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Gallery Bulk Import

 

What This Page Does

This page lets you import many galleries into your site at once. Instead of adding galleries one by one, you can paste a list of gallery data (such as a spreadsheet export) and import them all in a single batch. The importer handles thumbnails, categories, and performer linking automatically.

[Screenshot: comus-add-main-form-overview]

How to Get Here

Navigate to Admin Panel > Galleries > Bulk Import

Understanding the Page

When you open this page, you see several sections stacked vertically. Here is what each area does.

Playlist Section

At the top, you can save and load import configurations called "playlists." A playlist remembers how you set up your columns, options, and settings so you do not have to reconfigure everything the next time you import from the same source.

Element What It Does
Load Existing Playlist Pick a previously saved configuration to load it instantly
Playlist Name Type a name for a new configuration you want to save
New Clear the form and start fresh
Save Save your current settings as a playlist
Delete Remove a saved playlist you no longer need

[Screenshot: comus-add-playlist-section]

 

Tip: If you regularly import from the same source, save a playlist for it. Next time, just select it from the dropdown and your settings load automatically.

 

Field Mapping Section

This is where you tell the system what each column in your data means. For example, if the first column of your data is a web address and the second is a category name, you would set Column 1 to "Url" and Column 2 to "Category."

You can map up to 30 columns. Click Add Column to add more, or click the remove button next to a column to take it away.

[Screenshot: comus-add-field-mapping]

Common Fields You Can Map

Here are the most commonly used fields. You do not need to use all of them -- just map the columns that match your data.

Field What to Put Here
Url The full web address of the gallery (must start with http:// or https://)
Category The category name for this gallery
Description A text description of the gallery
Title The gallery title that visitors see
Keywords Search keywords, separated by spaces
Thumb.jpg The web address of a thumbnail image
nPics How many pictures are in this gallery
Model Performer name(s), separated by commas. New performers are created automatically if they do not already exist.
Status Whether the gallery is approved or pending review
Has Video Set to 1 if the gallery contains video, or 0 if it does not
n/a Use this to skip a column you do not want to import
Note: You do not need to map every column in your data. Set any column you want to skip to "n/a" and it will be ignored during import.

Import Data Section

This is where you paste or load the actual data you want to import.

Element What It Does
Gallery Data A large text box where you paste your data, one gallery per line
Delimiter The character that separates columns in your data. Usually a comma. Type {tab} if your data uses tabs instead.
CSV File Path If your data is in a file on the server, enter the file location here instead of pasting
Thumb Path A web address prefix to add to all thumbnail values (useful if your thumbnails all come from the same server)

Import Options

Below the data area, you will find checkboxes and dropdowns that control how the import behaves.

Option What It Does Recommended for New Users
Fast scan Skips checking whether each gallery web address is working. Much faster. Check this for trusted data
Check dupes Prevents importing galleries that already exist on your site Check this to avoid duplicates
Within category Only checks for duplicates within the same category Leave unchecked unless you want the same gallery in different categories
Copy masters too Downloads a second, larger version of each thumbnail Leave unchecked unless needed
Resize thumbs Queues thumbnails for background resizing instead of downloading them right away Leave unchecked for standard imports
Accept Sets whether imported galleries go live immediately or wait for your review. Choose Approved (live right away), Pending (held for review), or Don't change (uses the value from your data) "Pending" is safest for new users
Force Category Override the category for all imported galleries. Choose Normal to use the category from your data. Leave on "Normal" unless you want everything in one category
Force Model Override the performer for all imported galleries. Choose Normal to use the performer from your data. Leave on "Normal" unless you want one performer for all galleries

[Screenshot: comus-add-import-options]

Help Section

At the bottom of the form, there is a collapsible help section. Click it to expand inline tips about playlists, delimiters, duplicate detection, performer linking, and thumbnails.

Common Tasks

How to Import Galleries from a Spreadsheet or CSV

This is the most common use of this page. You have a list of galleries (exported from another system, or created in a spreadsheet) and you want to add them all to your site.

  1. Open the Gallery Bulk Import page.
  2. Set up your field mappings. For each column in your data, select what it represents from the dropdown. For example:
  • Column 1: Url
  • Column 2: Category
  • Column 3: Description
  • Column 4: Title
  1. Click Add Column if you have more columns to map.
  2. Paste your data into the Gallery Data text box. Each gallery should be on its own line, with columns separated by your chosen delimiter (usually a comma).
  3. Make sure the Delimiter field matches your data (comma, tab, etc.).
  4. Choose your Accept setting. Select Pending if you want to review galleries before they go live, or Approved if you want them visible right away.
  5. Check Fast scan if you trust that all the web addresses in your data are correct.
  6. Check Check dupes to avoid importing galleries that are already on your site.
  7. Click Preview Import.
  8. Review the preview table that appears. It shows a sample of your data so you can confirm the columns are mapped correctly.
  9. If everything looks right, click Confirm & Start Import.
  10. Watch the progress bar and log messages as your galleries are imported.

 

Tip: Always preview before importing. The preview step lets you catch mapping mistakes before any data is actually added to your site.

 

 

Warning: Do not close your browser while the import is running. The import will continue in the background, but you will lose the ability to see the progress and results.

 

How to Import Galleries with Performers

If your data includes performer names, you can link them automatically during import.

  1. Add a column mapping and set it to Model.
  2. In your data, include the performer name(s) in that column. If a gallery features multiple performers, separate their names with commas.
  3. Run the import as usual.

The system will automatically look up each performer name. If a performer does not exist yet, they will be created for you.

 

Note: After import, you can find any newly created performers on the Models management page.

 

How to Save a Playlist for Reuse

If you import from the same source regularly, save your settings so you do not have to set them up every time.

  1. Configure all your field mappings and options the way you want them.
  2. Type a descriptive name in the Playlist Name field (for example, "Weekly Gallery Feed").
  3. Click Save.
  4. The next time you visit this page, select your playlist from the Load Existing Playlist dropdown. All your settings will load automatically.

 

Tip: Create a separate playlist for each data source you import from. This saves time and prevents mistakes.

 

 

Warning: Playlist names must be unique. If you need to update a saved playlist, delete the old one first, then save a new one with the same name.

 

How to Delete a Saved Playlist

  1. Select the playlist you want to remove from the Load Existing Playlist dropdown.
  2. Click Delete.
  3. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

The Progress Screen

After you click Confirm & Start Import, the page switches to a progress view.

Progress Bar

A green animated bar shows how far along the import is, with a percentage displayed inside it.

Status Line

Below the bar, you see a message like "Processed 50 of 200" so you know exactly where things stand.

Log Panel

A scrollable panel shows messages as each gallery is processed. You will see entries for:

  • Galleries successfully added
  • Duplicate galleries that were skipped
  • Web addresses that could not be reached
  • Performers that were linked or created
  • Any errors that occurred

 

The panel scrolls automatically to show the latest messages.

Statistics Cards

Three cards appear showing totals:

Card What It Shows
Galleries Added How many galleries were successfully imported
Thumbs Saved How many thumbnail images were downloaded successfully
Thumb Failures How many thumbnail downloads failed

After the Import Finishes

Once the progress bar reaches 100%, you can:

  • Click Admin Home to go back to the gallery management page
  • Click New Import to start another import with a fresh form

 

 

Success: Your imported galleries are now on your site. If you set them to "Approved," they are visible to visitors immediately. If you set them to "Pending," you will need to approve them on the Gallery Management page before they appear.

 

This page does not have search or filter controls. It is a data entry page for importing new galleries. To search through or filter your existing galleries, visit the Gallery Management page instead.

Tips for New Users

 

Tip:
  • Start small. Test with 5 to 10 galleries first to make sure your column mappings are correct before importing a large batch.
  • Use Fast scan for trusted data. If you know all the web addresses in your data are valid, checking Fast scan speeds up the import significantly.
  • Set imports to Pending. Until you are comfortable with the process, import galleries as "Pending" so you can review them before they go live.
  • Save playlists. If you plan to import from the same source more than once, save a playlist so you can skip the setup next time.
  • Review the log. After every import, scroll through the log panel to check for any warnings or errors.

 

Troubleshooting

Galleries are not appearing on my site after import

What you see: You completed an import but the galleries do not show up on your public site.

How to fix it:

  1. Go to Admin Panel > Galleries > Gallery Management.
  2. Check the status of your imported galleries.
  3. If they show Pending, they are waiting for your approval. Select them and approve them to make them visible.
  4. If you want future imports to go live immediately, set the Accept option to Approved before importing.

 

The import stalls at 0% and nothing happens

What you see: You clicked Confirm & Start Import, the progress page loads, but the bar stays at 0%.

How to fix it:

  1. Go back to the Bulk Import page and run your import again from the preview step.
  2. If the problem continues, contact your hosting provider or site administrator to check server logs.

 

Thumbnails are not showing up

What you see: Galleries were imported but their thumbnail images are missing.

How to fix it:

  1. Make sure the thumbnail web addresses in your data are correct and accessible. Try opening one in your browser.
  2. If you are using the Thumb Path prefix, check that it is correct and includes the trailing slash.
  3. Re-import the affected galleries with correct thumbnail addresses.

 

Performers are not being linked to galleries

What you see: You included performer names in your data but they are not associated with the imported galleries.

How to fix it:

  1. Make sure you mapped the correct column to the Model field.
  2. Check that performer names in your data are spelled correctly. The system matches names exactly.
  3. Try importing a small test batch to verify the mapping is working.

 

I see a "duplicate" message and galleries are being skipped

What you see: The log shows duplicate warnings and some galleries were not imported.

How to fix it:

  1. This means those galleries already exist on your site (the system detected matching web addresses).
  2. If you want to allow duplicates, uncheck the Check dupes option before importing.
  3. If you only want to block duplicates within the same category, check Within category as well.

 

I see an error about demo mode

What you see: A message saying imports are disabled in demo mode.

How to fix it: Demo mode prevents changes to the site. Contact your site administrator to disable demo mode.

My descriptions are getting cut short

What you see: Long descriptions in your data appear truncated after import.

How to fix it: Descriptions have a maximum length. If your descriptions are very long, consider shortening them before import.

Page When to Use It
Gallery Management Review, approve, edit, or delete galleries after they have been imported
Models View and manage performer profiles, including any that were automatically created during import
Categories Add or edit the categories that galleries are organized into
Admin Dashboard Return to the main admin home page

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