Forum Discussion

LawrenceClink's avatar
LawrenceClink
Qrew Cadet
8 years ago

script to export QuickBase table data to local csv file

I have a need to export QuickBase table data to a local csv file (Lan directory).
In looking at the QuickBase API reference, I see a call ImportFromCSV but no export or download call. It would seem to me if I had a DoQuery to pull the needed data bundled with a download call of some kind that would do the trick.
My background is in IT although my JavaScript is a little rusty.
Any assistance I can get on this would be greatly appreciated.
APIs and custom code
App builders
Ask about Quickbase functionality
  • _anomDiebolt_'s avatar
    _anomDiebolt_
    Qrew Elite
    8 years ago
    The easiest way is to just add the opts parameter to the end of a query URL and package that as a formula URL or Rich Text Field button
    ?a=q&qid=87&opts=csv
    If you want to automatically download the file under script control and even give it the name you want there is some script that can do this as well. In fact, you don't even need to have a file or a URL to form the content of the download. Using script it is possible to build a file blob out of whatever data you want, and download it with the name of your choice. So if you work with some type of commercial or proprietary file format and the underlying data is in QuickBase it is possible to build the file dynamically and download it with the name and extension of your choice.
  • LawrenceClink's avatar
    LawrenceClink
    Qrew Cadet
    8 years ago
    Thank you for the quick response. What I have in mind is a button on a dashboard that calls a script to download the data of my choosing to a location/filename determined in the script. I think more details would help me get started.
    • _anomDiebolt_'s avatar
      _anomDiebolt_
      Qrew Elite
      8 years ago
      You will not be able to control where the file lands (without some extraordinary configuration) - it is going into the download folder. Doing otherwise could be a security issue unless precautions were taken.

      That said there is probably a way to set up a custom protocol handler or in a Windows environment use an Office URI Scheme that will take a URL pointing to a csv/excel file and automatically load it into a locally installed program.such as MS Office:

      Office URI Schemes
      https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/dn906146.aspx

      This is a largely unexplored area in terms of using these methods with QuickBase. It is totally dependent on the precise combination of (1) Platform, (2) Browser and (3) Configuration you are using.

      I wasn't prepared to discuss this topic yet but there is a vast area of what I call QuickBase Deep Linking which you can become familiar with using this overview article:

      What is Deep Linking
      https://branch.io/what-is-deep-linking/

      A Brief History of Deep Linking

      https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/12/a-brief-history-of-deep-linking/
    • _anomDiebolt_'s avatar
      _anomDiebolt_
      Qrew Elite
      8 years ago
      You will not be able to control where the file lands (without some extraordinary configuration) - it is going into the download folder. Doing otherwise could be a security issue unless precautions were taken.

      That said there is probably a way to set up a custom protocol handler or in a Windows environment use an Office URI Scheme that will take a URL pointing to a csv/excel file and automatically load it into a locally installed program.such as MS Office:

      Office URI Schemes
      https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/dn906146.aspx

      This is a largely unexplored area in terms of using these methods with QuickBase. It is totally dependent on the precise combination of (1) Platform, (2) Browser and (3) Configuration you are using.

      I wasn't prepared to discuss this topic yet but there is a vast area of what I call QuickBase Deep Linking which you can become familiar with using this overview article:

      What is Deep Linking
      https://branch.io/what-is-deep-linking/

      A Brief History of Deep Linking

      https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/12/a-brief-history-of-deep-linking/
  • _anomDiebolt_'s avatar
    _anomDiebolt_
    Qrew Elite
    8 years ago
    You will not be able to control where the file lands (without some extraordinary configuration) - it is going into the download folder. Doing otherwise could be a security issue unless precautions were taken.

    That said there is probably a way to set up a custom protocol handler or in a Windows environment use an Office URI Scheme that will take a URL pointing to a csv/excel file and automatically load it into a locally installed program.such as MS Office:

    Office URI Schemes
    https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/dn906146.aspx

    This is a largely unexplored area in terms of using these methods with QuickBase. It is totally dependent on the precise combination of (1) Platform, (2) Browser and (3) Configuration you are using.

    I wasn't prepared to discuss this topic yet but there is a vast area of what I call QuickBase Deep Linking You can become familiar with the concept of Deep Linking using these simple articles:

    What is Deep Linking
    https://branch.io/what-is-deep-linking/

    A Brief History of Deep Linking

    https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/12/a-brief-history-of-deep-linking/