.xlsx Export for Re-Import

It is possible to re-import data that was exported from articy:draft to Microsoft® Excel®. The import of data from Microsoft® Excel® into articy:draft requires a specific format of the .xlsx-sheet. So, make sure to use the export method called ".xlsx (for re-import)", if you want to re-import the data at a later point.



This export can be found inside the global export dialog 1. It contains the following elements: Tabs for object selection 2, property selection 3 and further export options on the right 4.
Presets for this export method store the selection of properties as well as all settings for the options on the right. The selection of objects is not stored in the preset.

While the object selection works in exactly the same way as for the other export methods, the export for re-import also offers the possibility to define in detail which properties shall be exported.



For every object type it can be defined, which general 5 and template 6 properties are relevant for the export. This helps to keep the .xlsx file clear of unnecessary property columns.

The exported Microsoft® Excel® sheet is formatted in a specific way that should not be changed to guarantee a smooth re-import of the data. For every exported object type and template exists a distinct worksheet.



The selected objects are listed in rows while the columns contain the chosen properties.
Every worksheet contains a header with the object type, the template and the export date. Do not edit or delete these cells manually.



Furthermore, the first four columns of every worksheet are always the same: Object ID 7, display name 8, technical name 9 and parent 10. These columns are mandatory for a successful re-import, so do not delete them.


The header for general properties consists of just their name 11. Template properties are always described by the feature name and the individual property name (feature.property) 12.

Import from Microsoft® Excel® (.xlsx)

The first step of the import process is to select the .xlsx-file that shall be imported 15.



When clicking on "Next" the selected file is parsed. The following page of the import dialog displays all contained worksheets. At this point it's possible to select only certain worksheets 16 for the import. For every worksheet you can additionally specify a range of lines 17 that shall be imported. "Reset ranges" 18 restores the initial range of lines again. If a worksheet contains errors that prevent it from being imported, an error message is displayed next to it.



Click on "Next" to continue the import. The next page presents a report of all changes and conflicts. The left side contains the worksheet and/or cell, row and column, where the conflict or change occurred 19. The right side describes the result of the import 20.
Green lines indicate valid updates of existing objects, the creation of new objects or no changes at all. Conflicts marked in yellow occurred at a single cell and didn't prevent other columns of the same line to be imported, e.g. a wrong value for an enumeration property. Orange lines describe conflicts that affect a whole column, e.g. a wrong property name as column header. Red is used to highlight conflicts that prevented whole rows (objects) to be imported, e.g. an invalid object ID or technical name.
"Write list as" at the bottom of the page saves the report as .txt or .xlsx-file. This is useful, if you want to fix the occurred conflicts at a later time 21.



If you want to fix the conflicts before importing the data, leave the import dialog by clicking on "Cancel". Clicking on "Next" will import all cells without conflict.