Step-by-step guide

Import the students

This guide explains how to load the list of students into BiblioViva from a file, at the start of the school year or when leaving another program. It is for whoever administers BiblioViva.

Time: 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how much the file needs correcting.
Account: admin. Another account can import students only if the role configuration grants it the Import patrons permission; to remove the students missing from the file the Anonymize permission is also needed, which the admin account has.
Requirements: the list of students in a spreadsheet (first name, last name, class) and the classes already created: see Set up the classes.

BiblioViva checks the whole file before writing anything and imports only if there are no errors: there are no half-done imports. The file is a CSV, that is a text file with one row per student and the data separated by ; or ,; every spreadsheet can save one.

Procedure

Prepare the file

Press Administration, then Imports, then Students. The Import students page opens.
In the The template of the file box choose the columns. Those under Required are always in the template; those under Keys and Optional are chosen with the boxes.
For the class choose one of the two forms, under The class: In one column (class: 3A) or In two columns (level: 3, section: A).
Press Download the template. The file contains only the header row.
Open the template with a spreadsheet and write one row per student.
Save the sheet in CSV format.

The column names are in English and must be left as in the template:

Column	Content	Group
`first_name`, `last_name`	first name and last name	required
`class`	the class in one column: `3A`, `3 A`, `3ª A`	required, as an alternative to `level` and `section`
`level`, `section`	the year (`3`) and the section (`A`) in two columns	required, as an alternative to `class`
`card_number`	the number of the card the student already has	key
`external_id`	the registration number of the electronic register	key
`email`	the email address	optional

The keys serve to recognise who is already in the records and can be left out. Without card_number BiblioViva generates a new card for each student; without external_id whoever is already in the records is recognised by name and class.

Note. The import does not create classes: every class named in the file must exist in Classes. Files in UTF-8 and Windows-1252 are accepted, with separator ;, ,, tab or |. Empty rows are ignored.

Upload the file

In the File step, in the CSV file field, choose the file.
Press Upload. The Columns step opens.
Check that each column of the file is matched to the right field. Columns with the names of the template are recognised automatically; for the others choose the field in the menu, or — ignore — to leave them unused. If the file has a header row, the box The first row is a header is ticked.
If a required column is missing, the page says which: "Required columns are missing: …". The Check the file button stays off until they are all matched.

Choose what to do

In the Mode field choose Add and update for a file with new students or with updated classes: whoever is already in the records is updated, the others are created.
Choose Synchronise students only if the file is the complete list of the school's students: whoever is missing from the file is listed and, after a confirmation, removed. Teachers are never touched.
In the Patrons already present field choose what to do with a row that matches a student already in the records: Update (the normal choice), Skip or Create anyway.

Check the file

Press Check the file. The Check step opens, with one row for each student.
Read the Result column: each row is New, Update, Unchanged or Error. The Details column explains the errors. To see only the rows to correct tick Show errors only.
If the file contains no card numbers, the page says how many new cards will be generated.
If two students in the records have the same first and last name, the page asks to choose which one to update, with Pick the patron, or Create a new patron. Then check again.
With synchronisation, the list of students present in the records but absent from the file appears. To remove them tick Remove these students from the records (immediate anonymisation).
If there are errors, correct the file with the spreadsheet, press Back to the columns, upload the file again and repeat the check. With even one error Import stays off.

Warning. Removal immediately and permanently erases first name, last name, contacts, registration number, card number and photo; the class and the statistics remain. It cannot be undone. Whoever has loans in progress is not removed: the books must be returned first.

Import

Press Import. BiblioViva writes everything at once. The Completed step summarises the numbers: "… new, … updated, … unchanged, … removed".
For the cards of the new students press Print the cards of the new patrons: see Print the cards of a class.
For the photos press Photo census.

Result

The students are in the records, each in their class and with their card. The original file stays stored on the BiblioViva computer and the import appears in the Audit log. Uploading the same file again does not create duplicates: all the rows come out as Unchanged.

Possible problems

A class is not recognised: the row reports that the class was not found and lists the valid classes. Create the class in Classes or correct the name in the file, then check again.
"Card number already assigned to another patron" appears: two people have the same card number, in the file or in the records. Correct the number in the file.
"Card number equal or similar to a copy barcode" appears: the number has the form of a book's code: cards and copies can never be confused. Leave the cell empty: BiblioViva generates the number.
An empty cell erases nothing: an empty card in the file leaves the student with the card they already have.
The Import button does not become active because there are still rows with Error: read the Details column.
For those coming from Koha: students are extracted with a ready-made query, which produces a file with the right column names and the card numbers already in use: see the technical instructions. The names of Koha's columns change from one version to another: whoever runs the query checks them first.