Reuse uploaded image from MediaService when creating TemplateAd (templateId=432)

[Chingiz Aitkul]

Hi there, I was able to create an Image TemplateAd (templateId=432) by directly creating a new Image via com.google.api.ads.common.lib.utils.Media.getMediaDataFromFile.

What I want to do now, is to reuse an Image I have previously uploaded via MediaService by its mediaId.

When I do this:

TemplateAd templateAd = new TemplateAd();

templateAd.setTemplateId(432L);

...

Image image = new Image();
image.setMediaId(image.getMediaId());
templateAd.setAdAsImage(newImage);

I get following request and error response. Could you please tell me why I get the error NullError.NULL_CONTENT? What am I doing wrong here?

Request:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<soapenv:Header>
<ns1:RequestHeader xmlns:ns1="https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/cm/v201402" soapenv:mustUnderstand="0">
<ns1:clientCustomerId>5329326840</ns1:clientCustomerId>
<ns1:developerToken>some_developer_token</ns1:developerToken>
<ns1:userAgent>some_agent</ns1:userAgent>
<ns1:validateOnly>false</ns1:validateOnly>
<ns1:partialFailure>false</ns1:partialFailure>
</ns1:RequestHeader>
</soapenv:Header>
<soapenv:Body>
<mutate xmlns="https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/cm/v201402">
<operations>
<operator>ADD</operator>
<operand>
<adGroupId>14655479043</adGroupId>
<ad xmlns:ns2="https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/cm/v201402" xsi:type="ns2:TemplateAd">
<ns2:url>some_url</ns2:url>
<ns2:displayUrl>some_display_url</ns2:displayUrl>
<ns2:templateId>432</ns2:templateId>
<ns2:templateElements>
<ns2:uniqueName>adData</ns2:uniqueName>
<ns2:fields>
<ns2:name>appId</ns2:name>
<ns2:type>TEXT</ns2:type>
<ns2:fieldText>some_app_id_text</ns2:fieldText>
</ns2:fields>
<ns2:fields>
<ns2:name>appStore</ns2:name>
<ns2:type>ENUM</ns2:type>
<ns2:fieldText>2</ns2:fieldText>
</ns2:fields>
</ns2:templateElements>
<ns2:adAsImage>
<ns2:mediaId>351043323</ns2:mediaId>
</ns2:adAsImage>
<ns2:dimensions>
<ns2:width>300</ns2:width>
<ns2:height>250</ns2:height>
</ns2:dimensions>
<ns2:name>some_ad_name</ns2:name>
</ad>
<status>PAUSED</status>
</operand>
</operations>
</mutate>
</soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

Respone:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
<soap:Header>
<ResponseHeader xmlns="https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/cm/v201402">
<requestId>0004fb7ba9c493000ae0ce41eb002b05</requestId>
<serviceName>AdGroupAdService</serviceName>
<methodName>mutate</methodName>
<operations>1</operations>
<responseTime>508</responseTime>
</ResponseHeader>
</soap:Header>
<soap:Body>
<soap:Fault>
<faultcode>soap:Server</faultcode>
<faultstring>[NullError.NULL_CONTENT @ operations[0].operand.ad.adAsImage]</faultstring>
<detail>
<ApiExceptionFault xmlns="https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/cm/v201402">
<message>[NullError.NULL_CONTENT @ operations[0].operand.ad.adAsImage]</message>
<ApplicationException.Type>ApiException</ApplicationException.Type>
<errors xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:type="NullError">
<fieldPath>operations[0].operand.ad.adAsImage</fieldPath>
<trigger/>
<errorString>NullError.NULL_CONTENT</errorString>
<ApiError.Type>NullError</ApiError.Type>
<reason>NULL_CONTENT</reason>
</errors>
</ApiExceptionFault>
</detail>
</soap:Fault>
</soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

[aitkul]

Sorry, typed wrong code im my post, what I tried was actually this:

TemplateAd templateAd = new TemplateAd();

templateAd.setTemplateId(432L);

...

Image image = new Image();

image.setMediaId(351043323);
templateAd.setAdAsImage(image);

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

From what I've found so far, when creating a TemplateAd and providing an Image object, you must populated the Image.data attribute directly -- you cannot simply provide a media ID.

The MediaService is only meant for:

• Upload new images for location extensions.
  
• Get the IDs of videos you want to use in template ads.
  

Cheers,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[aitkul]

Hi Josh, thank you for the feedback. Yes, I already read in https://developers.google.com/adwords/api/docs/reference/v201402/MediaService that these two options can be used with MediaService, it is however stated "for example", so I thought MediaService can be used for all types of ads.

I guess, I am left with no other option but to first upload the Image via AdGroupAdService, and then copy it using TemplateAd#setOriginAdId() if I want to reuse it.

[Vince NexonM]

Thank you for sharing this technique aitkul, I am able to copy an existing Template Ad that uses an Image from one campaign and copy it over to another different campaign using the same image as of v201502.