General FAQ - Streamline Agenda Item Entry

Entering agenda items manually in the Certain interface can take a long time. A repetitive process occurs when a large number of items exist. If you have over 10 agenda items to enter, consider using the process detailed below.

Using the Import and Export features of the agenda module, the agenda item entry process can be streamlined.

First, enter one agenda item into the interface as detailed in Create and Edit Agenda Items.
Export the agenda item you created by clicking Export at the upper right of the Event Setup > Agenda page.
Save the exported Activities.xls file to your system Desktop.
Open the file in Microsoft Excel®.
Using the Excel® interface, enter remaining agenda items into the Excel® spreadsheet.
Follow the same format as the first agenda item entered.
Use the tips below to help you enter the information into the spreadsheet.
Save the file as tab-delimited text (such as Activities.txt).
Import the agenda items you entered back into Certain on the Event Setup > Agenda tab.
Use the Import tab-delimited text option (next to the Excel® icon at the upper right).
For instructions on Importing and Exporting agenda items, see the instructions on this topic.

Below are tips about specific columns in the program item export file:

| Column(s) | Tips | |-----------|------| | Activity Code | Must be unique to the agenda item. Important: The system uses the code when importing agenda items back into Certain. Any item with an existing code in the system will be updated with the new, imported values, while codes that do not exist in the system will be created from the import. | | Activity Type | Can be one of the Default Agenda Item Types (Activity, Session Breakout, Class, Meal, Tour, Item, Fee) or a Custom Agenda Item Type that you have defined. For information on Custom Agenda Item Types, see Create and Edit Agenda Items. | | Activity Label and Description | These fields can include HTML tags. These will enable you to change the formatting of the description, and also provides an error-free method of including special characters such as quotes, ampersands, and dollar signs in the label and/or description. Please refer to an HTML reference book for specific character codes. | | Activity Description Show | The following values can be used in this column: 0 – indicates the description will not be displayed; 1 – indicates the description will be displayed below label; 2 – indicates the description will be a hyperlink to a pop-up window that displays the description; 3 – indicates the description will be displayed above the label. | | Activity Limit | This value sets the Max per Order value and limits the number of reservations one attendee can make for a particular agenda item. | | Activity Minimum, Activity Waitlist, Activity CEU Number, Activity Required, Activity XML Session ID. | Ignore these columns or do not change their values. | | Activity Active | The following values can be used in this column: 0 – indicates the program item is inactive; 1 – indicates the activity item active. |

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