Import from CSV
To help you populate your database much more easily, you can use the Import CSV feature. With it, you can import data from the admin backend as a bulk upload, which will append the data to your existing database.
To access this page go to Components/Raffle Factory/Settings/Import/Export and click on Import CSV. There, you will find 2 fields which will allow you to upload a ".csv" file and an archive with images corresponding with the uploaded CSV respectively.
The ".csv" file needs to be written in a specific order and format to be eligible for upload and have no errors, since each value will be inserted in the database.
For the Raffle CSV file you will need the header on the first row to contain all the names of the fields and on the next rows, details and parameters regarding the raffles that will be added in those respective fields.
It is also very important that the information is separated by tab spacing.
The names of the fields found in database are defined by the "auction.php" file found on "components\com_rafflefactory\helpers".
You need to also define the column headers in the file.
To know exactly how the structure of the file must be, here is a list of the fields and how they need to be ordered on the .csv file:
| Name | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| title | Text which will be used as the name of the raffle | LG Nexus 4 |
| short_description | Short descriptive text regarding the raffle which will be displayed on listings | Comes with warranty from LG |
| description | Larger descriptive text regarding the raffle which can also contain HTML and that will be displayed on the details page | The phone is equipped with a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2 GB of RAM, 8 or 16 GB of internal storage,[9] front facing 1.3 megapixel camera and an 8 megapixel rear camera and a micro-SIM card tray. The phone was launched with the new Android 4.2 operating system, titled (as was Android 4.1) "Jelly Bean" |
| user_id | This is the ID shown next to the username in the userlist | 612 |
| reserve_price | Reserve price set for the raffle | 800 |
| currency | Currency used for the raffle price, use one that is available on the Currency Manager list (USD, EUR, AUD, etc.) | EUR |
| auction_type | Parameter regarding the type of the raffle: 1=Public ; 2=Private | 1 |
| start_date | Date of when the raffle starts which is required to be filled in (Y-m-d H:i:s) | 2013-05-15 15:00:00 |
| end_date | Date of when the raffle ends which is required to be filled in (Y-m-d H:i:s) | 2014-03-09 15:00:00 |
| category | The ID of one of the available categories, you can see this on the address bar by editing the category from Manage Categories page | 70 |
| featured | Parameter regarding the featured status of the raffle: 0=No ; 1=Yes | 0 |
| picture | Name of the images representing the respective product | nexus.jpg |
| approved | Parameter regarding the approved status of the raffle: 0=No ; 1=Yes | 1 |
| tags | Names of relevant tags related to the raffle, add them separated by comas | nexus4,lg,google |
| ticket_price | Price set for the tickets of that raffle | 10 |
| tickets_nr | Number of the available tickets for that raffle | 200 |
| user_tickets_bought_limit | Number representing the maximum amount of tickets an user can buy, add "0" for no limit | 8 |
| pictures | Names of additional images, add them separated by comas if more than one | nexusblack.jpg,nexuswhite.jpg |
Be sure that the images names added on the .csv file match with the ones from the archive.
To help you even further to understand the structure of the CSV file, you can download raffle_import_sample.csv.
More information available on our forum at: http://thephpfactory.com/forum/raffle-factory/9170-import-csv-sample-file
(!) Documentation based on Raffle Factory version 3.5.1