Import Events

If you have event information or calendars in other programs that you want to migrate to Trumba® Connect, you can import the information.

Trumba supports file imports in the following formats:

• iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar (.vcs)
• Comma separated values (.csv) or tab delimited (.txt) text files
• Microsoft® Excel worksheet (.xls and .xlsx)

You can also import events in these formats from a web URL.

(To import events from Facebook, see Import Facebook Events.)

Tips

• Experience has shown that you get the best results and encounter the fewest problems when you save the events you want to import in .ics or .csv format.
• If a lot of the events you're importing are repeating events (events such as classes, meetings, or lap swimming hours, which occur a set number of times according to a repeating pattern), the file format you use affects how you can manage the events in Trumba.
  • If the events you exported from another program are in .ics format, each repeating event is treated as a single event with multiple occurrences. In Trumba, after you import, you can edit the entire series at once or an individual occurrence.
  • If the events you exported from another program are in .csv (or another non-.ics) format, each occurrence of a repeating event is treated as a single independent event. In Trumba, after you import, you'll have no way to apply edits to the entire series.
• If the events you're importing include custom fields, see Retain imported fields (for all file types besides .ics) or Prepare iCal files for import (for .ics files) before you import.
• If you're importing a file in .csv, .xls, or .xlsx format and the import fails, check for and remove blank spaces before event titles or field values.
• If the file you're importing includes a very large number of events, especially if the events include many custom fields, you may want to break up the file and import it in sections.

  For example, if the file contains 2000 events, you might divide it in half or in quarters and try importing 1000 or 500 events at a time.

• When importing all-day events that span multiple days, follow these guidelines to ensure that the events import with the correct end date:

  Adjust the end dates for the events in your Excel import spreadsheet. For an all-day event that ranges from November 12, 2022 to November 15, 2022, for example, enter the Start Date as "11/12/2022" and the End Date as "11/16/2022." The event will import with an End Date of 11/15/2022, ending at midnight.

  Alternatively, if your Excel import file contains only all day and multi-day events: for an all-day event, for example, that ranges from November 12, 2022 to November 15, 2022, enter the Start Date as "11/12/2022" and the End Date as "11/15/2022"; ensure that the Start Time and End Time are entered as "0:00"; and then when you import the Excel file and the mapping screen appears during the import process, select None for End Time. In this example, the event will import with an End Date of "11/15/2022," ending at midnight.

  (If you're importing events other than all-day events, don't use the above alternative. With None selected for End Time during the import process, all events other than all-day events import with a Start Time only and no End Time.)

Topic links

• Export a calendar from another program
• Escape characters that cause import problems
• How to import events

Export a calendar from another program

Almost all calendaring programs support exporting event data. The export result can be either a file or a web URL. The Trumba import feature works with both files and URLs.

Typically, in files you export, character escaping is handled properly so commas, line breaks, and other characters will appear as intended in your Trumba events.

To confirm that character escaping is handled properly in a .csv file you exported or if you're preparing your own .csv file from scratch, see the section about escaping characters that cause import problems.

Tip Before you export, it's a good idea to consult your calendaring program's Help. For example, you can find export help for a Google calendar here.

Escape characters that cause import problems

Tip If you're importing an iCalendar(.ics) file, see Prepare iCal files for import.

If you're importing a comma separated values (.csv) file, take a look at the following tips to ensure that characters that cause import problems are properly escaped.

Note The escape character for .csv files is the double quotes (") character.

The image shows the escape character (") used in a small (two event) .csv file with a limited number of fields. Following the image, a table describes when and how the escape character is used.

Comma separated values (.csv) file with escaped characters

Character escaping tips for .csv files

Tip You can't escape commas in custom field names. For example, you can't escape the commas in a field name such as Museum, Gallery, or Garden. If you try to import a file that includes field name commas, the import will fail. To make the import work, remove the field name commas or replace them with semicolons. In Trumba, you can add field name commas back in.

Where can I find more troubleshooting information about importing?

How to import events

Before you try importing events:

• If you're importing an iCalendar (.ics) file, see: Prepare iCal files for import.
• If you're importing a file in comma separated values (.csv), text (.txt), or Excel (.xls or .xlsx) format, confirm that:
  • The first row of the file contains column headings.
  • Each row after the first contains information related to a single event.
  • The file includes columns for start date, start time, and description.

    Tip The file may also include columns for end date, end time, duration, location, notes, calendar, and any custom event fields.

  • If your file contains characters that cause import problems, see: Escape characters that cause import problems.
  • If your file includes custom event fields, see: Retain imported fields.
  • If you created a new calendar into which the events will be imported, set the calendar to the time zone that you want event start times to reflect.

Tip Unless you're importing a very small number of events, it's best to create a new calendar that you can use for an import test. It's a lot easier and quicker to delete calendars than it is to delete a large number of individual events. If importing into a new calendar is successful, you can bulk move the events to (or import again into) a different calendar. If you see problems with the imported events, you can delete the new calendar, troubleshoot the file, and then start again.

To import event information

1. In the Trumba editing environment:
   • If you already created and prepared a calendar into which you want to import, in a calendar list, click that calendar's name to select it.
   • Otherwise, go on to the next step.
2. Under Tasks below the calendar list, click Import calendar events.
3. For Step 1 on the Import Events page, browse to and select the calendar file you exported, or specify a web URL. Click Next.
4. For Step 2, you indicate the calendar into which the events will be imported and set the time zone for that calendar.
   • If you already created and selected a calendar before you started the import process, select An existing calendar. Confirm that the correct calendar's name appears in the drop-down list.
   • (Not recommended, since in this case, you can't pre-assign the correct template to the new calendar, which can cause data loss in the import.)

     If you want Trumba to automatically create a new calendar or sub-calendar into which the events will be imported, select either A new top-level calendar or A new sub-calendar under. If you're importing into a new sub-calendar, select the sub-calendar's parent from the drop-down list.

     Tip If you want to automatically create multiple calendars into which the events are imported, see To create multiple calendars all at once.

   • In the In what time zone are the event times specified? section, you can select a time zone. The default time zone you see in the drop-down list is the time zone Trumba reads automatically from the events you're importing.
     • If you're importing into a calendar you already created, the events automatically take the time zone of that calendar. Event times adjust accordingly.

       For example, if the default import time zone is Pacific Time and the existing calendar's time zone is Eastern Time, events with 8 am start times in the file will have 11 am start times in Trumba.

     • If Trumba creates a new calendar or sub-calendar during the import process, that calendar automatically takes default time zone.

       To simultaneously import and change the time zone for the imported events, select the time zone you want from the drop-down list.

   • Click Next.
5. If you're importing events in .ics format, skip to the next step in this procedure.

   If you're importing a .csv, .txt, .xls, or .xlsx file, under What information does each column contain?, the labels on the left are the fields that your file contains, and the drop-down lists are the available Trumba fields you can map them to.

   

   Mapping an imported file's fields with Trumba fields

   Review the fields that are mapped to make sure they're correct.

   • If you're importing a file that includes custom event fields, see: Retain imported fields.
   • If any of the items are mapped to Don't Know, select the appropriate field from the list.

     Some fields may not have a corresponding Trumba field, and you can set these fields to None (or leave them set to Don't Know). Information in these fields is not imported.

     Note Currently, Trumba does not have a field to which you can map event reminders. If the Reminder On/Off or similar field is included in the file you import, select None for the Trumba field.

   For more details about field mapping, see Map fields when importing.

6. Click Next, verify that the summary information is correct, and then click Import to finish the import process. The import might take a few seconds, depending on the number of events in the calendar you're importing.