Import and export data
What you can bring into your app, and the ways to get its records back out.
People often arrive with information already in a spreadsheet, and they often need it back out again for a report, a printout, or a backup. This guide covers what is built in, what is not, and how to get the rest.
Bringing a spreadsheet in
Automatic spreadsheet import is not available. There is no way to upload an existing file and have AppHandle turn its rows into records for your app. Existing information has to get in another way:
- Enter it through the app. Ask the builder for a form and add the records you need. This suits a few dozen items.
- Read it where it already is. Ask the builder to connect a spreadsheet you own so the app reads the existing rows directly, without copying them. See Use connected data.
- Build an add screen. For a large amount of information, ask for a page made for entering several records quickly, with the fields you use most.
If bringing a spreadsheet in matters to you, say so when you describe the app, and the builder will suggest the closest approach for it.
Getting records out
There are three ways to get records back out of an app.
Download a file from the desk
Open your app in the desk and choose the Data tab. Choose the kind of saved
item you want, then select CSV to download a spreadsheet file, or JSON
if you need the records in their raw form. The file is named after the kind of
saved item — products-export.csv for the products list — and it holds every
record that matches the filters you have applied, not only the rows on screen.
Filter the list first if you want only part of it.
A single download stops at 100,000 records. If you need more than that, narrow the list with filters and download it in parts.
Anyone who can work on the app can download: you, the people you invite to edit it, and a hired AppHandler. Someone invited to view the app only cannot.
Show a list people can copy
Ask the builder for a page that presents the records as a table with the columns you need. People can then select the table and copy it into a spreadsheet or a document. If you want it to be one step, ask for a Copy button beside the table.
Print a page
Ask for a version of the list laid out for paper, with the columns you want and a heading. A browser can print any page, so a clean print layout is usually enough for a sign-in sheet, an invoice run, or a stock count.
Where to go next
How your app stores data explains where records live, and Search and filter helps you narrow a list before you export it.