How to prepare your catalog
The catalogue brings together product information and photos. Carry out the actions in this guide in your client account: open Projects, choose your SHOP project, then open Catalogue. This documentation page does not upload or change products.
If the catalogue is open for preparation and your role allows changes, you can add products manually or import a spreadsheet. If you see a read-only notice, see the permissions section at the end of this guide.
Three steps with a spreadsheet
In the project’s Catalogue, Import a spreadsheet accepts Excel .xlsx and CSV files. The older .xls format is not supported.
- Choose Excel template. The Catalog sheet contains column headers only: add one row per product and save the .xlsx file.
- In the project’s Catalogue, open Catalogue photos and choose Upload photos. Then enter the exact file names in the spreadsheet’s images column.
- Under Import a spreadsheet, choose your Excel or CSV file. Check the preview, correct any errors and choose Import catalog.
Identifiers and SKUs
Enter a stable code such as TSHIRT-001 in external_id and the product’s name in title. Keep the same external_id, including letter case, whenever you update that product.
A SKU is your internal item code; external_id is the stable identifier used to match the row during updates; the barcode has its own field. Enter an existing SKU in sku. If you do not have one, leave sku blank and enter yes in sku_generate: this lets the team assign one later; it does not create a SKU during import.
How to link photos to products
In your client account, go to Project → Catalogue → Catalogue photos and choose Upload photos when uploads are permitted. Saved files belong to the project; link them by file name in the spreadsheet or select them in the product editor.
The | symbol is a vertical bar that separates one file name from the next.
Copy the exact name, including its extension and letter case. The name must match just one photo in the project.
Wait until each uploaded photo shows Saved before importing the spreadsheet.
- One photo: enter photo-front.jpg in the product’s images cell.
- Several photos: enter photo-front.jpg|photo-back.jpg in the same images cell.
- With Add product, you can choose Use this photo in the library instead of typing file names.
Images from external links
HTTPS photo links remain references: images are not downloaded automatically. Keep the source store’s photos available until their transfer has been agreed with the team.
Only a few products?
Choose Add product, fill in its details, select photos you have uploaded and choose Save product. No Excel file is needed.
In the manual product editor, a checked box means yes and an unchecked box means no. You do not need to type these values into the form.
The product editor updates the working summary. These changes do not rewrite the Shopify source snapshot: upload a new export to update variants or other source data.
Statuses and options in the siti.gratis template
draft means the product still needs work. active requires a price, a description in facts and at least one photo. Neither status publishes the product or syncs it with a store.
You can enter up to 3 option groups, such as size and color. Individual variants do not have separate prices or stock in this spreadsheet.
Column guide
Keep the template’s column headers unchanged. Leave optional columns blank when you do not need them.
| Column | How to fill it in | Example |
|---|---|---|
| external_id | Required unique product identifier used to match and update this product in later imports. Keep it unchanged when editing the same product. | TSHIRT-001 |
| title | Required product name that a customer can easily recognize. State what you sell and its main distinguishing features. | Blue cotton T-shirt |
| status | Use draft to complete the remaining details later; active requires facts, a price and at least one image. This status does not publish the product to the shop. | draft |
| vendor | The product's brand or manufacturer. This is optional; leave it blank if it does not apply. | North Coast |
| product_type | The general kind of product, such as a T-shirt, chair or cream. This optional field describes the item, while categories groups it within the catalog. | T-shirt |
| categories | Optional categories or collections used to group the product. Separate up to 50 names with |, and do not put |, ; or a line break inside one name. | Clothing|Summer collection |
| facts | Verified product details such as materials, dimensions, use and care, up to 5,000 characters. Required for active; you can complete it later in draft. | 100% cotton. Regular fit. Machine wash at 30 C. |
| sku | Your internal article or stock code, serving a different purpose from external_id and the barcode. Enter a code or give the team permission with sku_generate=yes. | TSHIRT-BLUE |
| sku_generate | Enter yes to let the team assign an article code, or no if you supply the SKU. This gives permission, not immediate code generation; yes is required when SKU is blank. | yes |
| barcode | The EAN, UPC or GTIN barcode, if available. Keep it as text in Excel too, so leading zeros are not removed. | 0012345678905 |
| variant1_name | Name of the first product option, such as color. You can describe up to three options; these fields do not assign a separate price or stock quantity to each variant. | Color |
| variant1_values | Values for the first option, separated by |, up to 50. Also fill in variant1_name; leave both fields blank if the option is not needed. | Blue|White|Black |
| variant2_name | Optional name of the second option, such as size. Use it with variant2_values, without adding prices or stock quantities to the values. | Size |
| variant2_values | Values for the second option, separated by |, up to 50. Also fill in variant2_name, or leave both fields blank. | S|M|L|XL |
| variant3_name | Optional name of the third and final option, such as pack size. Use it with variant3_values. | Pack |
| variant3_values | Values for the third option, separated by |, up to 50. Also fill in variant3_name, or leave both fields blank. | Single|Set of 2 |
| price | Product selling price, required for active and never negative. Enter a number only, preferably using a decimal point, without a currency symbol. | 29.90 |
| compare_price | Optional comparison or list price, when you have a confirmed reference amount. Enter a number with a decimal point, without a currency symbol. | 39.90 |
| cost | Internal purchase or production cost of the product, if you want to share it with the team. This is optional; use a number with a decimal point and no currency symbol. | 12.50 |
| vat_rate | Applicable VAT rate confirmed by your business, written as a percentage without the % symbol. Leave it blank if undecided; this field does not say whether the selling price includes VAT. | 22 |
| weight | Optional product weight, entered as a number with a decimal point. Put the unit separately in weight_unit. | 0.25 |
| weight_unit | Unit used for the weight, for example kg or g. Keep it consistent with weight, or leave it blank when no weight is provided. | kg |
| track_inventory | Indicate whether available quantities should be tracked: yes to track stock, no not to. This records your preference for preparing the shop. | yes |
| quantity | Optional number of available items, entered as a whole number without decimals. Use it alongside the stock preference in track_inventory. | 50 |
| oversell_policy | Requested behavior when stock runs out: deny blocks orders, allow permits them, and preorder indicates preorders. Leave it blank if the choice is undecided. | deny |
| images | Upload photos to this project, then enter their exact, unambiguous filenames separated by |, up to 50. At least one image is required for active; HTTPS links are references only and are not downloaded. | photo-front.jpg|photo-back.jpg |
| alt_facts | Optional description of what the images show, used to prepare accessible alternative text. Give concrete visual details, up to 5,000 characters. | Blue short-sleeve T-shirt, front view, white background. |
| seo_notes | Optional notes for search-oriented content, such as important terms and points to highlight. Up to 5,000 characters; this does not promise search rankings. | Focus on cotton fabric, regular fit and summer clothing. |
Already have a Shopify store?
Upload your Shopify product export directly, without copying it into the siti.gratis template.
Shopify exports CSV files. We also accept .xlsx with the same headers, one data sheet and no formulas. Do not rename the columns.
- In Shopify, open Products → Export and save a CSV of the products you want to transfer.
- In your client account, open Project → Catalogue and use the Excel / CSV upload control. Choose your Shopify export: its format is recognized automatically.
- Review the preview and product, variant and photo counts. The catalog changes only after you confirm the import; no Shopify account connection is needed.
How your Shopify data is preserved
The same Handle identifies one product. Variant and photo rows are grouped together: they do not become additional products.
Products are added as preparation drafts. The original Shopify status (active, draft or archived) is preserved; we do not publish or change your store.
Product Category is preserved unchanged, separately from store collections. We do not automatically turn Shopify categories or tags into pages or collections.
Original row data is also preserved, including description HTML, metafields and additional fields. This import covers the catalog, not customers, orders or payments.
An SKU is a variant’s internal stock code. Missing codes remain blank: importing them does not authorize automatic generation of new SKUs.
Checks before confirming
Choosing a file opens the preview. The catalog changes only when you confirm with Import catalog; correct the listed errors first.
If the preview reports an error in a Shopify file, the import is not applied. Check for missing Handles or titles, conflicting data for one product, duplicate variants and the per-product size limit. Correct the file and upload it again in the project’s Catalogue without renaming Shopify headers.
Technical limits: 20,000 source rows, 5,000 grouped products, 10 MiB for the file and for the final catalog, 128 KiB per product including source data. The Shopify table may contain up to 500,000 cells, including empty cells. Your project’s commercial limits remain separate.
Reimporting and exporting
In the siti.gratis template, the same external_id updates the whole product record, so include the fields you want to keep. A new code creates another product; products absent from the file are not deleted. Keep your source file and ask the team for a current export before a major import. Do not rely on an undo-import action.
A new file with the same Handle replaces that imported product, including its variants and edits to the summary. Products missing from the file remain in the catalog.
An administrator can export the working summary or choose an export of original Shopify data. The latter includes imported source data and variants, but not products added manually or with the siti.gratis template, nor edits to the summary. Use the ordinary export for that information. CSV adds a protective apostrophe to values that could become formulas; Excel preserves them as literal text.
If the catalogue is read-only
If you see a read-only notice or no upload controls, the preparation stage or your role may not permit changes. You can view the data and download available photos. To edit products or add photos, ask the team to check your permissions or reopen preparation.
Staff access is for reviewing and exporting the catalogue and downloading photos. An authorized client uploads products and photographs while preparation is editable.