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How To Export and Import Drop-down Lists for ACT! Fields

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You would like to export or import a list of values to one or more drop-down lists in your ACT! database.

ACT! allows you to export and import drop-down lists for Contact, Company or Group fields. Please click on the topic below that you would like to view instructions for:

Exporting a Drop-down List

Importing to a New Drop-down List

Importing to an Existing Drop-down List


Note: ACT! limits drop-down list items to 32 characters or less.


Exporting a Drop-down List

You can export a drop-down list to a delimited text (.TXT) file. Follow the steps below.
  1. Click the Tools menu, and then click Define Fields. The Define Fields - Create, edit or delete fields dialog box appears.



  2. From the List Tasks box, click Manage drop-down lists. The Define Fields - Create, edit or delete drop-down lists dialog box appears.



  3. Click the drop-down list that you wish to export, and then from the Drop-down list tasks box, click Edit drop-down list. The Enter drop-down list name and type dialog box appears.



  4. Change the Drop-down list name or Description if desired, and then click Next. The Enter drop-down list values dialog box appears.



  5. Modify the list as desired, and then from the List Tasks box, click Export drop-down list items. The Export List Items dialog box appears..



  6. Enable the Include descriptions option (if desired), and then click the Browse button. An Export List Values dialog box appears.



  7. Type a unique name for this file into the File name field, ensure that your Save In field displays the correct location, and then click Save. The original Export List Items dialog box reappears with your file name displayed in the Select a file to export to field.



  8. Click Export. A .TXT file is created in the specified location.
  9. Click Home to exit the Define Fields - Create, edit or delete drop-down lists dialog box.
  10. Click Close to exit the Define Fields dialog box.

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Importing To a New Drop-down ListYou can import a drop-down list from a delimited text (.TXT) file. You can append the imported items to an existing list or you can import the new items to a new drop-down list. If you have a drop-down list for a field in a previous version of ACT!, you can export that from your previous version database, and then import the list into an ACT! field. For detailed information on exporting a drop-down list from a previous version ACT! database, refer to the following document:

Title: How to Export Drop-Down Lists
Answer ID: How to Export Drop-Down Lists

When importing a .TXT file with no description, the items must be enclosed by quotes and entered on separate lines as in the following example:

"Northeast"
"Midlantic"
"Southeast"

When importing a .TXT file as a list with descriptions, the items and descriptions must be enclosed by quotes and separated with a comma as in the following example:

"Northeast", "ME, NH, VT, NY, CT, NJ, RI"
"Midlantic", "DE, MD, VA, WV, NC"
"Southeast", "SC, GA, FL, AL, MS"

In the following example, we will import the delimited file to a new drop-down list. Follow the steps below.
  1. Click the Tools menu, and then click Define Fields. The Define Fields - Create, edit or delete fields dialog box appears.



  2. From the List Tasks box, click Manage drop-down lists. The Define Fields - Create, edit or delete drop-down lists dialog box appears.



  3. From the Drop-down list tasks box, click Create drop-down list. The Define Fields - Enter drop-down list name and type dialog box appears.



  4. Enter a Drop-down list name and (optional) Description and then click Next. The Define Fields - Enter drop-down list values dialog box appears with no data in the value column.



  5. From the List Tasks box, click Import drop-down list items. The Import List Items dialog box appears.



  6. Clear the Append imported items option and/or enable the Include descriptions option as desired, and then click Browse. An Import List Values dialog box appears.



  7. Navigate to (if necessary), and Open the delimited (.TXT) file that you wish to import. The Import List Items dialog box re-appears with the file to import displayed in the Select a file to import field.



  8. If your list includes descriptions, enable the Include descriptions option, and then click the Import button. The Define Fields - Enter drop-down list values dialog box re-appears with your imported items/descriptions displayed.
  9. Click Finish. You now have a new drop-down list populated with the imported items.

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Importing To an Existing Drop-down List

You can import a drop-down list from a delimited text (.TXT) file. You can append the imported items to an existing list or you can import the new items to a new drop-down list. In the following example, we will import the delimited file and append it to an existing drop-down list. Follow the steps below.

  1. Click the Tools menu, and then click Define Fields. The Define Fields dialog box appears. The Define Fields - Create, edit or delete fields dialog box appears.



  2. From the List Tasks box, click Manage drop-down lists. The Define Fields - Create, edit or delete drop-down lists dialog box appears.



  3. Click the List Name that you wish to append the imported items to, and then from the Drop-down list tasks box, click Edit drop-down list. The Enter drop-down list name and type dialog box appears.



  4. Make any adjustments that are needed, and then click Next. The Define Fields - Enter drop-down list values dialog box appears.



  5. In the List Tasks box, click Import drop-down list items. The following Import List Items dialog box appears.



  6. Click the Browse button. An Import List Values dialog box appears.
  7. Navigate to (if necessary) and Open the delimited text (.txt) import file. The original Import List Items dialog box appears with your import file displayed in the Select a file to import field.



  8. Ensure that the Append imported items option is enabled, enable the Include descriptions option (if desired), and then click the Import button. Your imported items appear on the Enter drop-down list values dialog box.
  9. Click Finish to return to the Define Fields - Create, edit or delete drop-down lists dialog box or exit the Define Fields wizard.

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