Using the List Importer

This feature available on the Enterprise Plan

If you have an existing list of leads/entries that you've collected outside of ShortStack, you can import it into ShortStack to be able to use that list inside our platform. Just use the following steps to get your list pulled in and working for you.

Prepare Your List

There are a few things you'll have to do with your list to prepare it for uploading:

1. Parse out your list's entry data into individual columns. Some spreadsheet/database exports dump everything into a single column; our system needs everything to be placed in separate columns for things to import properly. This includes separating first name and last name into individual columns.
2. Add appropriate column headers that correspond to the type of data in the column - these are very specific, and not having a proper header can cause an error when the list attempts to import. The standard column headers you can use are:
   
   • email
   • first_name
   • last_name
   • address_1
   • address_2
   • city
   • province
   • postal_code
   • country
   • agree
   • phone
   • age
   • approved
   • votes1
   • votes2
   • votes3
   • entry_title
   • entry_description
   • created_at
   • category
     
     Note: Field values for any checkbox fields (like agree or approved) must be true or 1 for yes, and false or 0 for no.
3. If you need to use custom fields, the headers are:
   • text
   • boolean
   • list
   • date
   • number
     
     Note: Headers for custom fields operate a bit differently; if you want to associate the custom field data with one already set up in your ShortStack account's Field Library, you'd use the existing field name as your column header - for example, something like:

     custom_boolean_3

     If you want to make a new custom field, you'll create it using the syntax of field type + underscore + your custom label (no spaces or special characters allowed in the label):

     boolean_mylabel

4. Make sure to save your export as a .csv file - our importer currently does not support any other file types.

Upload Your List

Now that you have your .csv file formatted properly and ready for upload, here's the process to do the uploading into your ShortStack account.

1. Log into your ShortStack account.
2. On the Dashboard, click Lists at the top to open the Lists Manager.
3. In the top-right corner, click the Import List button.
4. Use the provided fields to add a name for your new imported list and any tags you may want to add, then click Next.
5. Select the file that you'd like to upload, then click Next.
6. Agree to the terms that we provide; without agreeing to these terms, you will not be able to upload your list. Once done, click Submit.

Once you've submitted the request, the file will be processed and the entries imported in the background. When the upload is complete (or if there was an error), you'll receive a notification.

You'll be able to find your new list in the Lists Manager, with the name and tags you assigned to it - from there, you can use the list the same way you'd use any other list in ShortStack.