Importing Contacts
Can I Import New Contacts?
Absolutely. You'll perform basic FileMaker imports with just few tricks to make sure the contacts' phone numbers and email addresses end up in the right place.
Note that this Pro Version of SeedCodeContacts supports importing vCards. This can can make it much easier to import records which may have a large number of phone number or email addresses. Check out Import or Export vCard for more information.
These instructions are for importing from a flat file into SeedCodeContacts, if you already have a related file to import, you likely already know what you're doing, but you may want to glance over these instructions in any event, especially the sections relating to phone numbers
Creating A Temp File
Since SeedCodeContacts is "relational" the phone numbers are stored in a different table from the contacts records. This can make importing a little tricky. It makes things a lot simpler if the data you wish to import is also in FileMaker Pro so that we can peform come manipulations upon it.
So, drag the file you wish to import on top of the FileMaker Pro application so that FileMaker converts it to a FieMaker File.
Once you've done that you're going to create one new field in this newly created file. Create a field called "SeedCodeContactID" and make it a text field. Now, if that data you're importing already has a unique identifier (a serial number assigned to each contact, for instance), you'll all set. If not you'll need to make one.
Create a new field called "MySerialNumber" and place it on one of the layouts in this newly created file. Put your cursor in this field and select "Replace Field Contents..." from FileMaker's Record menu. Select the second option "Replace with Serial Numbers" and click "Replace".
Now you're ready to get started.
Beginning
Navigate to the Contacts tab in SeedCodeContacts and select Import Records / File... from FileMaker's File menu. This will begin the traditional FileMaker import process. Once you select the file you wish to import you'll see a new window where you can match fields from your database with fields in SeedCodeContacts. Make sure the Import Action in the lower left of this screen is set to "Add new records."
Lining Up the Fields
Match the fields in your file with those in ours. Feel free to click the ">>" button below the list of your fields to review the data being imported. There are just a few things to keep in mind...
- Don't worry about phone numbers or email addresses, we'll do those in the next steps. If you're importing a company record, however, you can match the company's phone and url to ContactCompanyPhone and ContactCompanyURL at this time. (Because of this you may wish to import your companies separately See Company Contacts).Match your records' unique ID (or the MySerialNumber ield you created above) with ContactOtherID. SeedCodeContacts will assign its own IDs to be used in relationship matches. Don't worry, you'll still be able to search for your records by their old ID as ContactOtherID appears on the contact's layout.Don't import anything into ContactID_kprime
Pulling the Trigger
Once you have everything lined up, click "Import." On the following Import Options screen, be sure to have "Perform auto-enter..." checked.
Review the import and, aside from the fact that we haven't yet done your phone, fax, and email records, make sure everything looks OK. If it doesn't you can delete the found set of records and try again.
Preparing to Import Phone Numbers & Email Addresses
When you're ready to import your phone numbers and email addresses, you'll need to make sure that each is assigned to the proper contact, and since SeedCodeContacts keeps track of contacts using ContactID_kprime as the identifier, you'll need to get this newly assigned value back into your original file. Here's how.
Make sure that all the newly imported records constitute the found set in SeedCodeContacts. Then go to the FileMaker file you imported from (your data), make sure all records are found, and select Import Records / File... from FileMaker's File menu. Select SeedCodeContacts.fp7 as the data source. In the Import Field Mapping window that comes up, select the "Contact" table as your source and change the Import Action in the lower left to "Update matching records in the found set." You only want to import two fields...
- Import ContactID_kprime into the "SeedCodeContactID" field you created.Line up ContactOtherID with whatever field is your unique identifier is in your file. This may be the MySerialNumber field you create above. However, when you line these two up, click on the import arrow again so that it becomes an equals sign (=). Click Import now and you'll be moving the newly created ContactID_kprime from SeedCodeContacts into the matching record in your file.
Once that is done, you're ready to import your phone numbers, emails addresses, etc.
Imports Phone Numbers & Email Addresses
This is very much like the procedure you used to import your contacts above. However we do this from a slightly different location. You may also have to do this more than once. For instance, if your source data has one field for phone number and another for fax. You'll line up the phone number fields on the first import, then line up the fax fields on a second import.
So, navigate to the Contacts tab in SeedCodeContacts, enter layout mode and move to the PhoneFaxEmail layout. Enter Browse Mode and select Import Records / File... from FileMaker's File menu. This will begin the traditional FileMaker import process. Once you select the file you wish to import you'll see a new window where you can match fields from your database with fields in SeedCodeContacts. Make sure the Import Action in the lower left of this screen is set to "Add new records."
Lining Up the Fields
Match the fields in your file with those in ours. Feel free to click the ">>" button below the list of your fields to review the data being imported. There are just a few things to keep in mind...
- Be sure to line up SeedCodeContactID in your file with PhoneContactID_kf in ours.Don't import anything into PhoneID_kprime or PhoneClass_k
Once you have everything lined up, click "Import." On the following Import Options screen, be sure to have "Perform auto-enter..." checked.
Cleaning Up Phone Numbers & Email Addresses
Once the records are imported you'll have to perform two additional actions to get things going. Both involve "Replaces". Put your cursor in the PhoneFlagMain_k field, type a "1" and select "Replace Field Contents..." from FileMaker's Record menu. Leave the options as they are and click "Replace": this will mark each of the imported records as the "main" phone number, etc. for this contact. Next you have to tell FileMaker what kind of record you imported.
Put your cursor in the PhoneClass_k field, type and select the kind of record this is (ie if you imported fax numbers, select "fax") then select "Replace Field Contents..." from FileMaker's Record menu. Leave the options as they are and click "Replace" to move this value into all the most recent import records. Repeat the import and replace sequence for each type of record you have (email records, phone records, etc.)
Addresses
The procedure for addresses is almost the same as that for phone numbers, we store addresses in an Address table and you'll line your SeedCodeContactID field up with AddressContactID_kf in our address file. Again, if you have multiple addresses per contact, you'll perform multiple imports as you did with the phone numbers.
And, just as you cleaned up your phone entries by performing a "Replace Field Contents..." to mark some records as "main". You'll need to navigate to the Address layout and perform a similar replace on the field "AddressLabel" to make at least on address for each contact as "Primary".
That's it!
