Importing and exporting categories

Use the Categories Import and Export page to:

  • Export a category text file
  • Import new categories
  • Edit existing categories

Catalogs and Categories tab

You can create and edit categories for your catalog from the Catalog and Categories tab.

Catalogs and Categories attributes

Attribute Categories
Export Categories
Catalog Select the catalog you want to export from the list.
Locale

Select a locale from the list. The locale determines the country and language. A locale represents a language, country, and currency. A code identifies the locale. For example, the United States English is en_US. Locales are not limited to a single country or language. A country can have more than one locale, and some countries share locales. For example, Canada has two locales because it has two official languages: English and French.
Export Option

Choose the type of category you want to export. Your options are as follows:

  • Blank Template—Select this option if you want to export a blank category template that you can use to create new categories. A blank spreadsheet contains columns for all the fields and attributes you need to set for a category. Enter specific information in each cell for the category, such as the display name, ID, or short category description.

    Blank spreadsheets do not contain any actual data.

  • Categories (Spreadsheet)—Select this option if you want to export the category data in a spreadsheet format.
  • Categories (Text)—Select this option if you want to export the category data in a text format. You can use the text file as a reference when adding or working with your catalog. You cannot import the text version of your catalog tree.
Import Categories
File Click Choose File and select the categories spreadsheet you want to import.

When working with a spreadsheet, note the following:

  • Each row represents a category.
  • An asterisk indicates the cell requires a value. If the value is missing, the system will not import the data.
  • Gray text in a column header indicates the cells are disabled. These cells represent data that is generated by the system.
Attributes Description
Catalog Indicates whether the category appears on your site. Enter TRUE if you want shoppers to see this category or FALSE if you do not want shoppers to see this category.
CatalogID The Catalog's ID.
Locale The locale associated with the categories.
Upload Status The upload state for the category.
*Display Category The name of the category as you want it to appear on your site.
*Category Name

The category name used internally by the system. Shoppers will not see this category name in your store.
*Display Name The name of the category as you want it to appear on your site.
*ID

The system-generated ID for the category.

Note: If you are creating or modifying a category, do not enter anything in the ID cell. The system automatically generates the category ID when you create or import a category. Editing this value may cause problems on your site.
Parent ID

If the category is a subcategory for another category, enter the ID for the parent category. You can edit this number to assign the subcategory to another category.

Tip: Export a text version of the parent category structure and use it as a reference.

Category Image Name

The file name for the image associated with the category on your site. Category images are optional.

You must import the image referenced here into the system (after you import the spreadsheet). See the description of Category Image in Creating a category for instructions.
Short Category Description A brief description of the category. The description may appear on your site, depending on how it is set up.
Long Category Description A full description of the category. The description may appear on your site, depending on how it is set up.

You can export a text version of your category structure to use as a reference when working with your categories in the Import and Export spreadsheets or the Global Commerce. Note that you can only use an exported text file as a reference. You cannot apply changes to the file and import the file back into Global Commerce.

Required Role: Catalog ManagerClosed This Global Commerce user role allows users to access the catalog, including product features, categories, subscriptions, and tags. The user can also preview sites.

  1. Select Catalog, select Catalog and Categories, and then click Import and Export Categories. The Catalogs and Categories tab appears on the Categories Import and Export page.

  2. Select the catalog that you want to export to a text file from the Catalog list. You can only export from one catalog at a time.

  3. From the Locale list, select the locale you want to export. You can only export a text file for one locale at a time.

  4. Select Categories (Text) option as the Export Option.

  5. Click Export. When prompted, save the file on your computer.

Required Role: Catalog ManagerClosed This Global Commerce user role allows users to access the catalog, including product features, categories, subscriptions, and tags. The user can also preview sites.

  1. Select Catalog, Catalogs and Categories, and then click Import and Export Categories. The Categories Import and Export page appears.

  2. Select the catalog that you want to export to a text file from the Catalog list. You can only export from one catalog at a time.

  3. From the Locale list, select the locale you want to export. You can only export a text file for one locale at a time.

  4. Select Categories (Spreadsheet) option as the Export Option.

  5. Click Export. When prompted, save the file on your computer.

Use the Categories Import and Export feature to create new categories in your catalog. Before you create categories, you must export a blank template spreadsheet for categories. Then you enter the category information in the template. When you import the template into the Global Commerce, the system creates the categories and adds them to your catalog.

When you upload categories in a spreadsheet, the system checks data for errors and warnings just as it checks new categories when you create them in Global Commerce. The system shows errors when you import the categories if the categories contain errors.

Example: An error message appears when a required cell is empty, or a cell contains the wrong value.

If a row contains an error, such as missing data for a required cell or the wrong value in a cell, the system skips the row, and an error appears when the import completes. If a row contains an error, the system does not skip the row that triggered the warning, and a warning appears when the import completes.

If you need to add product or category images (also called Resources) to your site, you can import them in a Zip file. The folder structure in the Zip file must follow the structure you see in your resource directory tree.

Required Role: Catalog ManagerClosed This Global Commerce user role allows users to access the catalog, including product features, categories, subscriptions, and tags. The user can also preview sites.

  1. Select Catalog, select Catalog and Categories, and then click Import and Export Categories. The Catalogs and Categories tab appears on the Categories Import and Export page.

  2. Export a blank template for categories:

    1. Under Export Categories, select the catalog where you want to create new categories.

      Note: You can only export a blank template for one catalog at a time. If you need to add categories to multiple catalogs, you must export a blank template for each catalog you want to create.

    2. Select the locale for the new categories from the Locale list.

      Note: You can only export a blank template for one locale at a time. If you need to add categories to multiple locales, you must export a blank template for each locale you want to support.

    3. Select Blank Template from Export Option.
    4. Click Export. When prompted, save the spreadsheet template on your computer.

  3. Open the blank template spreadsheet.

    When working with a spreadsheet, note the following:

    • Each row represents a category.
    • An asterisk indicates the cell requires a value. If the value is missing, the system will not import the data.
    • Gray text in a column header indicates the cells are disabled. These cells represent data that is generated by the system.
  4. Click Enable Editing at the top of the spreadsheet and complete the fields.
  5. Complete the fields in the spreadsheet. See Catalog spreadsheet attributes for a description of these attributes.
  6. When you finish entering the data for the categories, click Save and close the spreadsheet.
  7. When you are ready to import the spreadsheet, select Catalog, select Catalogs and Categories, and then click Import and Export Categories. The Categories Import and Export page appears.
  8. Click Choose File under Import Categories and browse to the location of the category spreadsheet you want to import.
  9. Click Import. The system checks the file for warnings and errors. If any are found they appear at the top of the page. See Importing and exporting categories for more information.

Use the Categories Import and Export feature to edit existing categories in your catalog. Before you edit categories, you must export your categories to a spreadsheet. When you export your categories, the system creates a spreadsheet that contains all the categories in your catalog.

Tip: Export a text version of the parent category structure and use it as a reference.

You can edit the categories in a spreadsheet and then import the spreadsheet to apply the changes to your catalog.

When you upload categories in a spreadsheet, the system checks data for errors and warnings just as it checks new categories when you create them in Global Commerce. The system shows errors when you import the categories if the categories contain errors.

Example: An error message appears when a required cell is empty, or a cell contains the wrong value.

If a row contains an error, such as missing data for a required cell or the wrong value in a cell, the system skips the row, and an error appears when the import completes. If a row contains an error, the system does not skip the row that triggered the warning, and a warning appears when the import completes.

Tip: If you need to import several product or category images (also called Resources) at once, you must import them using a Zip file. The folder structure in the Zip file must follow the structure you see in your resource directory tree. To learn how to create a Zip file to upload resource files, see Importing and exporting resources for instructions.

Required Role: Catalog ManagerClosed This Global Commerce user role allows users to access the catalog, including product features, categories, subscriptions, and tags. The user can also preview sites.

  1. Select Catalog, select Catalog and Categories, and then click Import and Export Categories. The Catalogs and Categories tab appears on the Categories Import and Export page.

  2. Export the categories that you want to edit:

    1. Under Export Categories, select the catalog that contains the categories you want to export.

      You can only export categories from one catalog at a time.

    2. Select Categories (Spreadsheet) from Export Option.
    3. Click Export. When prompted, save the categories template on your computer.

  3. Open the categories spreadsheet.

    When working with a spreadsheet, note the following:

    • Each row represents a category.
    • An asterisk indicates the cell requires a value. If the value is missing, the system will not import the data.
    • Gray text in a column header indicates the cells are disabled. These cells represent data that is generated by the system.
  4. Click Enable Editing at the top of the spreadsheet and complete the fields.
  5. Complete the fields in the spreadsheet. See Catalog spreadsheet attributes for a description of these attributes.
  6. When you finish entering the data for the categories, click Save and close the spreadsheet.
  7. When you are ready to import the spreadsheet, select Catalog, select Catalogs and Categories, and then click Import and Export Categories. The Categories Import and Export page appears.
  8. Click Choose File under Import Categories and browse to the location of the category spreadsheet you want to import.
  9. Click Import. The system checks the file for warnings and errors. If any are found they appear at the top of the page. See Importing and exporting categories for more information.