CSV Bulk Import & Export

Overview

PassTru provides robust CSV import and export functionality for bulk attendee management. Import hundreds of attendees at once or export data for analysis and record-keeping.

CSV Import Process

Download Template

Click CSV Template to download a template file with the correct column headers for your event.

Fill Template

Open the CSV in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet editor and add your attendee data.

Save as CSV

Export your spreadsheet as a CSV file (comma-separated values).

Import File

Click Import CSV and select your file. PassTru will validate and import the data.

Verify Import

Check the success message showing how many attendees were imported and tokens used.

Template Generation

The CSV template automatically includes columns based on your event’s configured attendee fields:

src/lib/csv.ts

export function generateTemplate(attendeeFields: string[]): string {
  return attendeeFields.join(",") + "\n";
}

Example Template: For an event with fields: Name, Email, Department, Table, Dietary

Name,Email,Department,Table,Dietary

CSV Format Requirements

File Specifications

file_type

string

required

Must be a .csv file (not .xlsx or other formats)

encoding

string

default:"UTF-8"

Text encoding (UTF-8 recommended for international characters)

delimiter

string

default:","

Comma-separated values (commas as field separators)

max_rows

number

default:"1000"

Maximum 1,000 rows per import (excluding header row)

Required Columns

Name

Attendee full name (max 200 characters)

Email

Valid email address (validated with regex)

Optional Columns

Include any attendee fields configured for your event:

Department
Organisation
Seat
Table
Booth
Dietary
Remarks

Data Validation

PassTru performs comprehensive validation during CSV import:

Field Validation

src/pages/event/AttendeeManagement.tsx

const emailRegex = /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/;
const errors: string[] = [];

for (let i = 0; i < rows.length; i++) {
  const name = rows[i]["Name"]?.trim();
  const email = rows[i]["Email"]?.trim();
  
  if (!name) errors.push(`Row ${i + 1}: Name is missing`);
  else if (name.length > 200) errors.push(`Row ${i + 1}: Name exceeds 200 characters`);
  
  if (!email) errors.push(`Row ${i + 1}: Email is missing`);
  else if (!emailRegex.test(email)) errors.push(`Row ${i + 1}: Invalid email format`);
}

Custom Field Validation

Custom fields must meet naming requirements:

const validFieldName = (name: string) => /^[a-zA-Z0-9_\s-]{1,50}$/.test(name);
const invalidFields = attendeeFields.filter(
  (f) => f !== "Name" && f !== "Email" && !validFieldName(f)
);

Field names:

1-50 characters
Letters, numbers, underscores, spaces, hyphens only
No special characters (@, #, $, etc.)

Value Sanitization

All imported values are sanitized to prevent injection attacks:

const sanitizeValue = (val: string) =>
  val.trim()
    .replace(/[<>]/g, "")  // Remove HTML tags
    .slice(0, 500);        // Limit length

Error Handling

Validation Errors
Token Errors
File Errors

If validation fails, PassTru displays up to 5 specific errors:

Row 3: Name is missing
Row 7: Invalid email format
Row 12: Name exceeds 200 characters

Fix the errors in your CSV and re-import.

If you don’t have enough attendee tokens:

Insufficient attendee tokens. You need 150 tokens.

Purchase more tokens before importing.

Token Deduction

Each imported attendee consumes one attendee token:

src/pages/event/AttendeeManagement.tsx

const { data: deducted, error } = await supabase.rpc(
  "deduct_attendee_tokens",
  { _organization_id: organizationId, _count: records.length }
);

if (!deducted) {
  toast.error(`Insufficient attendee tokens. You need ${records.length} tokens.`);
  return;
}

Import operations are atomic. If you have insufficient tokens, no attendees will be imported and no tokens will be deducted.

Unique ID Generation

Each imported attendee receives an auto-generated unique ID:

function generateUniqueId() {
  const chars = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789";
  let result = "";
  for (let i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
    result += chars[Math.floor(Math.random() * chars.length)];
  }
  return result;
}

Unique IDs:

8 characters long
Alphanumeric (A-Z, 0-9)
Used for check-in and QR codes
Example: AB12CD34

CSV Export

Export attendee data for backup or analysis:

Export Options

Full Attendee Export
Event Data Export
Organization Reports

Includes all attendee data and check-in status:Columns:

Name
Email
Unique ID
Checked In (Yes/No)
Check-In Time
Check-In Method
Portal Active (Yes/No)

Click Export in the Attendee Management page.

Export Implementation

src/lib/csv.ts

export function toCSV(data: Record<string, string>[], columns: string[]): string {
  const header = columns.join(",");
  const rows = data.map((row) =>
    columns.map((col) => {
      const raw = row[col] ?? "";
      const val = sanitizeCellValue(raw);
      
      // Quote if contains comma, newline, or quote
      if (val.includes(",") || val.includes("\n") || val.includes('"')) {
        return `"${val.replace(/"/g, '""')}"`;
      }
      return val;
    }).join(",")
  );
  return [header, ...rows].join("\n");
}

CSV Injection Prevention

PassTru protects against CSV formula injection attacks:

src/lib/csv.ts

function sanitizeCellValue(val: string): string {
  // Prefix dangerous leading characters with a single quote
  if (/^[=+\-@\t\r]/.test(val)) {
    return "'" + val;
  }
  return val;
}

Security Note: Values starting with =, +, -, @ are automatically prefixed with a single quote to prevent spreadsheet formula execution.

CSV Parsing

PassTru uses a robust CSV parser that handles:

Quoted fields with commas
Escaped quotes within fields
Multi-line values
Empty rows (automatically skipped)

src/lib/csv.ts

function parseCsvLine(line: string): string[] {
  const result: string[] = [];
  let current = "";
  let inQuotes = false;
  
  for (let i = 0; i < line.length; i++) {
    const char = line[i];
    if (char === '"') {
      if (inQuotes && line[i + 1] === '"') {
        current += '"';
        i++;
      } else {
        inQuotes = !inQuotes;
      }
    } else if (char === "," && !inQuotes) {
      result.push(current);
      current = "";
    } else {
      current += char;
    }
  }
  result.push(current);
  return result;
}

Best Practices

Use Templates

Always start with the downloaded template to ensure correct column headers.

Validate Data

Review your CSV before importing to catch errors early.

Test Small

Import a small batch first to verify the format works correctly.

Keep Backups

Export data regularly for backup purposes.

Get Started

User Guides

Core Features

Pricing & Tokens

Configuration

CSV Bulk Import & Export

Overview

CSV Import Process

Template Generation

CSV Format Requirements

File Specifications

Required Columns

Name

Email

Optional Columns

Data Validation

Field Validation

Custom Field Validation

Value Sanitization

Error Handling

Token Deduction

Unique ID Generation

CSV Export

Export Options

Export Implementation

CSV Injection Prevention

CSV Parsing

Best Practices

Use Templates

Validate Data

Test Small

Keep Backups

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

User Guides

Core Features

Pricing & Tokens

Configuration

​Overview

​CSV Import Process

​Template Generation

​CSV Format Requirements

​File Specifications

​Required Columns

Name

Email

​Optional Columns

​Data Validation

​Field Validation

​Custom Field Validation

​Value Sanitization

​Error Handling

​Token Deduction

​Unique ID Generation

​CSV Export

​Export Options

​Export Implementation

​CSV Injection Prevention

​CSV Parsing

​Best Practices

Use Templates

Validate Data

Test Small

Keep Backups

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

CSV Import Process

Template Generation

CSV Format Requirements

File Specifications

Required Columns

Optional Columns

Data Validation

Field Validation

Custom Field Validation

Value Sanitization

Error Handling

Token Deduction

Unique ID Generation

CSV Export

Export Options

Export Implementation

CSV Injection Prevention

CSV Parsing

Best Practices