An imported CSV file with product information can contain the columns described below. We have an example of the CSV file that you can check; you can also make an example yourself by exporting products.
Important
CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor can import only the files that use the UTF-8 character set. If some values aren’t imported properly (or at all), please try saving your file with the UTF-8 encoding and importing it again.
This field is mandatory, and its value must be unique for each product. It can contain numbers, letters, or their combinations (up to 32 symbols). If you plan to export product data to a CSV file, make sure that the CODE for each product is specified.
Important
EXAMPLE: B0002OG6NY
Warning
If the value of the field is equal to any existing product code, the imported data will replace the data of that product.
A two-letter lowercase language code. This field is mandatory.
To find out a language code:
Important
EXAMPLE: en
The numeric ID of the product from the store’s database. If Product code is empty, then Product id will be used to identify the product instead.
Important
EXAMPLE: 130
The full path to the main category of the product. Parent and child categories in the path must be separated from each other with the Category delimiter that you specify when you import a CSV file with product data.
Important
EXAMPLE (the delimiter is ///): Computers///Desktops
Note
If the specified categories and subcategories don’t exist in the database, they will be created.
If the name of your category contains a colon (:), for example Promotions///Discount: 10%, then you need to escape it like this in the imported file: |Promotions///Discount: 10%|. Otherwise the category won’t be imported correctly.
The price of the product in your store. It must be in 0.00 format.
Important
EXAMPLE: 1600.00
The recommended price of the product. It is used to display a discount label on the storefront: Discount = List price - Price. The list price must be in 0.00 format.
Important
EXAMPLE: 1750.00
The status of the product:
Important
EXAMPLE: A
The weight of the product. You can configure the units of weight measurement under Settings → General. By default, it is lbs.
Important
EXAMPLE: 20.25
Note
The weight must be an integral number or a decimal fraction with no more than two decimal places. The fractional part is separated by a full point (.).
The minimum amount of this product that can be purchased in one order.
Important
EXAMPLE: 1
The maximum amount of this product that can be purchased in one order.
Important
EXAMPLE: 10
The number of items of this product by which a customer can increase or decrease the number of this product in cart. For example:
Then customers will be able to buy 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 items of this product in one order.
Important
EXAMPLE: 1
The maximum number of choices in the drop-down list that allows you to select the number of product items in cart. For example:
Then customers will be able to choose between 2, 4, or 6 items of this product.
Important
EXAMPLE: 10
Note
Using List qty count will turn the Quantity input field on the product page into a select box.
The additional shipping cost for this particular product, which is specified in the primary currency of the store. The shipping freight is added to the shipping charges calculated at checkout; it can be used as packaging cost.
Important
EXAMPLE: 2.00
Note
Assuming that the calculated shipping charges are $50, and the shipping freight of a product is $5, then having 3 items in the cart would make the total shipping cost $65.
The date when the product was added. It uses the following format:
dd mmm yyyy 00:00:00
Important
EXAMPLE: 25 Dec 2011 14:05:00
Note
If this field is not filled in, the date and time when the product was imported will be used instead.
Important
EXAMPLE: Y
Note
To allow the creation of downloadable products in your store, go to Settings → General and tick the Enable selling downloadable products checkbox.
The full path to the files of the downloadable product.
Important
EXAMPLE: /home/client/public_html/cscart-4.4.1/var/files/exim/backup/downloads/filename.pdf
The file can be specified without a path (just its name) if you specify Files directory when you import a CSV file with product data. Several files must be delimited with a comma.
Important
EXAMPLE: file1.pdf, file2.jpg
Important
EXAMPLE: Y
Important
EXAMPLE: D
This field determines what customers can do on the product page when the product is out of stock:
Important
EXAMPLE: B
Important
EXAMPLE: Y
This field describes the action when the product price is zero:
Important
EXAMPLE: A
Note
This field is available only with the Advanced Products Import add-on.
The path (or paths) to product images. Multiple images can be specified by using the image delimiter in the additional settings on the File tab of an import preset.
Important
EXAMPLE: exim/backup/images/main_image.jpg///exim/backup/images/additional_image.jpg
The image file can be specified without a path (just its name) if you specify Images directory when you import a CSV file with product data.
You can specify alternative text for images by adding it after the path.
Important
EXAMPLE: exim/backup/images/main_image.jpg#{[ar]:Arabic alt text;[en]:English alt text;}///exim/backup/images/Nadditional_image.jpg#{[ar]:Arabic alt text;[en]:English alt text;}
If each product image has its own column (in a CSV file) or node (in an XML file), you can map all of them to Images. Then these fields will be combined properly, and multiple images will be imported for a product.
The full path to the detailed product image.
Important
EXAMPLE: /home/client/public_html/cscart/var/files/exim/backup/images/detailed_image.jpg
The image file can be specified without a path (just its name) if you specify Images directory when you import a CSV file with product data.
You can specify alternative text for images by adding it after the path. For example, to specify ALT TEXT as an alternative text for image in English and German, import the image as follows:
Important
EXAMPLE: /home/client/public_html/cscart/var/files/exim/backup/images/detailed_image.jpg#{[de]:ALT TEXT;[en]:ALT TEXT;}
The full path to the product thumbnail image. Thumbnails are generated from detailed images automatically, so you need to use this field only if you want a thumbnail that is different from the detailed image of the product.
Important
EXAMPLE: /home/client/public_html/cscart/var/files/exim/backup/images/thumbnail_image.jpg
Note
Specifying the paths and alternative text of the thumbnail works the same way as for the detailed image.
The name of the product, which can contain up to 255 symbols.
Important
EXAMPLE: Adidas Men’s ClimaCool Short Sleeve Mock
The full description of the product, which can contain up to 16 777 215 symbols.
Important
EXAMPLE: ClimaCool is softer than cotton and resists pilling better than other natural and synthetic fibers. The shape and placement of ClimaCool fibers help move moisture quickly to the outer surface, where it evaporates away from the body.
An imported file may contain HTML markup that affects the look of the text. It often occurs in the description, for example:
<p><i>ClimaCool</i> is softer than cotton and resists pilling better than other natural and synthetic fibers.</p>
For CSV files it doesn’t matter, but when you import an XML file, a problem occurs: XML and HTML tags both look like <...>, and CS-Cart can’t distinguish what is what. That’s why HTML tags (a part of the description) must be separated from the XML tags (a part of the file structure). A text with HTML markup must be imported as follows:
<![CDATA[<p><i>ClimaCool</i> is softer than cotton and resists pilling better than other natural and synthetic fibers.</p>]]>
The short description of the product, which can contain up to 16 777 215 symbols.
Important
EXAMPLE: 100% circular rib Coolmax« Extreme 1x1 mini-rib solid pique mock with UV and anti-microbial finish.
The meta keywords of the product, which can contain up to 255 symbols; used for SEO purposes.
Important
EXAMPLE: adidas, climacool, clima cool, mock turtleneck, golf shirts, uv protection, sun
The meta description of the product, which can contain up to 255 symbols; used for SEO purposes.
Important
EXAMPLE: Adidas Men’s ClimaCool Short Sleeve Mock
The list of search words for the product, which can contain up to 65 535 symbols. A product with search words can be found by entering these search words in the CS-Cart’s built-in search bar.
Important
EXAMPLE: adidas, climacool, men
Note
CS-Cart & Multi-Vendor search is not case-sensitive.
The name of the page as displayed in a browser, which can contain up to 255 symbols.
Important
EXAMPLE: Adidas Men’s ClimaCool Short Sleeve Mock
A short promo text displayed on the product page, which can contain up to 16 777 215 symbols.
Important
EXAMPLE: FREE US shipping over $100! Orders within next 2 days will be shipped on Monday
The names of the taxes which will be applied to the product. Several taxes must be delimited with a comma.
Important
EXAMPLE: VAT, test
Warning
Create taxes before you import products with those taxes.
All features that you import must follow this format:
{Feature ID} (Group name) Feature name: Feature type[Feature value]
Several features must be delimited with a semicolon.
Important
EXAMPLE: T[1233423423]; Release date: D[05/05/07]; Color: S[Red]
Note
If a feature or its variant doesn’t exist in the database, it will be created automatically. You can also create features manually or import them before you import products with those features.
The common ID that ties multiple product variations into one group. For example, if you sell a T-shirt with features like Size and Color, then medium white T-shirt and small blue T-shirt will be product variations. If their variation group code is the same, customers will be able to switch between these variations on the product page.
A group code can contain only digits, Latin characters, and the following signs: - and _.
We have a separate article on how to import product variations.
Important
EXAMPLE: T-shirt_Need4Sports
Note
This column will work only if the imported file also includes Variation group code.
Multiple product variations can share one catalog item. In that case, customers will see only one of those variations in the product list on the storefront. Other variations will be selectable on the product page.
This column allows you to choose which variation customers will see first on the product list. It is not mandatory. Here is what happens if you don’t include this column:
Important
EXAMPLE: Y
All product options that you import must follow this format:
(Storefront) Option name: Option type[Variant 1///variant_property=value///variant_property=value, ..., Variant N///variant_property=value///variant_property=value]///setting=value///setting=value
Note
Several options must be delimited with a semicolon (;).
(Storefront)—the name of the storefront.
Warning
If you don’t specify the storefront, you won’t be able to edit the options.
Option name—the name of the option.
Option type—one of the following option types:
Important
EXAMPLE (text options): (Simtech) Your age: IG; (Simtech) Date of birth: IG; (Simtech) Notes: TG
Variants can be specified for select box (SG) and radio group (RG) options right after the option type:
(Storefront) Option name: Option type[Variant 1///variant_property=value///variant_property=value, ..., Variant N///variant_property=value///variant_property=value]
Variant 1, ..., Variant N—the names of the variants.
Important
EXAMPLE: (Simtech) Color: SG[Red, Green, Blue]; (Simtech) Size: RG[S, M, L, XL, XXL]
///—the feature values delimiter that you specify when you import a CSV file with product data.
variant_property=value///variant_property=value—the properties of an option variant:
Important
EXAMPLE: (Simtech) Size: SG[Normal,Large///modifier=10.000///modifier_type=P///weight_modifier=20.000///weight_modifier_type=A]; Color: SG[Grey///image=exim/backup/images/variant_image/grey_example.jpg,Black///modifier=50.000///modifier_type=A///image=exim/backup/images/variant_image/black_example.jpg]
Settings can be specified after the option variants. Here are the settings that you may specify:
inventory—determines if this option can be a part of an option combination and has to be tracked separately:
missing_variants_handling—determines what happens when all the variants of the option are disabled or not specified at all:
required—if an option is required, customers will have to select/enter the variant of this option:
status—the status of the option:
Important
EXAMPLE: (Simtech) Color: SG[Red///modifier=5///modifier_type=A,Green///modifier=10///modifier_type=P]///inventory=Y///missing_variants_handling=M///required=Y///status=A
multiupload (for options with the File (F) type)—determines if customers can upload several files for one option:
allowed_extensions (for options with the File (FG) type)—the extensions of the files that the customers are allowed to upload:
max_file_size (for options with the File (FG) type)—the maximum size of an uploaded file in KBs.
Important
EXAMPLE: (Simtech) Custom image: FG///required=Y///multiupload=N///allowed_extensions=jpg,bmp,gif///max_file_size=1000
The full path to additional categories to which the product is assigned. Parent and child categories must be separated with the Category delimiter that you specify when you import a CSV file with product data. If a product is assigned to several secondary categories, the paths to each category must be delimited with a semicolon (;).
Important
EXAMPLE (the delimiter is ///): Computers///New products; Computers///Desktops
If the name of your category contains a colon (:), for example Promotions///Discount: 10%, then you need to escape it like this in the imported file: |Promotions///Discount: 10%|. Otherwise the category won’t be imported correctly.
When you have multiple secondary categories, it can look like this: Best Products;|Promotions///Discount: 10%|.
The minimum and maximum number of product items to be shipped in a separate box. This field is used for automatic calculation of the shipping cost. The format of data in this field is as follows: min:[number];max:[number].
Important
EXAMPLE: min:1;max:5
Dimensions of a box. This field is used for automatic calculation of the shipping cost. The format of data in this field is as follows:
length:[number];width:[number];height:[number]
Important
EXAMPLE: length:10;width:15;height:15
Numeric IDs of the user groups will be able to see the product. Here are the IDs that CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor have by default:
Important
EXAMPLE: 0,1,2,3
The date when the product becomes available for sale. It is used when the out-of-stock action is set to Buy in advance. It must use the following format:
dd mmm yyyy 00:00:00
Important
EXAMPLE: 25 Dec 2015 14:05:00
The type of the product option exceptions:
Important
EXAMPLE: F
The order in which option variants are selected by a customer on the product page:
Important
EXAMPLE: S
The store that the item belongs to. This field is mandatory in CS-Cart.
Important
EXAMPLE: Sample Store
Note
Multi-Vendor has the Vendor field instead.
Important
EXAMPLE: Y
Important
EXAMPLE: Y
Important
EXAMPLE: Y
The popularity of the product. It is an integer that changes depending on the activity around the product (when the product is viewed, added to cart, removed from cart, or purchased). The higher it is, the more popular the product is.
Important
EXAMPLE: 8
Questions & Feedback
Have any questions that weren't answered here? Need help with solving a problem in your online store? Want to report a bug in our software? Find out how to contact us.