Bulk Import Users | Communifire Documentation

Use bulk import to quickly add several user accounts to your intranet at once. You can also use bulk import to bulk update user data. 

To bulk import or update users, you must have a CSV file of users. The CSV file must include columns for username and email address. You can import or update any profile field, including user preferences. Match column headings in the CSV file to the User Profile Fields labels. The column headings can be in any of the languages available on your site.

Download a sample CSV file. The sample file includes the following columns: Username, First name, Last name, Email, Password, Company, Date of birth, Department, Address 1, City, Country, Postal code, State, Occupation, Phone, Reports to, Profile photo.

To bulk import users:

1. Click the gear icon > Control Panel > People > Manage People.
2. Click Options > Bulk Import People.
3. Click Choose File.
4. Select the CSV file.
5. Click Upload.
6. A preview of the first few rows will appear. Verify that the data is correct.
   Example:
   
   
7. Click Continue.
8. Check or uncheck Activate user account. If Activate user account is checked, then the user is automatically added and can immediately login. If not checked, then the user will receive an email with a verification hyperlink that they must click on before they can login.
9. Select the top level role to assign to users. Users will automatically be assigned the Member role. If you need to assign multiple roles, you can bulk import the same file multiple times.
10. Check the spaces to add people to.
11. For the selected spaces, choose the space role to assign the users.
12. Click Bulk Import People.

The bulk import will begin. A progress bar will appear on the page. You can stay on the page or leave the page.

If you checked Activate user account, the new users will appear in Manage People. If you didn't check Activate user account, the new users will appear in Manage People > Pending Activation.

Fields Available for Bulk Upload for New Users

You can add any field that you have on the Edit Profile page. In the below table, as an example we have added the Tags column that can also be imported when adding new users.

Here is another example of a table where more the column Phone is added. 

You can add add similar rows in the CSV file to import users. 

Bulk importing the Reports to field

When you bulk import the Reports to field (which builds the Organizational Chart ) use the manager's username, email address, or user ID. Don't use the manager's display name.

If you're bulk importing users for the first time and also populating the Reports to field, you may need to import the CSV file twice to populate all the Reports to fields.

If the org chart doesn't load after bulk import finishes, go to Control Panel > System > Advanced System Utilities and Restart Site .

Using the user export file to update existing users

You can use the CSV file from Download CSV File of Users to make changes to users' profile data (such as first name, last name, address, etc). The CSV file includes columns that are not profile fields (such as Joined, Last Login, etc). To avoid errors, remove non-profile and unneeded columns before using the CSV file in bulk import.

Bulk import rate

User Verification Email

When a user is bulk imported and the account is not activated, the user will receive a verification email. The user must click the link in the email to activate their account.

Clicking the link in the email will open a confirmation page. 

The user can then login with their username and password.

They will be prompted to update their password and fill out any missing profile fields.

How to Customize the User Verification Email

To customize the user verification email, go to Control Panel > System > Email Templates and edit the Communifire.User.Verification email template. You can change the content, wording, and layout of the verification email.

Troubleshooting

Error: 

System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection. Parameter name: index at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowArgumentOutOfRangeException(ExceptionArgument argument, ExceptionResource resource) at System.Collections.Generic.List`1.get_Item(Int32 index) at Communifire.Web.cf_admin.Users.bulk_import_users.btnUpload_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)

Fix: Remove any empty lines in the CSV file.