Export methods

Calm can export records in the following formats:

Formatted
Natural
Comma separated
Tab separated
UK MARC
XML

Formatted

Formatted exports let you write your own export file. This defines which fields you wish to export and the order in which you would like to export them using a text document. Formatted exports can be a better choice than Comma or Tab separated export methods because in a formatted export you can pick exactly the fields you would like to export and exactly the instances of those fields you would like to export (so that an errant second Date field on one record doesn't throw off your separated export, for example).

Tab & Comma separated export methods

If you choose the tab separated or comma separated export methods, Calm exports records with one record per line and either a tab character or comma between fields. The contents of each field are enclosed in quotes if they contain a tab or comma. Any new lines within a field are converted to \r\n. For example, two records from an address database might be exported in comma separated format as:

Kim Stone,19 Domino Rd,Oxford,OX99 4NH,UK
Sharon Quaid,58 Gold St,Oxford,,UK

Note: It is important that these type of exported records are of an identical format – each record will need exactly the same number of fields in the same order.

So, remember it is possible that:

extra fields have been added to individual records.

there are different record formats within a database.

If either of these are true, your export will be thrown off. Having two DAte fields on a single reocrd, for example, may mean that the second date field's contents are put into the column for the Description field, and the Description field's contents are put into the column for the Format field, and so on, for the one record with two Date fields.

DScribe Natural

If you choose the Natural export method, Calm exports records in the following format:

:RecordType
-FieldName
Text
Text
-FieldName
Text
-FieldName
-FieldName
Text

For example, two of the Actor records in the sample database might be exported thus:

:Actor
-Name
Kim Basinger
-YearOfBirth
1954
-Films
(1981)            Hard Country
(1982)            Mother Lode
                        The Man Who Loved Women                     ~ Domino
(1985)            9½ Weeks
(1987)            Blind Date                                                      ~ Nadia
                        Nadine                                                            ~ Nadine Hightower
(1988)            My Stepmother is an Alien
(1989)            Batman                                                          ~ Vicki Vale
-Nationality
American
-Notes
:Actor
-Name
Sharon Stone
-YearOfBirth
1958
-Films
(1980)            Stardust Memories
(1985)            King Solomon's Mines                                 ~ Jessie
(1987)            Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold
                        Total Recall                                                   ~ Lori Quaid
(1991)            Basic Instinct                                               ~ Catherine
(1993)            Sliver
-Nationality
American
-Notes

UK MARC

This method exports those Calm fields with a UK MARC equivalent to the format.

XML

This method exports to Calm XML, which can be easily re-imported to Calm. Calm XML for records in the Catalogue database would begin:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<DScribeDatabase Name="Catalog">
<DScribeRecord>

Note: This method is not intended for exporting ArchivesHub or other EAD data: that can be done from the File menu by clicking the Report option.