Import Events to Calendar

The Events Calendar includes a CSV importer tool which allows you to import events, venues, and organizers into your site’s calendar. This is a great way to quickly and easily add a lot of content to your calendar all at once.

You lost me at CSV…

CSV is a file format that stands for comma-separated values. These files are often produced by spreadsheet applications like Excel and Numbers, but they can come from other sources as well. This file type converts a spreadsheet file from a format that uses cells to separate content to a file format that separates content using commas.

For example, a spreadsheet file with the following cells:

Cell 1

Cell 2

Cell 3

… would be converted to this in CSV:

Generating a CSV File

Saving a spreadsheet as a CSV file is often an option in the save settings of the application (such as Microsoft Excel) you are using. In most cases, you will go to File> Save As from your application and select the option to save the file in CSV format.

Importing a CSV File

Follow the step-by-step instructions below to learn how to import data from a CSV file.

Step 1: Go to the Import Screen

From the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Events > Import in the left-hand menu.

Step 2: Select CSV as the import origin

The first field on the screen will ask you to identify the source of your new import. Select CSV File from the list of options.

Step 3: Select the type of content to be imported

By default, there are three options for data types that can be imported using Event Aggregator.

• Events: Posts that will be identified as events to be published on The Events Calendar.
• Organizers: Data for saved event organizers that can associated with an event.
• Venues: Data for saved event locations that can be attached to events.

If you are planning to import venue and organizer information with your events, then you will need to import the CSV file for those venues and organizers beforeimporting events. This will ensure that the data for both venues and organizers is available so Event Aggregator knows what information to associate with an event when it is imported.

Step 4: Select the file to upload

Remember when you created your CSV file? The next step is to locate the file on your device and upload it to Event Aggregator. Click the Upload button and select the file from the appropriate location on your hard drive.

The CSV file you choose will be saved to the WordPress media library and will remain available for future use.

Step 5: Preview the content and map your fields

Once you have selected the CSV file to upload, a button will appear that will allow you to preview the content you are importing before it is actually imported. This is a great way to ensure that everything looks correct.

Notice that the import preview is in a table format with column headings and dropdown fields. Before you can import the information, you’ll need to “map” the information from your file to the corresponding content fields in The Events Calendar.

The column headings in your preview match the headings in the spreadsheet that became your CSV file. Each dropdown menu contains all the different content fields for an event (or venue, organizer, or ticket, depending on the content you’re importing). For each column, use the dropdown to select the correct content field for the information in that column. Scroll to the right until you have mapped all of the fields that you wish to import.

🔔 Note: When mapping, choose the option from the dropdown that best matches the information in the column, or you may leave the dropdown selection as Do Not Import to leave that column’s data out. You can always edit the entry later.

Step 6: Run the import

Now that you’ve mapped the data, you’re almost ready to run the import. But first, you have the option to setting the Publish status for the data:

• Published: The content will be published to your site right away.
• Draft: The content will not be published but will be available for editing after the import.
• Pending Review: The content will not be published or saved as a draft but will be labeled as being ready for a WordPress editor or administrator to review before it is published.
• Private: The content will be published to your site right away but will only be accessible to those who are logged into the site with sufficient permissions to view the content.

You can also choose to add categories to the content from a list of existing event categories on your site. Keep in mind that this option only matters if you are currently importing events–it is irrelevant if you are importing organizers, venues, RSVPs, or tickets.

Once you’ve reviewed your settings, go ahead and press the Import All button!

Overview

That’s the step-by-step process for importing events into The Events Calendar using Event Aggregator. We hope you found this helpful. Here is a final screencast of the process from start-to-finish: