CSV Import & Export

GPSR Compliance for WooCommerce seamlessly integrates with the built-in WooCommerce CSV import and export system. This means you can export your product data including all GPSR fields, edit them in any spreadsheet application, and re-import the updated data – all without touching the WordPress admin for individual products.

The 5 GPSR Columns

When the plugin is active, WooCommerce CSV exports automatically include five additional columns. Here is what each column contains:

1. gpsr_manufacturer_id – The numeric ID of the assigned manufacturer record. You can find manufacturer IDs on the GPSR Compliance → Manufacturers screen.
2. gpsr_manufacturer_name – The manufacturer’s display name (read-only on import; the ID takes precedence). Included for reference when editing in spreadsheets.
3. gpsr_eu_representative – The name of the EU Authorised Representative, if applicable. This field is auto-populated from the manufacturer record but can be overridden per product.
4. gpsr_safety_info – Free-text safety information and warnings for the product. Supports plain text only (no HTML).
5. gpsr_compliance_status – Current compliance status: compliant, partial, or missing. This column is read-only – it is calculated automatically based on the other fields and cannot be set via import.

Exporting Products with GPSR Data

To export your products with GPSR data included:

1. Go to Products → All Products in your WordPress admin.
2. Click “Export” at the top of the page.
3. In the export dialog, you will see the standard WooCommerce column selection. The 5 GPSR columns are listed under the “GPSR Compliance” group.
4. Make sure the GPSR columns are checked (they are included by default).
5. Optionally filter by product category or type.
6. Click “Generate CSV” and save the file.

Editing GPSR Data in a Spreadsheet

Open the exported CSV in your preferred spreadsheet application (Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc). Locate the GPSR columns – they are typically at the far right of the spreadsheet.

Common Editing Tasks

• Assign a manufacturer to multiple products – Enter the manufacturer ID in the gpsr_manufacturer_id column for each product row.
• Add safety information – Type the safety text into the gpsr_safety_info column. Keep it plain text without line breaks.
• Clear a manufacturer assignment – Delete the value in the gpsr_manufacturer_id column (leave it empty).
• Override EU representative per product – Enter a custom name in the gpsr_eu_representative column. Leave it empty to use the value from the manufacturer record.

Important: Do not modify the gpsr_compliance_status column. Any values in this column are ignored during import because the status is recalculated automatically.

Re-importing Updated Data

To import your edited CSV back into WooCommerce:

1. Go to Products → All Products.
2. Click “Import” at the top of the page.
3. Upload your edited CSV file.
4. On the column mapping screen, verify that the GPSR columns are correctly mapped. The plugin registers the column names automatically, so they should be pre-mapped.
5. Choose “Update existing products” to merge changes into existing products (matched by ID or SKU).
6. Click “Run the importer”.

After import completes, verify a few products to confirm the GPSR data was applied correctly.

Migrating GPSR Data Between Stores

CSV import/export is the recommended method for migrating GPSR data between WordPress installations (e.g., from staging to production, or between two separate stores).

Migration Steps

1. Export manufacturers first. Go to GPSR Compliance → Manufacturers → Export on the source store. This creates a separate CSV with all manufacturer records.
2. Import manufacturers on the target store. Go to GPSR Compliance → Manufacturers → Import and upload the manufacturer CSV. Note the new manufacturer IDs assigned on the target store.
3. Export products with GPSR data from the source store as described above.
4. Update manufacturer IDs. If the manufacturer IDs differ between stores (which is likely), update the gpsr_manufacturer_id column in the product CSV to match the new IDs from the target store.
5. Import products on the target store.

Tips for Smooth Migration

• Always migrate manufacturers before products so the IDs exist when products reference them.
• Use a VLOOKUP formula in your spreadsheet to map old manufacturer IDs to new ones across the product CSV.
• Test the import on a staging environment first before running it on production.
• If both stores share the same database structure (e.g., cloned sites), manufacturer IDs may already match – verify before editing.
• After migration, run the GPSR compliance check from GPSR Compliance → Dashboard to verify all products have valid data on the target store.

Troubleshooting

• GPSR columns missing from export: Ensure the GPSR Compliance plugin is active. Deactivating the plugin removes the columns from the export dialog.
• Manufacturer not assigned after import: Double-check that the ID in gpsr_manufacturer_id matches an existing manufacturer record. Invalid IDs are silently ignored.
• CSV encoding issues: Save your CSV as UTF-8 to avoid problems with special characters in manufacturer names and addresses (common with European names).
• Large file timeouts: For stores with 10,000+ products, split the CSV into smaller files (2,000–3,000 rows each) to avoid PHP timeout errors during import.