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Open-source database of church unions worldwide.

Index › Data guide
PPDB / Editing reference

The spreadsheet is the database.

Add one party per row. Keep the two header rows intact, use stable IDs and leave optional cells empty rather than inserting placeholders.

Field reference
Column
Type
How PPDB uses it
COUNTRY
Required
Country name used for filtering and grouping.
ID
Required
Stable, unique record ID, e.g. atOVP. Changing it changes the party URL.
NAME
Required
English-language party name.
NATIVE_NAME / LITERAL_NAME / ACRONYM
Text
Native-language name, optional literal English translation and abbreviation.
LEGISLATURE / LOWER_HOUSE / UPPER_HOUSE / MEP
Number
Current seat counts. Use LEGISLATURE for unicameral systems and leave non-applicable chambers blank.
LOGO / COLORCODE
Path or URL / hex
Use an external URL or a local path such as /media/logos/atFPO.png, plus a party colour such as #005EA8.
ESTABLISHMENT / REGISTERED / DELEGALISED / DISSOLUTION
Date
Optional milestone dates. Full dates, month-year values and year-only values are supported; the displayed precision is preserved.
LABELS
Multiline text
Put one label on each line. A line containing # is hidden from the Index; on the record page, text after # is shown as a comment without the # character.
TYPE
Multiline text
Record type used for display and filtering. Blank cells default to Party; put multiple types on separate lines.
STATUS
Text
For example Parliamentary, Extra-parliamentary, Regional, Local or Dissolved.
RELATIONS
Long text
Optional relationship notes displayed below Representation in the left column.
DESCRIPTION
Long text
Main record text. Blank lines create paragraphs.
Ideology
Long text
Optional prose section displayed between Overview and Leadership.
LEADERSHIP
Long text
Plain-text leadership notes shown after the optional Ideology section.
FORMER_LOGO1–5
URL + date
Earlier logos and their final dates of use.
FORMER_NAMES
Long text
Earlier official or widely used party names.
WEBSITE / ARCHIVED_WEBSITE
URLs
Current official website and, separately, its archived version.
FACEBOOK / YOUTUBE / XTWITTER / INSTAGRAM / TIKTOK / TELEGRAM / VK
URLs
Official social-media pages displayed as separate links in Party details.
LAST_EDITED
Date
Optional maintenance date shown at the bottom of the record.
SOURCES
URLs
Put one source URL on each line.
Legislature totals

The Legislatures sheet stores the names and totals for unicameral legislatures and for each chamber, plus European Parliament totals. PPDB combines them with party values and displays entries such as 57 / 183.

Local logo storage

Upload logo files to public/media/logos/, then put a path such as /media/logos/atFPO.png in the LOGO cell. These files are deployed with the site and do not depend on an external image host.

Internal links

Use either form of the compact wiki-like syntax inside prose fields:

[[atOVP]]
[[atOVP|Austrian People's Party]]

Without custom text, PPDB displays the target party's acronym, or its name when no acronym exists. References to IDs without a record are shown as red links.

Import rules
  • Rows without an ID are ignored.
  • Duplicate IDs stop the build with a clear error.
  • COUNTRY, ID and NAME are validated as required.
  • Empty sections do not appear on the public page.
  • Bold and italic spreadsheet text is preserved without importing font sizes.