Importing/exporting categories

Importing categories

By using a spreadsheet upload you can import categories in bulk. The spreadsheet must be in a specific format in order to work correctly.

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Downloading the spreadsheet template

In the ‘Import Template’ section you can download a template of the spreadsheet in the correct format:

Select download your template, and the template will be downloaded to your computer’s hard drive.

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Field guidance for filling in the spreadsheet

Open the downloaded file and fill in the spreadsheet according to the following guidance:

Category ID

If you’re creating a new category, leave this field empty. If you’re updating a category, after taking an export, do not change the number in this field as the system uses it to distinguish your categories.

Category Title/Name

Enter the name of the category in this field. Do not use HTML.

Category Description

In this field place the description for the category. You can use HTML or normal text. Don’t use more than 1 row of the spreadsheet.

Category Image File/URL

Use this field to add an image for the category. Only .jpg .jpeg .png and .gif files are accepted. .webp images cannot be imported.

If the image is already hosted on a website, provide the URL for the image here. The system will then collect the image and place a copy on the servers. Ensure that your image file name does not include any query strings after the file name. (For example, http://www.website.com/images/imagefile.jpg will work, but http://www.website.com/images/filename.aspx?id=12345678 won't.

If the image is on your computer’s hard drive, follow these instructions to include the image for your category.

Category Image ALT Tag

In this field specify an ALT tag for the image.

Is This A Featured Category?

If the category should be featured on the home page of your website, enter a 1 in this field. If not, enter a 0 or leave the field blank.

Inactive

If the category is inactive, enter yes or 1 in this field. If it is active leave this field blank.

Parent Category 1 (and 2, 3)

Use this field to enter a parent category if the category has one. For multiple parent categories (each category can have up to 3), enter one name per parent category field. You only need to enter the direct parent category(ies) here. You don’t need to enter the full category structure.

Trade Category

If you are using the trade accounts app, use this field to determine if the category is a trade category. Enter yes in the field if you want the category to be a trade category.

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SEO field guidance

These fields are optional as the system will create the details for you if you choose not to fill them in:

Title Tag

Use this field to specify a meta title for the category. Try not to use more than 70 characters.

URL

If you want your category to have a particular URL, enter it in this field. You don’t need to enter your domain name, just what you want the last part of the URL to be. You can only enter letters, numbers or the - or _ characters. Nothing else is allowed.

Meta Description

Use this field to specify a meta description of up to 160 characters.

Meta Keywords

Enter up to 6 keywords/phrases here. Separate each one with a comma.

When creating the spreadsheet do not change the names of the column headings as the system needs these to process your upload.

Each category should be placed on a new row of the spreadsheet.

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Save the template

Once you have finished editing your spreadsheet you must save it as a CSV file in order for it to process correctly. If you are using an Apple Mac computer save the file as a Windows Comma Separated (.csv) file.

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Upload the template

Use the ‘Import Your Categories’ section on the 'Category Import/Export' page to upload your completed template:

Select Choose file and choose the file from your computer’s hard drive.

Select upload & process the import, and the box will change to tell you how many new and updated categories the system thinks are in your spreadsheet:

If this information looks correct, click the proceed button to import the file.

After the system has finished processing the file you will see a ‘Your Import Has Finished’ success message:

Exporting categories

To download a CSV file of your existing categories use the section at the bottom of the page titled ‘Export Your Categories’. Select the prepare your export button:

Allow the system to process the document, and then select download your export to download the file to your computer’s hard drive:

Updating categories

To update your categories in bulk first take an export of your current categories. Open the file and edit the information in the columns according to the field guidance (as explained in the 'Importing categories' section of this guide). Once you have finished making changes, save your spreadsheet as a CSV file, and upload the file using the ‘Import Your Categories’ section on the category import/export page.