Can't export rich text fields from table view

Hi: I’ve got a simple project management app built and working great: including generating weekly status reports (a key requirement); I’m doing this via a table view, with filters set to only show “DONE” state tasks with an (automated) DONE date within a given range: this works great BUT when I export it, I only have a CSV option, and it excludes rich text fields: thus I cannot use the Details field to hold my notes on each task: instead I had to create a new Text field, and squeeze all most notes into that; it works, but is very awkward: and also means that 90% of the space on my task item (the Details rich text field, in full edit view) is unusable. Is there a way to export (selected) fields of an item including rich text fields? Either CSV or (preferably) JSON would be great. I had expected to see a JSON export option actually, but surprising I do not.

Or if anyone can suggest a different (non-table view) way to build a weekly report (with selected fields including rich text fields) that I can export, that would be great too.

[Update: moved to “Get Help”]

Thanks!

Mike

Hi, Mike!
Have a question (although your question is very detailed, thanks for that!)
Why are you exporting this stuff? Where would this JSON go to? Surely it’s not for humans to read :slight_smile:

Maybe we’ll find another way to help you, cos for now I can only suggest you program a Button or write a script via public API. Most certainly, it’s not the best way :sweat_smile:

My actual goal is to export a list of tasks completed during a given week (state==“DONE” & [Done Date] within a specific date range), to send to my CFO: it’s a regulatory requirement. On reflection, I’d ideally like it to be a CSV, because then I can send it as a spreadsheet, so it’s both machine-readable and human-readable. JSON would be ok too, but our CFO probably wouldn’t find it easy to read. I can already export the desired tasks, but the only missing piece is that the export doesn’t include any rich text fields: and so I’m forced to put all my updates in a regular text field (so that they will export): which is very cramped and poorly formatted for that use case.

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Does your CFO need to manipulate the data further?
What is the ideal ‘final’ format?

He has to aggregate weekly status reports from all of us and make them available to our CEO/board. I’m building this app (to track progress + generate weekly status reports) to make my life easier, and also hoping to share it (as template) with other team members. It’s quite possible it will then be adopted as a corporate platform (in which case I’m hoping that it’ll be easy to adapt to multiple users!), but for now it’s meant as a standalone app (per user). The ideal final format (IMHO) is Excel, but CSV is a perfect jumping-off point for that.

@masp , I agree with your idea of data export via json , even google back up to all docs , drive app all in json .
Storing Data

When storing data, the data has to be a certain format, and regardless of where you choose to store it, text is always one of the legal formats.

JSON makes it possible to store JavaScript objects as text.
However eventhough it can be easily done by developer, need javascript code , from text to code , then again to text,.The fibery model is no code or less code better approach use the dash board task report via template . fibery @Polina_Zenevich use public open source as code to make task based activity report this , Our long time request as best story telling UX , user friendly task activity report , as i understand from your learning experience this need to be time line based , simillar one facebook profile story template model .This is the last item issue fibery , but not the least important one yet to be well done , need time too .The mind map make now days can help understand the concepts , can help to help the real takeout from story the report . Several item simillar to Notions block may need HTml code combine with text, notes , images , video embed too , thus not only rich text markdown model task report rather not only rich text , but also media rich too , see here many of us our long time requested in the last 2 years repeatly , but fibery team used to leave it the last one , as one need roadmap, automations too have the results views , Good views , results too are important too , now well done in order to make poosible good mind mape concept based templates .The unbundled project and as app , the work space , now data bases are good to understand the insights .However , it also make it not easy to bundle the good task reports . The retrospective of what went bad is
as important as the sucess to make the story telling task report to get good take way , for future work The user friendly best take way from data and process , road map as monthly , yearly , activity based costs both capital and opertion , but also cash balances as well as rate of economical return all via connected fibery relationbal data bases all via fibery platform as Hub . In this context, the study cases outlined by @masp show the directions , thus good way need to be chosen . the very good idea exchange tips given by @Polina_Zenevich , via good templates can help every one understand not JSon, but how to get done the report , as story , the road map templates are real need , surely open source code plently açlready solved the data storage via json can be better way than copy and past . The spread sheet google data table , texts , images too are well combined too to pdf. As spreadsheets are well srtucured can enable too story teeling no code way to speed up the priceess , more productivity , reduced complexcity . data entry , data proicessing , data output stored , dats viewd , data presented unlike docs , ppt presentation , the note book model of spreadsheets is no code to users , easy code to developer .

As for the export for data backup - we have a specific feature Export all domain
We do also have a public API, so you could write your own script.

Partly export is not our main use case and Mr masp can always invite his CFO to Fibery and share all the info needed. Or create shareable reports

We understand that there can be lots of use cases, but as they are not “core” ones - we focus on other things now :slight_smile:

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It seems this will be possible when we will release Feed View. You can filter all Done tasks and for every task Rich Text will be visible.

Another idea is to use Blocks (also upcoming) to build the report, but I need more details about the ideal report layout to advice.

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Just noticed this update: just after seeing your blog post about Feed View: Feeds are awesome!!! I now have a Smart Folder with a Feed View that automatically shows all tasks completed within each week, with the rich text field: wonderful! For my purpose (weekly status report) there’s one more feature that would perfect it: if I could add swim lanes (similar to those from the Board View) within the Feed View, so the Feed was split (vertically) by (eg.) Project, then I’d be completely set: might that be possible? Currently I can add Project as a Field, and sort on it, but being able to call out the Project as a swim lane title, with all its Tasks following below, would be the icing on the cake!

Sounds like this could be solved by adding rich text fields to cards in board view…?
Might even be more appropriate than adding swimlanes to feed view…

Yes good point: actually I have been using Boards for just this purpose: a single column (via a dummy Database with a single row) and Projects as swim lanes: but missing the Rich Text fields. So adding Rich Text to Board View Fields would achieve my goal also.

BTW it would be great if we could include Comments as well as multiple Rich Text fields inline (Feed View style): I’ve haven’t made us of Comments yet (even though they would be very useful) because I can’t find a way to display them other than in a single entity view. I’m now going to start using Rich Text fields (well one Rich Text field), since I can include it in the Feed View, but I would love to be able to include more than one Rich Text field, and also include Comments in the Feed View (or equivalently in the Board View): or frankly in any view in which entities appear as vertically arranged blocks: it would be great if one could select any Rich Text or Comment fields from the Fields selector and have them show up inline in any given view.

(related but off-topic) my Tasks already have a Rich Text field (“Details”) and a regular Text field (“Outcome”): I’ve been putting all my status updates in Outcome (so that they’re visible in List and Board Views) but I’ve also populated Details with additional detail in some cases (but mostly it’s empty). Is there an obvious way to apply a one-off smart copy from Outcome to Details? I’d want to copy the contents of Outcome to Details, but only if Details is currently empty: applied to all current Tasks.

You can create a fairly simple automation to copy the text in Outcome into the Details field, but there’s not currently the possibility to check if the Details field is empty without using scripting (see here In board view use Description field toggle to show if entity has a description (like Trello) - #2 by Dimitri_S).
The automation can be set to run once (using a time trigger).

Related: Add COMMENTS and REFERENCES to Feed

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