Export and import projects from OF

Hi!

I have a some projects in OF which are stalled. I don’t want to delete them but move them into another application since there are also some reference tasks (Links etc.) included. However, I couldn’t figure out a way to copy the complete structure of a project and move it eg. to a note taking app (e.g. OO). Usually I plan projects in OO and then copy it to OF what works great.

Which note taking apps do you use for this purpose to collect references related to projects? Or where do ypu store stalled projects which will perhaps bever continue? OO doesn’t work that well for me since you can not search in multiple documents. What is a good and secure alternative (I don’t want to save my notes on an external server) which works good with OF?

@Eneas,

Does this help?

1 Like

A few options to consider are to export them as .ofocus documents, so you can then just open those documents up and paste the parts you want to use in to your main projects. Consider exporting them the .CSV, or .HTML depending on where else you might want to use the data externally. HTML is good for viewing it quickly anywhere, and is compatible with many applications, but CSV is better for spreadsheets and databases. If you really don’t care about the formatting or attachments, you can also export to plain text. You can select these options in the export dialog after you choose “Export” from the file menu.

I use .ofocus if my intent is to reuse the project(s) or parts of them later. I enjoy the ability to copy/paste the items in directly. It is the best format provided you will have access to OmniFocus later. The other formats make sense if you need a way to view your data without OmniFocus.

Good luck!

Lanette

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Just this week, the iOS version of Omnifocus received a feature for exporting tasks and projects in plain text Taskpaper format. You can past this format in any text editor. More information in Implementation Details for OmniFocus 2.14 Automation

True! This might not be obvious, but if you go into the project itself on iOS and use the share extension, you can copy the entire project and paste it into Task Paper. I hadn’t thought of this option since it isn’t something possible yet on the Mac, but it could be ideal depending on the primary purpose of exporting.

Thank you all for your help! I appreciate it very much!

I find it quite frustrating that you can’t simply Export & Import documents as in any other application. I admit copying and pasting from “ofocus” to the main window does work though, but it’s just not intuitive way of backing up

If it’s just for backing up, it might be easier to simply duplicate the Omnifocus datafile, or have a backup application doing so, depending on what suits you best.

Projects and tasks can be exported as a text file. Everything is formatted in TaskPaper format. You can look at it and read it in plain English.

CSV is also another common format that is used for exporting to other databases and spreadsheets.

It’s up to the other app to be able to read TaskPaper or CSV.