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Practical guides for humans, with structure that is easy for AI systems to parse.

Importing Data

Purpose

Load athletes, teams, entries, results, or backup data into an existing meet using the import flows exposed in the meet dashboard.

Prerequisites

  • An existing meet in 2Timer.
  • A source file exported from your registration, timing, or meet-management system.
  • A rough plan for bibs, teams, and event numbers before import starts.

Where Import Lives in the UI

Open your meet dashboard and use the Import section.

Current import shortcuts there include:

  • 2T Backup
  • RaceTab (RTQL)
  • Hytek Semicolon
  • Hytek TCL
  • Lynx PPL Athletes
  • Lynx PPL Teams
  • Lynx AFL Teams
  • Lynx LIF Results
  • Lynx LFF Results
  • CSV
  • RunSignUp

Not every import path does the same kind of work. Some are full wizards, some are file-preview flows, and some are really one-time file imports for workflows that can also be connector-driven.

Choose the Right Import Path

Use CSV when:

  • you have a general spreadsheet export
  • you need header mapping
  • your file mixes athlete and entry columns
  • you want the most flexible generic import flow

Use Hytek Semicolon when:

  • you have a semicolon-delimited HY-TEK-style meet-data file
  • you want divisions, events, athletes, teams, and entries to come from that file
  • event numbers in the file are expected to drive the import

Use Hytek TCL when:

  • you have a fixed-width .tcl or .txt roster export
  • your goal is teams and athletes only
  • you do not need entries, events, or results from that file

Use 2T Backup when:

  • your source is another 2Timer backup
  • you want to restore or merge selected categories into the current meet

Use RaceTab (RTQL) when:

  • the source system is RaceTab
  • you want a category-by-category import with meet settings, divisions, events, teams, athletes, and entries

Use Lynx PPL / AFL imports when:

  • you are bringing roster or team data from FinishLynx files

Use Lynx LIF / LFF imports when:

  • you are importing result files from FinishLynx manually
  • the event numbers in the files already match events in your meet

Use RunSignUp when:

  • you have a RunSignUp CSV export and want athlete data only through the import page

If you want live sync behavior instead of a one-time CSV import, that becomes a connector/integration workflow. See Connectors.

CSV Import

What the UI looks like

The generic CSV importer is a four-step wizard:

  1. File
  2. Mapping
  3. Preview
  4. Confirm

What it does well

  • auto-detects common delimiters
  • lets you say whether the file has a header row
  • auto-maps known headers when possible
  • supports saved mapping templates
  • previews duplicates, teams, waves, and event resolution before import
  • can import athletes, teams, and entries from one flexible flow

When to use it

This is the best default path for general participant spreadsheets and mixed registration exports.

Important UI-aligned notes

  • If your file has no header row, you map columns manually.
  • If entry-related fields are detected, the importer can enable entry import automatically.
  • The preview phase computes duplicate handling, team creation, event resolution, and warnings before anything is saved.

Best practices

  • Use this first for generic CSV or TSV exports.
  • Check event columns carefully if you expect entries to be created.
  • Review duplicate behavior before confirming.

Hytek Semicolon Import

What the UI does

This is a multi-step import flow designed for semicolon-delimited HY-TEK-style meet data.

It can work with:

  • divisions
  • events
  • athletes
  • teams
  • entries

Why it matters

This is much broader than the TCL importer. It is the right choice when the semicolon file represents real meet structure, not just roster data.

Best practices

  • Make sure event numbers in the source file match the event structure you want in 2Timer.
  • Use the divisions and events review steps carefully instead of treating this as a blind roster load.
  • Remember that this is different from a fixed-width .TCL file.

Hytek TCL Import

What the UI does

The current Import from Hytek TCL screen is a preview-and-apply roster workflow.

It:

  • extracts teams
  • extracts athlete rows
  • shows new teams to add
  • shows new athletes to create
  • shows matched athletes that can be backfilled
  • warns about conflicts that will be skipped

Current limitation

This path is roster-focused in v1.

It does not import:

  • events
  • entries
  • relay lineups
  • results

Best practices

  • Use this for teams and athletes only.
  • If your real goal is entries or meet structure, use Hytek Semicolon instead.

2T Backup Import

What the UI does

The in-meet .2t import flow is a preview-and-selective-merge screen.

It lets you:

  • choose a .2t or .json backup file
  • preview the backup meet name and generator/version metadata
  • choose which categories to import

The selector hints that selected categories replace current data in those categories for this meet while unchecked categories stay as they are.

Best practices

  • Use this when you want selective restore or merge into the current meet.
  • Read the category selection carefully before applying.
  • If you need a full meet restore from the home screen instead, see Importing a 2Timer Backup.

RaceTab (RTQL) Import

What the UI does

The RTQL importer is a category-driven preview flow.

It can import:

  • meet settings from RTQL meta
  • divisions
  • events
  • teams
  • athletes
  • entries

Why it is useful

This is a good bridge path when RaceTab is the source system and you want more control than a blind file load.

Best practices

  • Review the summary counts before importing.
  • Decide whether you really want meet settings from the file, or only structure and roster data.
  • Be careful with entries/results import if the meet already has work in progress.

FinishLynx Roster Imports

Lynx PPL Athletes

This import:

  • loads athlete data from a .ppl file
  • previews athlete count
  • imports bib, name, gender, and affiliation-style team data

Use it when FinishLynx is your roster source for athlete records.

Lynx PPL Teams / Lynx AFL Teams

These are team-oriented Lynx import flows exposed separately on the dashboard.

Use them when your Lynx-side files are the cleanest source for team definitions.

FinishLynx Result Imports

Lynx LIF Results

This importer:

  • loads a .lif file
  • matches the file header event number to an existing event
  • previews the target event and result count
  • imports running-event results
  • can also save heat wind metadata when present in the file header

Important:

  • the event number in the file must match an existing event
  • this is a manual file import path, not the same thing as connector auto-watch behavior

Lynx LFF Results

This importer:

  • loads a .lff file
  • matches the event number to an existing field event
  • previews best marks before import
  • imports field-event best marks

Important:

  • the target must be a field discipline
  • this is for result import, not field setup

For the broader shared-folder workflow, see FinishLynx for Track and Field and Connectors.

RunSignUp Import

What the UI does today

The Import Athletes from RunSignUp page is a CSV-based import flow.

It:

  • asks for a RunSignUp CSV export
  • previews athlete count and bib coverage
  • imports athlete-oriented fields such as name, bib, gender, race group, DOB, contact info, and registration ID

Important distinction

This page is a file import flow.

If you want a live or repeatable integration workflow, that belongs in the RunSignUp connector/integration setup, not this page alone.

RaceTab (RTQL) vs CSV vs Hytek

Use this quick rule:

  • choose CSV for generic spreadsheets and flexible mapping
  • choose Hytek Semicolon for HY-TEK-style meet-data import with structure
  • choose Hytek TCL for roster-only import from fixed-width TCL
  • choose RTQL for RaceTab exports with category-level control

What Is Not Fully Shipped Yet

Some import-adjacent routes are still limited.

Example:

  • Import Teams from CSV currently shows a Coming soon message and points users toward format-specific imports instead

That means the public help should not promise a rich standalone team-CSV mapping workflow yet.

Recommended Import Order

When starting from external data, a safe general order is:

  1. import or create meet structure first when needed
  2. import teams if they are a meaningful source of truth
  3. import athletes
  4. import entries
  5. import results only after the meet structure is stable

If your source file already bundles structure plus entries cleanly, such as Hytek Semicolon or RTQL, use that broader path instead of splitting the work manually.

Common Problems

Problem Likely Cause Fix
Import path does less than expected Wrong importer for the file type Re-check whether the file is CSV, semicolon, TCL, RTQL, PPL, LIF, or LFF
Team CSV workflow seems missing That route is still limited Use format-specific team import paths
Unknown event reference Event numbers in the file do not match the meet Fix event numbers or create the event first
LIF or LFF import fails to match File header event number does not match an event Verify event numbering in both systems
Re-import creates confusion Structure and results were mixed in the wrong order Reset or purge narrowly, then import in a cleaner sequence
RunSignUp expectations do not match File import was confused with connector sync Use CSV import here, or configure the connector workflow

Verification Checklist

  • The chosen import path matches the actual file type and goal.
  • Event numbers are correct before importing entries or Lynx results.
  • Teams and athlete identifiers are reviewed before scoring workflows.
  • Preview counts look reasonable before clicking import.
  • Results imports are used only after the meet structure is stable.

Related Pages

Metadata

  • Last Updated: 2026-04-18
  • Version: 0.6
  • Status: Active