Exporting a CSV file containing node data

Exporting a CSV file containing field data from a list of node IDs

The export_csv task generates a CSV file that contains one row for each node identified in the input CSV file. The cells of the CSV are populated with data that is consistent with the structures that Workbench uses in update tasks. Using this CSV file, you can:

• see in one place all of the field values for nodes, which might be useful during quality assurance after a create task
• modify the data and use it as input for an update task using the update_mode: replace configuration option.

The CSV file contains two of the extra rows included in the CSV file template, described above (specifically, the human-readable field label and number of values allowed), and the left-most "REMOVE THIS COLUMN (KEEP THIS ROW)" column. To use the file as input for an update task, simply delete the extraneous column and rows.

A sample configuration file for an export_csv task is:

task: export_csv
host: "http://localhost:8000"
username: admin
password: islandora
input_csv: nodes_to_export.csv
export_csv_term_mode: name
content_type: my_custom_content_type
# If export_csv_field_list is not present, all fields will be exported.
export_csv_field_list: ['title', 'field_description']
# Specifying the output path is optional; see below for more information.
export_csv_file_path: output.csv

The file identified by input_file has only one column, "node_id":

node_id
7653
7732
7653

Some things to note:

• The output includes data from nodes only, not media.
• Unless a file path is specified in the export_csv_file_path configuration option, the output CSV file name is the name of the input CSV file (containing node IDs) with ".csv_file_with_field_values" appended. For example, if you export_csv configuration file defines the input_csv as "my_export_nodes.csv", the CSV file created by the task will be named "my_export_nodes.csv.csv_file_with_field_values". The file is saved in the directory identified by the input_dir configuration option.
• You can include either vocabulary term IDs or term names (with accompanying vocabulary namespaces) in the CSV. By default, term IDs are included; to include term names instead, include export_csv_term_mode: name in you configuration file.
• A single export_csv job can only export nodes that have the content type identified in your Workbench configuration. By default, this is "islandora_object". If you include node IDs in your input file for nodes that have a different content type, Workbench will skip exporting their data and log the fact that it has done so.
• If you don't want to export all the fields on a content type, you can list the fields you want to export in the export_csv_field_list configuration option.

Warning

Using the export_csv_term_mode: name option will slow down the export, since Workbench must query Drupal to get the name of each term. The more taxonomy or typed relation fields in your content type, the slower the export will be with export_csv_term_mode set to "name".

Using a Drupal View to identify content to export as CSV

You can use a new or existing View to tell Workbench what nodes to export into CSV. This is done using a get_data_from_view task. A sample configuration file looks like this:

task: get_data_from_view
host: "http://localhost:8000/"
view_path: '/daily_nodes_created_test'
username: admin
password: islandora
content_type: pubished_work
export_csv_file_path: /tmp/islandora_export.csv
# If export_csv_field_list is not present, all fields will be exported.
# node_id and title are always included.
export_csv_field_list: ['field_description', 'field_extent']
# 'view_paramters' is optinal, and used only if your View uses Contextual Filters.
# In this setting you identify any URL parameters configured as Contextual Filters
# for the View. Note that values in the 'view_parameters' configuration setting
# are literal parameter=value strings that include the =, not YAML key: value
# pairs used elsewhere in the Workbench configuration file.
view_parameters:
 - 'date=20231202'

The view_path setting should contain the value of the "Path" option in the Views configuration page's "Path settings" section. The export_csv_file_path is the location where you want your CSV file saved.

In the View configuration page:

1. Add a "REST export" display.
2. Under "Format" > "Serializer" > "Settings", choose "json".
3. In the View "Fields" settings, leave "The selected style or row format does not use fields" as is (see explanation below).
4. Under "Path", add a path where your REST export will be accessible to Workbench. As noted above, this value is also what you should use in the view_path setting in your Workbench configuration file.
5. Under "Pager" > "Items to display", choose "Paged output, mini pager". In "Pager options" choose 10 items to display.
6. Under "Path settings" > "Access", choose "Permission" and "View published content". Under "Authentication", choose "basic_auth" and "cookie".

Here is a screenshot illustrating these settings:

To test your REST export, in your browser, join your Drupal hostname and the "Path" defined in your View configuration. Using the values in the configuration file above, that would be http://localhost:8000/workbench-export-test. You should see raw JSON (or formatted JSON if your browser renders JSON to be human readable) that lists the nodes in your View.

Warning

If your View includes nodes that you do not want to be seen by anonymous users, or if it contains unpublished nodes, adjust the access permissions settings appropriately, and ensure that the user identified in your Workbench configuration file has sufficient permissions.

You can optionally configure your View to use a single Contextual Filters, and expose that Contextual Filter to use one or more query parameters. This way, you can include each query parameter's name and its value in your configuration file using Workbench's view_parameters config setting, as illustrated in the sample configuration file above. The configuration in the View's Contextual Filters for this type of parameter looks like this:

By adding a Contextual Filterf to your View display, you can control what nodes end up in the output CSV by including the value you want to filter on in your Workbench configuration's view_parameters setting. In the screenshot of the "Created date" Contextual Filter shown here, the query parameter is date, so you include that parameter in your view_parameters list in your configuration file along with the value you want to assign to the parameter (separated by an = sign), e.g.:

view_parameters:
 - 'date=20231202'

will set the value of the date query parameter in the "Created date" Contextual Filter to "20231202".

Some things to note:

• Note that the values you include in view_parameters apply only to your View's Contextual Filter. Any "Filter Criteria" you include in the main part of your View configuration also take effect. In other words, both "Filter Criteria" and "Contextual Filters" determine what nodes end up in your output CSV file.
  • You can only include a single Contextual Filter in your View, but it can have multiple query parameters.
• REST export Views displays don't use fields in the same way that other Views displays do. In fact, Drupal says within the Views user interface that for REST export displays, "The selected style or row format does not use fields." Instead, these displays export the entire node in JSON format. Workbench iterates through all fields on the node JSON that start with field_ and includes those fields, plus node_id and title, in the output CSV.
• If you don't want to export all the fields on a content type, you can list the fields you want to export in the export_csv_field_list configuration option.
• Only content from nodes that have the content type identified in the content_type configuration setting will be written to the CSV file.
• If you want to export term names instead of term IDs, include export_csv_term_mode: name in your configuration file. The warning about this option slowing down the export applies to this task and the export_csv task.