Importing titles and media files

ONIXEDIT Cloud loads titles into the current catalogue from the Excel template you download from the app or from an ONIX 2.1 / ONIX 3.0 file, and attaches cover images and other media files to existing titles in bulk from an archive or a folder. Every import runs on the server as a background task that you follow from the Notifications menu of the top bar.

Where to find it

The import entries are in the Actions list of the title list toolbar, for both ONIX 2.1 (/2.1/catalogue/…) and ONIX 3.0 (/3.0/catalogue/…) catalogues. The file is always imported into the catalogue selected in the top bar.

Entry	What it does	Required rights
Download the Excel template	Saves Import.xlsx, the template of this catalogue.	Add and Modify
Import metadata from Excel template	Uploads a filled template.	Add and Modify
Import an ONIX file	Uploads an ONIX 2.1 or ONIX 3.0 file.	Add and Modify
Import Media Files	Uploads cover images or other media files and attaches them to their titles.	Modify

Excel and ONIX imports create the titles that do not exist yet and update the ones that do, hence both rights; a media import only adds files to existing titles, so Modify is enough. Without the rights, the entries are hidden.

Screen overview

The Import an ONIX file dialog: the Choose file to import field with its Browse button, and the Cancel and Upload buttons.

The Excel and ONIX imports share the same dialog: a Choose file to import field, a Browse button, Cancel and Upload. Upload stays disabled until a valid file is selected.

How to download the Excel template

1. Select the catalogue in the top bar.
2. Open Actions and choose Download the Excel template. The browser saves Import.xlsx.
3. Fill one row per title, one column per metadata element, and keep the column headings, which the import maps to ONIX.

The template depends on the ONIX version of the catalogue (a 2.1 and a 3.0 catalogue get different files) and is the generic ONIXEDIT Cloud template unless one was customised for your catalogue. It is also the file that Export selected products to Excel fills in, so an Excel export of your titles is a ready-to-edit copy you can import back.

How to import from the Excel template

1. Open Actions and choose Import metadata from Excel template. The Import an Excel file dialog opens.
2. Click Browse and pick your file: .xls, .xlsx, or a .zip archive containing it. Any other extension, or a file above the size limit, is refused with a message stating the rule.
3. Click Upload. A message confirms that the file was sent to the server.
4. Follow the Import metadata from Excel file task in the Notifications menu (see How to follow an import).

Rows whose title already exists in the catalogue update it; the other rows create new titles.

How to import an ONIX file

1. Open Actions and choose Import an ONIX file. The Import an ONIX file dialog opens.
2. Click Browse and pick the file: .xml, .onx, .onix, or a .zip archive containing it.
3. Click Upload, then follow the Import of XML file task in the Notifications menu.

Match the ONIX version of the catalogue

The file is imported in the ONIX version of the current catalogue: use an ONIX 2.1 file for a 2.1 catalogue and an ONIX 3.0 file for a 3.0 catalogue. If the task ends in error, More Details in the Notifications menu tells you why. The ONIX 3 options of a 3.0 catalogue can also transfer deprecated ONIX 3.0 elements to their 3.1 equivalents on import.

How to import cover images and media files

Prepare the files first — the name of each file is what links it to its title:

• For the front cover, the file name is the identifier of the title (ISBN, ISBN13, EAN or record reference) followed by the extension: 9780123456789.jpg.
• For any other image type, the identifier is followed by an underscore and any text you like: 9780123456789_back.jpg.
• Imported files keep their original name in your Media Space, so use different names for different image types of the same title.
• Use common image formats (JPEG, PNG, GIF or TIFF). Archives must be .zip or .gz.

Then import them:

1. Open Actions and choose Import Media Files. The Import media files dialog opens.
2. In Action, pick Import from an archive file (one compressed file) or Import from a local directory (every file of the folder you pick).
3. Click Browse next to Choose the archive to import... or Choose the directory to import... and select the archive or the folder.
4. In Image type, pick the type given to every file of this import. The list holds the media types authorised for your account in the ONIX version of the catalogue; the front cover (Image: front cover in ONIX 2.1, Front cover in ONIX 3.0) is preselected, and a type may show its own size limit ("… Mb maximum").
5. Click Upload.

The Import media files dialog: the Action selector, the naming instructions, the archive field with its Browse button and the Image type list.

The upload runs under the Uploading files button of the top bar, where you can Pause this upload, Resume this upload or Cancel this upload. Once everything has arrived, an Import media files task stores each file in your Media Space and attaches it to the media files of its title; a file whose name matches no title is not attached.

How to follow an import

Click the Notifications button of the top bar: each task shows its date, its type (Import of XML file, Import metadata from Excel file, Import media files), the file name and a status icon — queued, in progress with a percentage, completed, warning or error — refreshed every ten seconds. A failed task offers More Details, which opens the Error Details dialog. Delete task removes a finished task, Cancel task stops one in progress and Clear all tasks notifications empties the list.

When an Excel or ONIX import of the catalogue you are viewing ends, the File import finished dialog asks "A file import has finished for current catalogue. Do you want to refresh product list?". Refresh list reloads the list and its validation score; Back to list leaves it as it is — the Refresh product list button of the toolbar reloads it later.

Tips

Back up before a large import

An import updates existing titles without asking. Before a file that touches many titles, export the whole catalogue to ONIX so you can restore it.

Compress large files

The size limit is set by your administrator. A .zip archive of an ONIX or Excel file is accepted by both import dialogs and is many times smaller.

Frequently asked questions

Does importing an Excel or ONIX file overwrite my existing titles?

Yes. A title that already exists in the catalogue is updated with the content of the file and the others are created. That is why the import actions require both the Add and the Modify rights on the catalogue.

Why are the import entries missing from my Actions list?

Download the Excel template, Import metadata from Excel template and Import an ONIX file are shown only to users holding the Add and Modify rights on the catalogue; Import Media Files needs the Modify right. Ask your administrator if you need them.

How must I name cover images for a bulk import?

Name each file after the identifier of its title (ISBN, ISBN13, EAN or record reference) followed by the extension, for example 9780123456789.jpg. For an image type other than the front cover, add an underscore and any text after the identifier.

How do I know when my import is finished?

The Notifications button of the top bar lists the task and its status. When an Excel or ONIX import of the catalogue you are working in ends, a File import finished dialog offers to refresh the title list.

What is the maximum size of an import file?

The dialog refuses a file larger than the limit set by your administrator and tells you that limit in MB. Compress a large ONIX or Excel file as a .zip archive to stay under it.

Related

• Actions on titles — the rest of the Actions list.
• Exporting titles — ONIX and Excel exports, backups.
• Cover images and media files — adding files title by title.
• Media Space — where imported files are stored.
• The workspace — the Notifications and Uploading files menus.