> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gunp.la/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Import and export your collection data in plamotrack
> Export your collection as plain CSVs and import back to restore or merge. The starter sheet is the fastest path in from a spreadsheet, one row per kit.
Your collection data is always yours. Export it as a ZIP of plain CSVs, import it back at any time, or move it to a new instance. Every import shows you a full preview of what will change before anything is written — nothing is committed until you click **Apply import**.
All import and export options live in **Settings → Data management**.
## Getting data out
plamotrack gives you two ways to export:
1. **Full archive (.zip)** — go to **Settings → Data management → Export**. You get one CSV per table plus a `manifest.json` that records the export timestamp, app version, and row counts. Use this for backups, moving instances, or keeping an offline copy.
2. **Single table (.csv)** — one button per table in the Export section, or the **Export CSV** button at the top of any list page. Use this when you want to pull one table into a spreadsheet without the rest of the collection.
## Importing your collection for the first time
If you're coming from a spreadsheet, Notion, or Baserow, the **starter sheet** is the fastest path in.
Go to **Settings → Data management** and, under **Blank templates**, click **Starter sheet (.csv)**. The download includes three example rows to overwrite.
Add one row per kit. The key columns are:
| Column | Notes |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `kit_name` | Required |
| `grade` | Required |
| `status` | `pre_ordered`, `ordered`, `in_transit`, `backlog`, `building`, or `complete`. Blank defaults to `backlog`. |
| `retailer` | Where you bought it. Blank means no order recorded — just a kit in your collection. |
| `order_date` | The purchase date |
| `order_number` | The shop's order reference |
| `unit_price` | In major units (e.g. `49.99`) |
| `quantity` | How many of this kit on this row. Blank defaults to 1. A row with quantity 2 creates two separate kit rows in your collection. |
| `received` | `yes` or `no`. Blank defaults to `yes`. Set to `no` for orders still on their way. |
You don't need to describe orders separately. Write the kits; plamotrack works out the retailers, orders, and order lines from the rows.
Go to **Settings → Data management → Import**. Drop your filled-in sheet on the upload area or browse for it, leave **If something already exists** on **Merge**, and click **Preview changes**. Review the preview, then click **Apply import** when it looks right.
Fill in `order_number` whenever a shop and date combination isn't unique. Rows that share the same retailer, order date, and order number collapse into one order — even across separate imports. This is what keeps a multi-kit order together correctly.
## Import modes
Choose the right mode before you import:
| Mode | Existing records | New records |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------- | ----------- |
| **Merge** (default) | Updated | Added |
| **Add only** | Left completely alone | Added |
| **Replace everything** | Entire collection deleted first | Added |
**Replace everything** requires you to type `REPLACE` to confirm. plamotrack tells you how many existing records it will delete before you do — read that number before you type it.
## Preview before you commit
Every import — regardless of mode — shows you a full preview of what will change: records to add, update, or delete, table by table. Nothing is written until you click **Apply import**.
The apply step checks against a fingerprint of what you previewed. If your collection changed between the preview and the apply (because you moved a kit or received an order in the meantime), plamotrack refuses and asks you to preview again. You only ever apply exactly what you reviewed.
## Re-importing safely
Every exported row includes a unique ID. Importing an archive back into the same instance matches those IDs to your existing records — so re-importing is always a no-op. Nothing changes, because nothing has changed. Use this freely for backup verification.
## Limits
| Limit | Value |
| ----------------------- | -------------- |
| Maximum upload size | 10 MB |
| Maximum unpacked size | 100 MB |
| Maximum rows per import | 50,000 |
| File encoding | UTF-8 required |
If your spreadsheet app offers a plain "CSV" option and a "CSV UTF-8" option, pick the second one.
CSV cells whose values start with `=`, `+`, `-`, or `@` may be interpreted as formulas by spreadsheet apps when you open an export. These are your data bytes, not formulas — plamotrack exports them exactly as stored so they round-trip correctly. Leave your spreadsheet's formula-detection warnings enabled, especially when opening exports from someone else.