Use the student collection CSV when you want Workspace to create a separate, password-protected collection for each student in a Volume Portrait gallery. The CSV tells Workspace which collection to create, which login belongs to it, and which photographs that student may see.
Prepare the CSV after filenames are final and before using Auto Create Collections. Each row represents one student. Accurate filenames and ranges are essential: an incorrect range can omit photographs or place another student's photograph in the wrong collection.
Use the current lowercase headings
For new files, use the lowercase headings below. Workspace maps values by heading name, so the columns do not need to be in a particular order.
The required headings are:
- user_id
- password
- first_name
- last_name
Most student collection rows also need image_start and image_end. The importer needs a matching image range before it can create or update the collection.
Optional collection headings are:
- class_photo
- class_photo_2 through class_photo_15
- room
- sibling_image_start and sibling_image_end
- special_class_photo
- url_slug
Older heading names such as User ID, First Name, Image Start, Class Photo-2 and URL Slug (Collection URL) are still recognised for compatibility. Use the lowercase underscore headings for new files.
Optional caregiver details in the same CSV
You can include caregiver details in the student collection CSV so Workspace creates the collections and pre-registers the families in the same import. These columns are optional:
- caregiver1_fname
- caregiver1_email
- caregiver2_fname
- caregiver2_email
You may provide one caregiver, two caregivers or no caregivers on a student row. For each caregiver you include, provide both the name and a valid email address. The same caregiver can be linked to more than one student collection, including siblings.
If you include caregiver details in this collection CSV, do not import the same caregiver records again with the separate pre-registration CSV. Use the separate caregiver import only when caregiver details were not included here.
Learn about caregiver pre-registration and family communication.
How each student login works
Workspace uses user_id and password as the credentials for the collection. The combination must be unique across the school and Volume Portrait galleries in your Workspace account.
- Use credentials that are not easy for another family to guess.
- Do not reuse the same user ID and password combination for another student.
- Use standard letters and numbers that families can enter reliably.
- If another system generates credentials, check for duplicates before importing.
If password contains auto, Workspace generates a collection password. Re-importing the row with auto reuses the existing student collection and does not replace its generated password.
What image_start and image_end mean
image_start is the exact filename of the first individual photograph belonging to the student. image_end is the exact filename of the last. Both boundary files, and every uploaded filename that sorts between them, are included.
For example, a range from Student023-001.jpg to Student023-004.jpg includes 001, 002, 003 and 004 when those files are uploaded and named consistently. If the student has only one individual photograph, enter that exact filename in both fields.
Keep each student's filename range together
All individual images for one student should form one uninterrupted block in filename order. Do not place another student's image between that student's start and end files.
Use leading zeroes so numeric filenames sort predictably—for example, 001 through 010 rather than 1 through 10.
- Copy each exact uploaded filename, including its extension.
- Keep capitalisation, spaces, hyphens and other characters consistent.
- Check that image_start sorts before image_end.
- Make sure no unrelated portrait falls inside the range.
- Confirm both boundary files have been uploaded.
Add shared photographs separately
Use class_photo and the numbered class-photo headings for class, team, club and other shared group photographs. Workspace finds each file by exact filename, adds it to the relevant collection and marks it as a Class Photo.
Do not extend an individual image range to capture a shared photograph. That can also pull unrelated portraits into the collection. School Photos should be added to the relevant collections and marked as School Photos in Workspace.
Prepare and import the CSV
- Complete the photography, editing and final export.
- Confirm that all filenames are final and unique.
- Upload the complete set of files to the correct gallery.
- Add one row for each student using the current lowercase headings.
- Enter the student's user ID, password and exact image range.
- Add shared class-photo filenames where applicable.
- Add the optional caregiver columns if you want to pre-register families in the same import.
- Save the spreadsheet as a CSV.
- Use Auto Create Collections and review every uploaded column before processing it.
What happens if you import the CSV twice?
Re-importing is designed to reuse matching records and add missing information. When the gallery, user_id and password identify the same student collection, Workspace:
- reuses the existing collection instead of creating another one;
- adds image memberships that are missing without duplicating existing image memberships;
- updates the student's first name, last name and collection title when supplied;
- updates room when the column is included—an omitted room column preserves the current room, while an included blank value clears it;
- adds missing caregiver users and group subscriptions without duplicating an existing subscription; and
- keeps an existing generated password when the CSV still says auto.
What re-importing will not fix or change
- It does not remove an incorrect image that is already in a collection.
- It does not remove collections, users, caregiver subscriptions or image memberships that are absent from the new CSV.
- It does not change an existing collection password, URL slug, price list, cart setting, permissions, privacy, watermark or other collection settings.
- It does not repair incorrect filenames, overlapping ranges or missing uploaded files.
- Changing a non-auto password in the CSV does not update the existing password. It can cause Workspace to treat the row as a different collection and create another collection.
Correct existing unwanted images, credentials and collection settings manually in Workspace as well as correcting the working CSV. Re-import the corrected file only for the additions and descriptive updates listed above.
Check the result before release
- Compare collection image counts with the expected ranges and shared photographs.
- Open collections at the beginning, middle and end of each class list.
- Check students with one image, many images, siblings or several shared photographs.
- Confirm the first and last individual files are present.
- Make sure the next student's first image is not included.
- Test several user ID and password combinations through the Login Portal.
- Check the Pre-Registered list when caregiver details were included.
- Place a test order and confirm the selected filename traces back to the correct student and source file.
A successful import means Workspace processed the data; it does not confirm that every range, login or caregiver relationship is correct.
Common warning signs
- Another child's photograph appears: check for an overlapping range or a filename that sorts between image_start and image_end. Remove the incorrect image manually; re-importing alone will not remove it.
- The final photograph is missing: confirm image_end exactly matches the uploaded filename.
- The collection has no photographs: check that both range fields are complete and both files exist in the gallery.
- Files appear in an unexpected sequence: inspect numeric padding and the full filename sort order.
- A login opens the wrong collection: check whether the credential combination has been reused elsewhere in the account.
- A caregiver is missing: check that both the caregiver name and email are present and that the email address is valid.
