Export

Export sends your Collection items to a study app or creates files you can use in a spreadsheet or another tool. You can export from Collections, Saves, or a lookup, and the original items remain in Definer.

Definer supports four export targets: Anki (via AnkiConnect), CSV, JSON, and Markdown.

Choose an export target

Target	Best fit	Result
Anki (via AnkiConnect)	Studying items as flashcards in desktop Anki	Cards added to the Anki deck you choose
CSV	Opening item data in a spreadsheet or table-based tool	One UTF-8 .csv file with one row per item
JSON	Keeping the richest structured representation for another tool or your own processing	One .json file containing the exported items and their Collections
Markdown	Reading or editing items as individual text files	One .zip archive with a .md file per item and included audio files when available

An export file is not a Definer backup. Definer's Restore feature does not import these export formats. Use Backup and restore when you need a file that Definer can restore.

Choose what to export

Selected items or Collections take priority. When nothing is selected, Export All includes every record covered by that page, not only the current table page:

• On the Collections page, it exports the items from every Collection.
• Inside one Collection, it uses every item in that Collection.
• In History → Saves, it uses every Collection item created from a lookup.
• Inside one past lookup, it uses every save created from that lookup.

On the main Collections, Collection Items, and Saves lists, an active search or filter can hide records. Definer asks you to select the records you want or clear the search before exporting the full scope.

The fields visible in a list do not control the export. Each target uses the item's saved content, including supported Type-specific fields that are hidden from the table.

Open Export where you are working

The export control appears beside the items or lookup context it will use.

Starting place	What you can export
Definer Options → Collections	Selected Collections, every Collection, or one Collection from its Actions → Export submenu
Definer Options → Collections → [Collection] → Items	Selected items, every item in the Collection, or one item from its row Export action
Definer Options → History → Saves	Selected lookup-created items, all lookup-created items, or one item from its row Export action
Definer Options → History → Lookups → [Lookup] → Overview	One saved item, or the saves shown for that lookup
Definer Options → History → Lookups → [Lookup] → Saves	Selected saves or every save from that lookup
A live lookup result, including the Bubble and Extension Window	Items created when you selected Save for that source result

From a live result, Save first runs one or more Recipes to create Collection items. The control then becomes Export, with those newly created items ready to send to a target. If Show export menu on save is enabled under Definer Options → History → Settings → Controls → Save, the Export panel opens as soon as the save finishes.

Send items to Anki with AnkiConnect

Anki export creates cards in desktop Anki. Definer can turn Raw, Term, Card, Note, and Prompt items into Anki cards.

Item Type	Front of the Anki card	Back of the Anki card
Raw	Name	Data formatted as JSON
Term	Term	Available meanings, examples, pronunciation, reading, and other Term details
Card	Front	Back
Note	Title or item name	Content
Prompt	Name	Instructions and saved Config

Connect Definer to Anki

Before the first export:

1. Install the desktop Anki app.
2. In Anki, install the AnkiConnect add-on.
3. Keep Anki open, then choose Anki (via AnkiConnect) from a Definer Export menu.
4. Wait for Connected to AnkiConnect, choose Target Deck, and select Start.

The default AnkiConnect Server Address is http://127.0.0.1:8765. Change it under Advanced only when your AnkiConnect setup uses another address. If AnkiConnect requires a key, enter it under Advanced → API Key.

Control tags and duplicates

Use Card Tags to add the same Anki tags to every card in the export.

Turn on Skip Duplicates when repeating an export should not add another card with the same content in its first field. Duplicate card scope controls where AnkiConnect checks:

• Target Deck Only checks the deck selected for this export.
• Entire Collection checks across the complete Anki collection, including its other decks. Here, Collection is Anki's term, not a Definer Collection.

The compact Export panel in a live lookup shows the connection, Target Deck, and Connection settings. Use an Export menu in Collections or Saves when you need the full Card Tags, duplicate, or API key controls.

Check the result

The completed report separates processed items, added cards, skipped items, and failures. Open the target deck in Anki to review the new cards.

If Definer cannot connect, confirm that desktop Anki is open, AnkiConnect is installed, and the address matches its configuration. Select Refresh Status after correcting the setup.

CSV

CSV gives you one row per Collection item in a UTF-8 file. Definer chooses columns from the exported item Types and flattens structured values, such as Term senses and pronunciations, into readable cells. Raw Data is serialized as JSON inside its cell.

1. Select the items or Collections you want.
2. Open Export and choose CSV.
3. Wait for Completed. The browser download starts automatically.

Open the file in a spreadsheet app or another tool that accepts CSV. A mixed-Type export can have blank cells where a column does not apply to an item.

JSON

JSON preserves the richest structured representation of the exported items. It includes Collection information and keeps nested values such as Term senses, Prompt settings, and Raw Data in structured form.

1. Select the items or Collections you want.
2. Open Export and choose JSON.
3. Wait for Completed. The browser downloads one .json file.

Choose JSON when another tool or script needs the saved structure rather than a flat table. Definer cannot restore this file as a backup.

Markdown

Markdown creates a ZIP archive even when you export one item. Inside it, each item has its own .md file. Items with the same filename receive a numbered suffix so that both files remain in the archive.

The Markdown reflects the item Type:

• Terms become dictionary-style pages with their available senses, pronunciation, reading, and components.
• Cards separate Front and Back, converting rich content to Markdown where possible.
• Notes contain their title and content.
• Prompts include their template in a Liquid code block and any saved Config.
• Raw items include their Data in a JSON code block.

When a Term has pronunciation audio, Definer adds available recordings under a media folder and points the Markdown to those files. If a recording cannot be included, its original audio link can remain in the item.

1. Select the items or Collections you want.
2. Open Export and choose Markdown.
3. Wait for Completed, then open the downloaded .zip archive.