Tutorial: Import CSV

This tutorial provides examples of Importing Listings into AuctionWorx using the Import CSV feature.

The Import CSV can allow the site administrator to import many listings into the system at once. The starting point for this tutorial is a fresh installation of AuctionWorx Enterprise with the default settings.

Note: Third party software, Microsoft Excel and the FileZilla FTP Client, are used in this tutorial. These specific programs are not required for CSV imports – any comparable applications can be used.

 

Major sections in this tutorial:

 

Introduction to Importing a Listing

This introduction will take you through the process of importing a listing after covering the basics. First, it is important to become familiar with the dynamic CSV Import Help modal.

  1. Open the CSV Import Help table to better know what information and format a CSV file can accept. Sign in as an admin and navigate to the Admin Control Panel.
  2. Using the navigation on the left side of the Admin Control Panel, scroll down and click the link to Listings > Import CSV.
  3. On the Listings > Import CSV page, click the CSV Import Help button.

  4. The Import CSV Column Specifications table is a guide to the syntax that is required for each field that a listing uses. This list is a dynamic reference of importing guidelines based on site configuration settings.

 

Researching the Important Fields (the minimum required fields for published listings)

Our goal is to check the settings for each of these fields to ensure that our import will run smoothly. Take note of the following fields that will be used in this example:

  • Seller - All listings need a Seller.
  • Category - This is represented by the Category ID number. The category needs to already exist and it needs to be a leaf level category, meaning a category with no subcategories.
  • Listing Type - You can choose Auction, FixedPrice or Classified.
  • Title - All listings require a title that contains at least 3 characters and no more than 80 characters. Letters, numbers, spaces and some special characters can be used in this field.
  • Description - This field must contain at least 3 characters as well but, this field can accept both HTML markup and simple text. HTML is recommended.
  • Price - This field sets the starting price for an auction listing or the general price for Fixed Price and Classified listings.
  • Duration - By default the Listing Duration Options setting on the Admin Control Panel > Listings > Auction page is set to Duration Only. The default options are 3,5,7 or 10 days.

Note: Setting a specific End Date/Time rather than a Duration is also possible and is explained in the Importing a Fixed Price Listing example.

Seller

This field requires an existing username.

  1. Sign in as an admin user and open the Admin Control Panel.
  2. Navigate to the Users > Management page.
  3. Copy down the username from the table checking that the user is in fact marked as a seller. We will be using admin in this example.

Category

The categories are assigned a 6 digit number when they are created. We will need the Category ID number for the category we want the listing to be displayed under.

  1. Navigate to the Admin Control Panel > Categories > Edit page.
  2. Click on Category B at the top.

  3. Copy the Category ID next to the Currently Selected message just below the categories.

Note: The Category ID will be unique to your instance of AuctionWorx.

Listing Type

For this example use Auction. Auction Listings are enabled by default. You can check that Auction Listings are enabled by going to the Admin Control Panel > Listings > Auctions page.

Title

For the Title we will use "Test Listing". The Title is required and needs to be at least 3 characters and less than 80 characters.

Description

The description can be either plain text or HTML markup. In this example we will use the following HTML:

"<h1>Description:</h1><ul><li>one</li><li>two</li><li>etc...</li></ul>"

Price

This is the starting price for an Auction listing. Enter "100.00".

Duration

  1. Navigate to Admin Control Panel > Listings > Auction page.
  2. The Duration Days List setting contains a comma separated list of possible values that can be applied to the listing. For this listing we will use "3".

 

Uploading Images using FTP

The Image field is not required but obviously images are important to any Listing. The images need to be online so the system can access them with a URI. This URI can either point to a location on the internet where the image is hosted or it can point to a location on the server that is hosting the site. Using an FTP client like FileZilla will allow you to upload the images that will be referenced in the CSV file. If the images you want to use are already accessible with a URL (e.g. stored in Dropbox) you can skip this section.

Note: The shared link for Dropbox images may contain “?dl=0” at the end of the URI. These links will not be imported and will be flagged by the validator. Replace the “?dl=0” with “?raw=1” to import Dropbox images.

Install FileZilla

FileZilla is the FTP software that we are going to reference in this tutorial because it is a good free option.

FileZilla download page: https://filezilla-project.org/download.php

Note: Follow the steps in the wizard that are appropriate for your computer and operating system.

Connect to your Server and Upload the Images

The images we will be uploading will only be used during the CSV Import process. This folder will need to be placed in the Content folder on the server. The import process will create copies of the images to be used throughout the site. After the Listings have been imported, the images should be deleted to conserve space on the server. This is why the folder being moved is named CSVImportTemp, so it can be easily identified when the import is finished to delete or move off the server.

  1. Open FileZilla.
  2. Click on the Site Manager button in the top left of the window, then click New Site.
  3. Enter the FTP access information you received from RainWorx when your hosting was setup, otherwise get your FTP access information from your web hosting provider. Enter the following information on the General tab.

  • Host - ftp.domain.com
  • Port - 21
  • Protocol - FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
  • Encryption - "Use explicit FTP over TLS if available"
  • Logon Type - Normal
  • User - [provided username]
  • Password - [provided password]
  1. After entering the information into the Site Manager, click the Connect button at the bottom of the window.

    If everything was entered correctly you will see a Status message saying Directory listing of "/" successful
  2. The window will show two file explorers on the left and right. The left side is your local computer's file system and the right side is the server's file system. Navigate the left side to show the CSVImportTemp folder and navigate the right side to show the Content folder.
  3. Drag and drop the CSVImportTemp folder from the left side onto the Content folder on the right side.
  4. Congratulations! You have uploaded the images to the server and can now view them in a browser by going to:
    [your domain name]/content/CSVImportTemp/[filename]

 

Identify the Image URIs

The most efficient way to reference these images is by pointing to the file location and not the web address. You could just reference the web address described above but, with large batches of Listings it makes more sense to point to them directly.

  1. Logged in as an admin, navigate to the Admin Control Panel > Listings > Import CSV page and click the CSV Import Help button.
  2. In the notes for the field named Image_1 you will see a reference to the file path your server uses. This is automatically generated using the settings on your site to describe what the URI should look like.

Note: This will be different for each site based on how the server is setup so, do not rely o15n the example given below. Go by what it says in the CSV Import Help notes.

Example: file:///E:/webpub/domain.com/webdata/www/Content/CSVImportTemp/test1.jpg

The above example is what the value entered into the Image_1 field and subsequent image fields should look like. Images are not required and the rest of the tutorial will assume they are not being used or will be added later by editing the Listings individually.

 

Importing an Auction Listing

At this point we jump right in; download the template, enter the values, upload the file to validate the data and finally, upload the file to import the data.

Download the Template

  1. Navigate to Admin Control Panel > Listings > Import CSV.
  2. Click the Download Blank CSV Template button.

  3. Save the template file on your local hard drive.
  4. Open the CSV File in Excel. (or another similar application)

Enter the Values

  1. Enter the values into the appropriate columns on the 2nd row.
  2. After entering the required fields click Save. Be sure to keep the file in CSV format.

Upload the File to Validate the Data

  1. On the site, navigate to the Admin Control Panel > Listings > Import CSV page.
  2. Make sure that the Validate Data Only setting is checked and click the Choose File button.
  3. Check that the Report Email Address setting shows an email address you have access to and click the Upload CSV button.
  4. Check your email for the report on the validation of this listing. It should look something like this:

Upload the File to Import the Data

  1. Navigate to the Admin Control Panel > Listings > Import CSV page.
  2. Disable the Validate Data Only setting and click the Choose File button.
  3. Check that the Report Email Address setting shows an email address you have access to and click the Upload CSV button.
  4. The resulting email should look like this:
  5. Go to Category B on the site to view the newly imported listing.

 

Importing a Fixed Price Listing

Now that the basics have been covered with a simple auction listing it is time to explore a different listing type.

  1. Go to Admin Control Panel > Listings > Fixed Price and change the Listing Duration Options setting to End Date Only. Leave the Duration column empty in the CSV file and instead enter a future date/time value in the EndDTTM field.
  2. On the Admin Control Panel > Listings > Import CSV page, click the CSV Import Help button to review the values below step 4 that will be entered for this listing.
  1. Download a blank CSV Template.
  2. Enter the values below into the 2nd row and save the template.
  • Seller - "admin"
  • Category - Category B is "160535"
  • Listing Type - "FixedPrice".
  • Title - "Fixed Price Test Listing"
  • Description - Use the following HTML: "<h1>Description:</h1><ul><li>one</li><li>two</li><li>etc...</li></ul>"
  • Price - "100.00"
  • Quantity - "5"
  • Image_1 - "http://rainworx.com/test.jpg"
  • EndDTTM - "4/1/2020 8:56:09 AM"
  1. Upload the saved template with the Validate Data ONLY setting enabled.
  2. If the report that is emailed to you says "Success Count: 1" than upload the CSV file again with Validate Data ONLY disabled. Otherwise, check that the values entered are correct or make corrections based on the validation errors you have received.
  3. Navigate back to the Category B page to locate and view the newly imported listing.

 

Importing a Listing with a Custom Listing Field

In this example we will make an option list type custom listing field, download a new template and create a classified listing with data in the custom field.

Make a Custom Listing Field

  1. Navigate to Admin Control Panel > Listings > Custom Fields.
  2. Click on the Create Listing Field button.
  3. Enter the values below and click Create.
  • Name - Exterior Color
  • Type - Option List
  • Required - Off
  • Default Value - [Leave Blank]
  • Include on Invoice - Off
  • Include in Sales Report - Off
  • Display Order - 0
  • Visibility - Anonymous
  • Editability - Owner
  • Assign To All Categories - Checked
  1. After clicking Create, the form will switch to an Edit Listing Field form and a Manage Field Options form. On the Manage Field Options form add Red, Green and Blue as options by entering the color into the Name field and clicking the Add button.

Review the Help Modal and Download a New Template

  1. Navigate to Admin Control Panel > Listings > Import CSV page and click the We will be using admin in this example. button.

Note: For future reference, the new Custom Listing Field is added to the CSV Import Help modal with all the options displayed.

  1. Close the Help Modal and click the Download Blank CSV Template button then save it to your local computer.

Enter the Data and Upload the CSV File to Validate and Publish

  1. Open the latest CSV Template and fill in the columns with the information below:
  • Seller - "admin"
  • Category - "160535"
  • Listing Type - "FixedPrice".
  • Title - "Fixed Price Test Listing with Color Options"
  • Description - "<h1>Description:</h1><ul><li>one</li><li>two</li><li>etc...</li></ul>"
  • Price - "100.00"
  • Quantity - "5"
  • Image_1 - "http://rainworx.com/test.jpg"
  • EndDTTM - Pick a date and time in the future. "04/15/2020 08:56:09 AM"
  • Exterior Color - "Blue"
  1. Save the file go back to the Admin Control Panel > Listings > Import CSV.
  2. Upload the saved template with the Validate Data ONLY setting enabled.
  3. If the report that is emailed to you says "Success Count: 1" than upload the CSV file again with the Validate Data ONLY setting enabled. Otherwise, check that the values entered are correct or make corrections based on the validation errors you have received.

 

Navigate back to the Category B page to locate and view the newly imported listing.

 

Note: For more information about the specifics of the Import CSV feature see: Admin Control Panel > Listings > Import CSV