Resolved can I tell RO CSVI to index a custom field?

Hi Chris,
Import based on custom field feature is ready for testing with attached patch file.


1. Load the attached patch file
2. In Joomla contacts import template on Options tab set Import based on field to custom field name and save the template.
3. Run import and check.

Try and let us know on how that goes.

Hello!
I'm glad this feature is going to be implemented! Since we found a kind-of workaround with a custom override I have no hurry. At the moment I also have no time to do testing. But I'm happy to get into details in a couple of weeks.
Looking forward to see this coming into reality.

Thanks!
Chris

Hi Chris,
Apologies on making you wait for so long on this feature. We started with the development but couldn't finish it for various other reasons. We are in the process of finishing this feature and can send you a patch file by next week for testing.

Hello!
Comming back after a long time to ask if this feature has been implemented.
I'm still running version 8.12.1 with a custom import override written by you some years ago. Most updates required a rewrite of that custom override. so at some point I stopped updating CSVI. But some major changes in the to-be-imported xml file come up so I consider to get into details of the logic again. Therefor it would be interesting to know if a external data field (.. Joomla! custom field) can be made the index.

Thanks!

I expect availability early 2025. This will then be for all Joomla components that support custom fields.

Oh, that is great news!
Looking forward to this new feature. I think it will make the project I'm dealing with quite a bit more easy.
Thanks!

I expect availability early 2025. This will then be for all Joomla components that support custom fields.

Oh, that is great news!
Looking forward to this new feature. I think it will make the project I'm dealing with quite a bit more easy.
Thanks!

Hi Chris,

Never is a long time, same as this request but we are now gearing up to getting it done as more requests for this feature has come in. I expect availability early 2025. This will then be for all Joomla components that support custom fields. Perhaps even any extension that supports custom fields but we need to see if that is feasible.

Hello!
Coming back to this issue, I guess it will never happen. Am I right?

Hello Chris,
Not yet. This task is still in our future todo list. We are looking at more requests on this feature. As of now you are the only user requesting this feature.

Any news on this one feature?

Hello Tharuna!
Of course I remember that we discussed and decided this. Little later, when I realized I needed two different import templates for different types of contacts it turned out that it's only a "almost" solution. So I'm still interested and waiting for the feature, which makes a custom field the index field for import.
Never mind, as stated above I'll have a detailed look and then get back to this discussion.

Regards!
Christian

Hello Chris,

So one problem was that running the import template renders _all_ contacts to "depublished", regardless which category is affected.

This was one of the feature we developed in the override custom job . Please see attached screenshot on our discussion.

We have not dumped this feature request and this feature is still in our todo list.

Good to hear. Looking forward to see it integrated in CSVI!

If may I ask what is the difficulty you have with override?

Thanks for asking! I'm afraid, as weeks go by my memory turned kind of incomplete. I need to look at it once a gain closely.
As far as I remember without looking at it, I have two different import routines into different contact categories. So one problem was that running the import template renders _all_ contacts to "depublished", regardless which category is affected.
But - again - I have to look at it to refresh my memory.
However, this feature would solve the problem anyway.

Regards!
Chris

Hello Chris,

So, what's the status of this? Have you dumped it because of the custom override you provided?

We have not dumped this feature request and this feature is still in our todo list.

As mentioned above there are some difficulties with the approach we took, therefor I'm still looking forward to have a proper way to do this imports.

If I remember it correct we created an override file for this feature. Override file is same as import file but with little modifications as per your needed. If may I ask what is the difficulty you have with override?

Hi there!

coming back to ask quickly for the status of this new feature. RO CSVI has been developed a lot since I last checked, but I could not find this feature we talked about.
So, what's the status of this? Have you dumped it because of the custom override you provided? As mentioned above there are some difficulties with the approach we took, therefor I'm still looking forward to have a proper way to do this imports.

Regards!
Chris

Hello Chris,

we agreed on setting all contacts to unpublished before looking for the unique ID in the custom field. All of this works, unless you have other contacts in the database that are not imported regulary. This is the case for our project. So every time _all_ contacts are unpublished, whether the data gets updated or not. Basic line: Rules would be a good thing, things like import / overwrite only items in specific categories.

Thats correct, setting all contacts to unpublished will unpublish all contacts in database. It is a single query in override file which runs on all records including trashed items and have no specific check applied. We do have RO CSVI Skip rule which can skip specific records from import file.

However I'm curious if the feature of making custom fields a unique identifier will be in one of the next versions of RO CSVI.

Sorry to say but not anytime soon. We do have it in our todo list and will be included with later version of RO CSVI release.

Using your custom import override template for our website project brought up some difficulties recently. I just want to give you a quick report; and - of course - want to ask if there are any news of the implementation of this feature into the component.

* we agreed on setting all contacts to unpublished before looking for the unique ID in the custom field. All of this works, unless you have other contacts in the database that are not imported regulary. This is the case for our project. So every time _all_ contacts are unpublished, whether the data gets updated or not. Basic line: Rules would be a good thing, things like import / overwrite only items in specific categories.

* we also discovered that contacts / items which are trashed already get updated eventually. Another issue for a rule or a filter.

So it's a complex topic. However I'm curious if the feature of making custom fields a unique identifier will be in one of the next versions of RO CSVI.

Thanks!
Chris

Hello Chris,

Any news on this new feature?

We provided you an override for supporting this feature as a custom job. If the question is about if we have plans to include this feature in core RO CSVI then we are looking into this feature not just for contacts but also for Joomla content.

Should I make this thread as resolved or leave it open to "remember"?

You can set this to resolved if your issue has been solved.

I was going through all my issues, and I found this as "unresolved".
Well, somehow, yes.
So I ask two questions:

• Any news on this new feature?
  
• Should I make this thread as resolved or leave it open to "remember"?
  

Best regards!
Chris

Hello Chris,

The email was sent earlier today.

constant learning

There is no end to it, for us as well

Thanks!
Looking forward to hear from you.

Meanwhile I posted a bug report on the Joomla! tracker, but I understood that the problem was me using INT for a wrong purpose. A textfield with integer filter is much better. No errors. Learning, learning, learning .... constant learning