Batch updating — Reference

This page covers the specific fields, their formatting rules, and reasons for errors you may encounter when batch updating items. For an overview of the batch update process, see About batch updating items.

Editable fields

These fields are updated when you import a CSV. All other fields are ignored on import. The Field Name column shows what you see in the Export dialog. The CSV Header column shows the corresponding column name in the exported file. Most fields are limited to 255 characters, with the exception of Class, which allows 31. If you add more, they will be trimmed when the file is imported.

Field Name	CSV Header	Items	Materials	Max Characters
Name	`name`	✓	✓	255
Description	`description`	✓	✓	255
Class	`class`		✓	31
Keynote	`keynote`		✓	255
Mark	`mark`		✓	255
URL — Manufacturer	`manufacturer_url`		✓	255
URL — Documentation	`documentation_url`		✓	255

Non-editable fields

These fields can be included in an export for reference but are ignored on import:

Field Name	CSV Header	Items	Materials	Notes
ID	`id`	✓	✓	The item’s ID — required for batch updating.
Category	`category`	✓
Hosting	`hosting`	✓		The item’s hosting (for example, Wall-Based).
No. Types	`type_count`	✓		The number of types that exist for the item.
Revit Version	`revit_version`	✓	✓
Manufacturer	`manufacturer`	✓
Size (bytes)	`size_bytes`	✓
Unit System	`unit_system`	✓		Metric or Imperial.
URL — Kinship	`kinship_url`	✓	✓	Link to the item in the Library.
No. Projects	`project_count`	✓		Number of projects the item has been placed in.
Quantity	`quantity` + `quantity_unit`	✓		The number of instances, area, or length of the item in projects.
No. Lists	`list_count`	✓	✓	The number of Lists the item exists in.
Added By	`added_by`	✓	✓	The team member that added the item to the Library.
Date Added	`date_added`	✓	✓	When the item was added to the Library.
Approved By	`approved_by`	✓	✓	The team member that approved the item, if it was added to Pending Approval.
Date Approved	`date_approved`	✓	✓	When the item was approved.
Updated By	`updated_by`	✓	✓	The team member that last updated the item in the Library.
Date Updated	`date_updated`	✓	✓	When the item was last updated.

Quantity exports as two CSV columns (quantity and quantity_unit) controlled by a single checkbox in the dialog. This may be an area, length, or number of instances depending on the item category.

When an item has multiple Revit versions, the Revit Version field shows the lowest available version.

How values are handled on import

Behavior	What happens
Column order	Columns are matched by header name, not position. You can delete, add, or rearrange columns freely.
Missing columns	If a column isn’t in the CSV, that field is left untouched on every item.
Empty cell	Clears the field on the matching item.
Empty Name	The row is skipped. Name is the only field that can’t be cleared.
Empty Class	The material is moved to the Unassigned Class.
New Class value	If a Class value doesn’t exist yet, it’s created automatically and the material is moved to it.
Values over the character limit	The value is trimmed to the character limit.
Name already in use	Item and material names must be unique within the Library or an individual Collection. A name that clashes with an existing item causes that row to be skipped.
Duplicate names within the CSV	The first row is processed. Subsequent rows with the same name are skipped.
Invalid values	If any editable field has an invalid value (for example, a non-URL value in a URL field), the entire row is skipped.

CSV format

The import accepts a single .csv file:

Requirement	Detail
Format and Encording	CSV with comma delimiters (UTF-8). Tab, semicolon, and other delimiters are not supported.
Required column	`id` must be present.
Required headers	At least one editable field header must be present alongside `id`.
Row order on export	Items are exported by Category A–Z, then Name A–Z. Materials are exported by Class A–Z, then Name A–Z.

Import statuses

Every import appears on the Batch Updates page with one of these statuses:

Status	Meaning
In Queue	Waiting to be processed.
Processing	Updates are being applied.
Completed	The import finished. Click the import to see a summary.
Failed	An error prevented the import from processing. Click the import to see the reason.
No Updates	The file was processed but no items changed.

Why an import may fail

If there’s a problem with the CSV file itself, the entire import fails and no items are updated. These are the reasons an import can fail, along with the error message shown on the Batch Updates page:

Reason	Error message
The file isn’t a valid CSV, or there is no editable field in the header row	”This file doesn’t contain valid headers. Export a new CSV and try again.”
The CSV doesn’t include an ID column	”This file is missing the ID column. The ID is needed to match rows to library items.”
The CSV has duplicate editable column headers	”This file contains duplicate headers. Remove the duplicates and upload again.”
None of the IDs match items in your Library	”This file does not contain IDs matching any items in your library.”

Why individual rows may be skipped

If there’s a problem with a specific row, that row is skipped and the rest of the import continues.

Reason	Summary line
The ID doesn’t match any item or material	”ID not found in your library or collections”
A field contains an invalid value	”Invalid value in [field name]“
The Name field is empty	”Name cannot be empty”
The Name is already used by another item	”Duplicate Name in the uploaded file”

If one of these errors occurs, the entire item is skipped — not just the field with the error.

Who can export and import

Role	Export	Import
Content Manager, Administrator, Owner	✓	✓
Team Member	✓	✗

Learn more

How to export a CSV file for step-by-step export instructions.
How to batch update items by importing a CSV file for step-by-step import instructions.
About batch updating items for an overview of how batch updating works.

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Batch updating — Reference

Editable fields

Non-editable fields

How values are handled on import

CSV format

Import statuses

Why an import may fail

Why individual rows may be skipped

Who can export and import

Learn more

​Editable fields

​Non-editable fields

​How values are handled on import

​CSV format

​Import statuses

​Why an import may fail

​Why individual rows may be skipped

​Who can export and import

​Learn more

Editable fields

Non-editable fields

How values are handled on import

CSV format

Import statuses

Why an import may fail

Why individual rows may be skipped

Who can export and import

Learn more