Importing & Exporting Material

You can use the Import Materials feature to import multiple materials at once: Material Master export files from other installations or backup files. This feature is designed to add materials and will not overwrite or replace existing materials. However, you also have the option to You can overwrite existing materials.

Importing a Catalog

The Import Catalogs feature enables you to import materials from common manufacturer catalogs. You can use the predefined materials to replace similar stock materials or can add them to existing materials in the Material Master. 

Note: You can find a list of manufacturers on the website. To request additional manufacturer catalogs, contact Avontus Support at support@avontus.com.

To import a manufacturer's catalog:

1. Launch Avontus Designer, or otherwise return to the Backstage and click Material Master.
   
   The Material Master appears.
2. Click Additional Catalogs.
   
   This launches your default web browser, which displays the Manufacturer Catalogues page.
3. Locate the desired catalog, and select Download Catalog
   
   The catalog downloads (as a .zip file) into your default download folder.
4. Open a File Explorer and navigate to the download folder, then extract the catalog from the zip file.
   
5. Return to the Material Master and click Import Materials.
    
   The Select File to open dialog appears.
   
6. Locate and select the extracted .xml file and click Open, to import the catalog.
   A dialog appears.
7. Click the appropriate import option. Your options are:
   

   Replace Existing Materials	Manufacturer materials will replace existing stock materials for equivalent items. The stock materials will be deleted.
   Combine with Existing Materials	Manufacturer materials will be added to the existing materials. This option may result in duplicate active materials.

   
   Avontus Designer imports the materials.
8. When it is done, click Save Changes or Close when ready.
   Save Changes saves the new information, but leaves the Material Master open. Close saves the new information and closes the Material Master.
   

Sharing a Material Master File

In Avontus Designer it is possible to export the products in the Material Master as an XML file and share it with other users and/or computers. This can be very useful when there are multiple users who will be using the same material list and once the list is created it can be shared easily.

To share a Material Master file:

1. Launch Avontus Designer, or otherwise return to the Backstage and click Material Master.
   
   The Material Master appears.
   
2. Edit and save the Master Material list, as necessary.
3. Click Export Materials.
   
   The Select File to save dialog appears.
   
4. Navigate to the folder into which you want to save the exported file and click Save.
   Once you save the file, you can email it or otherwise share it with other users who will be able to import it.