Import from TablePress, Ninja Tables, wpDataTables and WP Table Builder
Core Tables can copy tables straight out of TablePress, Ninja Tables, wpDataTables and WP Table Builder. Each table becomes a new Core Tables draft, and the original table and its shortcode stay exactly as they were.
The source plugin doesn’t have to be active. Core Tables reads the stored tables directly and never writes to them.
Who Can Import
Only administrators see Import from plugins, because it reads other plugins’ storage. Editors can still paste or upload a table with Import CSV and Convert Tables.
Import Tables
- Go to Core Tables and select Import from plugins at the top of the Datasets screen.
- The Import from other table plugins window lists the tables it found, grouped by plugin, as “Name (ID 12)”.
- Tick the tables you want. A table that can’t be imported is greyed out with a note that says why.
- Select Import N tables as drafts.
- Each result reads “Name (ID) is now draft dataset N.” Select Review draft to open it in the dataset editor.
The new datasets are drafts. Check the column types and public columns, then publish each one when it looks right. Until you replace the old shortcode or block on your pages, visitors keep seeing the original table.
If nothing is found, you’ll see “No TablePress, Ninja Tables, wpDataTables, or WP Table Builder tables were found on this site.” Core Tables lists up to 500 tables per plugin.
What Each Plugin Brings Over
| Source | What imports | What is refused |
|---|---|---|
| TablePress | Head rows become labels. Hidden rows are dropped and hidden columns become private. A footer that repeats the headings is dropped. Formulas import as their stored text. | Tables with merged cells: “Has merged cells. Unmerge them in TablePress first.” |
| Ninja Tables | Tables whose rows are stored in Ninja Tables itself, in their manual order. Multi-select values and images become comma-separated text. | Tables that read from another source, such as Google Sheets, forms or posts: “Reads from %s. Import that source instead.” |
| wpDataTables | Simple tables and manual (editable) tables. Hidden columns become private. A simple table uses its first row as headings only when its header setting is on. | Linked file and database tables: “Linked %s source. Import the original file or data instead.” Merged cells in simple tables. |
| WP Table Builder | Cell text, or a cell that holds only 1 image. The first row is always the headings. | Tables with merged cells |
Column Types
Imported columns get their types from the values, the same way CSV and Markdown imports do. Plain numbers become Number, $2.99 style prices become Currency, YYYY-MM-DD dates become Date and links become URL. One value that doesn’t fit turns the column into Text.
A WP Table Builder image becomes an Image column only when the file is already in this site’s Media Library. The detection rules are listed in Import CSV and Convert Tables.
After Importing
- Unmerge first. Merged cells are refused for every plugin. Unmerge them in the source plugin and import again.
- Formulas stay as text. A TablePress formula like
=SUM(B2:B5)imports as that text, not its result. - Linked tables need the original data. Import the source file through Convert table, or connect a Google Sheet instead.
- Old shortcodes keep working. Swap them for a Core Table block or
[coretable id=N]once the new dataset is published.
How to Move Your TablePress Tables to Core Tables walks through a full switch, including replacing the old shortcodes.