Working out which columns a metaobject entries import needs is one of the most common questions we get. The metaobject import template gives you a head start: Altera builds an Excel file with every metaobject definition on your store already laid out, using the exact entry-import columns and a working example value for each field, so you can start editing instead of guessing.
Create a template
Open Altera and go to Tools > Metaobject import template.
Click Create template.
The file is built in the background and downloads automatically when it's ready. If the download doesn't start on its own, use the link in the banner, or the download button in the Previous templates list.
Your most recent templates stay on the page under Previous templates, so you can download an earlier one again without rebuilding it.
Get the template from Shopify Sidekick
If Shopify Sidekick is available in your admin, you can skip the steps above and just ask for the template in the Sidekick chat, for example "Get me Altera's metaobject import template" or "Which columns does a metaobject entries import need?". Sidekick fetches a template built from your store's current metaobject definitions and replies with a download link. See How to use Shopify Sidekick with Altera for everything else Sidekick can do.
What's in the file
The template has a single Metaobjects tab with one block of rows per metaobject definition on your store, one row per field. The columns match the format the importer expects:
ID - left blank so Altera matches entries by handle
Handle - a demo handle you replace with your entry's handle; it also groups the rows of one entry together
Command - pre-filled with
MERGE(update the entry if it exists, create it otherwise)Display Name - a readable name for the entry
Status -
Active, filled only for definitions that support active/draft statusDefinition: Handle - the definition type the entry belongs to, already filled in
Field - the field key, one row per field in the definition
Value - a working example value in the format the importer accepts for that field type
Metaobject fields use the same types as metafields, so the example values follow the same formats: hex colors for color fields, ISO dates for date fields, JSON objects for measurements and money, handles for references, and JSON arrays for list types. See the metafields reference for the full list of types and their formats.
Shopify-managed taxonomy definitions (types starting with shopify--, like the color patterns behind product categories) are left out of the template, since their entries are managed by Shopify.
Edit and import
The template is a normal Altera import file. To use it:
Replace the demo
Handlevalue in each block with the handle of the entry you want to create or update. Keep the same handle on every row of the block so the rows group into one entry.Edit the
Valuecolumn for the fields you care about, and delete the rows and blocks you don't need.Save the file and import it the same way as any other Altera spreadsheet.
To add more entries for the same definition, copy a block of rows and give the copy a new handle.
Because the columns and example formats already match what the importer expects, you can usually edit the values and import the file directly, without reformatting.