Dynamic Content Import Problem
Vasiliy Gorodeckiy
The import has three problems. 1. Cloning collections during import
I analyzed the import file CollectionImportExportController.php using chatgpt.
And it has no idea how to append data to the current database. So, every time it sees a collection ID, instead of appending new elements to it, it creates a duplicate collection and calls it "collection 2." It places all new elements from the import into a new category (collection).
When you're working with tens or hundreds of data units, this is a huge problem. And considering you don't have a "Move" function, that's simply an insurmountable obstacle ((
2. Example file for import. Judging by my research, the import function has no protection against "null" and spaces... There's no protection or simplification at all. If you make any mistakes, you get nothing.
I need an example of a correct file with empty fields (which aren't used, but are present in the JSON).
3. No debug.
If it doesn't like something, it doesn't say anything. Usually, it says "Import successful," but doesn't actually load anything. Moreover, there's no information about this in the JSON response or in the console, and nothing is even written to the logs. So, understanding the problem with the import is simply impossible.
I tried adding a debug there, but that's not right! A user who paid for a component shouldn't have to add their own debug to figure out what the component doesn't like.
Toufiq
Accepted AnswerHi there,
Thank you for reaching out. I understand the situation you’re facing. Currently, there is no option to append data in the existing dynamic content import system. Could you please share a screencast video showing the issue with the null data? I will forward it to our development team for review. Also, we mainly use Joomla’s default debug and error reporting, so please make sure those are enabled.
Best regards,
Toufiqur Rahman (Team Lead, Support)
Vasiliy Gorodeckiy
Accepted AnswerHi, Toufiq!
Yes, I noticed that there is no option to add. That's why I'm writing about it. What's the point of importing if it can only be a one-time thing? This is called a backup, not an import.
Can you make it possible to massively copy (from collection to collection) and modify materials?
Importing and adding it to existing categories is also suitable. Then it will be possible to edit or create in another place en masse, and then import.
Also, we mainly use Joomla’s default debug and error reporting, so please make sure those are enabled.
both "debug" and "error reporting" are enabled. The module simply says that the import is successful, but in fact nothing happens.
for example, I made this json file for import: https://pastebin.com/5yiNvijb . The system says it imported it without any problems, but there is no result.
here's a video recording, why wouldn't you need it)) https://youtu.be/KPWr101_D_Y
Toufiq
Accepted AnswerRight now, the append function isn’t supported. Let me explain how it works: suppose you create a collection and add some items to it. When you create the collection, you also define some fields, and the database is generated based on those fields. If there were restrictions that allowed only two specific fields to be created, then this could be controlled. However, since multiple collections can exist with the same name, a unique collection cannot always be identified.
Additionally, when a collection is linked with a reference or multi-reference, other collections are also exported, and during import it becomes impossible to properly trace or map them.
The main reason this feature can’t be added is that there is complete freedom when creating fields. On top of that, if you manually edit a JSON file and try to import it, it won’t work because both the fields and the data are dynamically added to the database. (This is likely the cause of the null issue—you may have edited the JSON file before importing it.)