Data Import & Mail Merge

What is Data Import?

Data import (mail merge) lets you:

• Upload a CSV or Excel file with employee information (names, titles, departments, employee IDs, etc.)
• Map CSV columns to badge fields (e.g., "Full Name" column → Name field on badge)
• Preview how each employee's data looks on the badge
• Export all records as a single PDF with one badge per page

Step 1: Prepare Your Data

Create a CSV or Excel file with your employee data:

File Format Requirements

• CSV (.csv): Plain text format, columns separated by commas. Works with Excel, Google Sheets, etc.
• Excel (.xlsx): Native Excel format with formatting preserved.
• TSV (.tsv): Tab-separated values. Useful for copying from spreadsheet apps.
• First row as headers: The first row should contain column names (e.g., "First Name", "Last Name", "Employee ID").

Example Data Format

First Name,Last Name,Department,Employee ID,Email
John,Doe,Engineering,E001,john.doe@company.com
Jane,Smith,Marketing,M001,jane.smith@company.com
Bob,Johnson,Sales,S001,bob.johnson@company.com

Column Tips

• Use clear, descriptive column names. Avoid special characters or spaces if possible.
• Include all data that will appear on badges (names, titles, IDs, dates, etc.).
• Each row = one person. Each column = one piece of information.
• Dates: Use consistent formats (YYYY-MM-DD is best, but MM/DD/YYYY works too).

Step 2: Upload & Map Your Data

1. In the editor, open the Data panel from the left toolbar.
2. Click Upload File or drag and drop your CSV/Excel file.
3. Badge Composer will preview your data and show the columns it found.
4. For each badge field (Name, Title, Department, etc.), assign a CSV column from the dropdown.
5. Badge Composer uses AI to suggest mappings. Review and adjust as needed.

Understanding the Mapping Panel

• Left side (Badge Fields): Fields on your badge (e.g., "Name", "Title").
• Right side (Mappings): Dropdown showing CSV columns. Select the correct column for each field.
• Confidence score: AI shows how confident it is about each suggestion (%, color-coded).
• Drag to add: Drag unmapped CSV columns onto the canvas to create new zones with that data.

Combo fields (first + last name, etc.)

When first and last names live in separate spreadsheet columns, map each column to its own badge field, then show them together in one text line:

1. Open the left Text tool panel.
2. Under Combo fields, choose a preset (e.g. First + last name) or add a text zone and set a Combo template in Properties (Content section).
3. On the Data tab, map First name and Last name to your CSV columns. Each {fieldKey}in the template uses that field's mapping.
4. Optional fallback if a value is empty: {firstName|Guest}

Step 3: Preview & Edit Records

After mapping, you can preview and edit individual records:

Using the Record Navigator

1. In the bottom barof the canvas (center), you'll see a record navigator showing "Record 1 of 100" (or however many records you have) when data is imported.
2. Use Prev and Next buttons to browse through each record.
3. As you navigate, the canvas updates to show that person's data merged into the badge.
4. Click the record number to jump to a specific record (e.g., jump to record 50).

Inline Record Editing

You can edit a specific record directly in the editor:

1. In the Data panel (left toolbar), open the Record Editor.
2. You'll see a form with all fields for the current record.
3. Edit values and click Save.
4. Changes only affect the current record and will show on the canvas immediately.

Adding & Deleting Records

• Click Add Record to manually add a new employee to the dataset.
• Select a record and click Delete to remove it.
• Deletions only affect the current merge session (your CSV file is unchanged).

Filtering Records

Need to export badges for only certain employees? Use record filtering:

1. Click the Filter button in the record navigator.
2. Create filter rules (e.g., "Department = Engineering" or "Status = Active").
3. When you export, only matching records will be included in the PDF.

Step 4: Batch Export

When you have imported data, exporting is automatic:

1. Click Export in the top toolbar.
2. Badge Composer will automatically detect imported data and offer batch export.
3. Choose PDF as the format (recommended for printing).
4. The PDF will contain one badge per page, with each employee's data merged in.
5. Click Download to save the file.

Working with Dates

Badge Composer supports date fields for issue dates, expiry dates, and birthdates:

• CSV dates should be in a standard format: YYYY-MM-DD, MM/DD/YYYY, or DD/MM/YYYY.
• When you map a date column, Badge Composer will ask which format you're using.
• On the badge, dates will be formatted according to your choice (e.g., "March 15, 2024" or "15/03/2024").

Exporting Your Data as CSV

Need to export your imported data back to CSV (after editing in Badge Composer)?

1. In the Data panel, use Export CSV (or the header export menu) as available.
2. Your data (including any edits you made) will be downloaded as a CSV file.
3. Use this to backup your data or import it into another tool.

Tips & Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Best Practices

• Test with a small batch: Upload 5-10 records first, preview, then add the full dataset.
• Use consistent formatting: Make sure dates, phone numbers, and IDs follow the same format across all rows.
• Clean your data: Remove extra spaces, fix spelling, and remove unnecessary characters.
• Keep a backup: Save your CSV file before importing, in case you need to reload it.
• Preview before exporting: Browse through several records to make sure everything looks right.
• Use filters for partial exports: If you only need badges for certain employees, filter before exporting.