try the meta description.
Facebook requires a minimum description length. The module uses an internal minimum of 20 characters. Any field shorter than that threshold is skipped and the next field in the priority order is tried.
There is also a special option:
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
Longest — Choose always the longest Available (l) | Ignores the priority order and always picks whichever of the three fields has the most characters. |
The default value is Short Description > Description (sd), which works well for most stores.
If a product has no description field that meets the minimum length in any of the configured sources, the product is flagged as a description error. You can see these errors on the Errors tab after generation.
Usage Examples
Example: Store with consistent SKUs already in use
Your products all have a Reference like CHAIR-OAK-L. You also export to Google Shopping using those same references. Set Product Main Identifier to Reference so both catalogues share the same product IDs. Facebook pixel events fired with the reference code will then match catalogue entries correctly.
Example: Multi-feed setup for two countries
You generate one feed for France and one for Germany. Both feeds include the same products (same IDs). To avoid Facebook treating them as duplicates set Product ID Suffix to -FR on the French store configuration and -DE on the German one. Products in the French feed become 42-FR and in the German feed 42-DE.
Example: Products with rich full descriptions but poor short descriptions
Your catalogue was migrated from another platform and short descriptions are mostly blank. Set Product Description Priority to Description > Short Description > Meta Description so the module always tries the full description first.
Important Notes
- Changing Product Main Identifier after you have already connected a catalogue to Facebook ads requires you to re-create the catalogue connection or re-map the product set. Plan this change during initial setup.
- In multi-shop configurations, this setting is saved per-shop. Each shop's feed can use a different identifier type and prefix/suffix without affecting other shops.
- Reference mode only applies the prefix to ID-fallback products (those without a reference). Products with a reference receive only the suffix.
- The description is stripped of HTML tags before being written to the feed. You do not need to use plain-text fields — the module handles the cleanup.
- Descriptions longer than 10,000 characters are truncated to 9,996 characters with
...appended to meet Facebook's field length limit.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Facebook reports duplicate product IDs after adding a second feed | Add a unique Product ID Prefix or Suffix to differentiate this feed from the other. |
| Many products flagged as "description error" after generation | Check the Errors tab to see which products are affected. Then either add descriptions to those products or switch the priority order so a field that is filled in is tried first. |
| Ad campaigns stopped delivering after changing the identifier setting | The product IDs in the catalogue changed. Re-upload or refresh the catalogue in Facebook Business Manager and re-link the product set to the campaign. |
| Products in Reference mode are using numeric IDs instead of references | Those products have an empty Reference field on their product page. Fill in the Reference field or switch to ID mode. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which identifier type does Facebook recommend?
Facebook does not mandate a specific value, but it must be unique and stable. If you already track products by SKU or reference in other systems, use Reference mode for consistency. If your products do not have reliable references, use the default ID mode.
Can I use both a prefix and a suffix at the same time?
Yes. Both fields are applied independently. A product with prefix A- and suffix -B produces an ID like A-42-B.
What happens if two products happen to have the same Reference value?
Facebook will reject the duplicate entry during catalogue processing and report a validation error. Ensure all product references are unique before switching to Reference mode. You can audit this in PrestaShop under Catalog > Products by exporting and checking the Reference column.
Does the description priority setting affect all languages in the feed?
Yes. The same priority order is applied when building the feed for every language. If a product has a short description in French but not in English, the module falls through to the next priority field for the English entry.
My products have very detailed full descriptions with tables and bullet points. Will those display correctly on Facebook?
Facebook's description field is plain text only. The module strips all HTML tags before writing the value. Bullet points and table content will appear as plain sentences, which is the correct behavior for a catalogue feed.