FW Real Estate – Documentation

The FWRE CSV Import/Export plugin adds bulk import and export capabilities to FW Real Estate. Instead of entering properties one by one, you can load hundreds of listings from a spreadsheet, push bulk price or status updates, migrate data from another system, or create a lightweight data snapshot for backup purposes.

Import/Export Panel

Once the plugin is installed, a new Import / Export tab appears inside FW Real Estate → Properties. The panel is split into two cards: Import on the left and Export on the right.

Exporting Properties

Click Export Data to CSV File to download a .csv file containing all properties — published and unpublished. Before exporting, choose a Language (determines which translation is used for text fields such as title and description) and optionally filter by Category. The downloaded file includes one row per property with a header row naming every available field.

Multi-value fields — amenities, categories, property types, rooms, and similar — are joined with a semicolon (;) within a single cell. The rooms column uses a pipe-delimited format within each entry: width|depth|dimension_name|room_name|room_description.

Preparing a CSV for Import

The safest starting point is to export an existing property, inspect the header row, and model your file on that structure. Key rules to follow:

• The first row must be a header row. Column names must match the field names shown in the exported file (matching is case-insensitive).
• Columns can appear in any order. Unrecognised columns are silently ignored, so you can add your own reference columns safely.
• Use commas as the delimiter for standard CSV files. If you are saving from macOS or European Excel, switch the plugin's Delimiter option to semicolon (;) to match.
• Separate multiple values within a cell (amenities, categories, etc.) with a semicolon.
• Lookup values such as status, heating, and garage type are matched by name. If a value does not already exist in the component's dictionary, it is created automatically.
• Include the id column and a valid property ID to update an existing listing. Omit it, or use an ID that does not exist, to insert a new property.

Import Options

• Language — target language for all translatable fields (title, description, address, meta fields, etc.).
• Delimiter — comma or semicolon, depending on how your CSV was saved.

Importing Images

Place image files in the /tmp/import/ directory on your server before starting the import. In the image column, list filenames only — not full paths — separating multiple images with semicolons. The plugin copies each image to the property's gallery folder and generates full, medium, and thumbnail sizes automatically. Supported formats are JPG, JPEG, PNG, and GIF.

Address Geocoding During Import

If a property row does not contain latitude/longitude values but includes address fields, the plugin can attempt automatic geocoding. This requires the Map View plugin to be installed, enabled, and configured with a valid API key. Without it, the import completes normally but coordinates remain empty.

Practical Notes

• Two progress bars track upload and processing. A summary on completion shows records inserted, updated, or failed.
• The plugin raises PHP memory and execution limits during processing. Very large files may still time out on shared hosting — consider splitting them into batches.
• Re-importing the same file is safe. Rows with matching IDs update existing properties rather than creating duplicates.
• Columns for addon-specific fields (such as rooms or investment data) only appear in exports when the relevant addon is active.

To install this addon, open the Add-ons panel inside FW Real Estate. See Getting Started → Add-ons for details on free addons, paid addons, and site verification.