Skip to content

Commit 68511ed

Browse files
macofmainefguillot
authored andcommitted
Add documentation for CSV task import and update related sections
1 parent 359c255 commit 68511ed

File tree

2 files changed

+80
-0
lines changed

2 files changed

+80
-0
lines changed

content/en/v1/user/import_tasks.md

Lines changed: 72 additions & 0 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
1+
---
2+
title: "Importing Tasks via CSV"
3+
linktitle: "Import Tasks"
4+
---
5+
6+
# Importing Tasks via CSV
7+
8+
Kanboard supports importing tasks from CSV files. This guide explains the CSV format, the positional field semantics used by the importer, and provides a recommended template for reliable imports.
9+
10+
## Overview
11+
12+
The CSV importer in Kanboard uses **positional fields**, not header names.
13+
This means the *order* of fields matters, and empty fields must be preserved to maintain alignment.
14+
15+
A minimal, stable header for task imports is:
16+
17+
reference,title,description,,,,column,,swimlane
18+
19+
The commas represent positional fields that must remain present, even when empty.
20+
21+
## Positional Field Reference
22+
23+
Kanboard interprets each row using the following positional mapping:
24+
25+
| Position | Meaning | Notes |
26+
|---------|----------------|-------|
27+
| 1 | reference | Optional identifier; can be anything |
28+
| 2 | title | Required; task title |
29+
| 3 | description | Optional; task description |
30+
| 4 | category | Leave empty unless using Kanboard categories |
31+
| 5 | swimlane (ignored) | Fallback swimlane slot |
32+
| 6 | column (ignored) | Fallback column slot |
33+
| 7 | column | Primary column field; must match an existing board column |
34+
| 8 | color | Leave empty unless using Kanboard color codes |
35+
| 9 | swimlane | Primary swimlane field; must match an existing swimlane |
36+
37+
### Importer rule
38+
39+
Kanboard scans all fields left‑to‑right and assigns values based on pattern matching.
40+
The **last valid match wins** for each attribute.
41+
42+
Removing empty fields shifts the scan and changes how the importer interprets the row.
43+
44+
## Recommended Template Data Example
45+
46+
```csv
47+
reference,title,description,,,,column,,swimlane
48+
"task‑001","My task","Some description",,,,"Backlog",,"Your swimlane #1"
49+
"task‑002","Another task","Some other description",,,,"Done",,"Your swimlane #2"
50+
```
51+
52+
## Usage
53+
54+
1. Prepare a CSV file using the template above.
55+
2. Ensure column and swimlane names match your board exactly.
56+
3. Go to **Settings → Import Tasks**.
57+
4. Click **Choose File**
58+
5. Click **Import** to upload the file and create your tasks.
59+
60+
## Troubleshooting
61+
62+
### Tasks appear in the wrong column or swimlane
63+
One or more empty fields were removed, shifting positional alignment.
64+
65+
### Column or swimlane is ignored
66+
The value does not match an existing Kanboard column or swimlane.
67+
68+
### Placeholder text disappears
69+
Kanboard discards values that do not match known entities.
70+
71+
### Import succeeds but fields appear blank
72+
Unused positional fields are ignored unless populated with valid values.

content/en/v1/user/tasks.md

Lines changed: 8 additions & 0 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -42,6 +42,14 @@ Then the task creation form appears:
4242

4343
With the preview link, you can see the task description converted from Markdown syntax.
4444

45+
Importing Tasks via CSV file
46+
----------------------------
47+
48+
### Bulk load tasks into swimlanes
49+
50+
Kanboard supports importing tasks from CSV files.
51+
See [Importing Tasks via CSV](import_tasks.md) for details on the CSV format, field semantics, and templates.
52+
4553
Duplicating and Moving Tasks
4654
----------------------------
4755

0 commit comments

Comments
 (0)