import and export feature

[Mista Dave]

I've been reading alot of threads about importing v7 products into a new v8 design.

All the methods either wont work with our heavily (and badly) modified v7 design, or bring too much crap with them that I don't want.

I've tried importing snapshots, then importing a snapshot of the new v8 design twice over the top but the changes are so drastic in the new version (for me) that it doesnt work out.

I can use the import orders feature fine, so all i need moving is the basinc information for the sections and the products, nothing other than the bare minimum.

I have tried copy and pasting in the access database but its very awkward.

I have now just tried importing a v7 snapshot into v8, then using file>export to save the catalog to a csv file, then going to my new v8 design and doing file>import. Despite the csv only just being created by actinic, while importing it cant make sense of its field names and so can't import it properly.

This seems quite strange to me that both functions don't work togethere, am I doing something wrong?

Cheers

Dave

[wjcampbe]

Are you exporting to a flat file or a hierarchal file? Because the data has to be shoehorned into several tables, and some bits of data go into more than one table, and more than one field in any one table, the import has to be done in hierarchal mode. I have not had a hierarchal export fail to reimport yet.

Have you tried selecting the 'contents' checkbox when importing the snapshot to your new design? Does that get you any closer?

[pinbrook]

All the methods either wont work with our heavily (and badly) modified v7 design

if yout v7 site was badly modified your best bet is to start again with the design.

Thus take a snapshot of v7 bring it into v8 so you get products and orders, apply the default v8 design to rid yourself of the bad stuff and start from this point.

The extra time you now spend in rebuilding v8 will pay dividends in the long term

[RuralWeb]

All the methods either wont work with our heavily (and badly) modified v7 design, or bring too much crap with them that I don't want.

Take jos advice and get rid of your old design and start again - heavilly modified sites do not convert well and you will spend more time in the long run trying to fix then than you would building a new site in V8.

[Mista Dave]

Hi,

thanks for the replies, I am in fact trying to start from scratch with v8, Just the v7 snapshot brings in so much rubbish even when I've gone through it all and applied default templates theres still stuff all over the place. Our v7 is the result of upgrades all the way from v4 i think, so its carrying alot of excess baggage!

What it really needs as the whole product table being written again but I don't have time for that yet so hopefully I can fiddle things in the csv file befre importing it into my new design, I think Bill has hit the nail on the head here - I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Thanks All.

Dave

[pinbrook]

As part of the upgrade procesdure if you chose the default v8 theme it will throw all your old stuff away - which indeed the point of this upgrade path.

This particular feature was requested by seasoned actinic developers so a site like yours (with v4, v5 warts and all) could be thrown out and a new clean v8 installed.