Integrating GLS

GLS Username

Enter your API user name for accessing the GLS interface. Your GLS account manager will provide you with this information.

GLS Password

Enter your API password for accessing the GLS interface. Your GLS account manager will provide you with this information.

GLS Customer ID

Enter your GLS customer ID for accessing the GLS interface. Your GLS account manager will provide you with this information.

GLS Contact ID

Enter your GLS contact ID for accessing the GLS interface. Your GLS account manager will provide you with this information.

Designation

Here you can find the name of the shipping method, as it is displayed in Xentral, for example, during order processing.

The designation is only visible to you and your employees. Make sure that each designation exists only once in Xentral so that the shipping method can always be uniquely identified.

Type

This is an internal field label that is required for mapping to your online stores and other sales platforms. Do not change this name if possible! If you do change this name, remember to change it exactly in the settings of your shop and other platforms.

An exception is if you work without online stores or sales platforms. In this case, you can rename the type to your liking.

Module

Specify the appropriate Xentral module here. In this case, it is GLS API. It is also possible to assign a different module to the shipping method. Note, however, that all existing settings will be lost and the module name will update in editable receipts if you make a change here.

Project

Optionally, specify a project assignment. This is required if you want to limit the shipping method to a specific sales channel or project (for example, a specific branch office). If not, this field remains empty and therefore applies to all projects and user groups.

Active

Activate this option after you have carried all the necessary settings for the shipping method.

No postage check

Use this option to disable the postage check in the order for the order traffic light. If the postage check remains active, a red traffic light icon is generated for orders as soon as at least one postage item is not included in the sales order. This usually prevents the postage item from being forgotten during manual order creation.

Consider whether you want to activate or deactivate this option based on your own workflows and how you work with Xentral. If you typically create many orders manually in Xentral, it may be useful not to activate this option, so that the postage is always reliably included in the sales order, especially for high-priced products or international shipments.

Printer shipping label

Select the printer you want to use by default for the shipping labels from the drop-down menu. Note that only printers that you have already set up in Xentral can be selected here. Depending on how and where the shipping process is handled in your company, you can choose exactly the printer you need here - whether directly at your desk or at the packing table in the warehouse.

Printer export

From the drop-down menu, select the printer to use by default for customs forms (CN23).

Shipping email to buyer

Determine rules regarding the way shipping notifications should be sent to your customers by email as soon as the shipment is on its way. The following three options are available:

Default behavior: The existing logistics settings from the project are used. You can carry out these settings in the Settings > Basic Settings > Projects > Open Project > Tab: Settings > Tab: Logistics / Shipping menu. In the Stage 1 (Picking/Order picking) and Stage 2 (Pack) sections, you can activate the check boxes named Email to inform your customers about the status of order processing.

No shipping email: No shipping information will be sent by email for this shipping method.

Custom text template: For this shipping method, the selected text template will be sent via email. You need to create this template in advance in the Settings > Basic Settings > Receipts > Text templates menu. Then select the desired template from the Text template drop-down menu. This selection will not use the project’s logistics settings for this shipping method.

Text template

This setting is only available if you have selected the Custom text template for the option Shipping mail to buyer. Select a specific text template to be sent for this shipping method. For example, this could be information tailored specifically to the shipping service provider or information for self pick-up, which may differ depending on the branch office.

Deliveries supported

When setting up the GLS (API) shipping method, this option is activated by default. Once you have carried out all the other necessary settings and set the shipping method to Active, you can select the shipping method in sales orders, delivery notes and in the dispatch center. This allows you to manually select the shipping method during all important steps of order processing in Xentral.

Returns supported

Enable this option to allow your customers to send returns for sales orders originally created using the GLS (API) shipping method.

Preferred return shipping method

Select a preferred shipping method for returns. If you create a return for a sales order in with the shipping method GLS (API) in Xentral, the shipping method selected here is automatically preselected in the return order. This setting applies to cases where you manually create returns in Xentral and also generate the return shipping yourself and send it to your customers.

Service

Select the shipping service that you have booked as part of your contract with GLS. For more information about the available services and their respective product identifiers, see the chapter Adding GLS shipping services in Xentral below.

Frankatur

Select the desired delivery terms for your GLS shipments from the drop-down menu. Refer to the guideline provided by GLS to learn more about delivery terms in general.

Referenz für Nachnahme

If you have booked the CashService service with GLS, you should enter a reference here which will later be included on the parcel label as additional information. You can also enter a free text. The following variables are available: {ORDER_ID}, {INVOICE_ID}, {DELIVERY_NOTE_ID}, {INTERNET}.

Afterwards, the reference will be displayed in the row Ref. No on the shipping label:

Minimum weight

Enter the required minimum weight for GLS shipments here. Any value greater than 0 is allowed. This setting is optional. If in doubt, check with your GLS account manager to see what information is expected here.

Adjust weight in

To create the shipping label, an accurate calculation of the total weight of the shipment including packaging material is required. Xentral, automatically calculates the shipment weight in the background by adding up the total weight of the items included in the sales order. The present option adds a weight specified by you. This creates a total value for the shipping declaration, which is taken into account when creating the shipping label and is automatically reported to GLS.

Decide whether the additional weight of the packaging material should be expressed in kg or %. Use the following setting called Adjust weight to define the extra weight more precisely.

Adjust weight to

This setting allows you to specify your details for the Adjust weight in setting. Enter the additional weight of the shipment in kilograms or percentages here, depending on the previous selection. Which calculation method and which specific values you choose depends on the packaging type of your products and the packaging materials you use.

Apply tracking

Activate this option to save the tracking number in Xentral directly to the corresponding sales order after the shipping label has been created. This means that the tracking number is permanently saved in your system and you do not have to rescan the shipping label after creation to record this data in Xentral.