Hierarchical Import

[fgs]

I'm trying to import a hierarchical spreadsheet into actinic to update the existing one. I've exported the old one and made some changes, but when I re-import it, most of it re-maps fine, but when I get to the page "Map field to product table" the top 11 lines map fine but for some reason in the 'map import field' column for the 'detail url of file' it seems to be blank and to the right of that in the 'to actinic field' column it inserts 'tax treatment' and I don't know where this has come from and because of this it's knocking all of the rows down, so that they don't map correctly.

Does anyone know how to correct this or get around it??

Thanks!

[Duncan Rounding]

Sounds like you have perhaps messed up some of the field headings, which is an easy thing to do in an H import.

Why not consider updating the data using a flat file - this is much simpler.

[fgs]

I haven't touched the field headings, after exporting from Actinic, which makes it even more difficult to undersatnd.

Can I have permutations and options using a flat file?

[pinbrook]

I've exported the old one and made some changes

go back and redo the export, test it by immediately re importing it. then do your changes bit by bit testing to find the point where you introduced the error.

no flat files do not do permutations

[fgs]

go back and redo the export, test it by immediately re importing it.

I already did this before importing the spreadsheet with the changes and it still did the same. It looks like that 'tax treatment' one is throwing everything out, but I'm not sure where that's come from.

[dallen]

this may be due to how you are editing the file.

Actinic dumps a CSV or TXT file - if you open this directly in Excel then it can very often re-format it - placing line breaks or cell breaks where there were line breaks or tabs in your Actinic text fields, or changing number formats to anything it damn well pleases!

Rather than opening the file in Excel, open a blank sheet and go Data->Import External Data->Import Data. Point it at the exported CSV/TXT file from Actinic and take some time to tell it which fields are text, which are general etc. When you get to the Tax Treatment column make it a 'text' value. Excel should then leave it be.

Once you're done editing, save as a .TXT Tab Delimited file and close.

DO NOT OPEN IT IN EXCEL AFTER THIS!

It should then be ok. If not, try posting a few of the offending lines here.
We have had all sorts of issues with people editing files in Excel then trying to import them, and we've solved them all...

If you're not using Excel to edit it, then please ignore this post!

/edit - heh - by the time i got round to finishing that there's been 2 more replies...
What does the offending cell contain for data?

[Goz]

It's been seen before...

http://community.actinic.com/showthread.php?t=34607

The rows are being mapped correctly - the display could be a bit better. The important thing is that the two right hand columns match. There is nothing in the import file to match the Tax Treatment field so the Map Import Field for it is blank. Everything else below is fine.


HTH.

Andy

[fgs]

The important thing is that the two right hand columns match.

Ah I see, thanks. So what's the left hand column for then? Or am I just being thick? lol.

[Goz]

I think the left hand column is just there to confirm that the fields in the import file have been successfully mapped (by the use of the tick).

[leehack]

And also for drag and dropping if you want to map a field to more than one field.

[Cheapprices4u]

following this advice, after a year or more arguing with excel

i used notepad copied and pasted from one product to another tweaking sizes and colours as i went and yippeee it done

so

my advice is USE NOTEPAD or similar NOT excel it just screws with your head

then sit down with a brew and copy and paste from a product you have done in the main software

cheers chaps

G