¶ Item import and export (xls) - transfer in Hummerce
Item import and export (xls) is a transfer in the Hummerce panel that lets store staff update the whole catalog - items, prices, categories, visibility and properties - with one Excel file, without editing each item individually. The transfer also supports export with any criteria and custom sets of exported properties, which speeds up work on large catalogs.
Last updated: 2026-09-29. The transfer is a core platform mechanism - available by default in stores from version 2.11.24.
¶ Benefits and use cases
- Bulk catalog updates - price, availability, visibility, main category, and any properties of many items in one file, instead of editing each item's card by hand.
- Import doesn't require creating the item first - a symbol not yet in the store creates a new item automatically.
- Partial import - the file only needs the columns that should change; the item's other values stay unchanged.
- Export with any criteria (as in promotions or virtual categories) - e.g. only visible items, from a chosen category, item group, or price range, instead of the whole catalog.
- Custom sets of exported properties - for different recipients of the file (e.g. the marketing team, a wholesale integration), you can prepare a separate, shorter column set instead of one universal export.
- An Excel file holds up to 65,535 rows (items) and up to 256 columns (item properties).
- More items than the limit - export in several files, narrowing the range with export criteria (e.g. per category).
- More properties than the limit - split them across several parameter sets (see below) and export each set separately.
- Test mode - data isn't saved in the store (the whole transaction is rolled back at the end) - lets you check the file before the actual import.
- Append mode (on by default) - import only changes items from the file, the rest of the catalog stays unchanged. Turning it off means all items outside the file get a deleted status as soon as the import starts - use this only when the file contains the whole catalog.
- Purge - permanently removes all items flagged as deleted once the transfer finishes. Use with care - this action is irreversible.
- Ignore errors - by default, the first error (e.g. a missing item group, wrong price, wrong boolean value) stops the import. With this option checked, the invalid row is skipped and the import moves to the next one - lets you catch all file errors in a single run.
¶ Standard columns
| Column |
Meaning |
symbol |
Mandatory - the store recognizes the item by it. A symbol not in the store creates a new item. |
Name (+ Name (en) etc.) |
The item's name, a separate column for each store language. |
Main category |
The main category's symbol; a category that doesn't exist yet is created. Import doesn't remove the item's visibility in other categories. |
Article |
The symbol of the parent item - for sub-items (variants). |
Price, Currency, Tax rate |
According to the currencies and tax rates configured in the store; the price is saved net or gross depending on the store/item setting. |
Producer, Item group |
Matched by symbol; with the _transfer property set on the producer/group, matching goes by it instead (it takes precedence over the symbol). |
Available, Visible, Buyable |
Yes/no values. |
Additional item properties are added to the export/import by assigning them to the itemAdminExport location (Configuration -> Properties) - they become further columns, named after the property's symbol (you can give it a friendlier name through Value in transfer in the property's edit screen). A property with multiple values (e.g. a trait list) saves its values in a single cell, separated by semicolons.
Instead of one universal export with every property, the item export (xls) screen lets you prepare several parameter sets - each with its own, shorter column set matched to the file's recipient (e.g. a file for a wholesaler has different columns than a file for marketing). Benefits:
- Faster export - fewer columns to calculate and save.
- Working around the 256-column limit - data split across several sets instead of one file with every property at once.
- A clearer file for whoever processes it further - only the columns they need.
Each set is a separate property location, added as a sub-location of the standard itemAdminExport location - with its own symbol, friendly name, and its own list of properties in any order. The sets are available to choose on the export screen, alongside the default itemAdminExport. Configuring a set - see Configuration details below.
The export screen lets you specify any item criteria (as in promotions or virtual categories) - e.g. only visible items, from a given category, item group, in a specific color or price range. Narrowing the range shortens the export time and lets you work around the 65,535-row limit on large catalogs.
- Mapping the category tree across several columns (Levels) or separate sheets (Sheetlevels).
- Disabling support for multiple categories (this then removes the item's existing visibility in categories outside the file).
- Different names for the standard columns (e.g. in English, or matching an external system).
- Matching categories, producers, and item groups by name instead of symbol (risky if names are duplicated).
- Column width and freeze settings, converting prices to the base currency during import.
- The item transfer (xls) is part of the platform's core mechanism - the default for stores set up from version 2.11.24.
- Export criteria (any item range) - since version 2.29-2.30.
- Parameter sets for export (256-column limit per set, worked around by splitting into several sets) - since version 2.31, no implementation needed.
- Currencies and tax rates used in the file must already be configured in the store.
- Additional property columns require properties assigned to the itemAdminExport location or its sub-locations (Properties and locations).
- General data transfer rules - Data transfer.
- Basic import and export work out of the box, no implementation needed - the transfer is part of the platform standard.
- A new set of exported properties is created on your own in the panel, no implementation needed.
- Adapting to a non-standard file (a different column layout, a file from an external customer system, price conversion, matching by name) requires implementation - the scope and time are quoted individually after analyzing a sample file.
- The file holds at most 65,535 rows and 256 columns - a larger range requires splitting via export criteria or parameter sets.
- Import sets the item's main category, but doesn't remove its visibility in the other categories it was assigned to outside the file.
- Purge permanently deletes items flagged as deleted - irreversible, use with care.
- An item symbol made up only of digits and larger than 2147483647 has to be formatted as text in Excel (an apostrophe before the value) - otherwise import rounds it incorrectly.
- We do not verify the task for legal compliance (e.g. licenses of submitted materials, GDPR, store terms of service).
- A wizard or preview of the file's content in the panel before import.
- Clearer error messages pointing to the exact location of a file error during import.
Can the transfer be tested before saving changes?
Yes, test mode checks the file and rolls back the whole transaction at the end, without saving anything in the store.
How many items and properties fit in one file?
Up to 65,535 rows and 256 columns. A larger catalog is handled by splitting the export via criteria or parameter sets.
Can I prepare a separate, shorter export for a specific recipient of the file?
Yes, through your own set of exported properties - with chosen columns, without the rest of the property catalog.
How long does implementing the item transfer take?
Basic import and export work out of the box, without implementation. Adapting to a non-standard file (a different column layout, integration with an external system) is quoted individually after analyzing the file.
Can import create a new item?
Yes, if the symbol from the file doesn't exist in the store yet.
Want to streamline updating your catalog with an Excel file? Contact the Hummerce team (in Polish).
- Running the transfer: Data transfer -> Items (xls - Excel) - choice of direction (import/export), file, test mode, and the remaining options.
- A new set of exported properties: on the export screen, the Add new parameter set button - opens a form for a new property location (Object: Item, the set's symbol, a user-friendly name). Once saved, the location has to be moved in the location tree (Configuration -> Properties -> Property locations) under itemAdminExport to become its sub-location, and properties can then be added to it for export.
- Choosing a set for export: the Parameter sets dropdown on the export screen, next to the default
itemAdminExport.
- Additional properties: Assortment -> Properties -> Items -> itemAdminExport (or its sub-location) - assigning properties to export/import; the column name is set through Value in transfer in the property's edit screen.
| Field in the transfer |
File column |
| Symbol |
symbol |
| Name (per language) |
Name, Name (en) etc. |
| Main category |
Main category |
| Article (parent item) |
Article |
| Price, currency, tax rate |
Price, Currency, Tax rate |
| Producer, item group |
Producer, Item group (matched by symbol or the _transfer property) |
| Available, Visible, Buyable |
Available, Visible, Buyable |
| Any item property |
a column named after the property's symbol (or its "Value in transfer") |