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From a spreadsheet or CSV

If you can export a CSV, Cobblr can take it. This is the path for a spreadsheet you keep by hand, or the CSV export from a tool that has no dedicated connector.

Two things import from CSV today: inventory items and locations. Each has its own importer with a preview step, and each reads a plain CSV with a header row (one item per row).

Inventory items​

Open Inventory and start an import. Paste or upload the CSV, and Cobblr detects the columns it recognizes: name, quantity, unit, cost, minimum quantity, manufacturer, notes, category, and location. It also reads the fields a Homebox export carries, like serial number, model number, and warranty date.

  • A category or location column is matched by name against what your workspace already has, ignoring case. If a name does not match anything, the row falls back to a default category and location you choose in the import form.
  • The importer previews the parsed rows before writing (its dry-run mode). You confirm, then it inserts the items in one batch.
  • Import adds new items. It does not update or merge items that already exist, so running the same file twice gives you two copies. Import once, or clear the first attempt before a second.

Locations​

Locations import the same way, with one addition that suits a location tree.

  • Known columns map to fields: name, short_name, kind (an area or a container), and parent. Every other column is kept on the record as metadata under its own column name, so a spare "aisle" or "room" column is not lost.
  • You pick the column to match on (name by default). A row whose match value already exists updates that location; a new value creates one. The parent column resolves against the same key, so a nested hierarchy imports in a single pass.

Tips​

  • Get names consistent before you import. Names are how categories and locations are matched, and how you will find things afterward.
  • Photos do not travel in a CSV. Bring them in through the Homebox connector if that is your source, or add photos after the import.
  • A quantity plus unit column becomes the item's stock and unit.

When you outgrow a CSV, or you want photos and a live link back to the source, see From another tool.