The Export Data screen downloads JEM records for migration, backup, auditing, spreadsheet review and exchange with external systems. It provides complete table-oriented CSV exports and a portable event-list workflow with filters, field selection, preview and CSV, JSON or XML output.
File contents: Exported files contain database records and references. They do not include physical event images, venue images or attachment files stored on the server.
Where to Find This Screen
Open the Joomla administrator and go to Components → JEM → Export Data. The screen is also available from the JEM control panel.
Access to Export Data requires JEM management permission. Users without the required Joomla permission cannot export JEM data.
Two Export Workflows
Complete CSV exports
Export complete JEM table records for JEM-to-JEM migration, technical backup, database review or use as import templates.
Portable event list
Filter events, select only the required Event and Venue fields, preview the result and download it as CSV, JSON or XML.
Complete CSV Exports
The upper part of the screen exports the main JEM data groups separately. These exports follow the installed database fields and are designed for staged migration and technical data exchange.
| Export | Typical file name | Contains |
|---|
| Events |
exportEvents-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.csv |
Complete event records, optionally including a categories column and filtered by date or category. |
| Categories |
exportCategories-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.csv |
JEM category records, excluding the internal root category. |
| Venues |
exportVenues-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.csv |
Venue records, addresses, contact fields, geodata, descriptions, types, publication data and custom fields stored in the venue table. |
| Cat_Events |
exportCatEvents-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.csv |
Relations between event IDs and category IDs. |
| Attachments |
exportAttachments-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.csv |
Attachment metadata and object relations, not the physical files. |
| Types |
exportTypes-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.csv |
Event, category and venue type records, including icons and colours stored as references. |
Event CSV Options
The complete Events CSV export includes additional controls:
| Option | Description |
|---|
| Add Category column? |
Add a categories column containing the category IDs assigned to each event. |
| Start date |
Include events whose effective date range overlaps the selected start date. Open-date events can also be included. |
| End date |
Include events that start on or before the selected end date, subject to the handling of open-date events. |
| Categories |
Restrict the complete Event CSV to one or more selected JEM categories. |
If the Events file will be imported into JEM later, keep the category column enabled unless category relations will be restored separately with the Cat_Events export.
JEM Version Metadata
Every complete CSV export includes a jem_export_version column containing the installed JEM version. This helps the Import Data screen and support technicians identify cross-version migrations. A different source version does not automatically make an import incompatible, but column differences must be reviewed.
Portable Event List
The Portable event list is intended for sharing selected event information, publishing open-data extracts, preparing catalog-ready lists or processing JEM data in another application. Unlike the complete Events CSV, it allows the administrator to choose the exact output fields.
The initial date range is the current date minus 12 months through the current date plus 12 months. Review these dates before exporting historical archives or long-term calendars.
Portable Export Filters
| Filter | Description |
|---|
| Start date |
Include events whose date range reaches or follows this date. Events without a fixed date can also match. |
| End date |
Include events that begin on or before this date. |
| Categories |
Fancy multi-select filter for one or more event categories. |
| Venues |
Fancy multi-select filter for published or unpublished venues available to the export screen. |
| Types |
Fancy multi-select filter containing published Event Types. |
| Event title contains |
Return events whose title contains the entered text. |
| Publication state |
Choose All, Published, Unpublished, Archived or Trashed. |
| Include categories |
Add or remove category names and IDs from the available portable output. |
Fields to Export
Select the columns included in both the preview and the downloaded file. The available list includes standard Event fields, joined Venue data, category information and active Event and Venue custom fields.
Event information
- ID, title and alias
- Start and end dates
- Start and end times
- Intro text and full text
- Event image reference
- Event URL
- Online meeting URL and label
- Publication state and language
- Created and modified dates
- Active Event custom fields
Venue and category information
- Venue ID and name
- Street and postal code
- City, state and country
- Latitude and longitude
- Category names and IDs
- Active Venue custom fields
When no explicit field selection is available, JEM falls back to a practical default set containing ID, title, dates, times, venue, city, country, categories and the event URL. If category output is disabled, category fields are removed even when they were previously selected.
Previewing the Portable List
- Set the date, category, venue, type, title and publication filters.
- Select the fields to export.
- Choose whether categories should be included.
- Click Preview event list.
- Review the total number of matching events and the displayed columns.
The preview displays up to 100 events. Long values are shortened to 30 characters in the table; the complete value remains available as a tooltip. The downloaded file contains every matching event and the complete selected values, not only the first 100 preview rows.
Download Formats
| Format | Structure and recommended use |
|---|
| CSV |
One event per row with the selected fields as columns. Best for spreadsheets, simple import workflows and tabular processing. |
| JSON |
Contains top-level jem_export_version, exported_at and an events array. Recommended for APIs, scripts and applications that process structured data. |
| XML |
Uses a jem-events root with jem-version and exported-at attributes, followed by one event element per record. Useful for XML-based integrations and catalog tooling. |
Portable files use names such as JEM-event-list-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.csv, with the extension changed for JSON or XML.
CSV Format and Spreadsheet Safety
Both complete and portable CSV files use the separator, delimiter and UTF-8 BOM settings configured in JEM.
- Separator: separates columns, commonly a semicolon or comma depending on the site configuration.
- Delimiter: wraps text values, commonly double quotes.
- UTF-8 BOM: helps spreadsheet applications recognise UTF-8 correctly when enabled.
- Header row: contains the exported field names.
- Formula protection: JEM protects exported values that spreadsheet applications could otherwise interpret as executable formulas.
If an exported CSV is edited in a spreadsheet application, save it again as plain CSV with the expected separator and UTF-8 encoding. Spreadsheet software can silently alter dates, leading zeroes, identifiers and separators.
Attachments, Images and Physical Files
The Attachments export contains attachment records only. It does not download the corresponding files from the server.
- Export attachment metadata from JEM.
- Back up or copy the physical attachment files separately.
- Keep the original folder structure when files will be restored on another site.
- Use the Attachments backend view to audit attachment records before migration.
The same rule applies to event, venue, category and type images. Exported records may contain image paths, but the image files must be copied separately.
Recommended JEM-to-JEM Export Workflow
- Make a complete Joomla file and database backup.
- Export Types if events, categories or venues reference type IDs.
- Export Venues.
- Export Categories.
- Export Events with the category column enabled.
- Export Cat_Events when event-category relations must also be restored separately.
- Export Attachments if the site uses downloadable files.
- Copy physical images and attachment files separately.
- Keep all exports together with the matching Joomla backup and record the source JEM version.
Using Exports as Import Templates
Complete CSV exports are the best reference for preparing JEM Migration files because they show the database field names and CSV format for the installed JEM version.
- Export the data type that will later be imported.
- Keep the header row intact.
- Preserve the
jem_export_version value for migration diagnostics.
- Remove sample rows or replace them with prepared data.
- Test the round trip on a staging site first.
Do not assume that a CSV from an older JEM version has the same columns as the installed version. Version differences are reported for support purposes, but the source and target structures must still be reviewed.
What Export Does Not Replace
- It does not replace a complete Joomla database and file backup.
- It does not include physical images or attachment files.
- It does not export Joomla menu items, modules, templates or users as complete Joomla objects.
- It does not reproduce Joomla ACL configuration or access levels on another website.
- It does not guarantee frontend visibility after import; publication, language, access, category, date and menu-item rules still apply.
After Exporting
- Confirm that the expected file was downloaded and has a timestamped name.
- Open CSV files and verify the header row, separator and encoding.
- Validate JSON or XML before sending it to another application.
- Check that the expected number of events was returned by the portable preview.
- Store exports together with the matching source-site backup and physical files.
Troubleshooting
Expected events are missing
- Check the default start and end dates.
- Clear the title search and publication-state filter.
- Check all selected categories, venues and Event Types.
- Generate a new preview after changing the filters.
The preview shows only 100 events
This is the intended preview limit. The total number of matching events is shown above the table, and the downloaded portable file contains every matching event.
A field is not available in the portable selector
- Confirm that it is one of the supported Event, Venue or category fields.
- For custom fields, confirm that the Event or Venue custom field is active in the backend context.
- Enable Include categories when category names or IDs are required.
The CSV opens with broken columns
- Check the CSV separator and delimiter in JEM Settings.
- Use the spreadsheet application's CSV import wizard instead of opening the file directly.
- Confirm that the file was not saved again with another separator or encoding.
Accented characters look wrong
- Enable the UTF-8 BOM setting when required by the spreadsheet application.
- Import the CSV explicitly as UTF-8.
- Avoid converting the file to a legacy encoding.
Attachments are listed but files are missing after migration
Export Data exports attachment metadata only. Copy the physical attachment files from the source site separately, then verify the destination path and file permissions.
Related Project Notes
- #2030 covers export/import support for attachments and types.
- #1520 relates to event export and import round-trip behaviour.
- #2085 discusses JEM import and migration workflows that depend on exports.
- #2140 documents category assignment problems found during import testing.
Related Documentation
