Bulk import and categories

There is no category column in the import. Each import applies one category to every row it touches — new and matched alike — chosen in Assign category above the table.

That single design decision shapes how every bulk operation should be planned.

Plan imports by category

Work one section at a time:

Import 1 → category "Starters"   → the starters rows
Import 2 → category "Main courses" → the main course rows
Import 3 → category "Desserts"   → the dessert rows

Each import is small, reviewable, and lands exactly where you intend. A single 200-row paste with one category selected would file the whole menu into that one section.

The category must exist first

Create the sections on All categories before importing, and save them. The selector on the bulk screen lists the categories in their saved order, which is another reason to arrange the tree first.

If the category you need is not in the selector, it was not saved — the category screen stages changes until you select Save changes.

Importing with no category

The selector offers a "no category" option. Rows saved that way become items with no category, which means:

• they land in Uncategorized Items on All items;
• guests cannot see them, even though they are published.

Use it only when you intend to file the items manually afterwards, and clear the panel before considering the menu done.

Note that the automatic category assignment that runs when an item is published on the item screen does not rescue an import: bulk saves deliberately skip that behavior so that a large import does not scatter items into an arbitrary first category.

Using an import to move items

Because the category applies to matched rows too, re-importing existing titles with a different category selected moves them.

That is the fastest way to move a group of items between sections:

1. Export, and copy the titles of the items to move.
2. Paste those titles into the bulk table, with the correct category selected.
3. Leave the price cells empty so nothing else changes.
4. Save.

Two consequences to expect: the moved items go to the end of the target section's order, and the reported count will be all updates and no creations.

Do not let a reprice move items

The mirror image of the same behavior: a reprice batch with the wrong category selected silently refiles every item it touches.

So for a pure reprice, import section by section and select the category those items already belong to.

The export's category column

The export ends with a category column showing where each item currently sits. It is informational and is not read back on import — delete it before pasting.

It is genuinely useful for planning: sort by it in the spreadsheet to see the shape of the menu, and build your per-category import batches from that.

Nested categories

The selector shows the tree with children indented under their parents. Assign items to the specific child category rather than the parent when the menu is nested; a parent with items of its own and children below it renders as a mixed section.

After a categorised import

• [ ] Items appear under the intended heading on All items.
• [ ] Uncategorized Items is empty.
• [ ] The order of the affected section has been set.
• [ ] Nothing was moved out of another section by accident — compare against the "before" export.