Batch importing and managing Card/ID Numbers

This article discusses a few things you can do to manage Card/ID Numbers in bulk, including how to do a batch import, how to export a report containing all Card/ID Numbers, and how to delete or clear Card/ID Numbers from PaperCut NG/MF en masse.

Import Card/ID Numbers using server commands

The batch user card/ID import feature allows you to update user Card/ID Numbers and optionally import or update PINs by reading data from a simple text file using the batch-import-user-card-id-numbers method in our Server commands (server-command) API .

The exact steps will vary depending on what software you use to create the file.

To update user’s Card/ID Numbers and PINs:

1. Using spreadsheet software like Excel or Google Sheets, create a new spreadsheet.
   • No column headers are needed.
   • The first column is mandatory and is reserved for usernames.
   • The second, third, and fourth columns are optional and are for the Primary Card/ID Number, PIN, and Secondary Card/ID number in that order. Refer to the table below for details.
   • A very simple example tab-delimited file with one line for a single user might resemble this:
     Aaron.medlen 12345678 111111 87654321
   • Review the Batch Import File Format table below for more information.
2. Save the file as a tab-delimited file (*.txt).
3. On the server running PaperCut NG/MF, open a command prompt Window.
4. In the command prompt window, navigate to the server command. On a 64-bit Windows server running PaperCut MF, the command might look like this:
   cd “C:\Program Files\PaperCut MF\Server\bin\win”
5. Now run the server command with the parameter batch-import-user-card-id-numbers. Don’t forget to put the path in quotes if it contains spaces! Example:
   server-command batch-import-user-card-id-numbers "C:\card numbers\import.txt”
6. Confirm the Card/ID Numbers have been imported successfully by logging in to the PaperCut admin interface, then browse to the Users section to a view a particular user.

Batch Import File Format

The import file must be in tab-delimited format and must contain the following fields in this specific order.

Exporting Card/ID Numbers

The User List CSV report allows you to export primary and/or secondary Card/ID Numbers. Be sure to export as a CSV, as the ID numbers are only available in the CSV report and will not be displayed if the report is exported as a PDF or DOCX file.

To export Card/ID Numbers with User List CSV report:

1. Log in to the PaperCut admin interface.
2. Go to Reports > User.
3. Select the Ad-hoc report, then the green CSV icon next to the User List report.

Not seeing the card numbers listed in the report, but all the other data is showing correctly? Check that Options > General > Display Options > Make Card/Identity Number visible is selected, then try again.

Deleting Card/ID Numbers

When it comes to deleting users’ Card/IDs there are a few different solutions that vary in level of difficulty. As always, we recommend taking a backup of your data before making any changes. Read on to find the best method for your situation.

Individually

To manage each user’s Card/ID number using the PaperCut NG/MF admin interdace:

1. Go to Users, then select the user in question.
2. Scroll down to Card/Identity Numbers and then modify or delete the primary or secondary Card/ID as needed.

Using the Batch Import method

Manage users’ card numbers in bulk using the Batch Import method as described above. When preparing the text file for the import, put a dash character “-” in place of any Card/ID number that you want to remove from PaperCut NG/MF. This will delete/clear/reset all Card Numbers.

Using Server Commands

If you are command-prompt savvy, you can delete user’s card numbers in bulk using the Server Commands (server-command tool) .

Here’s an example script, using Windows PowerShell, which will query the user account list and for each user account, blank/remove their primary and secondary card numbers.

cd "C:\Program Files\PaperCut MF\server\bin\win"
$users = (.\server-command list-user-accounts)
foreach ($u in $users) {echo $u}
foreach ($u in $users) {.\server-command set-user-property $u secondary-card-number `" `"}
foreach ($u in $users) {.\server-command set-user-property $u primary-card-number `" `"}