Contesimal: Content Library - Metadata Export

Modified on Thu, 5 Feb at 2:40 AM

Description

The Metadata Export feature allows you to export document metadata from your Content Library to a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file. This feature helps you analyze, organize, and work with your document metadata outside of the Contesimal platform. When you export metadata:

Export to CSV format - Metadata is exported as a CSV file that can be opened in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet application
Include comprehensive metadata - Exports include Title, Content Type, Theme packs, Topics, Audiences, Tags, and Content Date
Export visible documents only - Only documents currently visible on the page are exported
Control export size - Adjust items per page to export different numbers of documents (10, 20, 30, or 50)
Easy data analysis - Use exported CSV files for reporting, analysis, or integration with other tools

Important Note: Only documents that are currently visible on the page will be exported. This means you can control how many documents are exported by changing the "items per page" setting before exporting. For example, if you set items per page to 20, only those 20 documents will be included in the export.

Step-by-Step Usage

The step-by-step instructions, screen descriptions, and UI details in this section are examples only. They are intended to help you understand how the feature works and how to complete the flow. Screens, labels, and layout may change in future product updates.

1. Access the Content Library

Log in to your Contesimal account
Navigate to Content Library (in the left sidebar)
The Content Library page will open, displaying your documents
By default, 10 documents are displayed per page

2. Adjust Items Per Page (Optional)

If you want to export more or fewer documents, adjust the items per page setting first
Look at the bottom of the Content Library page
Find the pagination controls on the left side
Locate the "items per page" dropdown (shows current number, e.g., "10")
Click on the "items per page" dropdown
Select the number of documents you want to export: 10 - Export 10 documents (default), 20 - Export 20 documents, 30 - Export 30 documents, 50 - Export 50 documents
The page will update to show that many documents
Important: Only the documents visible on the current page will be exported

3. Navigate to Desired Page (If Needed)

If you want to export documents from a specific page, navigate to that page first
Use the pagination controls at the bottom:
- Click the right arrow (→) to go to the next page
- Click the left arrow (←) to go to the previous page
- Use the page number dropdown to jump to a specific page
Wait for the documents to load on the desired page
Remember: Only documents visible on the current page will be exported

4. Open the Export Menu

Look at the top right corner of the Content Library page
Locate the three dots menu icon (⋮) ("more options")
Click on the three dots icon
A dropdown menu will open showing options: Export Metadata, Upload

5. Export Metadata

In the dropdown menu, locate "Export Metadata" (usually the first option)
Click on "Export Metadata"
The export process will begin
What happens:
- The system collects metadata from all documents currently visible on the page
- A CSV file is generated with the metadata
- The file download will start automatically
- The file will be saved to your default downloads folder

6. Access the Exported File

Check your browser's download notification - most browsers show a download notification
Open your Downloads folder - the file is typically saved there
File naming: The CSV file will have a name like "metadata_export.csv" or similar
File location: Usually in your browser's default download location

7. Open and Use the CSV File

Open the CSV file in your preferred application:
- Microsoft Excel - Double-click the file (opens in Excel by default on Windows)
- Google Sheets - Upload the file to Google Drive and open with Google Sheets
- Any text editor - Can be opened in Notepad, TextEdit, etc. (though formatting may not be ideal)
CSV file structure: The file contains columns for:
- Title - Document title
- Content Type - Type of content (e.g., Blog Post, Podcast Transcript)
- Theme packs - Associated theme packs
- Topics - Document topics
- Audiences - Target audiences
- Tags - Document tags
- Content Date - Content publication or creation date
Each row represents one document's metadata
Use the data for: Analysis and reporting, Creating spreadsheets or reports, Integration with other tools, Data backup or archival

8. Export Multiple Pages (If Needed)

To export all documents, you'll need to export each page separately:
- Navigate to page 1
- Export metadata (this exports documents 1-10, 1-20, 1-30, or 1-50 depending on items per page)
- Navigate to page 2
- Export metadata again (this exports the next set of documents)
- Repeat for all pages
Note: You can combine the CSV files later in Excel or another spreadsheet application

Troubleshooting Guide

A. Export Metadata Option Doesn't Appear

Issue: You click the three dots menu but don't see "Export Metadata" option, or the menu doesn't open.
Fix:

Ensure you're clicking the three dots icon (⋮) in the top right corner of the Content Library page
Wait a moment - the menu may take a second to open
Refresh the page and try clicking the three dots menu again
Check if you're on the Content Library page - export is only available in Content Library
Ensure you have documents in your library - export may not be available if library is empty
Clear browser cache and cookies, then try again
Try a different browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) if the issue persists
Verify you have permission to export - some account types may not have export access
If "Export Metadata" consistently doesn't appear, contact Support with: Whether the three dots menu opens, What options appear in the menu, Whether you have documents in your library, Your account type or permissions

B. Export Doesn't Start or Download

Issue: You click "Export Metadata" but nothing happens, or the file doesn't download.
Fix:

Wait a moment - the export may take a few seconds to process, especially with many documents
Check your browser's download settings - downloads may be blocked
Check browser download notifications - the file may have downloaded but you didn't see the notification
Look in your Downloads folder - the file may already be there
Check browser pop-up blockers - they may be blocking the download
Allow downloads from the Contesimal domain in browser settings
Try a different browser if the issue persists
Check your internet connection - a slow connection may delay the export
Clear browser cache and cookies, then try again
If export consistently doesn't work, contact Support with: What happens when you click "Export Metadata", Whether any error message appears, Your browser and version, Whether downloads work for other files

C. Wrong Number of Documents Exported

Issue: You expected a certain number of documents in the export, but got a different number.
Fix:

Remember: Only documents visible on the current page are exported
Check the "items per page" setting - this determines how many documents are visible and exported
Verify how many documents are actually displayed on the current page
Check the document range display at the bottom (e.g., "1-10 of 188") - this shows how many documents are on the current page
If you want to export more documents: Increase "items per page" to 20, 30, or 50 before exporting, This will show more documents on the page, and more will be exported
If you want to export fewer documents: Decrease "items per page" to 10 before exporting, Or navigate to a page with fewer documents
Verify you're on the correct page before exporting
If the count is consistently wrong, contact Support with: How many documents were on the page, What "items per page" was set to, How many documents were in the export, What you expected vs. what you got

D. CSV File Format Is Incorrect or Unreadable

Issue: The CSV file downloads but can't be opened, or the data is formatted incorrectly.
Fix:

Try opening in different applications: Excel: Try "Data" → "From Text/CSV" and specify comma delimiter, Google Sheets: Upload and it should auto-detect CSV format, Text editor: Open to verify the file structure
Check file encoding: The file should be UTF-8 encoded
Verify delimiter: CSV files use commas (,) as delimiters
Try downloading the file again - it may have been corrupted during download
Check if your spreadsheet application is set to use comma as delimiter
In Excel, when opening CSV: Use "Data" → "From Text/CSV", Select the file, Ensure "Delimiter" is set to "Comma", Click "Load"
If the file consistently has format issues, contact Support with: Which application you're using to open the file, What error message appears (if any), Whether the file opens in a text editor, What the file looks like when opened

E. Exported CSV File Is Empty or Missing Data

Issue: The CSV file downloads but is empty, or some columns/data are missing.
Fix:

Check items per page: Ensure you have documents visible on the current page - if no documents are visible, the export will be empty
Verify you're on a page that has documents - navigate to a page with documents before exporting
Check if documents on the current page have metadata - documents without metadata may appear as empty rows
Open the CSV file in a text editor to verify it's not a display issue in Excel
Try exporting again - the export may have been interrupted
Check if you have the correct number of documents on the page (10, 20, 30, or 50)
Verify the CSV file wasn't corrupted during download - try downloading again
If data is consistently missing, contact Support with: How many documents were on the page when you exported, Which columns or data are missing, Whether the CSV file opens correctly, What you see in the CSV vs. what you see on screen

F. Only Some Documents Exported (Not All on Page)

Issue: You have 20 documents on the page but only 10 are in the export, or some documents are missing.
Fix:

Verify items per page setting: Check that "items per page" matches the number of documents you see
Scroll through the entire page to ensure all documents are loaded
Wait for all documents to fully load before exporting
Check if some documents are filtered out - filters may affect what's visible
Refresh the page and wait for all documents to load, then export again
Try exporting with a different "items per page" setting
If documents consistently don't export, contact Support with: How many documents are visible on the page, How many documents are in the export, What "items per page" is set to, Whether all documents are fully loaded on the page

G. Export Includes Documents from Wrong Page

Issue: You're on page 3 but the export contains documents from page 1 or a different page.
Fix:

Verify current page: Check the page number indicator at the bottom to confirm which page you're on
Wait for the page to fully load before exporting - documents may still be loading from previous page
Refresh the page and wait for documents to load completely
Check the document range display (e.g., "11-20 of 188") - this should match the documents in the export
Navigate away from the page and back to it, then export
Clear browser cache and cookies, then try again
If exports consistently show wrong documents, contact Support with: What page you're on when exporting, What documents appear in the export, What documents are visible on the page, Whether the page is fully loaded

H. Metadata Columns Are Missing or Incorrect

Issue: The CSV file is missing some metadata columns, or columns have wrong names.
Fix:

Verify expected columns: The export should include: Title, Content Type, Theme packs, Topics, Audiences, Tags, Content Date
Check if documents actually have data in those fields - empty fields may appear as empty columns
Try exporting again - the export may have been incomplete
Open the CSV in a text editor to see the raw structure
Verify the CSV file wasn't modified after download
Check if your spreadsheet application is interpreting columns correctly
If columns are consistently missing or incorrect, contact Support with: Which columns are missing, What columns appear in the CSV, Whether documents have data in those fields, What the CSV file structure looks like

I. Export Is Very Slow or Times Out

Issue: Clicking "Export Metadata" takes a very long time, or the export times out.
Fix:

Reduce items per page: Try exporting with fewer documents (10 instead of 50)
Wait longer - exports with many documents may take time to process
Check your internet connection - a slow connection will delay the export
Close other browser tabs or applications to free up resources
Try exporting during off-peak hours if the system is slow
Refresh the page and try exporting again
Clear browser cache and cookies, then try again
Try a different browser if the issue persists
If export consistently times out, contact Support with: How many documents you're trying to export, How long you wait before it times out, Your internet connection speed, Whether smaller exports work

J. Can't Export All Documents at Once

Issue: You want to export all documents in your library, but can only export one page at a time.
Fix:

To export all documents:
Set "items per page" to 50 (maximum) to export more documents per page
Export page 1 (exports documents 1-50)
Navigate to page 2 and export again
Repeat for all pages
Combine CSV files in Excel or Google Sheets:
- Open all CSV files
- Copy data from each file
- Paste into one master spreadsheet
- Save as a single CSV file
Alternative: Use Excel's "Get Data" feature to combine multiple CSV files
If you need a bulk export feature, contact Support to request this functionality
For now, exporting page by page is the standard method