Bulk editing and Excel
Building a hundred-line menu by opening a hundred screens is not work anyone should do. Fenómenus offers two directions of bulk movement: an Excel export of what you have, and a paste-in table that creates and updates many items at once.
The two tools
| Direction | Tool | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Out of Fenómenus | Download as Excel | All items, top right |
| Into Fenómenus | Bulk create/update | Under each supported menu type |
There is no file upload. Import happens by copying cells from a spreadsheet and pasting them into the on-screen table.
In this chapter
| Task | Article |
|---|---|
| Get the current menu out as a spreadsheet | Download the Excel export |
| Understand the columns you get and must supply | Excel columns |
| Know which menus support bulk work | Supported menu types |
| Build a sheet that will import cleanly | Prepare the import file |
| Check it before pasting | Validate before importing |
| Create many items at once | Paste items in bulk |
| Change many existing items | Update items in bulk |
| Change prices across a menu | Bulk import prices |
| Get items into the right sections | Bulk import and categories |
| Understand why allergens are not imported | Bulk import and allergens |
| Fix an import that went wrong | Resolve import errors |
| Do all of it safely | A safe bulk update workflow |
The four rules that govern every import
1. Rows are matched by exact title. Same title, within that menu type, means update. New title means create.
2. Empty cells are skipped. A blank cell is not applied. An import can never blank a price or erase a value you left out of the sheet.
3. Columns map by position. The table on screen defines the order. Heading text in your spreadsheet is ignored.
4. New items are created published, at the end of the order. Matched items are also moved to the end.
Everything else in this chapter follows from those four.
What bulk work does not cover
The paste table carries titles, prices and one category per batch. It does not carry:
- descriptions, subtitles or long descriptions;
- photos or videos;
- allergens;
- featured marks;
- translations.
So the realistic pattern is: import the skeleton, then complete the items on their own screens. A menu is never finished by an import.
Before any bulk change
Take an export first and keep it. It is the only "before" state you will have — menu items keep no revision history, and deletion is permanent. That single habit turns a bad import from a loss into a re-import.