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How do I append data to an existing private gallery?

Learn how to update subject data using a CSV file

Written by PhotoDay Support

There are many scenarios where you may want to update the subject data in an existing private gallery. Maybe the school sent you new information like email addresses or teacher names. Perhaps you want to use existing images as reference photos. This article will address how to append data to an existing private gallery for both scenarios by uploading an updated CSV file.

Appending Data with an Updated CSV file

Whether you have entirely new subjects or new columns of information, you can easily do so by downloading your CSV file, editing it with new information, and re-uploading it to the private gallery.

  1. Export the current subject data from the job.

    1. Follow these Export instructions and select "Subject Data" to prepare a CSV file.

  2. Once you've prepared and downloaded the CSV export, open it on your computer.

  3. Edit the CSV as needed.

    1. Example: If you need to add a column of Email Addresses, create a new column in the CSV titled “Email”, and add the email address content to each subject.

    2. Example: If you need to add a new subject, create a new row in the CSV with the subject's information.

  4. Return to the job's Subjects Data page.

  5. Click Add > CSV file > and select the edited CSV from your computer.
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Important note: When re-uploading a CSV file into your job, make sure the main qualifiers (student ID, first name, last name) have not been adjusted. If these main qualifiers are adjusted, the re-upload of your edited CSV will create issues rather than just append the new data.

Using Existing Images as Reference Photos

Another reason you may want to append data is if you already have reference photos for each subject. This could come in handy if you have access to or took last year’s yearbook photos, if you didn’t use the Capture App, or if you’re having trouble syncing, you can grab the Capture photos right from your device’s camera roll.

For this example, let’s assume you photographed a school in the fall and want to use the same reference photos for spring photos.


Here’s how to do that:

  1. Create a Service Item export from original job

  2. Upload the index.csv from the export folder as the subject data for the new job

  3. When mapping, be sure to add the "Image Name" header to the column with the file names (don't map Access Code, Added By, or any other unnecessary columns)

  4. Upload the images from the export folder to the new job & wait for images to populate as reference photos

  5. Once images are set as the reference photos, they can be deleted from the job

If you do not have a previous PhotoDay job to export data and images from, you can still use existing images as your reference photos. Just compose a CSV similar to the example below that contains an Image Name column with a file name for each subject. Be sure your file names, including the extension, match exactly to what is in the CSV.
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Once you upload this data to the job along with the images, they will populate in as the reference photos, and then can be deleted from the job if needed.

NOTE: If you are using this process to import existing reference photos with your subject data, make sure to toggle off "Check In Subjects By Reference Photo" in your Capture App Settings so that you can check in the subjects live on picture day.

See in action here. Want to dive into all of the ins and outs of Private Galleries? Check out the webinar.

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