Jump to content

Troubleshooting common import issues


Recommended Posts

This is a list of common issues and things to try if you get errors or unexpected results when you import a calendar file from another program.

 

Common issues

 

==.csv format does not support recurring events

If you export a calendar from any program to a .csv file, recurring events appear in the file as separate events. The only format in which you can import recurring events is .ics.

 

==When you click Import, nothing happens

Your first instinct is to click again, and then you end up with the file imported twice into the same calendar.

 

If you imported into a new calendar, you can delete the calendar and start over. However, if you imported into an existing calendar, you need to delete the duplicate events manually.

 

When you click Import, it might take a few seconds. How long depends on how many events are in the file. When the import is finished, it might look as if nothing happened. If this is the case, click the link to return to your calendar, and you'll see the new imported calendar in the list under Others you've created.

 

==Events are duplicated each time you import them into a calendar

The most common reasons you need to import a calendar more than once are:

• Events didn't import as you expected the first time.

• You're trying to keep both calendars up-to-date, and information on the one you originally imported changed, so you need to import the latest version.

 

To avoid creating multiple copies of events, we recommend that you first import events into a new calendar rather than an existing one. If the import operation is successful, and you do not plan to import an updated version of the calendar later, you can then import the file into an existing calendar. Or you can keep the imported events on a separate calendar and mix it into others (which you should do if you plan to keep importing updated versions of the calendar later).

 

If the import is not successful, you can delete the calendar, troubleshoot the problem, and start over. To delete the calendar, in the Your calendars list, click the down arrow next to the calendar name, and then choose Delete Calendar.

 

==Imported events show the wrong time

This is usually caused by mis-matched time zones. If events you import originated in a different time zone, and you import them into an existing calendar, they inherit the time zone of your calendar, and event times are adjusted. In this case, you might want to import the events into a new calendar set to the event time zone (you can set the time zone for the new calendar during the import process). That way you can view the events in their native time zone, but also mix them into any other calendar to view them in your time zone.

 

==All day events overlap two days

If you import all day events into a different time zone, they may overlap two days. For example, instead of starting and ending at midnight, they start and end at 3AM. This happens when events on the original calendar aren't set as all day events, but instead they're set to start and end at midnight (there is a difference!). To resolve the issue, set the events in the original calendar as all day events, and then export the file and import it into OneCalendar.

 

General things to try if you have problems importing a file

 

==Open your file in a text editor or Microsoft® Excel to check for errors in the contents

Several issues with importing .csv files are caused by extraneous commas. You can easily resolve these issues by making corrections in the source file. For example:

 

• If you see a row of only commas (or any other characters that look like they aren't necessary), delete the row.

• If the file contains some empty fields, make sure the number of commas corresponds correctly with the number of empty fields.

• If your event titles or descriptions contain commas, the commas are read as field separators. Remove all commas that are not field separators.

 

The last two problems are easier to spot if you can open the file in Excel, because a comma separates the subsequent information into a new column, and you can resize columns to easily see where the data is misaligned.

 

==Check for a large number of events

If the file you're importing contains more than 2000 events, you will need to export the calendar into multiple files, where each file contains a section of the calendar.

 

==If you can, try importing the file into another calendar program, such as Outlook, Yahoo, or other.

 

==Import a basic test file

It helps to know if the problem is happening with a particular file or with importing in general. In the program you exported the calendar files from, create a new calendar with some basic test events, export the file, and import that file into OneCalendar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...