Uploading Attribute Data

Attribute data can be edited in bulk using CSV or Excel data files. 

Uploading attribute data

Once you have properly configured your Excel or CSV file to update a set of attributes stored in NetX: 

1. Use the Tools  button; select Upload attribute data.
2. Click the  Select file  button and choose the CSV or XLSX file you wish to upload, or drag the file to the upload window.
3. Once your file has been selected and appears in the window, click Upload.
4. Once the file has finished uploading successfully, you will receive a notification.

You can now navigate to the affected assets and see their updated attributes. Refresh your browser to see the new data. 

Formatting with Excel

Before configuring your data file, you must know two things about the attributes you are updating: 

• The name of each attribute you wish to update values for.
• The attribute's type. The type of attribute determines the formatting of your values while configuring your data file. 

To properly format an Excel file before uploading it into NetX:

• The first column must be assetId or file. This is how the uploaded attribute data is matched to the correct assets.
• Each subsequent column header must correspond to the exact name of the attribute being updated including spelling, casing, or any special characters.
• Under the header columns, each row should contain the values being applied to that row's asset, corresponding to the column header's attribute. These values must be formatted according to their respective attribute type . 
• Any empty rows or columns should be removed before the file is uploaded to NetX.
• The Excel file is limited to a single sheet (or tab). If an Excel file contains multiple sheets, only the first sheet will be imported.

Tips and tricks

• We recommend the first column of your data file be the assetId  of the asset being updated. Be cautious when using file; any variation from the exact value in NetX will cause the upload to fail. There may also be multiple assets with identical file attribute values, which may also cause undesired results or a failure to update the proper assets.
• Sometimes in Excel, empty cells in the middle of a row can cause the other values in that row to shift left. Updating attributes with blank values is therefore not recommended if using Excel. If you would like to clear any values already applied to an asset, use a CSV file with empty row values.
• For the most reliable results, Excel spreadsheets should be formatted as plain text.

Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing issues trying to upload your data file or seeing attribute value changes after upload, here are a few things to check:

• All header attributes are cased and spelled correctly.
• All pulldown, multiselect, and tag values match any value options exactly, or the upload will fail. This restriction may not apply if your site's administrator has configured your application to create new value options when uploading attribute data files.
• Number type attributes contain only numbers and conform to any decimal restrictions your site's administrator may have imposed while configuring the number attribute.
• If you're having trouble formatting your file, exporting the attributes you would like to edit will produce a fully-formatted data file. It will also allow you quickly to see any values that have already been applied to the assets.
• Applications such as Apple's Numbers may cause unexpected results while uploading attribute data. If you are experiencing issues while attempting to update assets, you may need to use an alternate software.

Custom attributes

As you assemble your Excel file, note that every attribute type has its own format for entering values. Use the examples below to format your file, as any formatting errors will either produce unexpected results or cause the entire upload to fail. 

Text

Attributes that have been created as text types are simple, one-line text fields. Values are not limited in format, but line breaks are not supported.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated.
• Dog name is the name of the text attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond to the name of the dog for each asset.

Text area

Text area attributes are larger text fields that can be used to display longer text values. Line breaks while uploading Excel files are supported and will appear as paragraph breaks once applied to attributes in NetX.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Description is the name of the text area attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond to the description applied to each asset.

Number

Number attribute types are restricted to number inputs. Every value must be a number — any other input will cause the upload to fail.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Weight  is the name of the number attribute being updated; the subsequent rows correspond to weight values for each asset.

Pulldown

Attributes created as pulldowns  have predefined values, only one of which can be applied to an attribute at a time.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Dog age is the name of the pulldown attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond exactly to the pulldown value options for that attribute.

Multiselect

Multiselect attributes have predefined value options, but unlike pulldowns, they can accept multiple values. When entering multiple values, each value must be separated by a comma, with no spaces in between on either side.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Dog color is the name of the multiselect attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond exactly to the multiselect value options for that attribute.
• Each Dog color value is separated by a comma inside its field without spaces on either side.

Tag

Tag attributes have predefined value options, and can accept multiple values. Each value must be separated by a comma, with no spaces in between on either side.

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Dog breeds  is the name of the tag attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond exactly to the tag value options for that attribute.
• Each breed value is separated by a comma inside its field with no spaces on either side.

Date

Attributes created as date types will strictly accept date values, though there are a variety of accepted formats that can be used. Only one date value may be applied to an attribute at a time.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Adoption date  is the name of the date attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond to the date the dog was adopted.
• The date is formatted as yyyy-mm-dd; though others are supported, yyyy-mm-dd is recommended and is the format displayed in the application. 

NetX accepts the following date formats in addition to the recommended yyyy-mm-dd format. Note that any format which includes timestamps will be accepted, but not stored in the database or visible in the application. Invalid date formats will cause the entire data upload to fail.

yyyyMMdd
dd-MM-yyyy
yyyy-MM-dd
MM/dd/yyyy
yyyy/MM/dd
dd MMM yyyy
dd MMMM yyyy
yyyyMMddHHmm
yyyyMMdd HHmm
dd-MM-yyyy HH:mm
yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm
MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm
yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm
dd MMM yyyy HH:mm
dd MMMM yyyy HH:mm
yyyyMMddHHmmss
yyyyMMdd HHmmss
dd-MM-yyyy HH:mm:ss
yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss
MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss
yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss
dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss
dd MMMM yyyy HH:mm:ss

System attributes

Certain system attributes can be written to when updating attributes via an Excel file.

file

The name of the asset's original file, including the file extension, and will be its name once downloaded from NetX. You must be at least a manager to modify this attribute.

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• file refers to the attribute being updated for that asset. This value will apply to the asset named in the assetId column. A file extension must be included or the update will fail. 

name

The name of the asset displayed in the application. The name attribute does not include a file extension, and is separate from the actual physical filename of your asset (file). You must be at least a manager to modify this attribute.

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• name  refers to the attribute being updated for that asset. This value will apply to the asset named in the assetId column.

hidden

The hidden attribute governs whether the asset appears in search results for any user who is not an administrator . The assets will still be visible in the following contexts:

• The relationships tab when linked
• Collections
• Direct URL access
• Share links
• Reviews

 The hidden attribute has two values: 0 and 1. If the value for an asset is 1, it will be hidden; if the value is 0, the asset will be shown in gallery and search results for all permitted users. You must be at least a producer to modify this attribute.

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated.
• hidden  has a value of 1 for assets 787, 791, 794, meaning that they are hidden from non-administrator searches and galleries even if they have explicit permission to the asset.
• Assets 846, 798, 8 52, 848, and 800 with a hidden value of 0 are fully visible in all searches and gallery contexts.

visible

The visible attribute determines whether or not users can see an asset in any context. Administrators may view and perform actions on these assets as usual.

The visible attribute has two values: 0 and 1. If the value for an asset is 1, it will be visible to any permitted users as usual; if the value is 0 the asset will be invisible to all users below the administrator level, even if they are permitted to the assets' folders. You must be at least an Administrator to modify this attribute, and the property below must have a value of true.

share.metadata.visibilityEnabled

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• visible has a value of 0 for assets 787, 791, 794, meaning that they are completely hidden from non-administrator users, regardless of any permissions they may have applied to them.
• Asset 846 has a value of 0 and are visible to any user with permission to the asset. 

pathAdd

Manager-level users and above can organize assets using an Excel file with the header pathAdd. Chosen assets are added to the folder named at the end of the file path, in addition to any existing folder locations. 

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated.
• pathAdd identifies the folder path. Each folder should be delimited with a / (forward slash).

pathMove

Manager-level users and above can organize assets using an Excel file with the header pathMove. Unlike pathAdd, this action removes assets from any pre-existing folders and moves them to the destination folder specified.

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated.
• pathAdd identifies the folder path. Each folder should be delimited with a / (forward slash).

Formatting CSV files

Before configuring your data file, you must know two things about the attributes you are updating: 

• The name of each attribute you want to update values for.
• The attribute's type. The type of attribute determines the formatting of your values while configuring your data file. 

To properly format a CSV file:

• The first column must be assetId or file. This is how the uploaded attribute data is matched to the correct assets.
• All column headers after the first column must correspond to the exact name of the attribute being updated including spelling, casing, or any special characters. These attribute names should be bookended with double quotation marks.
• Each row value thereafter should contain the values being applied to that row's asset, corresponding to the column header's attribute. These values must be formatted according to their respective attribute type .
• If the attribute is not the last column of your data file, a comma must follow the second quotation mark before the next column's attribute value throughout the entire row, regardless of whether or not the space between commas only contains empty double quotation marks.
• CSV files should not have any spaces between double quotation marks or the comma separators between attributes or values.

Tips and tricks

• We recommend the first column of your data file be the assetId  of the asset being updated. Be cautious when using file; any variation from the exact value in NetX will cause the upload to fail. There may also be multiple assets with identical file attribute values, which may also cause undesired results or a failure to update the proper assets.
• If an attribute value requires a double quote, such as quoted text in the middle of a text attribute, you must add a second double quote; if a double quote is needed at the end of the attribute value, add a third double quote, e.g. "Quoth the raven, ""Nevermore""". If you still experience issues using double quotes inside of your attribute values, we recommend using an xlsx file for those values. 
• While using a CSV file, double quotation marks in the middle of an attribute's value will cause the data upload to fail, as these will be interpreted as column headers. If you would like to upload a data file with attribute values containing double quotation marks, you should use an Excel file instead.
• Line breaks for text area attributes are not supported when using a CSV file. To add attribute values with line breaks, use an Excel file.

Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing issues trying to upload your data file or seeing unexpected attribute value results after uploading your file, here are a few things to check:

• All header attributes are cased and spelled correctly.
• All pulldown, multiselect, and tag values match any preset value options exactly, or the upload will fail. This restriction may not apply, if your site's administrator has configured your application to create new value options when uploading data files to write to attributes.
• Number type attributes contain only numbers, and conform to any decimal restrictions your site's administrator may have imposed.
• All columns and rows align with their respective attributes and assets; make sure any empty fields are still accounted for when aligning rows to attribute columns.
• All fields are properly bracketed with double quotation marks and delimited by commas with no spaces between quotation marks or commas.
• If you're having trouble formatting your file, exporting the attributes you would like to edit for the selection of assets you are updating will produce a fully-formatted data file. It will also allow you quickly to see any values that have already been applied to the assets.
• If you have issues uploading a CSV file into NetX, check that the CSV file is saved with the current encoding (UTF-8). This is especially important for non-English characters. MS-Excel is known to save CSV files in different encoding standards, depending on the OS of the machine where it is installed. For this reason, we recommend you use Excel to create .xlsx files for upload into NetX, or create a CSV using other programs that will ensure the file is set to the correct encoding. Open Office and Google Sheets are good alternatives. 

Attribute types

Text

Attributes that have been created as text types are simple, one-line text fields. Values are not limited in format, though line breaks are not supported.

In the example below: 

• assetId  corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Dog name  is the name of the text attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond to the name of the dog for each asset in the assetId column.
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

Text area

Text area  attributes are text fields which can be used for longer text values. Line breaks are not supported when using a CSV file to upload attribute data; to upload attribute data with line breaks, use an Excel file. 

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Description is the name of the text area attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond to the description that matches its asset in the asset ID column.
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file. Note there is no space following the comma.

Number

Number attribute types are restricted to pure number inputs.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Weight is the name of the number attribute being updated; the subsequent rows correspond to weight values for the asset named in the assetId column.
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

Pulldown

Attributes created as pulldowns  have predefined values, only  one  of which can be applied to an attribute at a time.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Dog age is the name of the pulldown attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond exactly to the pulldown value options for that attribute.
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

Multiselect

Multiselect  attributes have predefined values options, any number of which can be applied to an attribute at any given time. Each value must be separated by a comma, with  no  spaces in between on either side.

In the example below:

• assetId  corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated.
• Dog color  is the name of the multiselect attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond exactly to the multiselect value options for that attribute.
• Each color value inside a double-quoted field is separated by commas, without spaces.
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

Tag

Tag attributes have predefined values options, any number of which can be applied to an attribute at any given time. Each value must be separated by a comma, with no spaces in between on either side.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• Dog breeds is the name of the tag attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond exactly to the tag value options for that attribute.
• Each breed value inside a double-quoted field is separated by commas, without spaces.
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

Date

Attributes created as date types will strictly accept date values, though a variety of accepted formats can be used. Only  one  date value can be applied to an attribute at a time.

In the example below:

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated.
• Adoption date is the name of the tag attribute being updated; the subsequent row values correspond to the date the dog was adopted.
• The date is formatted as yyyy-mm-dd; though others are supported, yyyy-mm-dd is recommended as it is the format displayed in the application. 
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

NetX accepts the following date formats in addition to the recommended yyyy-mm-dd format. Note that any format which includes timestamps will be accepted, but not stored in the database or visible in the application. Invalid date formats will cause the entire data upload to fail.

yyyyMMdd
dd-MM-yyyy
yyyy-MM-dd
MM/dd/yyyy
yyyy/MM/dd
dd MMM yyyy
dd MMMM yyyy
yyyyMMddHHmm
yyyyMMdd HHmm
dd-MM-yyyy HH:mm
yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm
MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm
yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm
dd MMM yyyy HH:mm
dd MMMM yyyy HH:mm
yyyyMMddHHmmss
yyyyMMdd HHmmss
dd-MM-yyyy HH:mm:ss
yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss
MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss
yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss
dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss
dd MMMM yyyy HH:mm:ss

System attributes

Certain system attributes can be written to when updating attributes via an Excel file.

file

The name of the asset's original file, including the file extension, and will be its name once downloaded from NetX. You must be at least a manager to modify this attribute.

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• file refers to the attribute being updated for that asset. This value will apply to the asset named in the assetId column. A file extension must be included or the update will fail. 
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

name

The name of the asset displayed in the application. The name attribute does not include a file extension, and is separate from the actual physical filename of your asset (file). You must be at least a Director to modify this attribute.

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• name refers to the attribute being updated for that asset. This value will apply to the asset named in the assetId column.
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

hidden

The hidden attribute governs whether users (other than administrators) can view or search for the asset. Non-administrators can still view the asset in other contexts, such as reviews or its detail page. The hidden attribute has two values: 0 and 1. If the value for an asset is 1, it will be hidden; if the value is 0, the asset will be shown in gallery and search results for all permitted users. You must be at least a Producer to modify this attribute.

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• hidden has a value of 1 for assets 787, 791, 794, meaning that they are hidden from non-administrator searches and galleries even if they have explicit permission to the asset.
• Assets 846, 798, 8 52, 848, and 800 with a hidden value of 0 are fully visible in all searches and gallery contexts.
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

visible

The  visible attribute determines whether or not users can see an asset in any context. Administrators may view and perform actions on these assets as usual. The visible attribute has two values: 0 and 1. If the value for an asset is 1, it will be available to any permitted users as usual; if the value is 0 the asset will be invisible to all users below the administrator level, even if they are permitted to the assets' folders.  You must be at least an Administrator to modify this attribute, and the property below must have a value of true.

share.metadata.visibilityEnabled

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated. 
• visible has a value of 1 for assets 846, 798, 852, 848, and 800; they are are visible to any user with permission to the asset.
• Assets 787, 791, and 794 with a value of 0, they are completely hidden from non-administrator users, regardless of any permissions they may have applied to them.
• Each field is bookended by double quotation marks.
• The assetId field is followed by a comma, as it is not the row at the end of the file, with no space following the comma.

pathAdd

Manager-level users and above can organize assets using an Excel file with the header pathAdd. Chosen assets are added to the folder named at the end of the file path; when assets are added to the designated folder, it is in addition to any existing folder locations. 

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated.
• pathAdd identifies the folder path. Each folder should be delimited with a / (forward slash).

pathMove

Manager-level users and above can organize assets using an Excel file with the header pathMove. Chosen assets are moved to the folder named at the end of the file path; when assets are moved to the designated folder, they will be removed from all other folders, as with a standard move action while organizing assets using the NetX interface.

• assetId corresponds to the asset ID of each asset being updated.
• pathAdd identifies the folder path. Each folder should be delimited with a / (forward slash).

Advanced settings

You can allow users to add new values to existing attribute options for pulldown, multiselect, or tag attributes while uploading attribute values. This allows users to create new values as needed, without causing a dataset upload to fail. Note that if new values are supported for any of these attribute types, any user will be able to upload attribute values that do not match existing value options. This may result in misspellings or near-matches to existing value options.

Adding values to tag attributes

Allowing users to add new values to tag attributes can be configured on an attribute-by-attribute basis by administrators when creating custom tag attributes; simply select Allow users to create values while configuring the tag.

Adding values to pulldown and multiselect attributes

If the following property is enabled, users can add values to both pulldown and multiselect attribute types; this setting will apply to all attributes of both types.

metadata.autoAddOptionsForDataImports