# 18. FilaManDB – Community Database

**URL (Admin Import):** `http(s)://url/admin/system/filamentdb-import`

The **FilaManDB** is a public community database at [db.filaman.app](https://db.filaman.app) that contains filament data from numerous manufacturers – including materials, colors, spool profiles, and logos.

FilaMan offers two ways to use this database:

1. **Bulk Import** (Admin area) – Import many manufacturers and filaments at once
2. **Inline Lookup** (in forms) – Load individual entries directly from the FilaManDB when creating or editing

> **Prerequisite:** The built-in plugin **"FilamentDB Import"** must be enabled under [Admin → System](/Docs/En/11-Admin). It is a built-in plugin that cannot be uninstalled.

---

## 18.1 Bulk Import (Admin Area)

The bulk import is a **3-step wizard** in the admin area that allows you to import large amounts of manufacturer, filament, and color data from the FilaManDB.

### Step 1: Select Manufacturers

1. Click **"Load Preview"** – FilaMan loads the available data from the FilaManDB (manufacturers, materials, colors, filaments, spool profiles)
2. A **summary** shows the amount of available data
3. Optional: Use the **material filter** to narrow the manufacturer list to specific material types (e.g. only manufacturers offering PLA)
4. Select the desired manufacturers via checkboxes
   - Manufacturers already present in FilaMan are marked with **"Already exists"**
   - Buttons: **"Select all"**, **"Select all new"** (only new ones), **"Deselect all"**

### Step 2: Select Filaments

1. After selecting manufacturers, the associated filaments are loaded
2. For each selected manufacturer, the list of available filaments is displayed
3. Select the desired filaments via checkboxes

### Step 3: Import Settings & Execution

**Spool profile target:** Choose where spool profile information (empty weight, diameter, width, material) should be stored:

| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| **On Filament** | Spool data is stored on each filament |
| **On Manufacturer** | Spool data is stored once on the manufacturer |
| **Both** | Spool data is stored on both the filament and the manufacturer |

Click **"Start Import"** to execute the import. After completion, a **result summary** is displayed:

| Category | Display |
|----------|---------|
| **Manufacturers** | Created / Skipped / Failed |
| **Logos** | Downloaded / Failed |
| **Colors** | Created / Skipped |
| **Filaments** | Created / Skipped / Failed |

Any warnings or errors that occurred are also displayed.

---

## 18.2 Updating Existing Filaments

If filaments have already been imported and data has changed in the FilaManDB, they can be updated:

1. Enable the **"Update existing"** toggle in the import wizard
2. FilaMan automatically calculates a **diff** (comparison) between the local and current FilaManDB data
3. Changes are displayed as a table: **Field Name**, **Current Value**, **New Value**
4. Only actually changed filaments will be updated

---

## 18.3 Fuzzy Matching

During import, FilaMan recognizes existing filaments even when the name **differs slightly** (e.g. due to typos, different spellings, or missing special characters).

**How it works:**
- Names are normalized (lowercase, special characters removed) and split into individual words (tokens)
- Two names are considered matching if at least **75%** of the tokens overlap
- Fuzzy matches are visually highlighted in the import

> **Example:** "Prusament PLA Galaxy Black" and "Prusament PLA Galaxy-Black 1.75mm" are recognized as matching.

---

## 18.4 Inline Lookup in Forms

In addition to the bulk import, FilaMan also allows you to **load individual entries directly in forms** from the FilaManDB. This feature is available on the following pages:

### Creating / Editing Manufacturers

When creating a new manufacturer, you can choose between two modes:
- **"Create from FilaManDB"** – Search the community database and import name, website, and logo
- **"Manual entry"** – Enter the data manually as before

When **editing** an existing manufacturer, the **"Load from FilaManDB"** button is also available to update the data.

→ See [Chapter 5: Manufacturers](/Docs/En/05-Manufacturers)

### Creating / Editing Filaments

After selecting a manufacturer, the **"Load from FilaManDB"** button appears. With it you can:
- Search for a filament in the community database
- All fields are automatically pre-filled (designation, material, diameter, colors, price, etc.)
- If the manufacturer or colors do not yet exist locally, they are automatically created

→ See [Chapter 6: Filaments](/Docs/En/06-Filaments)

### Creating / Editing Spools

When creating or editing a spool, the **"Load from FilaManDB"** button is available for **spool profile data**:
- Search for a spool profile (e.g. by manufacturer or material)
- Empty weight, diameter, and width are automatically applied
- If available, an image of the spool profile is displayed

→ See [Chapter 7: Spools](/Docs/En/07-Spools)

---

> **Note:** All FilaManDB buttons and features are only displayed when the FilamentDB plugin is enabled under [Admin → System](/Docs/En/11-Admin).

---

← [Back: Plugin: Bambuddy](/Docs/En/17-Plugin-Bambuddy) | [Next: Installation on Raspberry Pi →](/Docs/En/20-Installation-Raspberry-Pi)