Metaobject export / import (Bulk)

After you have set up your Metaobject definition you will want to fill it with values. Adding instances one by one can be a hassle if you already have a bunch of entries planned out and you just have to insert that data into Shopify. The import/export feature solves that headache by making bulk editing or adding entries a breeze.

ACF uses the familiar interface of an Excel (XLSX) spreadsheet where you can quickly manage hundreds of instances at once, and when you are ready you just import the sheet and all your data is transferred to Shopify. Exporting your Metaobject data periodically, or before a big change, is also a great way to create a backup you can return to if anything goes wrong.

Where to find import and export

Open the app and switch the scope selector in the page’s top toolbar to Metaobject. Import and Export sit right next to it and always act on the scope that is currently selected - the modals confirm this with a line reading “You have selected metaobject to export data from.”

Note

An export contains only the values of your metaobject instances, not the metaobject definitions themselves. When you import into a different store, set up the definitions there first - either by copying & pasting them or by linking your stores and synchronizing the definitions

Exporting values

Exporting your Metaobject instances gives you a great overview of all your data, and serves as a template for editing and adding new information. Click Export to open the export modal:

• Email: an optional address that gets a notification once the export is finished. Leave it empty if you’d rather just watch the activity log.
• Export only certain fields: by default the file covers every metaobject definition in your store with all of their fields. Use this dropdown to narrow the export down to a selection instead.
• Export status only: exports just the _status column. Handy when you only want to change what is published on your storefront without touching any of the actual data.
• Filter by status: only export instances that are in the selected status. Combined with the option above this is the quickest way to publish a batch of drafts, or to hide a batch of live entries.

Click Export custom fields values to start the job. Exports run in the background, so you can leave the page - the finished file is downloaded from the Download column of the activity log.

Data format

When you export your Metaobject data you will get a sheet looking something like this:

Some important things you should know are:

• One sheet is created per metaobject definition, and the sheet name is the type of the Metaobject. This keeps the data neatly organised when you export several definitions at once.
• The rows are instances, the columns are the field definitions of the instance.
• You need all the fields of a Metaobject in order to update it. Partial updates of a Metaobject definition are not supported - if the file you are importing does not contain all the required fields, the import will not be valid.

Importing values

After you have edited your spreadsheet it is time to import it back into Shopify. Click Import to open the import modal:

• Scheduled import time: check Schedule import to pick a date and time instead of running the import right away. See Schedule Imports in Accentuate Custom Fields for the full workflow.
• Import file: click Add file and select the XLSX file you want to import. The primary button stays disabled until a file is attached.
• Email: an optional address that gets a notification once the import is complete.
• Import layouts: only check this if the file you are importing was exported with layouts included.

Click Import custom fields values to upload the file. The import validates the file first and then starts automatically.

If you are using the import to create new Metaobject instances, leave the _id column empty. This tells ACF not to look for an existing instance by id, but to create an entirely new one instead.

Danger

Warning: importing the spreadsheet directly overwrites the values you have set in Shopify. Export a copy first if you want something to fall back on

Note

Only run one import activity at a time. API calls to your store are a limited resource, and several imports running in parallel may exhaust the limits provided by Shopify

Errors

If ACF runs into errors while importing your data, the job in the activity log keeps its status badge but gains an errors link next to it. Clicking that link opens the Errors for activity window, listing every affected instance together with the error message returned for it.

Errors are usually caused by bad formatting or a typo. Knowing which instance failed and why lets you either fix that instance by hand in the editor or - if there are many errors - correct the source file and run the import again.