Export

Export your acronyms and workspace data in multiple formats for backup, analysis, or sharing. This guide covers export formats, filtering, and use cases.

Accessing Export

1. From the main navigation, click Admin → Export
2. Or navigate directly to /admin/export
3. Or use Bulk Actions → Export from acronym list

Export Formats

Define.wtf supports three export formats for different use cases:

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

Best for: Spreadsheets, re-importing, data analysis

Includes:

• Term, title, description
• Categories (comma-separated)
• Tags (comma-separated)
• Sentiment
• Created/Updated dates and user
• View count, edit count

Columns:

term,title,description,categories,tags,sentiment,created_by,created_at,updated_by,updated_at,views,edits

File Size:

• Typical: 1 acronym = ~200 bytes
• 1,000 acronyms = ~200 KB
• 10,000 acronyms = ~2 MB

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

Best for: APIs, data processing, structured storage

Includes:

• All fields from CSV plus:
• Unique ID (UUID)
• Tenant ID
• Soft-delete status (deleted_at, deleted_by)
• Lock status (is_locked)
• Deprecation status (is_deprecated)
• Related acronyms (if any)
• Full definitions array (not just primary)

Structure:

{
  "workspace": {
    "name": "My Company",
    "id": "tenant_123"
  },
  "acronyms": [
    {
      "id": "acr_abc123",
      "term": "API",
      "title": "Application Programming Interface",
      "description": "...",
      "categories": ["Engineering", "Technology"],
      "tags": ["web", "protocol"],
      "sentiment": "neutral",
      "is_locked": false,
      "is_deprecated": false,
      "deleted_at": null,
      "definitions": [
        {
          "id": "def_xyz789",
          "text": "...",
          "created_by": "user_123"
        }
      ],
      "created_at": "2026-01-15T10:30:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

File Size:

• Typical: 1 acronym = ~500 bytes (more detailed than CSV)
• 1,000 acronyms = ~500 KB
• 10,000 acronyms = ~5 MB

PDF (Portable Document Format)

Best for: Printing, sharing with non-technical stakeholders, formatted reports

Includes:

• Professional formatting with workspace branding
• Cover page with export date and workspace name
• Table of contents (if more than 50 items)
• Each acronym on separate section:
  • Term (large, prominent)
  • Title (subtitle)
  • Description (full text)
  • Categories (colored badges)
  • Tags (inline)
  • Created date
  • Page number and workspace footer

Features:

• Pagination (automatic)
• Index with term links (for digital PDFs)
• Bookmarks for navigation
• Metadata (created by, date, workspace)
• Print-friendly (no background colors, optimized fonts)

File Size:

• Typical: 1 acronym = ~1 KB (includes formatting)
• 1,000 acronyms = ~1 MB
• 10,000 acronyms = ~10 MB

Layout (2-column per page for readability):

[Page 1: Cover]
Define.wtf Export
My Company Workspace
Generated: March 28, 2026 by John Doe

[Page 2: Table of Contents]
- API ......................... 3
- SQL ......................... 4
- OKR ......................... 5
...

[Page 3+: Content]
API
Application Programming Interface

A set of rules and protocols for software to communicate...

Categories: Engineering, Technology
Tags: web, protocol

Basic Export

Quick export of all acronyms:

Export All

1. Click Export All button
2. Choose format: CSV, JSON, or PDF
3. File downloads automatically
4. Filename includes timestamp: define-export-20260328-101500.csv

Filtered Export

Export specific subsets based on criteria:

Create Filter

1. Click New Export
2. In the filter panel, select criteria:

Available Filters:

Combine Filters

Apply multiple filters (AND logic):

1. Add first filter (e.g., Category = "Engineering")
2. Click Add Filter
3. Add second filter (e.g., Status = "Active")
4. Results update showing acronyms in both filters
5. Continue adding filters as needed

Example: "Export active, non-deprecated acronyms from Engineering and Product categories, created in Q1 2026"

Preview Results

1. Apply filters
2. See preview: "Showing X of Y total acronyms"
3. Scroll to see filtered acronym list
4. Adjust filters if needed

Starting Export

Once filters are set:

1. Click Export button
2. Choose format: CSV, JSON, PDF
3. File downloads

Filename Format:

• CSV: define-export-engineering-20260328.csv
• JSON: define-export-active-20260328.json
• PDF: define-export-report-20260328.pdf

Export History

View all past exports:

1. Click Export History tab

2. See table of previous exports:

   • Format (CSV/JSON/PDF)
   • Filter description
   • Acronym count
   • File size
   • Exported by (user)
   • Date and time
   • Download link (expires after 7 days)

3. Click export to:

   • Re-download file
   • View filters used
   • See item count and summary

Programmatic Export

Use the API for automated exports:

CSV Export

GET /api/v1/acronyms/export?format=csv&category=Engineering&limit=1000

Response: CSV data (text/csv content-type)

JSON Export

GET /api/v1/acronyms/export?format=json&status=active&limit=1000

Response: JSON data (application/json content-type)

PDF Export

GET /api/v1/acronyms/export?format=pdf&sentiment=negative

Response: PDF file (application/pdf content-type)

Query Parameters

• format: csv | json | pdf (required)
• category: Category name (optional, can repeat)
• status: active | deprecated | locked | deleted (optional)
• sentiment: positive | neutral | negative | unset (optional)
• created_after: ISO 8601 date (optional)
• created_before: ISO 8601 date (optional)
• created_by: User ID (optional)
• search: Full-text search query (optional)
• limit: Max rows to export (default 10000, max 50000)
• offset: Pagination offset (optional)

Export Permissions

Required permission to export:

• Permission: tenant:export
• Roles: Admin, Owner (default)
• Custom: Can be granted to Editors by owner

Attempt to export without permission: 403 Forbidden

Use Cases

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Scenario: Regular backup of workspace data

1. Schedule: Weekly CSV export
2. Retention: Keep 30 days
3. Storage: Download to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
4. Recovery: Can re-import using bulk import if needed

Data Analysis

Scenario: Analyze acronym usage patterns

1. Export: JSON format with all metadata
2. Process: Load into data analysis tool (Python, Excel, Tableau)
3. Analysis: Calculate:
   • Most-used categories
   • Contribution by user
   • Growth over time
   • Category coverage

Sharing with Stakeholders

Scenario: Share knowledge base with executives or external partners

1. Export: PDF format (professional look)
2. Filters: Include only public, non-confidential terms
3. Send: Email PDF to stakeholders
4. Alternative: Embed collection in external site (enterprise)

Integration with External Systems

Scenario: Sync acronyms with wiki, knowledge base, or HR system

1. Export: JSON or CSV format
2. Parse: Use API or script to process file
3. Transform: Map to external system schema
4. Load: Upload to destination system
5. Frequency: Manual or automated via cron

Example: Weekly CSV export of all acronyms → Import into company wiki

Compliance & Audit

Scenario: Generate audit trail and export for compliance review

1. Export: JSON with created_by, created_at, updated_by, updated_at
2. Filter: By date range (e.g., last quarter)
3. Send: To compliance team for review
4. Retention: Archive for regulatory requirements (e.g., SOX, HIPAA)

Content Migration

Scenario: Migrate workspace to another Define.wtf instance or system

1. Export: CSV or JSON from source workspace
2. Transform: Map fields to destination schema if needed
3. Import: Bulk import into new workspace

Best Practices

Regular Backups

• Frequency: Weekly or monthly (depending on update frequency)
• Format: CSV (easiest to re-import if needed)
• Retention: Keep 30-90 days of backups
• Storage: Backup to cloud or secure location

Filtering Exports

• Be specific: Only export what's needed
• Exclude sensitive: Don't export confidential or deprecated items to external parties
• Include metadata: Keep created/updated info for audit trails

Sharing Exports

• PDF for stakeholders: Professional format for non-technical audiences
• JSON for systems: Preserve full metadata for integration
• CSV for colleagues: Easy to open in Excel
• Redact if needed: Manually review before sharing with external parties

Performance

• Large exports: 10,000+ acronyms may take 1-2 minutes
• Monitor file size: PDF can be large (check before sending)
• Limit results: Use pagination or filters for very large workspaces

Next Steps: Learn about Webhooks to automate exports, or explore Settings to configure workspace preferences.