Export (`tool_export`)

See also: Tools user guide · Developer reference

Export turns the records you are currently looking at in a section into a spreadsheet-style flat table. You choose which components become columns, in what order, and how relations and hierarchies are flattened, then download the result as CSV, TSV, ODS, XLSX or HTML — or as a machine-readable raw CSV for the CSV import tool. It is a table, not a backup: for a complete, verified copy of a section set see The archive door.

What it's for

Dédalo stores richly structured data: multi-language values, relations to lists and thesauri, hierarchies and dataframes. That structure is what makes cataloguing precise, but a colleague, a printer or a spreadsheet expects a flat grid. Export is the bridge: it flattens the current selection into rows and columns that you shape for the job at hand, so nothing is a blind dump.

Concrete scenario: a numismatics cataloguer has filtered the Coins section down to the issues of a single mint and needs a report for a colleague. They open Export on that filtered list, drag Inventory number, Weight, Diameter and the related Mint → name into the active columns, pick a breakdown so each linked value lands cleanly, run the export and download an XLSX. The same column arrangement is saved as a named preset for the next batch.

When to use it

You need section data as a spreadsheet or report (CSV / TSV / ODS / XLSX / HTML).
You want to bulk-edit a section's values in a spreadsheet and load the edited cells back. Use the Dédalo (Raw) format, which wraps each cell so the CSV import tool can unwrap it and conform it like typed input.
You want the media files referenced by a set of records.

When not to use it:

To edit records — Export is read-only. Edit in the section itself.
To produce a positioned, paginated document (a catalogue card, a study sheet) — use Print instead.
To publish records to a live public site — use Diffusion.

Where to find it

Export is a section toolbar button. It appears on a section when you view it in list mode. It is not an inspector or inline-component button, and it opens in its own window so you can keep the section list visible behind it.

The export always covers the whole current selection — every record matching your active filter, not just the page you can see. To export a subset, narrow the section filter first.

Using it, step by step

The window has three panes: available components on the left, your active columns in the centre, and configuration plus a live preview on the right.

Filter the section list down to exactly the records you want to export.
Open Export from the section toolbar.
From the left pane, drag the components you want into the centre active columns pane. The top-to-bottom order there is the left-to-right column order in the output.
For a relation or hierarchy column, drill into it to reach the related field you want (for example Mint → name). Columns of a portal or autocomplete whose target section is hierarchical (it has a parent component) additionally show a per-column parents checkbox: turn it on to also emit the ancestor chain of each linked term (nearest parent first, > separated) as a sibling parents column. Parents columns are produced by the grid value (breakdown) format.
On the right, choose the data format and, for a breakdown format, the breakdown mode (see Options).
Watch the preview fill as the export streams. It resolves as soon as the first metadata arrives, then keeps adding rows with a progress bar.
Download in the format you need (CSV / TSV / ODS / XLSX / HTML), or the referenced media.
Optionally save the current column arrangement as a named preset so you can reuse it on the next batch. Presets are per user.

Options

Option	What it does
Active columns (drag order)	The components to export, in output order. Drag them from the available pane; reorder by dragging within the active pane.
Data format	`value` — one flat cell per column (the everyday choice). `grid_value` — a breakdown that explodes multi-valued relations. `dedalo_raw` — the wrapped form the CSV import tool unwraps (an edit-and-reload format, not a backup).
Breakdown	For the `grid_value` format only: `default`, `rows` (one row per related item) or `columns`.
Fill the gaps	Repeats record-level values on each exploded row so no cell is left blank. On by default.
Parents (per column)	On eligible relation columns (portal / autocomplete pointing at a hierarchical section), adds a sibling column with the target's ancestor chain. Off by default; set on each column in the active list — there is no global switch. `grid_value` format only.

Tips and gotchas

Tip

Save a preset once you have a column arrangement you like. Next time you export the same section you can load it instead of dragging every column again.

Raw CSV is not a backup and not a move

The Dédalo (Raw) format keeps a cell's structure through a spreadsheet edit, but the import re-conforms every cell as typed input: component_text_area markup is rewritten, component_geolocation item ids are dropped, empty cells clear values, media cells carry no files, and a relation's section_id is checked for shape only — on another installation it may name a different record. To back up a section set, carry it to another installation or keep a preservation copy, use The archive door, which is verified to reconstruct every stored column byte for byte.

Warning

Export always serializes the entire filtered selection, not the visible page. If you only want some records, tighten the section filter before you export; there is no page limit inside the tool.

Import from Dédalo CSV — consumes the dedalo_raw export to load edited cells back into the section.
Print — for a positioned, paginated, record-driven document rather than a flat table.
Diffusion — the other way data leaves Dédalo: publishing to a live target instead of downloading a file.
Exporting data — the deeper guide to formats, breakdown modes, presets and the export contract.
Developer reference — the API action, options and internals.

Export (tool_export)