export
To send goods or services to another country for sale. Or to save a file in a different format so it can be opened elsewhere. People say it when they want something to leave one place and be usable in another.
What a model may hear
- module exposure JavaScript, Python, and other programming languages
- Make variables, functions, or classes available for other code to import and use
- environment variable Unix shell and Linux systems
- Set a shell variable that child processes will inherit, often for API keys or paths
- data serialization databases and spreadsheets
- Dump records to CSV, JSON, or XML for transfer or backup
- container image Docker and Kubernetes
- Save a container filesystem as a tar archive for sharing
- registry publication npm, PyPI, and package managers
- Publish a versioned package for public or private installation
Where people and models part ways
“Export my photos”
Meant: Save my photos to a different format or location
May be taken as: Assume a batch image processing pipeline with metadata stripping and format conversion
Say instead: “Save my photos as JPEG files in my Downloads folder”
“Export the data”
Meant: Give me a file I can open in Excel
May be taken as: Generate a raw SQL dump or JSON API response instead of a spreadsheet
Say instead: “Export the data to a CSV file I can open in Excel”
“I exported the key”
Meant: I saved my password somewhere
May be taken as: Treat it as a cryptographic key export operation with specific encoding like PEM or DER
Say instead: “I saved my password to a text file”
“Export everything”
Meant: Get all my stuff out of this app
May be taken as: Trigger a full database export with internal IDs, schemas, and system fields the user does not want
Say instead: “Download all my personal data in a format I can read”
Tips
- Say the file format you want, not just 'export'
- Say 'download' if you want a file for yourself, 'export' if another program needs it
- Mention the program you are leaving and the program you are going to
- If you mean shipping goods, say 'ship overseas' or 'sell abroad'
- If you mean a password or key, say 'saved my password' or 'backed up my key'
Often confused with
- import
- Brings things in rather than sends them out
- download
- Gets a file from the internet to your device, not changing its format
- save
- Keeps in the same place and format, not preparing for another system
- backup
- Copies for safety, not for use in another program
- publish
- Makes public for many, not preparing for a specific destination
- extract
- Pulls out a subset, not sending the whole thing elsewhere