Title: CSV Resumable Importer for Tainacan Author: bauhaustech Published: June 23, 2026 Last modified: June 23, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/assets/banner-772x250.png? rev=3583877) ![](https://ps.w.org/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/assets/icon.svg?rev=3583877) # CSV Resumable Importer for Tainacan By [bauhaustech](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bauhaustech/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan.1.0.0.zip) * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/#description) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/#reviews) * [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/#installation) * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/) ## Description This add-on registers an extra CSV importer in [Tainacan](https://tainacan.org/) whose attachment processing is **resumable**: the files listed in the `special_attachments` column are imported **one per background iteration**, instead of all at once. It does **not** modify Tainacan core — it registers an additional importer through the `tainacan-register-importers` hook, so it keeps working across Tainacan updates. This is an independent add-on developed by Bauhaus Tech. It is **not affiliated with, endorsed by, or part of** the Tainacan project. #### The problem it solves A CSV import in which a single item has many attachments (e.g. 150 images in `special_attachments`) fails with: ``` PHP Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 360 seconds exceeded in .../class-wp-image-editor-imagick.php ``` …and then **restarts from the beginning, duplicating items**. The stock Tainacan CSV importer imports **all** of an item’s attachments inside a single `after_inserted_item()` call. Each file triggers `wp_generate_attachment_metadata()`, which generates thumbnails through Imagick — an expensive operation. The background process only checks its soft time limit (~20s) **between** `task()` iterations; since the 150 attachments run inside a single iteration, that limit is never checked mid-loop. The item alone exceeds PHP’s hard `max_execution_time`, the process dies mid-task **without persisting progress**, and the cron healthcheck **re-dispatches the batch from the last checkpoint** — recreating already-imported items. #### How it works Instead of importing attachments inline, this importer: 1. **Queues** the item’s attachment paths/URLs (stored in a transient serialized together with the process state). 2. Processes **one attachment per iteration**, staying on the current item until the queue is empty. Because each attachment becomes its own iteration, the soft 20s limit applies ** between files**: the batch checkpoints regularly and the import becomes resumable. Idempotency is reinforced by persisting the already-created item id, so a resume continues the attachments instead of recreating the item. #### Known limitations Because this plugin **cannot modify Tainacan core**: * A single file whose processing alone exceeds `max_execution_time` still fails( pathological case). * Progress is still persisted at the core’s ~20s `handle()` checkpoint, not per iteration (forcing a per-iteration checkpoint would require changing `Background_Importer:: task()` in core). A fatal **within the same 20s window** may reprocess what was done since the last checkpoint. The definitive fix is the equivalent change upstream in Tainacan. ## Installation 1. Upload the `csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`, or install the ZIP via **Plugins Add New Upload Plugin**. 2. Activate **CSV Resumable Importer for Tainacan** in **Plugins**. 3. Requires the **Tainacan** plugin to be installed and active. 4. In **Tainacan Importers**, choose **“CSV (resumable attachments)”** instead of the default CSV importer. ## FAQ ### Does it modify Tainacan core? No. It registers an additional importer through Tainacan’s `tainacan-register-importers` hook and subclasses the core CSV importer. Tainacan updates do not overwrite it. ### Are the import options different from the native CSV importer? No. Delimiter, mapping, `server_path` and the special columns (`special_document`,` special_thumbnail`, `special_attachments[|APPEND|REPLACE]`) work exactly as in the native importer. Only the way attachments are processed changes. ### Is this an official Tainacan plugin? No. It is an independent add-on by Bauhaus Tech, not affiliated with the Tainacan project. ### Does it fix every possible timeout? It removes the real-world cause (a single item importing many attachments in one uninterruptible call). See “Known limitations” for the residual edge cases that would require a core change. ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors & Developers “CSV Resumable Importer for Tainacan” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ bauhaustech ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bauhaustech/) * [ Fred Marvila ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/marvila/) [Translate “CSV Resumable Importer for Tainacan” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 1.0.0 * Initial release. Resumable CSV importer that processes `special_attachments` one per background iteration. ## Meta * Version **1.0.0** * Last updated **1 month ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 5.9 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.0.2** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Tags * [attachments](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/attachments/)[csv](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/csv/) [importer](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/importer/)[tainacan](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/tainacan/) * [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ bauhaustech ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bauhaustech/) * [ Fred Marvila ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/marvila/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/csv-resumable-importer-for-tainacan/)