# Validate bulk invite CSV file and show error on invalid file format
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [July 10, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771 "2019-07-10T12:41:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@qvond](https://meta.discourse.org/u/qvond)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771/1 "2019-07-10T12:41:56Z")
I have about 500 users and I like to add some of them to another group. When i resend the bulk invite with the updated group in the CSV, I get an invalid email error. Can someone help?
Since the 2.3 update this bug should be fixed
- Bulk invite should skip invite and add existing users to groups.
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2019, 1:13pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771/2 "2019-07-10T13:13:00Z")
My guess is that you have an invalid email address in the file. It would be better if it ignored the invalid address and worked with the rest, but that seems not to be the case (if no users were added to the group).
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### Author:  [@qvond](https://meta.discourse.org/u/qvond)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771/3 "2019-07-10T14:03:12Z")
I tried with two active users who are already in another group, so their email address are actually valid.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771/4 "2019-07-10T22:51:45Z")
Maybe @techapj could have a look at your list to determine why some of the emails are invalid, can you share it with him?
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### Author:  [@techAPJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/techAPJ)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2019, 9:37am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771/5 "2019-07-11T09:37:39Z")
I had a look at the file. The bulk invite process was failing because the data was not comma (`,`) separated, it was using semi-colon (`;`) instead. Please make sure to use the format described in [first post](https://meta.discourse.org/t/sending-bulk-user-invites/16468/%60).
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2019, 4:39am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771/6 "2019-07-12T04:39:26Z")
Hmm. Shouldn’t the import complain about invalid file format if it does not see any commas in the input @techAPJ?
I feel like we messed up here by not providing a proper error message.
Never underestimate what your users will try to do..
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2019, 4:55am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771/7 "2019-07-12T04:55:33Z")
When I first used it (more than 3 years ago) I was surprised that it just worked. When a spreadsheet imports a file it gives you a preview of what will happen before it actually does it.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2019, 5:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/validate-bulk-invite-csv-file-and-show-error-on-invalid-file-format/122771/8 "2019-07-12T05:00:40Z")
That is not a bad idea @techAPJ you could count the lines and validate the file and pop a dialog like
> This will send invitations to **200** email addresses, do you want to proceed?