# Import links

> A practical guide to importing thousands of links from a spreadsheet: how to build the file, every value each column accepts, ready-to-copy examples, what each message of the review means and how to fix it, and the best order for a large catalog.

Source: https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/guides/import-links

---

## Overview

**Import links** adds thousands of links at once from a spreadsheet. You open it in **Dbmovies › Links**, with the arrow next to **Add link**. The four steps of the panel are explained in [Link sources](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/modules/link-sources#importing-links-from-a-spreadsheet).

This guide goes deeper:
- how to build a file that imports at the first try;
- every value each column accepts;
- examples you can copy;
- what each message of the review means and how to fix it.

## Before you start

- **The titles must be on your site and published.** The import adds links to titles you already have; it does not create titles. Import them first with the [importer](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/modules/importers).
- **For TV shows, the episodes must exist too.** Import them with [Automatic episodes](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/settings/automatic-episodes) or from the seasons manager.
- **Each URL is added once.** If a URL is already on your site, its row is skipped.

## The file

| | |
|---|---|
| **Format** | `.xlsx` or `.csv` |
| **Size** | Up to 5,000 rows and 10 MB. Split larger files |
| **Sheet** | Only the first sheet is read |
| **Column names** | In the first row. Upper or lower case and spaces do not matter: `TMDb ID` is `tmdb_id`. You can also write `tmdb`, `imdb`, `lang` or `link` |
| **Other columns** | Ignored. You can keep columns for your own notes |
| **Empty rows** | Ignored |

Click **Download template** in the panel to start from a file with the right columns. Its **Help** sheet lists examples and every accepted value. Keep the **Links** sheet first: it is the one that is read.

**Hyperlinks:** if a cell of `url` shows a text such as *Watch here*, with the link behind it, the link is what counts.

**CSV files:**
- **Separator:** commas, semicolons and tabs are recognized on their own. Excel in Spanish saves CSV files with semicolons, and they work.
- **Encoding:** save the file as **UTF-8**. In Excel, choose **CSV UTF-8** when you save. In another encoding, accents break, and a language written by name, such as *Español MX*, is not recognized. Codes such as `es-MX` always work.

The file is read in your browser and never uploaded to your server. Only its rows are sent, in batches, to be checked and saved.

## The columns

| Column | Required | Accepted values |
|---|---|---|
| `tmdb_id` | One of the two | A number, such as `550` |
| `imdb_id` | One of the two | `tt` and numbers, such as `tt0137523`. Upper or lower case |
| `season` | Episodes only | A whole number, such as `1` |
| `episode` | Episodes only | A whole number, such as `5` |
| `url` | Yes | A full address, starting with `https://` or `http://` |
| `type` | Yes | `Embed`, `Embed link` or `iframe`. `Download`. `MP4` or `MP4 link`. Also `1`, `2` or `3` |
| `language` | No | A code, such as `es-MX` (`es_MX` also works), or its name as the panel shows it, such as `Spanish MX`. Empty: no language |
| `quality` | No | See the table below. Empty: no quality |
| `status` | No | `Published`, `Pending`, `Processing`, `Refused` (also `Rejected`) or `Revoked`. Also `1` to `5`. Empty: Published |
| `premium` | No | Yes: `yes`, `y`, `1`, `true`, `si`, `sí`, `x` or `premium`. No: `no`, `n`, `0`, `false` or empty |
| `filesize` | No | Downloads only: free text, such as `1.5 GB` |
| `password` | No | Downloads only |

**Upper or lower case does not matter** in any value. Types and statuses can also be written as the panel shows them in the language of your admin.

### IDs

- **A row without `season` and `episode` is a movie**, and its ID is the ID of the movie.
- **A row with both is an episode**, and its ID is the ID of the **TV show**, not of the episode.
- **You can write both IDs,** TMDb and IMDb, but they must point to the same title.
- **On TMDb, movies and TV shows are numbered separately:** the same number can be a movie and a different TV show. That is why the season and the episode decide which one is searched.

### Quality

| Write | It becomes |
|---|---|
| `8K`, `4320`, `4320p` or `8K 4320p` | 8K 4320p |
| `4K`, `2160`, `2160p` or `4K 2160p` | 4K 2160p |
| `2K`, `1440` or `1440p` | 2K 1440p |
| `1080` or `1080p` | HD 1080p |
| `720` or `720p` | HD 720p |
| `480` or `480p` | SD 480p |
| `360` or `360p` | SD 360p |
| `240` or `240p` | SD 240p |

### File size and password

They only apply to **Download** links: in other types they are ignored. If you leave the size empty, Dbmovies fills it in when you analyze the health of the link, if the host reports it.

## Examples

### A movie with several links

| tmdb_id | url | type | language | quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 550 | https://player.example.com/e/abc123 | Embed | en-US | 1080p |
| 550 | https://player.example.com/e/def456 | Embed | es-MX | 720p |
| 550 | https://files.example.com/f/ghi789 | Download | en-US | 1080p |

One row for each link. They all go to the movie with TMDb ID 550.

### A whole season

| tmdb_id | season | episode | url | type | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1399 | 1 | 1 | https://player.example.com/e/s1e1 | Embed | en-US |
| 1399 | 1 | 2 | https://player.example.com/e/s1e2 | Embed | en-US |
| 1399 | 1 | 3 | https://player.example.com/e/s1e3 | Embed | en-US |

`1399` is the TMDb ID of the TV show. Each row goes to its episode.

### A download with size and password

| imdb_id | url | type | quality | filesize | password |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tt0137523 | https://files.example.com/f/fightclub | Download | 1080p | 2.1 GB | movies2026 |

### Links for members only

| tmdb_id | url | type | quality | premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 550 | https://player.example.com/e/4k-abc | Embed | 4K | yes |

Only members with an active subscription can open it. See [Subscriptions](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/modules/subscriptions).

### Links to review before they go live

| tmdb_id | url | type | status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 550 | https://player.example.com/e/new123 | Embed | Pending |

Pending links are not visible. Review them in **Dbmovies › Links** and publish them when they are ready.

## The review, row by row

When you drop the file, nothing is saved yet. Each row gets a state:

| State | Message | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| **Ready** | | Nothing: it will be imported |
| **Already exists** | *Already linked to this title.* | Nothing: the link is already there |
| **Already exists** | *Already linked to "Title".* | That URL belongs to another title. The import does not move it: if it is in the wrong title, edit the existing link |
| **Repeated** | *Same URL as row 12.* | The file has that URL twice. Only the first one counts |
| **Not found** | *No movie with TMDb ID 550.* | Import the movie first, or check that the ID is of a movie and not of a TV show |
| **Not found** | *No TV show with TMDb ID 1399.* | Import the TV show first, or check that the ID is of the TV show |
| **Not found** | *Title has no season 2 episode 5.* | The TV show is on your site, but that episode is not. Import it with Automatic episodes or the seasons manager |
| **Not published** | *"Title" is not published.* | Publish the title, then upload the file again |
| **Error** | *The URL is missing.* or *The URL is not valid.* | Write the full address, with `https://` |
| **Error** | *The type is missing.* or *Unknown type "…".* | Use Embed, Download or MP4 |
| **Error** | *Add the TMDb or IMDb ID of the title.* | Fill in `tmdb_id` or `imdb_id` |
| **Error** | *The TMDb ID must be a number.* or *The IMDb ID must look like tt1234567.* | Fix the ID |
| **Error** | *The TMDb and IMDb IDs point to different titles.* | One of the two IDs is wrong. Keep the right one |
| **Error** | *Season and episode go together: fill in both or neither.* or *Season and episode must be whole numbers.* | Fill in both, with numbers, or leave both empty for a movie |
| **Error** | *Unknown status, language or quality "…".* | Use one of the values of [The columns](#the-columns) |
| **Error** | *Premium must be yes or no.* | Use yes or no |

The preview shows up to 500 rows for each state. To fix the rest:
1. Click **Rows with problems**. It downloads every row that will not be imported, with the reason in an extra column.
2. Fix them in your spreadsheet.
3. Upload that file again.

![The review of an import, with the state chips and rows with each state](https://cdn.wupdater.com/dbmovies/docs/1370cf46679efd68.webp)

## A large catalog

Follow this order:

1. **Import your titles** with the importer.
2. **Import the episodes** of your TV shows with Automatic episodes.
3. **Import the links,** in files of up to 5,000 rows. While the import runs, keep the panel open. **Stop** pauses it at the end of the current batch.
4. **Fix the leftovers** with **Rows with problems** and upload them again.
5. **Analyze their health** at the end.

Uploading the same file twice is safe: the links you already imported are skipped. If an import stops halfway, upload the same file again.

## After the import

- **Health:** imported links come in as **Not checked**. The last step of the panel offers **Analyze health**, which checks only the links you just imported, three at a time. See [Link health](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/modules/link-sources#link-health).
- **Rows not imported:** downloads the rows that were not saved, with their reason.
- **Your other sites:** if you use [Sync List](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/settings/sync-list) to send links, every imported link is also sent to the sites of your network that accept it. A big import means many sends: they go out in the background, in batches.

## Common mistakes

| Problem | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| All the episodes say *Not found* | The file has the TMDb ID of each episode. Use the ID of the TV show in every row |
| A movie says *No movie with TMDb ID…* but you have it | The ID is of a TV show with the same number. On TMDb, movies and TV shows are numbered separately |
| Languages written by name are not recognized | The CSV is not in UTF-8. Save it as CSV UTF-8, or use codes such as `es-MX` |
| *Missing columns: url.* (or another one) | The first row of the first sheet must have the column names. Check that the **Links** sheet is first |
| The file has more than 5,000 rows | Split it in several files and import them one after the other |
| A link went to the wrong title | Edit or delete it in **Dbmovies › Links**, fix the row, and import it again |