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Import content from a spreadsheet

Import content from a spreadsheet

Quickly populate your project with content by importing it from a CSV, XLSX, XLS or ODS file.
Bruno Wilson avatar
Written by Bruno Wilson. Updated over a week ago

This article explains how to import content from a spreadsheet into GatherContent.

Required spreadsheet structure for import

Your content should be in the following format to import into GatherContent. 

  • each row in your spreadsheet is an item - so row 1 should contain item names

  • each column in your spreadsheet is a field in the item - so column 1 should contain field titles. These will appear on the template as field labels once imported

  • For each template, you want to import content for, use a different sheet in the spreadsheet - so sheet 1 would contain content with 6 columns (6 fields), and sheet 2 contains content with 10 columns (10 fields).
    This does not work for CSV files - please use XLSX.

Tip: If you've exported content as a CSV or XLSX file from GatherContent, you can upload the output directly on the 'Import' tab 👍

Supported import file formats

You can import CSV, XLSX, XLS and ODS files. Any import spreadsheet should be plain text to enable a seamless import.

Import content from a spreadsheet

1. Click the 'Migrate' tab in the project you want to import into.

2. Select the 'Import' tab.
3. Drag the spreadsheet into the upload space shown. You can also click on the upload box to select a file from your file computer.

4. Click 'Import X items' when you see the 'Ready to import' message.

This will then import all the items from the spreadsheet. When you're running a large import, this may take some time.

5. Head to the 'Content' tab

This is where you'll see the imported items. If you leave the import screen, the import will continue to run in the background.

All imported items will have an 'auto template' structure applied to them, which contains the date and time of upload. This is created by GatherContent, based on the number of columns containing content in the import spreadsheet.

Edit the 'Auto template' once you have completed the import, to rename and add extra fields if needed. This will become the template you manage in GatherContent for these items 👍

Frequently asked questions

  • I'm having trouble with odd character encoding when importing?
    Save your spreadsheet as an XLS file and try the import again.

  • How do I turn my 'Auto template' into a template?
    All imported items will have an 'Auto template' applied. Treat this 'Auto template' like a normal template that you'd create manually from the Templates tab.

    Edit the 'Auto template' by renaming it to the template name of your choice. Also, edit the field labels and add instructions text to the fields.

  • The number of items on the 'ready to import' screen doesn't match the number of items in my spreadsheet.
    Applied formatting may be interfering with the spreadsheet structure being read correctly. Please copy the spreadsheet content into a new spreadsheet, and paste it as 'values' or 'plain text'. Try re-uploading the newly saved version.

  • Has the import finished? It's still loading and hasn't updated the page.
    This could mean the import hasn't worked for a variety of reasons. Things to check are:

    If you've got any cell references in your spreadsheet, this may be blocking the import. Copy and paste your spreadsheet values as plain text (values only) and try importing this version.

Still, having trouble importing your content from a spreadsheet? Please get in touch with us using the blue bubble at the bottom right-hand corner inside GatherContent.

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