4. Import Custom Options

fmImportExportCustomOptionsWizard

Import Custom Options Wizard will help you to update your database by selecting an appropriate action.

Pay attention to each page of the Wizard to import custom options to Magento correctly. Import is a rather complicated procedure and it may be destructive if performed incorrectly.

Create database backup before importing custom options especially if you do it for the first time.

1. First of all prepare a .csv file for Import. Make sure that it contains all the necessary fields and that all the data you are going to import are listed in the table.

If you have custom options list in Excel, you can convert your Excel files to the CSV format in the Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice application by using the Save As option. To perform this you need to use File -> Save As dialog box which contains a list of alternative file formats. Among the file extensions offered, you can find Text CSV file format. By saving your file into CSV format, Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice will export the first active worksheet with the correct delimiters.

2. To start import of Custom Options you need to click on Import/Export->Import/Export Custom Options button which calls the Import/Export Wizard.

Select [Import] and click the [Next >] button to continue.

3. Enter the .csv file you need to import or use browse button [...] to select one.

Also you can load previously saved Import Settings to use them now.

4. Source file preview shows a part of .csv file selected for import and contains important settings. If you specify wrong values, import may not work.

Delimiter character is the delimiter that is used to separate values (columns) in .csv file. The most popular delimiters are comma (,), semicolon (;) and tab character ( ), however other symbols can be used as well.

NOTE: .csv file contains data in row - column format and delimiter character are used to separate one column from another. If you specify incorrect delimiter, the file will not be parsed properly and import of custom options to Magento will not be done.

5. Select Store View.

6. The next step allows you to Assign columns from .csv file to appropriate database fields.

The left pane "Database Fields" shows the list of fields in your database that can receive data after import.

The topmost option here is Identify products and custom options by. Magento import Wizard of custom options will search for a custom option using selected method of identification.

The custom option will be modified if found, if not, then new custom option will be added.

The next option at this page is First row in .csv file contains field names but not values. Obviously, it should be checked if first row of .csv file contains data, otherwise uncheck this option.

To assign .csv column to database field you should select a field at the left pane and then click a column at the right pane.

[Auto link all...] button - try to set correspondence automatically for all the fields. Auto fill option will work only if .csv column name is the same as database field name ("translated").

[Unlink All] button - clear all "csv col" values at the left panel

7. Custom Options were not imported to your database yet. On Import Preview page you can see how .csv file was processed using custom options import settings, which you specified at the previous steps.

Check whether all the columns that you want to be imported are filled with data. If some of them are blank, that means that either you haven't assigned .csv column, or it is empty in source (.csv) file.

Columns that were not assigned will not be imported, whereas empty values will overwrite the existing.

8. Settings made at the Import options page may affect Import results. Please read and check your selection carefully.

Preimport Tasks

Do nothing

Delete all custom options for all products from source .csv file

Delete custom options that exist in source .csv file

Import Method

Add and Modify - it will add new product if it is not available in database yet and modify those products that were found

Add Only - this option only adds new products

Modify Only - this option only updates the existing products and does not add new entries, even if current product was not found

Just Add - this option may produce product duplicates, since Store Manager will not try to find the existing products, but will only add all products as new

Save Import Configuration

All import settings can be stored under some configuration. You can load it next time you decide to import products to Magento from a file with similar formatting, column names etc.