Creating An Import File

Since a missing tab can cause errors in an import by causing data to be imported into the wrong fields, creating a file from scratch in a text editor is relatively error-prone. The following methods are recommended for creating import files quickly and accurately:

An import file is text file, formatted as follows:

Line 1 - specifying the format for the import file data

The first line of the file determines the method you are going to use for importing, and can provide you with a significant amount of control over how devices are imported. There are two different methods you can use for importing; each uses a different format for the first line of the file:

Notes:

Spreadsheet-style Import file

The recommended format for creating an import file is a spreadsheet style format, in which the first line contains tab-separated column names that correspond to the remaining rows:

LabelTemplate MapName Address 
Machine1 Map1 192.0.0.1
Machine2 Map1 192.0.0.2

This is the equivalent of the following directive line, as explained below:

# format=tab table=devices fields=LabelTemplate,MapName,Address insert=LabelTemplate,MapName,Address
Machine1 Map1 192.0.0.1 
Machine2 Map1 192.0.0.2

Notes:

The columns are imported in the order specified. The last value specified takes precedence over previous values in the same line. Because of this, Help/Systems recommends that you use only one the following columns when importing. If more than one of these is specified, and there are conflicts, the last column's values are used:

For a complete list of device attributes and corresponding field names, see Device Attributes in Advanced Data Importing in the References section.

The Directive-Line

Using the Directive Line technique, in addition to inserting new devices, you can update specific attributes of existing devices, change their appearance or location, and delete them. This technique is documented in Advanced Data Importing in the References section.