Page Importer

Features

Technical Overview

  • Exports C5 pages in XML/CIF (Content Import Format) with the same structure used in creating C5 StartingPoints.
  • Only exports "Content Pages", no System Pages or Single Pages are included in the export nor can they be imported currently.
  • Imports pages provided by XML/CIF. The XML is pasted into a textarea on the import page.
  • Uses Page paths to update pages or add pages during import. If you import Page XML that has an existing path in the site such as "/contact-us" then the existing page will be updated. If you send the importer Page XML and a path that does not exist such as "/new-path" a new page will be created at the path you specified. 
  • When existing pages are updated, all Blocks in the page are removed first then all Block provided in the XML Page definition are added. So "what you import in XML" is what you get as an end result. To remove blocks of content from a page, simply remove them from the page XML definition. 
  • New versions of existing pages are created before updating page content in order to minimize risk of a page being wiped clean by a bad import. If the import fails you will need to restore the previous page version, or restore a site backup.

Importing Pages

  • 1 click to import a content page from your C5 site in XML/CIF (Content Import Format). Just paste XML/CIF page definitions into the Page Importing form. Note that the XML/CIF can be created easily using the Page Exporting feature included in Page Importer.
  • Import changes to existing Pages. 
  • Creates new pages if the page does not already exist.
  • Edits page attributes in bulk. 
  • Sync content, attributes or settings for 2 or more versions of a page by editing the Page XML prior to a Page Import.
  • Creates a new version of a page during an update operation as a backup so you can rollback the back to its exact state prior to the import if needed. 

Exporting Pages

  • 1 click to export all content pages from your C5 site in XML/CIF (Content Import Format). The export includes all the data needed to reproduce the page using the Page Importing feature. All content blocks and their areas are included, as well as all page attributes including any custom attributes. 

Page Importer FAQ's

Q: Does it import Single Pages?

A: Not currently, that is a potential feature we'll add in the future as C5 does support this with it's XML/CIF used for StartingPoints, but it did not make it into the current version of Page Importer.

Q: Can a developer like me extend this to programmatically add pages or do bulk page operations?

A: It's a possibility, Page Importer has a PageImport and PageExport class that each extend C5's core Importer/Exporter libraries that are mainly used in StartingPoints. So like StartingPoints, we use XML/CIF to create what we're calling a "XML Page Definition" which includes page areas and attributes as well as details for the page object itself. If you wanted to use these surprisingly small and simple classes you could in theory bypass the admin interface that Page Importer provides and instead export and import Pages programmatically which would allow you to do any processing such as bulk updating. 

Q: Can I use this add on if I don't know what XML is?

A: As long as you can cut-n-paste this add-on is fairly simple to use, however we have listed this add-on as requiring Intermediate skills because there is the potential to do serious harm to the content and pages of your site if you import poorly formed or invalid XML using the Page Importer. If you take the time to study the documentation and follow the basic steps first before trying more advanced you should be fine, and always have a recent update of your site available before using a powerful tool like Page Importer. 

Q: What if I think that Page Importer is the most awesome thing ever and want to send you money or cars as a reward for your awesome development of this add-on?

First thank C5 for being awesome to work with because the Page Importer add-on is really inspired by the fact that C5 is structured in a way that facilitates this kind of export/import operation. As developers we just saw the potential for this after looking at how StartingPoints work. We also are happy to discuss custom data import projects if you have requirements beyond what Page Importer can currently achieve. Thanks!