Account Update by Import

Only the super administrator or a school administrator can update accounts by file import.
Existing accounts can be updated by uploading the new information in an Excel or CSV file.

Importing Data to Update Existing Accounts

  1. Export a list of the accounts you want to update. The number of columns in an exported file and the nature of the information contained therein will vary depending on the management level from which you exported the list of accounts.
  2. Edit the information in the exported file to match the new account data. Some columns are not editable when used for import; changes to the information under these headings will not be processed by the system.
  3. Import the updated file.

Assigning a Teacher to Multiple Groups

Assign a teacher account to multiple groups by entering the group names separated by commas (,) in the corresponding cell of the Groups column.

Note — If a group’s name contains a comma, add a backslash (\) before the comma.

Deleting Accounts

Delete an account by entering either “yes” or “1” in the corresponding cell of the Delete? column.

Leave the cells empty for accounts you want to retain (do not enter “no” or “0”).

Warning — Deleting an account permanently removes all personal information and any activity results associated with that account. This operation cannot be undone.

Editable and Non-Editable Data

Only certain types of information can be edited when updating accounts by file import. The following tables indicate the column headings under which data can or cannot be edited.

Student Accounts

Editable Non-editable
Student ID (optional) School
Student’s first name Teacher’s first name
Student’s last name Teacher’s last name
Username Completed activities
New password Last login
Email address Edited
Group Typing Pal student ID (optional)
Custom subdomain
Delete?

Teacher Accounts

Editable Non-editable
Teacher’s first name School
Teacher’s last name Number of groups
Username Number of students
New password Last login
Email address Edited
Groups Typing Pal teacher ID
Custom subdomain
Delete?

School Administrator Accounts

Editable Non-editable
School name Number of groups
Custom subdomain Number of teachers
Signup code Number of students
Administrator’s first and last name Edited
Username Typing Pal school ID
New password
Email address
Phone number
Delete?

Importing Updated Data Using an External List

Student accounts can be updated or deleted by importing a list from your own database if you bypass the default account identification system.

Typing Pal uses the Typing Pal student ID or Student ID as unique internal account identifiers, but you can still update student account information without them.

Warning — If you do not use the Student ID or Typing Pal student ID fields in your import file, make sure no two student accounts share the same username. Otherwise, you run the risk of unintentionally overwriting account data.

Once you have made sure that every student account has a unique username, follow these steps:

  1. Click the My settings tab, then click Import in the sidebar, check off the option Allow existing accounts to be updated or deleted by username and click Save.
  2. Delete the Typing Pal student ID column from the import file to force the system to identify accounts by Student ID or Username, in that respective order.
  3. Import the file to update the accounts.

Unsupported Elements

  • The Excel file must not contain functions. If you were planning on creating passwords using an Excel formula to generate random numbers, we suggest doing so in a different Excel file instead. You can then copy the cell value and paste it in the file you want to export by clicking Edit, selecting Paste Special from the menu and choosing the option to paste Values.

  • The columns in a CSV file must not be separated by a tab character. The only delimiters supported in a CSV file are commas and semicolons.

  • The file import feature cannot be used to move student accounts between schools. Moving a student account to a group at a different school can only be done from the management interface.