File Format - CSV
LiveWork provides the ability to bulk create and import tasks into the system. Via a .csv (Comma Separated Values) text file, one can bulk create and assign tasks to on-demand workforces.
The format of the .csv file is outlined below. The first row of the CSV file should contain the field headers/names.
NOTE: The data and the headers fields should be enclosed within double-quote characters, in addition do ensure no additional comma's are added in the title/description as the system sees these as an additional column.
CSV Fields/Attributes
The values allowed in the headers are as follows:
"id", "title","description","priority","due date","url","assigned to", "action", "value", "bonus"
The 'title', 'description' and 'due date' fields are mandatory.
'id' - unique task id returned by system during csv download, for use with update action column ("update" , "remove") - [optional]
'title' - is the task title as displayed in the task listings - [mandatory]
'description' - is the task description and detail when viewing the task- [mandatory]
'priority' - Can be 'High', 'Medium' or 'Low'. If left blank then default priority 'Medium' will be set- [optional]
'due date' - is the date the task is due, format should be mm/dd/yyyy- [mandatory]
'url' - the work url for the task, format should be http://myprojectsite.com/- [optional]
'assigned to' - the username of the user to whom the task is assigned as found on the "Teams" page. If left blank, no specific user is assigned for purpose of queue-ing, auto-assign, self-assign or later direct assignment - [optional]
'action' - the update action ("add", "update" or "remove") for the specific task. For "update" or "remove" the required columns above are required - [optional] (See Updating Tasks via Action column for more details.)
'value' - the task value for the specific task, amount given task (e.g, 15.00) - [optional]
'bonus' - the bonus value for the specific task, bonus for the given task (e.g, 5.00) - [optional]
CSV File Example
For your convenience we have made available an example CSV file: example.csv (Right click & Save Link As). This file contains the following single task entry as an example:
"title","description","priority","due date","url","assigned to","action"
"task title","task description","low","12/12/2009","http://www.livework.com/","username","add"
This adds/creates a single task with the title: "task title", a description of "task description", a priority of "low", a due date of "12/12/2009", with a work url of "http://www.livework.com" and assigns it to the user on the team with username "username" as found in the Team tab.
XLS File Example
In addition to a .csv file above, we also have provided a sample Excel spreadsheet file: example.xls (Right click & Save Link As). Via this sample file, you can populate the values for your tasks via Microsoft Excel and then export the data to a .csv format for import.
In order to export the excel spreadsheet to a .csv file for import, populate the appropriate values. From the FILE menu, select "Save As" and select the format "Comma Separated Values (.csv)" to save the file as a .csv file.
You can now import the .csv file, via the bulk upload mechanism in the project details page task area.
CSV Output File
Via the "Download" link on the project details page, one can also export the tasks to a .csv file to capture the work output. Note that the exported content will be filtered, depending on which tab is selected (Available, Current or Completed). The exported file can be used for capturing or sharing the results for the given tasks.
The exported file will have the name "LiveWork-[Project Name]_[Selected Tab]_tasks.csv", for example "LiveWork-ImageReviewProject_completed_tasks.csv".
The file will be exported containing the following header fields and values:
"id", "title","description","note","project title","assigned to","priority","due date","url","action status","status","% done"
The rows will contain an entry similar to the following example:
"23423","Image Review Task 12","please review image and classify by color","color:blue","Image Review Project","Johnny F.","Medium","12/12/2009","http://imagreview.com/images/image12.png","Completed","On Track","100"
The additional field values that the export file contains beyond the input fields are:
'note' - This is a work note that the expert enters as part of the task. This could contain a response or data output specific to the task.
'project title' - This is the title of the project as created by the project owner during posting.
'action status' - This is the state the task is in (e,g: Unassigned, Not Started, Started, Completed) .
'status' - This is the status the expert assigned to the task (e,g: On Track, Behind/At Risk).
'% done' - This is the % done as indicated by the expert that is working on the task.
To update tasks in the system, you would do so via the addition of the "action" column, in order to do so, follow these steps:
1. On the project page, click the appropriate tab (e,g: Available)
2. Click the "Download" button and download the .csv file for the given tab
3. Edit the .csv file and change the fields for the tasks that require updating, (e,g: changing assignee)
4. Add a new column called "action" at the end and set this to "update" for those tasks & save your .csv file.
5. Click the "Upload" button and upload your changed .csv file to update the appropriate tasks.
The tasks in the system should now reflect your changes. Similarly to remove tasks from the system, change the value for the action column to "remove" for those tasks needing removal.
