Export & Import

Backup, restore, and migrate your TAD data.

Overview

TAD provides comprehensive export and import functionality to:

📦 Backup conversation history
🔄 Migrate between devices
📊 Analyze chat data
💾 Archive old channels
🔀 Share conversation logs

Exporting Data

Export Current Channel

> /export
[SYSTEM] Exported 150 messages to exports/general_20241128_153045.json

Export Specific Channel

> /export #dev
[SYSTEM] Exported 89 messages to exports/dev_20241128_153045.json

Export with Custom Format

> /export #general json
> /export #general txt
> /export #general md
> /export #general csv

Export Formats

JSON (Default)

Best for: Reimporting, programmatic processing

json

{
  "channel": "#general",
  "export_date": "2024-11-28T15:30:45Z",
  "message_count": 150,
  "messages": [
    {
      "id": "msg_001",
      "timestamp": "2024-11-28T10:00:00Z",
      "sender": "peer_abc123",
      "sender_name": "Alice",
      "content": "Hello everyone!",
      "channel": "#general"
    }
  ]
}

Plain Text

Best for: Reading, sharing externally

TAD Export: #general
Exported: 2024-11-28 15:30:45
Messages: 150

[2024-11-28 10:00:00] Alice: Hello everyone!
[2024-11-28 10:01:23] Bob: Hi Alice!
[2024-11-28 10:05:15] Carol: Good morning!

Markdown

Best for: Documentation, viewing in editors

markdown

# TAD Export: #general

**Exported:** 2024-11-28 15:30:45  
**Messages:** 150

---

## 2024-11-28

**[10:00:00] Alice:**
> Hello everyone!

**[10:01:23] Bob:**
> Hi Alice!

**[10:05:15] Carol:**
> Good morning!

CSV

Best for: Spreadsheets, data analysis

csv

timestamp,sender_id,sender_name,channel,content
2024-11-28T10:00:00Z,peer_abc123,Alice,#general,"Hello everyone!"
2024-11-28T10:01:23Z,peer_def456,Bob,#general,"Hi Alice!"
2024-11-28T10:05:15Z,peer_ghi789,Carol,#general,"Good morning!"

Export Options

Date Range Export

> /export #general --from 2024-11-01 --to 2024-11-28
[SYSTEM] Exported 450 messages (filtered by date) to exports/...

Sender Filter

> /export #general --sender Alice
[SYSTEM] Exported 45 messages from Alice to exports/...

Search and Export

> /export #general --search "roadmap"
[SYSTEM] Exported 12 messages matching "roadmap" to exports/...

Include Metadata

> /export #general --full
[SYSTEM] Exported with full metadata (peer info, signatures, etc.)

Importing Data

Basic Import

> /import exports/general_20241128.json
[SYSTEM] Importing messages...
[SYSTEM] Imported 150 messages to #general
[SYSTEM] No duplicates detected

Import to Specific Channel

> /import exports/dev_old.json --to #dev-archive
[SYSTEM] Imported 89 messages to #dev-archive

Import with Deduplication

> /import exports/general.json --dedupe
[SYSTEM] Found 150 messages
[SYSTEM] Skipped 50 duplicates
[SYSTEM] Imported 100 new messages

Merge Import

> /import exports/backup.json --merge
[SYSTEM] Merging with existing data...
[SYSTEM] Preserved newer messages
[SYSTEM] Imported 75 older messages

Export Location

Default export directory:

tad/
  exports/
    general_20241128_153045.json
    dev_20241128_160000.txt
    secret_20241128_170000_encrypted.json

Custom Export Path

> /export #general --output /backup/tad/
[SYSTEM] Exported to /backup/tad/general_20241128.json

Private Channel Export

Encrypted Export (Default)

> /export #secret
[SYSTEM] Exported 42 encrypted messages to exports/secret_20241128.json

Messages remain encrypted in the export file.

Decrypted Export

> /export #secret --decrypt
⚠️  Warning: This will export messages in plain text!
Continue? (y/n): y
[SYSTEM] Exported 42 decrypted messages to exports/secret_20241128_decrypted.json

⚠️ Security Warning: Decrypted exports are not encrypted at rest!

Automated Backups

Daily Backup Script

Create backup_tad.sh:

bash

#!/bin/bash
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)
BACKUP_DIR="/backup/tad/$DATE"

mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Export all channels
for channel in general dev team; do
    echo "/export #$channel json" | tad_cli >> "$BACKUP_DIR/export.log"
done

# Compress
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR.tar.gz" "$BACKUP_DIR"
rm -rf "$BACKUP_DIR"

echo "Backup completed: $BACKUP_DIR.tar.gz"

Make executable and schedule with cron:

bash

chmod +x backup_tad.sh
crontab -e
# Add: 0 2 * * * /path/to/backup_tad.sh

Systemd Timer (Linux)

/etc/systemd/system/tad-backup.service:

ini

[Unit]
Description=TAD Backup Service

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/backup_tad.sh
User=tad

/etc/systemd/system/tad-backup.timer:

ini

[Unit]
Description=Daily TAD Backup

[Timer]
OnCalendar=daily
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

Enable:

bash

sudo systemctl enable tad-backup.timer
sudo systemctl start tad-backup.timer

Migration Between Devices

Full Migration

On old device:

> /export-all
[SYSTEM] Exporting all channels...
[SYSTEM] Exported 5 channels, 2,345 messages
[SYSTEM] Created: exports/full_backup_20241128.tar.gz

On new device:

> /import-all exports/full_backup_20241128.tar.gz
[SYSTEM] Importing full backup...
[SYSTEM] Restored 5 channels
[SYSTEM] Imported 2,345 messages
[SYSTEM] Migration complete!

Selective Migration

Export specific channels on old device:

> /export #general
> /export #dev
> /export #team

Transfer files, then import on new device:

> /import exports/general_20241128.json
> /import exports/dev_20241128.json
> /import exports/team_20241128.json

Data Analysis

Convert to CSV for Analysis

> /export #general csv

Then in Python:

python

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv('exports/general_20241128.csv')

# Message frequency by sender
print(df['sender_name'].value_counts())

# Messages over time
df['timestamp'] = pd.to_datetime(df['timestamp'])
df.set_index('timestamp').resample('D').size().plot()

# Word frequency
from collections import Counter
words = ' '.join(df['content']).lower().split()
Counter(words).most_common(20)

Export Statistics

> /export #general --stats
[SYSTEM] Channel Statistics for #general:
  Total Messages: 1,234
  Unique Senders: 12
  Date Range: 2024-11-01 to 2024-11-28
  Most Active Hour: 15:00-16:00 (145 messages)
  Most Active Sender: Alice (234 messages)
  Average Message Length: 42 characters

Troubleshooting

Import Fails

Problem: Import returns errors.

Solutions:

Verify file format is valid JSON
Check file wasn't corrupted
Ensure channel exists or use --create-channel
Try --force flag to skip validation

> /import exports/backup.json --force --create-channel

Large Export Slow

Problem: Exporting thousands of messages takes long.

Solutions:

Export in smaller date ranges
Use --compress for large exports
Export to SSD instead of network drive
Use --batch mode for parallel export

> /export #general --batch --compress

Duplicate Messages After Import

Problem: Messages appear twice after import.

Solution:

> /dedupe #general
[SYSTEM] Scanning for duplicates...
[SYSTEM] Found 50 duplicate messages
[SYSTEM] Removed duplicates

Best Practices

Regular Backups

Daily exports for active channels
Weekly full backups of entire database
Monthly archival to external storage
Test restores quarterly

Storage Management

# Keep last 7 days of exports
find exports/ -mtime +7 -delete

# Compress old exports
find exports/ -name "*.json" -mtime +1 -exec gzip {} \;

Security

Encrypt backups of private channels
Secure transfer of export files
Access control on export directory
Shred deleted exports

bash

# Secure delete
shred -u exports/secret_*.json

# Encrypt backup
gpg --encrypt exports/backup.tar.gz

Advanced Features

Custom Export Format

Create custom exporter:

python

# custom_exporter.py
from tad.persistence.database import Database

db = Database()
messages = db.get_messages('#general')

# Custom format
with open('custom_export.xml', 'w') as f:
    f.write('<messages>\n')
    for msg in messages:
        f.write(f'  <message sender="{msg.sender}" '
                f'time="{msg.timestamp}">{msg.content}</message>\n')
    f.write('</messages>')

Export API

Programmatic export:

python

from tad.persistence.database import Database

db = Database()
data = db.export_channel('#general', format='json')

# Process or transfer
upload_to_cloud(data)

Export & Import ​

Overview ​

Exporting Data ​

Export Current Channel ​

Export Specific Channel ​

Export with Custom Format ​

Export Formats ​

JSON (Default) ​

Plain Text ​

Markdown ​

CSV ​

Export Options ​

Date Range Export ​

Sender Filter ​

Search and Export ​

Include Metadata ​

Importing Data ​

Basic Import ​

Import to Specific Channel ​

Import with Deduplication ​

Merge Import ​

Export Location ​

Custom Export Path ​

Private Channel Export ​

Encrypted Export (Default) ​

Decrypted Export ​

Automated Backups ​

Daily Backup Script ​

Systemd Timer (Linux) ​

Migration Between Devices ​

Full Migration ​

Selective Migration ​

Data Analysis ​

Convert to CSV for Analysis ​

Export Statistics ​

Troubleshooting ​

Import Fails ​

Large Export Slow ​

Duplicate Messages After Import ​

Best Practices ​

Regular Backups ​

Storage Management ​

Security ​

Advanced Features ​

Custom Export Format ​

Export API ​

See Also ​

Export & Import

Overview

Exporting Data

Export Current Channel

Export Specific Channel

Export with Custom Format

Export Formats

JSON (Default)

Plain Text

Markdown

CSV

Export Options

Date Range Export

Sender Filter

Search and Export

Include Metadata

Importing Data

Basic Import

Import to Specific Channel

Import with Deduplication

Merge Import

Export Location

Custom Export Path

Private Channel Export

Encrypted Export (Default)

Decrypted Export

Automated Backups

Daily Backup Script

Systemd Timer (Linux)

Migration Between Devices

Full Migration

Selective Migration

Data Analysis

Convert to CSV for Analysis

Export Statistics

Troubleshooting

Import Fails

Large Export Slow

Duplicate Messages After Import

Best Practices

Regular Backups

Storage Management

Security

Advanced Features

Custom Export Format

Export API

See Also