Date formats in CSV file

You need a file like:

title,name,type,ctype_id,flexinode_3,flexinode_2month,flexinode_2day,flexinode_2year,flexinode_2hour,flexinode_2minute
"Foo",bar,flexinode-2,2,"something",4,26,2001,18,0
...

Things might get easier when the CVS-HEAD version gets released.

node_import.module is being rewritten in CVS. We're still working on a simpler way to import date fields (either in flexinode or event). I hope to have enough time this evening to submit a patch.

In the meantime, if you are using the CVS version (v1.15 for example), you will need to use the "raw data (advanced)" option. So, don't select the content type in the first page from the select dropdown. With the "raw data (advanced)" option you can import any content node, but your fieldnames (=column names) need to be correct (no field matching). So you need a seperate column for flexinode_30day, ..._30month, ..._30year, ..._30hour AND ..._30minute (you will need every column!). And you need a "type" (flexinode-XX), "name" and "ctype_id" (XX) column too.

Hope this helps.

No, not at the moment. This is being worked on.

There is no way to assign "taxonomy terms" (or categories like you call them) when using "raw data (advanced)". And there is no way (currently) to assign a date if you don't use "raw data (advanced)". So it is either "assign a date" or either "assign a category" for the moment.

Things will improve in the following hours -- at least that is the plan for me this evening :-)

Some ways I can think of right now:

1. The "filtered HTML" should already do the "right" thing. In your CSV file you need something like:
   

   title,body,...
   "foo","My address is:
   foo
   bar
   (an empty line here)
   This will be a new paragraph.
   This will be a second line of the second paragraph.
   (an empty line here)
   This is a third paragraph.",...
   

   Paragraphs are seperated by at least one empty line (which seems to be filtered out here, so I've put "(an empty line here)" instead). If you insert a linebreak (like between "foo" and "bar"), you'll get a <br>

2. Add <br> as an allowed HTML tag to the "filtered HTML". This is done on the "administer (menu) => input formats (menu) => configure (next to "filtered html" radio option) => configure (tab)" and add <br> to the list of "Allowed HTML tags", you can then use <br> where you want a linebreak. You now allow all users to use <br> in their comments etc. This is no real problem;
3. Change the default format (on the "administer => input formats" page) to "Full HTML". You can now use <br> where you want a linebreak. Don't forget to change it back because this is quite insecure if you let anonomous users (or even members) add comments (or other content) because now they will be able to insert ANY HTML in their comments;
4. Probably you can specify which "input format" to use in the CSV file itself. Something with a column named "flexinode_XX_format" (where XX is the number of the textarea field of your flexinode type) which you set to "3" (Full HTML - at least in my default installation) for each row.

There are probably other methods too :-)

Closing this support issue:
- original poster was helped and solved her problem.
- the things I promised to do is: http://drupal.org/node/24910 . This has only partly been committed.

More: It looks like the node_import_valid_date function is broken, since it is looking for a number. Here's what I did to fix it temporarily -- if this is valid. someone should make it into a patch.

function node_import_valid_date($date) {
	if (preg_match("/^\s*\d\d\d\d-\d\d-\d\dT\d\d:\d\d:\d\d\s*$/", $date)) {
		return $date;
	} else {
		return -1;
	}
	/*
  //TODO: really check whether the date is valid!!

  if (empty($date)) {
    return -1;
  }
  if (is_numeric($date) && $date > -1) {
    return $date;
  }
  $time = strtotime($date);
  if ($time < 0 || !$time) {
    return -1;
  }
  return $time;
	*/
}