Import Export

Import & Export

Move data in and out of TaskFlow.

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Export Formats

Format	Extension	Use Case
CSV	.csv	Spreadsheets, migration
ICS	.ics	Calendar applications
DOT	.dot	Graphviz dependency graphs
Mermaid	.md	Documentation diagrams

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CSV Export

Export tasks to spreadsheet format.

How to Export

1. Press Ctrl+e
2. Select "CSV"
3. Choose filename
4. Confirm

CSV Columns

id,title,status,priority,due_date,scheduled_date,tags,project,description,created,completed

Example Output

id,title,status,priority,due_date,tags,project
abc123,Complete report,todo,high,2025-12-20,"work,urgent",Work
def456,Review PR,done,medium,,"code",Work

Use Cases

• Import to Excel/Google Sheets
• Migrate to another tool
• Data analysis
• Reporting

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CSV Import

Import tasks from CSV files.

How to Import

1. Press Ctrl+i
2. Select "CSV"
3. Choose file
4. Review preview
5. Confirm

Required Columns

Only title is required. All others are optional.

Supported Columns

Column	Format	Example
title	Text	"Complete report"
status	todo/in_progress/done/blocked/cancelled	todo
priority	urgent/high/medium/low/none	high
due_date	YYYY-MM-DD	2025-12-20
scheduled_date	YYYY-MM-DD	2025-12-15
tags	Comma-separated	"work,urgent"
project	Project name	Work
description	Text	"Full description here"

Import Preview

TaskFlow shows a preview before importing:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Import Preview                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ File: tasks.csv                         │
│ Tasks found: 47                         │
│                                         │
│ Sample:                                 │
│   Complete report (high, due Dec 20)    │
│   Review PR (medium)                    │
│   ...                                   │
│                                         │
│ [Import] [Cancel]                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

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ICS Export (Calendar)

Export tasks to iCalendar format.

How to Export

1. Press Ctrl+e
2. Select "ICS"
3. Choose filename
4. Confirm

What's Exported

• Tasks with due dates become VTODO items
• Scheduled dates become start dates
• Priority is preserved
• Tags become categories

Importing to Calendar Apps

The .ics file works with:

• Google Calendar
• Apple Calendar
• Outlook
• Thunderbird
• Any iCal-compatible app

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ICS Import

Import calendar events as tasks.

How to Import

1. Press Ctrl+i
2. Select "ICS"
3. Choose file
4. Review preview
5. Confirm

What's Imported

• VTODO items become tasks
• VEVENT items with action keywords become tasks
• Due dates and priorities preserved

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DOT Export (Graphviz)

Export task dependencies as a graph.

How to Export

1. Press Ctrl+e
2. Select "DOT"
3. Choose filename
4. Confirm

Example Output

digraph TaskDependencies {
    rankdir=LR;
    node [shape=box];

    "Design API" -> "Implement endpoints";
    "Implement endpoints" -> "Write tests";
    "Write tests" -> "Deploy";
}

Rendering the Graph

dot -Tpng dependencies.dot -o dependencies.png

Or use online viewers like Graphviz Online.

Use Cases

• Visualize task dependencies
• Project documentation
• Sprint planning
• Presentations

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Mermaid Export

Export dependencies as Mermaid diagrams.

How to Export

1. Press Ctrl+e
2. Select "Mermaid"
3. Choose filename
4. Confirm

Example Output

```mermaid
graph LR
    A[Design API] --> B[Implement endpoints]
    B --> C[Write tests]
    C --> D[Deploy]

### Use Cases

- GitHub README files
- Documentation
- Notion/Obsidian notes
- Web documentation

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## Export Keybindings

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `Ctrl+e` | Open export dialog |

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## Import Keybindings

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `Ctrl+i` | Open import dialog |

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## Report Export

The [[Reports]] view has its own export options:

| Key | Format | Output |
|-----|--------|--------|
| `Ctrl+p` | Markdown | Statistics report |
| `Ctrl+h` | HTML | Formatted web report |

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## Bulk Operations

### Export All Tasks

CSV export includes all tasks by default.

### Export Filtered Tasks

1. Apply filters first (tag, project, view)
2. Then export
3. Only visible tasks are exported

### Export Single Project

1. Filter to project view
2. Export to CSV

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## Data Migration

### To Another Tool

1. Export to CSV
2. Open in spreadsheet
3. Adjust columns as needed
4. Import to new tool

### From Another Tool

1. Export from other tool to CSV
2. Ensure column names match (or rename)
3. Import to TaskFlow

### Between TaskFlow Instances

1. Export from source
2. Copy file
3. Import to destination

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## Tips

1. **Backup before import** - Always have a backup
2. **Preview first** - Check import preview carefully
3. **Use CSV for data** - Most flexible format
4. **Use ICS for calendar** - Better calendar integration
5. **Use DOT/Mermaid for docs** - Great for visualization

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## Troubleshooting

### Import Fails

- Check CSV format (comma-separated, UTF-8)
- Ensure required columns exist
- Check date formats (YYYY-MM-DD)

### Missing Data After Import

- Some fields may not map
- Check column names match expected

### Encoding Issues

- Save CSV as UTF-8
- Avoid special characters in early testing

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## See Also

- [[Storage-Backends]] - Storage format options
- [[Reports]] - Report exporting
- [[Configuration]] - Export settings