Imports & Exports - Spree Commerce documentation

Overview

Spree provides a comprehensive bulk data import and export system for managing large datasets. The system supports CSV file processing with configurable field mapping, asynchronous processing via background jobs, and real-time progress tracking in the admin interface.

Import/Export System Diagram

Architecture

The import/export system uses several design patterns:

Single Table Inheritance (STI): Import and Export types inherit from base classes
State Machine: Imports progress through states (pending → mapping → processing → completed)
Schema Definition: ImportSchema classes define expected fields and validation
Row Processors: Transform CSV rows into database records
Event-Driven Processing: Background jobs handle heavy lifting asynchronously
Registry Pattern: Types registered in Spree.import_types and Spree.export_types

Exports

Exports generate CSV files from filtered database records.

Built-in Export Types

Type	Description	Multi-line
`Spree::Exports::Products`	Products with all variants	Yes
`Spree::Exports::ProductTranslations`	Product translations for non-default store locales	Yes
`Spree::Exports::Orders`	Orders with line items	Yes
`Spree::Exports::Customers`	Customer accounts	No
`Spree::Exports::GiftCards`	Gift cards	No
`Spree::Exports::NewsletterSubscribers`	Newsletter subscribers	No
`Spree::Exports::CouponCodes`	Promotion coupon codes	No

Export Model

The base Spree::Export class provides:

module Spree
  class Export < Spree.base_class
    # Associations
    belongs_to :store
    belongs_to :user  # Admin who created export

    # Attachments
    has_one_attached :attachment  # Generated CSV file

    # Key methods
    def csv_headers           # Define column headers
    def scope                 # Base query with store/vendor filtering
    def scope_includes        # Eager loading associations
    def records_to_export     # Apply ransack filters
    def multi_line_csv?       # True if records produce multiple rows
    def generate              # Create CSV and attach file
  end
end

Creating a Custom Exporter

Step 1: Create the Export Class

app/models/spree/exports/subscriptions.rb

module Spree
  module Exports
    class Subscriptions < Spree::Export
      # Define CSV column headers
      def csv_headers
        %w[id email plan_name status created_at] + metafields_headers
      end

      # Eager load associations to avoid N+1 queries
      def scope_includes
        [:user, :plan, { metafields: :metafield_definition }]
      end

      # Override scope if needed (e.g., exclude cancelled)
      def scope
        super.where.not(status: 'cancelled')
      end

      # Set to true if each record produces multiple CSV rows
      def multi_line_csv?
        false
      end
    end
  end
end

Step 2: Add to_csv Method to Your Model

app/models/spree/subscription.rb

module Spree
  class Subscription < Spree.base_class
    def to_csv(store)
      [
        id,
        user&.email,
        plan&.name,
        status,
        created_at.iso8601
      ] + metafields_csv_values(store)
    end

    private

    def metafields_csv_values(store)
      Spree::MetafieldDefinition.for_resource_type(self.class.name).order(:namespace, :key).map do |definition|
        metafields.find { |m| m.metafield_definition_id == definition.id }&.value
      end
    end
  end
end

Step 3: Register the Export Type

config/initializers/spree.rb

Rails.application.config.after_initialize do
  Spree.export_types << Spree::Exports::Subscriptions
end

Step 4: Add Translations

config/locales/en.yml

en:
  spree:
    subscriptions: Subscriptions

Multi-line Exports

For exports where each record produces multiple rows (like products with variants):

app/models/spree/exports/orders_with_items.rb

module Spree
  module Exports
    class OrdersWithItems < Spree::Export
      def multi_line_csv?
        true
      end

      def csv_headers
        %w[order_number line_item_sku quantity price]
      end

      def scope_includes
        [line_items: :variant]
      end
    end
  end
end

app/models/spree/order.rb

# In the Order model
def to_csv(store)
  line_items.map do |item|
    [number, item.variant.sku, item.quantity, item.price]
  end
end

Export Filtering

Exports support Ransack filtering via search_params:

# In admin, users can filter before exporting
export = Spree::Exports::Products.new(
  store: current_store,
  user: current_user,
  search_params: { name_cont: 'shirt', status_eq: 'active' }.to_json,
  record_selection: 'filtered'  # or 'all' to ignore filters
)

Imports

Imports process CSV files to create or update database records.

Built-in Import Types

Type	Description
`Spree::Imports::Products`	Products and variants
`Spree::Imports::ProductTranslations`	Product translations (matched by slug)
`Spree::Imports::Customers`	Customers

Import Workflow

Upload CSV → pending
Auto-map columns → mapping
User confirms mapping → completed_mapping
Parse rows (CreateRowsJob) → processing
Process rows (ProcessRowsJob) → completed/failed

Import Components

Import Model

module Spree
  class Import < Spree.base_class
    # Associations
    belongs_to :owner, polymorphic: true  # Store or Vendor
    belongs_to :user
    has_many :mappings    # Field mappings
    has_many :rows        # CSV rows to process

    # State machine
    state_machine initial: :pending do
      event :start_mapping do
        transition to: :mapping
      end
      event :complete_mapping do
        transition from: :mapping, to: :completed_mapping
      end
      event :start_processing do
        transition from: :completed_mapping, to: :processing
      end
      event :complete do
        transition from: :processing, to: :completed
      end
      event :fail do
        transition to: :failed
      end
    end

    # Key methods
    def import_schema        # Returns schema class instance
    def row_processor_class  # Returns processor class
    def schema_fields        # Fields from schema + metafields
    def mapping_done?        # All required fields mapped?
  end
end

Import Schema

Defines expected CSV fields:

module Spree
  class ImportSchema
    FIELDS = []

    def fields
      self.class::FIELDS
    end

    def required_fields
      FIELDS.select { |f| f[:required] }.map { |f| f[:name] }
    end

    def optional_fields
      FIELDS.reject { |f| f[:required] }.map { |f| f[:name] }
    end
  end
end

Import Mapping

Maps CSV columns to schema fields:

module Spree
  class ImportMapping < Spree.base_class
    belongs_to :import

    # Attributes
    # schema_field - target field name from schema
    # file_column  - CSV column header

    def try_to_auto_assign_file_column(csv_headers)
      # Matches by parameterized name comparison
      self.file_column = csv_headers.find do |header|
        header.parameterize.underscore == schema_field.parameterize.underscore
      end
    end
  end
end

Import Row

Represents a single CSV row:

module Spree
  class ImportRow < Spree.base_class
    belongs_to :import, counter_cache: :rows_count
    belongs_to :item, polymorphic: true, optional: true  # Created record

    # Attributes
    # row_number       - position in CSV
    # data             - JSON-serialized row data
    # status           - pending/processing/completed/failed
    # validation_errors - error message if failed

    def process!
      start_processing!
      self.item = import.row_processor_class.new(self).process!
      complete!
    rescue StandardError => e
      self.validation_errors = e.message
      fail!
    end

    def to_schema_hash
      # Maps CSV data using import.mappings
    end
  end
end

Row Processor

Transforms row data into database records:

module Spree
  module Imports
    module RowProcessors
      class Base
        def initialize(row)
          @row = row
          @import = row.import
          @attributes = row.to_schema_hash
        end

        attr_reader :row, :import, :attributes

        def process!
          raise NotImplementedError
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

Creating a Custom Importer

Step 1: Create the Import Class

app/models/spree/imports/subscriptions.rb

module Spree
  module Imports
    class Subscriptions < Spree::Import
      def row_processor_class
        Spree::Imports::RowProcessors::Subscription
      end
    end
  end
end

Step 2: Define the Schema

app/models/spree/import_schemas/subscriptions.rb

module Spree
  module ImportSchemas
    class Subscriptions < Spree::ImportSchema
      FIELDS = [
        { name: 'email', label: 'Customer Email', required: true },
        { name: 'plan_name', label: 'Plan Name', required: true },
        { name: 'status', label: 'Status', required: true },
        { name: 'start_date', label: 'Start Date' },
        { name: 'billing_interval', label: 'Billing Interval' },
        { name: 'amount', label: 'Amount' },
        { name: 'currency', label: 'Currency' }
      ].freeze
    end
  end
end

Step 3: Create the Row Processor

app/services/spree/imports/row_processors/subscription.rb

module Spree
  module Imports
    module RowProcessors
      class Subscription < Base
        def process!
          user = find_or_create_user
          plan = find_plan

          subscription = Spree::Subscription.find_or_initialize_by(
            user: user,
            plan: plan
          )

          subscription.status = attributes['status'] if attributes['status'].present?
          subscription.start_date = parse_date(attributes['start_date']) if attributes['start_date'].present?
          subscription.billing_interval = attributes['billing_interval'] if attributes['billing_interval'].present?

          if attributes['amount'].present?
            currency = attributes['currency'].presence || import.store.default_currency
            subscription.set_price(currency, attributes['amount'])
          end

          subscription.save!
          subscription
        end

        private

        def find_or_create_user
          email = attributes['email'].strip.downcase
          Spree.user_class.find_or_create_by!(email: email)
        end

        def find_plan
          Spree::Plan.find_by!(name: attributes['plan_name'].strip)
        end

        def parse_date(date_string)
          Date.parse(date_string)
        rescue ArgumentError
          nil
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

Step 4: Register the Import Type

config/initializers/spree.rb

Rails.application.config.after_initialize do
  Spree.import_types << Spree::Imports::Subscriptions
end

Step 5: Add Translations

config/locales/en.yml

en:
  spree:
    subscriptions: Subscriptions

Products Import Schema

The built-in products import supports these fields: Required Fields:

slug - Product URL slug
sku - Variant SKU
name - Product name
price - Variant price

Optional Fields:

status - Product status (active/draft/archived)
description - Product description
meta_title, meta_description, meta_keywords - SEO metadata
tags - Product tags
compare_at_price - Original price for sale display
currency - Price currency
width, height, depth, dimensions_unit - Dimensions
weight, weight_unit - Weight
available_on, discontinue_on - Availability dates
track_inventory - Enable inventory tracking
inventory_count, inventory_backorderable - Stock settings
tax_category, shipping_category - Category assignments
image1_src, image2_src, image3_src - Image URLs
option1_name, option1_value through option3_name, option3_value - Variant options
category1, category2, category3 - Taxon assignments (format: “Taxonomy -> Taxon -> Child Taxon”)

Handling Multi-Variant Products

The products import handles variants intelligently:

Master variant rows (no option values): Create/update the product and its master variant
Non-master variant rows (with option values): Create additional variants for an existing product

slug,sku,name,price,option1_name,option1_value,option2_name,option2_value
my-tshirt,TSHIRT-001,My T-Shirt,29.99,,,,
my-tshirt,TSHIRT-S-RED,My T-Shirt,29.99,Size,Small,Color,Red
my-tshirt,TSHIRT-M-RED,My T-Shirt,29.99,Size,Medium,Color,Red
my-tshirt,TSHIRT-L-RED,My T-Shirt,29.99,Size,Large,Color,Red

Metafield Support

Both imports and exports support metafields dynamically: Export: Metafield definitions are automatically added as CSV columns using the format metafield.{namespace}.{key}. Import: Map CSV columns to metafield definitions. The system automatically detects columns matching the metafield pattern and updates the corresponding metafield values.

Background Jobs

CreateRowsJob

Parses CSV and creates ImportRow records: All import jobs inherit from Spree::Imports::BaseJob, which sets queue_as Spree.queues.imports once and is shared across the pipeline.

module Spree
  module Imports
    class CreateRowsJob < Spree::Imports::BaseJob
      def perform(import_id)
        import = Spree::Import.find(import_id)
        # Stream CSV, batch insert rows
        # Then enqueue ProcessRowsJob via import.process_rows_async
      end
    end
  end
end

ProcessRowsJob

Fans the pending rows out into groups, each processed by a separate ProcessGroupJob:

module Spree
  module Imports
    class ProcessRowsJob < Spree::Imports::BaseJob
      BATCH_SIZE = 100

      def perform(import_id)
        import = Spree::Import.find(import_id)
        dispatch_groups(import)
      end

      private

      def dispatch_groups(import)
        # When the import defines a group_column (e.g. ProductTranslations groups
        # by slug) and that field is mapped, group rows by the column value.
        # Otherwise, fall back to slicing pending_and_failed rows into batches of
        # BATCH_SIZE. Either way: pluck the row IDs, set processing_groups_count /
        # completed_groups_count up front so workers can't complete prematurely,
        # then enqueue one ProcessGroupJob per group.
        import.rows.pending_and_failed.in_batches(of: BATCH_SIZE) do |batch|
          ProcessGroupJob.perform_later(import.id, batch.ids)
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

ProcessGroupJob

Processes one group of rows and reports completion:

module Spree
  module Imports
    class ProcessGroupJob < Spree::Imports::BaseJob
      def perform(import_id, row_ids)
        import = Spree::Import.find(import_id)
        rows = import.rows.where(id: row_ids).pending_and_failed

        # Large imports process with events disabled and use bulk_process!;
        # otherwise each row is processed individually via row.process!.
        rows.each { |row| row.process! }

        check_import_completion(import)
      end

      private

      # Increments completed_groups_count, then completes the import only once the
      # last group has finished and no rows are still in flight.
      def check_import_completion(import)
        # completed_groups_count += 1
        import.complete! if import.completed_groups_count >= import.processing_groups_count &&
                            import.rows.in_flight.none?
      end
    end
  end
end

GenerateJob (Exports)

Generates CSV files for exports:

module Spree
  module Exports
    class GenerateJob < Spree::BaseJob
      queue_as Spree.queues.exports

      def perform(export_id)
        export = Spree::Export.find_by_prefix_id!(export_id)
        export.generate
      end
    end
  end
end

Events

Import and export lifecycle events such as import.completed and export.created can be delivered as webhooks to react when an asynchronous import or export finishes.

Import Events

Event	Trigger
`import.created`	Import record created
`import.completed`	All rows processed

Export Events

Event	Trigger
`export.created`	Export record created (triggers generation)

Import Row Events

Event	Trigger
`import_row.completed`	Row processed successfully
`import_row.failed`	Row processing failed

Configuration

Queue Configuration

config/initializers/spree.rb

# Configure job queues
Spree.queues.imports = :imports
Spree.queues.exports = :exports

Preferences

Imports support configurable delimiter:

import.preferred_delimiter = ';'  # Default: ','

Key Files Reference

File	Purpose
`core/app/models/spree/import.rb`	Base import model
`core/app/models/spree/export.rb`	Base export model
`core/app/models/spree/import_schema.rb`	Base schema class
`core/app/models/spree/import_mapping.rb`	Field mapping model
`core/app/models/spree/import_row.rb`	Row model with processing
`core/app/models/spree/imports/products.rb`	Products import type
`core/app/models/spree/import_schemas/products.rb`	Products schema
`core/app/services/spree/imports/row_processors/base.rb`	Base processor
`core/app/services/spree/imports/row_processors/product_variant.rb`	Products processor
`core/app/models/spree/exports/products.rb`	Products export
`core/app/models/spree/exports/orders.rb`	Orders export
`core/app/models/spree/exports/customers.rb`	Customers export
`core/app/jobs/spree/imports/create_rows_job.rb`	Row creation job
`core/app/jobs/spree/imports/process_rows_job.rb`	Row processing job
`core/app/jobs/spree/exports/generate_job.rb`	Export generation job
`admin/app/controllers/spree/admin/imports_controller.rb`	Admin imports controller
`admin/app/controllers/spree/admin/exports_controller.rb`	Admin exports controller

Permissions

Access is controlled via CanCanCan:

# Allow admin to manage imports/exports
can :manage, Spree::Import
can :manage, Spree::Export

Records are filtered by current_ability ensuring users only export data they have access to.

Admin imports/exports endpoints — REST routes and required scopes to trigger imports and exports programmatically.
Admin SDK resources — typed TypeScript client for driving these back-office operations.

​Overview

​Import/Export System Diagram

​Architecture

​Exports

​Built-in Export Types

​Export Model

​Creating a Custom Exporter

​Multi-line Exports

​Export Filtering

​Imports

​Built-in Import Types

​Import Workflow

​Import Components

​Import Model

​Import Schema

​Import Mapping

​Import Row

​Row Processor

​Creating a Custom Importer

​Products Import Schema

​Handling Multi-Variant Products

​Metafield Support

​Background Jobs

​CreateRowsJob

​ProcessRowsJob

​ProcessGroupJob

​GenerateJob (Exports)

​Events

​Import Events

​Export Events

​Import Row Events

​Configuration

​Queue Configuration

​Preferences

​Key Files Reference

​Permissions

​Related Documentation

Overview

Import/Export System Diagram

Architecture

Exports

Built-in Export Types

Export Model

Creating a Custom Exporter

Multi-line Exports

Export Filtering

Imports

Built-in Import Types

Import Workflow

Import Components

Import Model

Import Schema

Import Mapping

Import Row

Row Processor

Creating a Custom Importer

Products Import Schema

Handling Multi-Variant Products

Metafield Support

Background Jobs

CreateRowsJob

ProcessRowsJob

ProcessGroupJob

GenerateJob (Exports)

Events

Import Events

Export Events

Import Row Events

Configuration

Queue Configuration

Preferences

Key Files Reference

Permissions

Related Documentation