How to Import and Process Any CSV or Excel File in WordPress

Posted on June 6th, 2022

WP All Import is the best plugin for importing CSV and XML file data with just four steps. The plugin is trusted by more than 12,000 customers worldwide. Its easy-to-use drag & drop interface makes complicated import tasks easy and fast, even with a large file structure.

The plugin allows you to import data into any theme or plugin. It also helps you migrate content from one CMS platform to WordPress to build a blogging website or real estate portal or whatever you like.

You can import images, custom fields, taxonomies, WooCommerce products, and much more with CSV or XML files and use it with just drag & drop.

Let’s look at some key features provided by the plugin:-

Plugin Features

  • Easy to use interface – Import any data in its field using Drag & Drop.
  • Import to any theme or plugin field – The plugin auto-detects custom fields, images, password-protected fields, taxonomies, and everything else in your WordPress site.
  • Update existing content with new data – Allows you to import data into existing posts with complete control over the data you want to import.
  • Upload any file type, size, and structure – Allows you to import from any CSV, XML, or spreadsheet. No need to arrange your data. Just drag & drop the data to the respective fields.
  • Import files from a URL – The plugin downloads and imports files from external URLs even if they are password protected with HTTP authentication. Also, URL imports are integrated with CRM features, so it can re-download the files and add or delete posts correspondingly after some time.
  • Execute custom PHP functions on data – Allows you to Execute any PHP function, such as user-defined functions or native functions inside any textbox function. For example, if the PHP function [str_replace(“,”, “”,{title[1] } ) ] is used to remove commas from the post title. Using double quotes instead of single quotes is necessary when using a function within WP All Import.
  • Import images to the media gallery – the plugin can download images from URL in an XML or CSV file and store them in the media gallery.
  • High-priority technical support – the team provides guaranteed technical support via email.

Let’s see how to import a CSV/XML file by installing WP All Import on WordPress.

How to import any CSV/XML file to WordPress

First, log in to WordPress and navigate Plugins from the dashboard’s sidebar. Now, click on the Add New button and type WP all Import on the search bar. You will see the plugin as per the picture below.

The correct plugin has more than 100,000 installations. Install and activate it.

Importing a file and using data from it is a four-step process. Let’s see how to use the plugin step-by-step.

Upload the CSV/XML file

For uploading the file, click on the WP all import option from the sidebar of the dashboard. You’ll see the screen like the following image.

There are three ways to upload your import file, which are:-

  1. Upload the file from your computer
  2. Paste the URL of the file
  3. Choose an existing file that you have already used with the plugin.

Here, for instance, I will import a file using uploading from the computer. 

As you see in the above image, You can now select what you want to import. You can import posts, pages, taxonomies, comments, users, Woocommerce orders, Woocommerce products, etc. After choosing the appropriate import, click on the Continue to step 2 Button.

Review the data

Now it’s time to process your file and prepare it for import. If you upload a CSV file, check that the import process used the correct delimiter. And, if you upload an XML file, it is necessary to check that the right node was selected.

You can also add a filter rule if you only want to import some of the files’ records. 

Configure the import

On the right side of the screen, you can see all the records that you have imported, like the image below.

On the left, you have your imports. You need to drag the import data from the right and drop it on the left accordingly. You can fill in multiple fields like images. Custom fields, categories, taxonomies, and more as per your requirement. You can also save all the settings of the fields by just clicking on the Save settings as a template option located under the fields.

Once you have filled it, click on the Continue to step 4 button present below the page.

Choose which data to update

Now, the plugin will create new posts for each unique record in your file. And for that, you need to select a unique identifier for each record using drag and drop. Or, the plugin automatically detects the identifier from the imported data by just clicking on the Auto-detect button.

It is recommended to use product IDs, titles, and SKUs for unique identifiers because they probably won’t change. 

If you rerun this import with an updated file, the unique identifier allows the plugin to correctly link the new records in your updated file with the post that we will create right now. In case of multiple records with the same identifiers are found, it will take the first identifier as a unique record.

Click on the Continue button after selecting suitable options.

Note that, if you want to match records in your file to records on this site, select existing items in step 1.

Confirm & run import

Now it’s time for confirmation and runs the import. 

Under the import summary section, You can recheck all the processes that will take you to these steps.

Pricing

There are six ways you can pay for the plugin for one-time according to your need which are:-

  • Import Pro Package at $249.
  • Import + Export Pro Package at $299.
  • WooCommerce Import package at $149.
  • Import Standalone at $99.
  • Import + Export Standalone at $169.
  • Export Standalone at $99.

The plugin also offers you a 30-day money-back guarantee if you experience an issue or other problems with it.

Conclusion

The plugin allows you to import data with an XML/CSV file. Independent freelancers, top WordPressa agencies, and many biggest brands in the world choose the plugin for their import needs.

That’s it. We hope this article might help you understand how to import and use the data within the WordPress site.

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