ExpressionEngine Export

Export allows for easy and customizable exports of data from within your ExpressionEngine installation. Export contains template tags you use to configure your export specific to your and your clients needs.

Beta release. The addon is feature-complete and considered stable for testing. Use in production at your own discretion — breaking changes are unlikely but possible before v1.0 final.

Features

1. Export to Excel, XML, JSON, and CSV
2. Channel Entries, Members, and more, all through template tags
3. Save exports to location or download through a browser
4. Apply "modifiers" to exported data to transform it before save
5. Control Panel UI (EE 7.2+) — build, save, and run export configurations without writing template code

Basic Example

The below will force download of the export in JSON format, with a data from the SQL, named members.json

{exp:export:query
    sql="SELECT * FROM exp_members"
    format="json"
    output="download"
    output:filename="members.json"
}

Control Panel (EE 7.2+)

Export ships with a native ExpressionEngine Control Panel that lets operators create, manage, and run saved export configurations without touching template code. The CP requires EE 7.2 or later.

Visit Add-Ons → Export from the EE Control Panel. From there you can:

• Create a named export configuration for any source (Entries, Members, Grid, Fluid, SQL)
• Edit saved configurations at any time — all parameters pre-fill
• Run a saved configuration directly from the index table — download or local delivery works exactly as with template tags
• Delete configurations you no longer need

All source parameters, format options, output settings, column selection (include/exclude), and modifiers are available through the form. See DOCUMENTATION.md §14 for a complete field reference.

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Template Tags

Exporting data is all done through template tags and parameters. This allow for granular and ah-hoc control over your data exporting and allows for fast implementation.

Universal Parameters

The below parameters can be used on all template tags

Command	Description	Default
format	The desiered export format	None
output	How you want the export delivered	None
fields	A pipe delimited list of fields you want inccluded in your export	None

query

Execute an Export of a database table using a custom query

Params

These params are unique to the query template tag

Command	Description	Default
sql	The SQL query to execute	None

Basic Example

{exp:export:query
    sql="SELECT * FROM exp_members"
    format="json"
    output="download"
    output:filename="members.json"
}

Advanced Example

{exp:export:query
    sql="SELECT * FROM exp_members LIMIT 20"
    modify:last_activity="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:join_date="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:last_visit="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:last_entry_date="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:last_comment_date="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:language="uc_words"
    modify:password="replace_with[*******]"
    modify:unique_id="replace_with[*******]"
    modify:crypt_key="replace_with[*******]"
    format="xlsx"
    format:bold_cols="y"
    format:ucfirst_cols="y"
    output="local"
    output:filename="members.xlsx"
    output:path="/path/to/location"
}

members

Export ExpressionEngine members

Params

These params are unique to the members template tag

Command	Description	Default
limit	How many members to include in your export	None
roles	A pip delimited collection of role_id values	None
join_start	A strtotime compatible date	None
join_end	A strtotime compatible date	None
last_login_start	A strtotime compatible date	None
last_login_join_end	A strtotime compatible date	None
search:field_name	Allows for strict searching of members based on value matching	None

Basic Example

{exp:export:members
    format="json"
    output="download"
    output:filename="members.json"
}

Advanced Example

{exp:export:members
    format="xlsx"
    output="local"
    limit="10"
    join_start="1 year ago"
    join_end="today"
    roles="1|5|26"
    modify:last_activity="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:join_date="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:last_visit="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:last_entry_date="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:last_comment_date="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    modify:language="uc_words"
    fields="member_id|username|email|first_name|last_name|city|state|zip|join_date|last_visit|last_activity"
    format:bold_cols="y"
    output:path="D:\Projects\mithra62\ee-product-dev\html\fdsa"
    output:filename="members.xlsx"
}

Modifiers

Modifiers allow exports to have it's data overriden through parameters. At the moment, Export only ships with a few, but that number will grow over time. You can chain multiple modifiers togethr using the pipe | string.

To use modifiers, you set parameters and declare them on a per key value. For example, with a member export, you can replace all passwords with ******* through a parameter of modify:password="replace_with[*******]".

Parameters for modifiers are called using brackets for each.

Example

modify:join_date="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]|"

ee_date

Will take a Unix timestamp and format it as described.

Example

{exp:export:members
    format="json"
    output="download"
    modify:join_date="ee_date[%y-%m-%d]"
    output:filename="members.json"
}

uc_words

Runs the value through the internal PHP function

Example

{exp:export:members
    format="json"
    output="download"
    modify:first_name="uc_first"
    output:filename="members.json"
}

replace_with

Will replace any output with the value provided.

Example

{exp:export:members
    format="json"
    output="download"
    modify:password="replace_with[*******]"
    output:filename="members.json"
}

uc_words

Runs the value through the internal PHP function

Example

{exp:export:members
    format="json"
    output="download"
    modify:city="uc_words"
    output:filename="members.json"
}

Formats

Export comes equipped with multiple formats for your exports. Note that all format based parameters should be prefixed with format:.

XML

Generate an XML document

Params

These params are unique to xml documents

Command	Description	Default
format:root_name	The name to use to contain your XML nodess	None
format:branch_name	What the containing node should be called	None

Basic Example

{exp:export:query
    sql="SELECT * FROM exp_members"
    format="xml"
    format:root_name="members_table"
    format:branch_name="members"
    output="download"
    output:filename="members.xml"
}

JSON

Will convert an Export into JSON

Params

None

Basic Example

{exp:export:query
    sql="SELECT * FROM exp_members"
    format="json"
    output="download"
    output:filename="members.json"
}

CSV

Export data in a comma seperated value format

Params

These params are unique to csv documents

Command	Description	Default
format:separator	Sets the field delimiter (one character only).	,
format:enclosure	The field enclosure (one character only).	"
format:escape	Tthe escape character (one character only).	\\
format:newline	How new lines are created	\n

Basic Example

{exp:export:query
    sql="SELECT * FROM exp_members"
    format="csv"
    output="download"
    output:filename="members.csv"
}

Xlsx

Export data in Excel format

Params

These params are unique to xlsx documents

Command	Description	Default
bold_cols	Whether the columns within the spreadsheet should be bolded	None

Destinations

Destinations are how delivery is defined. At this point, there are 2: download and local

Download

Will force the export file to download

Params

These params are unique to download destinations

Command	Description	Default
output:filename	The name for the file upon export	None

Basic Example

{exp:export:query
    sql="SELECT * FROM exp_members"
    format="csv"
    output="download"
    output:filename="members.csv"
}

Local

Places the Export at the specified location

Params

These params are unique to download destinations

Command	Description	Default
output:filename	The name for the file upon export	None
output:path	The full system path to the directory the export will be stored	None

Basic Example

{exp:export:query
    sql="SELECT * FROM exp_members"
    format="csv"
    output="local"
    output:filename="members.csv"
    output:path="/path/to/dir"
}