What a Custom Lead Loader Template Is in VICIdial

If you load leads often and your files always arrive in the same shape, mapping columns by hand every time gets old fast. A custom lead loader template fixes that. It is a saved layout that tells VICIdial which column in your file feeds which field in your list, so you map it once and reuse it forever.

Think of it as a profile for a file format. The first time you build it, you do the matching work. After that, every file in that same format loads in seconds with no remapping.

Three ways the loader reads a file

On the loader screen, the File Layout option gives you three choices. Standard Format expects VICIdial's built-in column order. Custom layout lets you define the mapping on the spot for a one-off file. Custom Template is the hybrid: it pulls a layout you defined and saved earlier, so you reuse it instead of redefining it.

flowchart LR
  A[Upload file] --> B{File Layout}
  B -->|Standard| C[Built-in order]
  B -->|Custom layout| D[Map once, this load]
  B -->|Custom Template| E[Reuse saved layout]
  E --> F[No remapping]
  F --> G[Leads load into list]

What a template remembers

Each template carries a short ID, a name, an optional description, and the layout itself. It is also tied to a List ID it loads into, which means it can take advantage of any Custom field you already created on that list. A nice side effect: when you pick a template, it overrides the selected list with the list the template was built for, so your records always land in the right place.

• Saved column-to-field mapping for a specific file format.
• A target list, including its custom fields.
• Works on any matching file regardless of type or delimiter.

Templates shine when one vendor sends you the same odd format week after week, or when you import many lists that all share a layout. Each fresh Lead flows into the right field automatically, and the whole load process becomes a couple of clicks. The same template can feed any Campaign that uses its target list. For the surrounding workflow, the lists and leads guide ties loading into campaigns and recycling, and the what is a VICIdial list article explains the container your leads land in.

Should you build one?

If you load a one-off file with a unique format, just use Custom layout and move on. But if you find yourself mapping the same columns repeatedly, a template pays for itself after the second or third load. It removes the most error-prone part of importing: lining up columns by hand every time, where one wrong pick scrambles a whole field.

Every VICIfast dialer comes with the full template builder built in, so you can save your file formats from day one. See what each plan includes on our pricing page and stop remapping the same files over and over.