Uses for the Song Export Function

[MrNotes]

So I just discovered the Export function but I don't see a tutorial video or documentation on how to use the export file (point me there if it exists)

I am trying to 1) have some insurance against one of my users screwing up the database somehow, syncing, and then proliferating the screwed up database to everyone else, and 2) have the ability to export selected data to other applications like uploading a song list to my Gigmasters and other booking systems accounts.  I do that now by using the Share function, copying the PDF details to an MS WORD doc and then editing out what I don't need for the upload. 

This leads me to the following questions:

• I read on the FAQs that I can't import an export file back into bandhelper as a "restore" function.  Any other suggestions on how to provision a local backup/restore function?


• I understand the need to keep copies of docs and MP3s outside of bandhelper for restoring.  But is there some way to include the directory/folder hierarchy for each document and MP3 inside bandhelper and using that reference hierarchy to batch upload those files so I don't have to manually load 218+ docs & MP3s one at a time in case I have to do a restore?


• I see that the export file has embedded html.  That makes the export file clumsy for importing into other systems (e.g., Excel or Access or other systems); any thoughts on including Export options for a) defining what fields get exported, and b) specifying a quoted, CSV, or tab-delimited format instead of html.

[arlo]

1) If needed, you could rearrange the export file and make some changes to match the import structure and then import it. But this would add to, not replace, your existing data. This would only be useful if you damaged your account so badly that you wanted to erase all its data and start over. I doubt a bandmate would do that accidentally. If a bandmate makes an accidental change, it is usually easier to roll back the individual changes they made.

2) There is no directory hierarchy for the attached documents and recordings. If you have all the documents in one directory and all the documents in another, you can easily zip those folders and upload them to restore all the documents and recordings. (You might have to break the recordings into a few batches to keep each zip file under the 500 MB upload limit.)

3) If you don't want some fields in the exported file, you can simply open it in Excel or similar and delete those columns. HTML is only used for formatting of lyrics, chords and notes within those fields, not for the overall structure of the file.