How to import and export inventory CSV files in Binly

Import is useful when you already have structured item data with names and locations. Manual entry or Quick Add is often easier when your starting point is a pile of belongings or photos without a usable list.

CSV is a text-based table, not a bundle of pictures and files. Images and attachments use supported URL columns, so their sources must be downloadable for the importer to retrieve them.

Start with Binly's template and import a small representative sample first. The preview and completion results are part of the workflow, not steps to skip.

1. Open Tools → Import and choose Download Template.
2. Fill the required inventory_name, place_name, and item_name columns for each row.
3. Add supported optional fields. Use parent_place_name for the parent hierarchy, with > between nested levels.
4. Save as CSV, upload it, and review errors, ignored columns, and other warnings.
5. Correct the file or preview as needed, then confirm the import.
6. Watch the import task's completion results and inspect created items, places, images, and attachments.

In a worked example, use inventory Home, parent place Garage > Shelf 3, place Blue Bin, and item Orange extension cord. Check that the imported record opens with that route before processing the rest of a storage list.

Open Tools → Export and choose Export Items CSV when you have items and export access. Downloading the file does not remove records from Binly.

1. Check that the relevant records and locations are up to date.
2. Open Export and start the CSV download.
3. Open the file in your spreadsheet app and inspect column names and a few sample rows.
4. Keep the original download before making transformations for another system.

The export provides item data and file references, not a complete account restore package. It does not bundle every referenced image or attachment into an offline archive; retain separate copies of documents you need independently.

Import lets you reuse existing data while gaining Binly's photos, place paths, and item workflows. Export lets you work with tabular data outside Binly when calculations or another format would help.

For a printable curated list instead of a data transfer, use a collection PDF.

Review warnings and row-level results before retrying the whole file. A partly successful task needs a different correction from one that imported nothing.

• Missing names: every row needs inventory, place, and item names.
• Ignored columns: unsupported columns do not automatically become saved fields.
• Custom fields: the combined exported custom-field-values column is ignored on import; use supported separate custom field columns.
• Missing images: confirm that URLs are downloadable rather than private viewer pages.
• Privacy warning: when the plan does not allow sharing, public records can be imported as private.
• Retry uncertainty: inspect completed rows before reimporting; do not assume every CSV operation is a perfect duplicate-free round trip.