CSV (Comma Separated Value) is a file format that contains plain text values separated by commas. This guide covers rules to keep in mind when uploading a CSV file for your schedule.
To upload a CSV file with your schedule, go to Event Dashboard > Venue > Schedule in a multi-track event or Event Dashboard > Setup > Schedule in a Webinar event. Click Upload. For complete details on how to upload the CSV, refer to our guide on Creating schedule.
Before uploading your schedule, we recommend using a default text editor (such as VS Code or Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac) to review the data formatting. This helps to find mistakes that could be easily missed in the table view.
Header
The correct header is: Start date,Start time,End date,End time,Schedule name,Schedule description,Segment name,Segment Type,External URL,Open URL in new tab,Tags,Speaker names, Attendance.
Here's what they all mean:
-
Start/end date and start/end time: Date and time the segment is due to start and end. It must be within the duration of your event.
Note: Break segments cannot overlap with any other segment.
- Schedule name: Title of the segment.
- Schedule description: Description of the segment to provide additional information for your attendees.
-
Segment name (optional): Name of the virtual space (name of a Stage, a Session, or an Expo Booth).
Note:
- The Session must be set to "Scheduled" in the settings to be attached to a schedule segment.
- You can link multiple Sessions to a scheduled segment, however, these must be separated by line breaks, not commas. To add a line break in Excel, press Alt+Enter (Windows) or Option+Enter (MacOS).
-
Segment type: Name of the event area (sessions, stage, expo, networking, break, external_url, replay, custom area).
Note:
- Ensure the event area is enabled in the Event Dashboard > Setup > Basics settings.
- You must use lowercase letters for this section.
- External URL: The website address (only applies if you have set your segment type to "external url").
- Open URL in a new tab: "TRUE" to open the link in a new tab or "FALSE" to redirect attendees away from RingCentral Events (only applies if you have set your segment type to "external url").
- Tags: Tags to make your schedule segments easier to find.
-
Speaker names: Speakers presenting the segment.
Note: Speaker names must coincide with existing speaker profile names.
- Attendance: "recommended" to notify attendees about the start of the segment or "regular."
Data formatting
An example of correct data format is:
2021-11-15,16:20,2021-11-15,17:20,Keynote Presentation,Listen to our founder and CEO open the event,stage,,,Stage,"Tag 1, Tag 2","Talking Cat, Talking Donkey",regular
If you choose to use an external URL, the correct format will be:
2021-11-15,16:20,2021-11-15,17:20,External Video Presentation,Follow the link to watch the presentation on our website,external_url,https://ringcentral.com,true,,,,regular
- If a field lacks data (e.g. no virtual space assigned), a comma must be present indicating an empty field.
- If there are multiple tags or speakers for a segment, they must be within quote marks (“ “) For example, “Tag1, Tag2, Tag3” and make sure there is a space between each one.
- The schedule name and description must be within 160 characters.
Additional tips
- No spaces: The header titles must be separated by a comma with no space.
- Comma as a separator: Be sure you have the items separated by a comma, NOT semi-colon or any other symbol.
- CSV format: Save the file as .csv format NOT .number or any other format.
- No empty rows: There must be no empty rows in the CSV document.
- Unicode (UTF-8): Be sure the text encoding for the CSV file is set as Unicode (UTF-8). If this is set to anything else, you may experience issues displaying special characters.
- Different header titles: If you decide to change the header title, ensure the fields are matched properly when uploading the CSV within the Event Dashboard. For example, if the 'Start date' header is changed to 'date' or anything else, ensure the field is matched with 'start date' when uploading the file.