Have you ever imported text into Xplan - perhaps it’s strategy text or an update to existing wording in your advice template - and you end up spending more time fixing formatting then you did writing the text?
Did you know you can import formatted text (bold, italics, underline) into Xplan fields? Â
Standard CSV (Comma Separated Values) files are plain text only. They don't store formatting metadata like bold, italics, or font sizes. If you simply bold a cell in Excel and save it as a CSV, that "boldness" evaporates the moment the file is saved.
The "HTML Injection" Method
Most CRM "Rich Text" fields are essentially mini-web editors. They render HTML code. To import formatted text, you need to write the formatting tags directly into your CSV cells.
How to format your CSV data:
Instead of trying to make the text look bold in Excel, you wrap the text in HTML tags.
For example: This is <b>bold</b> and this is <i>italics</i>.
Common HTML Tags to Use
- Bold:
<b>Text</b> or <strong>Text</strong> - Italics:
<i>Text</i> or <em>Text</em> - Underline:
<u>Text</u> - Line Breaks:
<br> (Use this if you want a new line without a massive paragraph gap) - Bullet Points:
<li>Item 1</li><li>Item 2</li>
💡Pro Tip
- Use UTF-8 Encoding: When saving your CSV, always choose CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited). This ensures that special characters or symbols don't turn into gibberish (like those weird é symbols) during the import.
- The "Test Record" Rule: Never import 5,000 rows at once. Import one test record first to see if the CRM renders the bold/italics correctly.
- Avoid Excel "Auto-Formatting": Excel loves to "help" by changing formats. Double-check your final file in a plain text editor (like Notepad or TextEdit) to ensure your tags look like
<b>Text</b> and haven't been wrapped in extra sets of quotes.
If the specific "UTF-8" option isn't in your main dropdown list, it might be hidden in the web options:
- Go to File > Save As.
- Choose CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv) as the file type.
- Look for the More options... link or the Tools button (usually next to the "Save" button).
- Select Web Options...
- Go to the Encoding tab.
- Select Unicode (UTF-8) from the list and click OK.
- Hit Save.
