Creating Categories via CSV

[DeanP]

Hello. First post here from a veteran Volusion user and e-commerce blogger making the switch to 3D Cart.

Can I create categories by uploading a CSV? If so, can I also match certain categories to certain category numbers? The idea here would be - for example - to match my Volusion category number (35) with my new 3DCart category number (also 35).

[cbsteven]

Hello. First post here from a veteran Volusion user and e-commerce blogger making the switch to 3D Cart.

Can I create categories by uploading a CSV? If so, can I also match certain categories to certain category numbers? The idea here would be - for example - to match my Volusion category number (35) with my new 3DCart category number (also 35).

You can create them via import no problem. Here is a link to the template file:
http://www.3dcart.com/downloads/impo...port_model.xls

I am not sure if you can specify the category ID when importing or not. I would venture to say that the answer is no. If you import something like:

Clothing > Shirts > Mens > Crew Neck

You are not just importing one category, you are importing 4 categories and each one gets it own database ID number. You generally do not ever need to know or refer to that ID number.

If you really want to manipulate the IDs you could probably used the Advanced API to do so, but I think the potential downside in messing up the database far outweighs the potential upside.

[DeanP]

The purpose in utilizing the ID numbers is that it allows me to set up the parent categories. In fact, the category structure will just transfer right over.

How about this? I "insert" a few hundred blank categories - cat1, cat2, cat3, etc. That should give me 400 or so blank categories. Then, I go back and "update" them with an additional CSV upload - matching up IDs and renaming categories correctly.

What do you think about that plan?

[cbsteven]

I think that would probably work. I'm sure there is some way to work around and do what you are thinking.

[DeanP]

Great, thank you. One more question regarding importing:

If I have, say, 100 existing categories, and I upload a CSV of 25 categories that I have made changes to - only those 25 listings in my new upload will be altered and the remaining 75 will remain unchanged, correct?