Create a collection by uploading a .csv file

Creating a collection via a .csv file is one of the easiest and most convenient methods of creating a collection.

The csv file

It’s essential to structure your spreadsheet correctly. When using a spreadsheet to build a collection the rows represent your collection items and the columns represent attributes of each item.

It is critical to ensure that you include both a ‘key‘ and ‘value‘ column. This is the minimum you must include.

1. The key is a unique id given to each item in the collection.
2. The value is usually the human readable label of the item.

Each attribute of a collection occupies a column of your spreadsheet, with a header row as shown below. There must be one column with the field type = key and one with field type = value.

Keys can be in any case and can include spaces, numbers and characters, such as hyphens. In the image below, each entry in Column A shows a valid way to enter a key value.

Column C shows an additional attribute we have added to our items. You can have any number of additional attributes.

Formatting text in a .csv file

Within a .csv file you can use Markdown to format your text. Markdown is a lightweight and easy-to-use syntax for styling text on the web. Coreo will respect this formatting when displaying your items in Collection pages (these are used to create reference guides).

There’s a good guide to using Markdown here

Here’s an example of using Markdown in a .csv file and how it will render within a Collection page:

Saving your spreadsheet

Remember to save your spreadsheet as in .csv format. Proprietary formats like .xlsx won’t work.

Importing your collection

• In your project, choose Configuration from the menu and then select Collections in the Build Project section.

• Click on Create Collection

• Choose From CSV

• Give your collection a logical name and then navigate to the location of your .csv file. Click the “Create from CSV” button to complete the import of your data.

You should now see your collection appear in Coreo.

Adding Media to an Item

If you are intending to build a reference guide from your collection you might wish to add images and/or audio files to the items within it. To do this, follow the instructions below:

• Select the first item in your collection by clicking on it. This will launch the detailed view of the item. In this view you can edit fields in-situ.
• Select the Add Media button and then navigate to the folder containing the media that you’d like to attach.
• Select any images and/or audio files to import them

You can change the order of images by dragging and dropping any image to a new position.

Note that your media are saved to items automatically, so there is no ‘Save’ button.

• Use the breadcrumb trail at the top left of the item block to navigate back to the collection summary.

• Now upload the media for the remaining items in your collection.