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Importer App: CSV Rules and File Requirements

Liz Gehret
  • Updated

To successfully upload a file via the Importer, the file must follow a strict set of requirements. These requirments include: 

  • A file size less than 50MB. If larger, you'll need to split it into separate files of 50MB or smaller.
  • All headers consisting of down-cased text, as the Importer is case-sensitive.
  • All preset values for each field being case-sensitive; casing will vary by each type of upload.
  • File must be exported in a true .CSV format.
  • File may not be another file type with a .CSV extension added to it.
  • File must be exported in Unicode (UTF-8).
  • All dates must be in yyyy-mm-dd format, unless otherwise specified in the UI.

Important: if you don't use UTF-8 format, it can cause bad encoding issues, which can lead to poorly translated records or failure to sync/import correctly.

 

Possible Errors

  • "There are characters we could not recogonize. Please fix these characters manually or convert your file to UTF-8 and re-upload to try again" indicates the file contains invalid characters that aren't in UTF-8 format - You'll need to convert your file to a UTF-8 to upload. 

UTF8_errors.png

  • "File name is invalid, File is invalid, File content typse is invalid" indicates the file wasn't saved as a .CSV - You'll need to convert your file to a .CSV to upload. 

File_not_saved_in_correct_format.png

  • "A system error occured while running this static analysis. Invalid byte sequence in UTF-8" indicates a non UTF-8 CSV file formating issue - You'll need to ensure all fomatting requirements are correct to upload. 

 

Other_format_error.png

 

 

Converting an Excel File to UTF-8 

If you are using Excel, you can choose "CSV UTF-8" to ensure you have the proper formatting. Follow these steps to convert your file:

    • Click File, then Save as from the menu.
    • In the 'Save as type' dropdown > select 'CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (.csv)'
    • Select 'Web Options' in the 'Tools...' dropdown at the bottom of the dialog box.
    • Select the 'Encoding' tab.
    • In the ‘Save this document as:’ dropdown, select ‘US-ASCII’
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For more information on how to export a file to a UTF-8, refer to this external document: https://docs.moodle.org/24/en/Converting_files_to_UTF-8

 

 

Tips

  • If you're unsure of the details in your file, you may use your command prompt to return some detail: $file filename.ext (e.g. $file users.csv)
  • Additionally, you may either view the file in a text editor or use a tool like the 'File Viewer'.
  • If you are still having issues, please reach out to contact us.