FAQ

Why was the name changed from 'M-Files Exporter' to 'Vault Exporter for M-Files'?

We were contacted by M-Files and asked to change the name of the application to make it more clear that it's a third party application. They also requested that we do not use M-Files in the domain name, so we changed the domain name from m-files-exporter.com to vault-exporter.com.

Did the domain name of the website change?

Yes, please see the answer of the question above.

What exactly is the Vault Exporter for M-Files?

A third party Windows Application that allows you to access your M-Files Vault and export your data.

Where can I download it?

You can download the current version here.

What can you do with the Vault Exporter for M-Files?

You can export all documents (e.g. Word Documents, Excel Files, Pdfs) from M-Files. In addition to that a Csv File is generated that contains all the meta data information of the exported files.

Is there a command line version?

Yes. Command line support was added as a new feature in Version 1.2.

What are some alternative ways to export data?

You can take a look at this article in which list several different methods of exporting data from an M-Files Vault, including the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

What are the trial restrictions?

Only 10 files per class are exported.

What are the minimum Hardware requirements?

While the hardware requirements for the application itself are negligible (it's about 10 MByte in size), make sure to have enough hard disk space available for the exported documents.

What are the minimum Software requirements?

Vault Exporter for M-Files is a Windows Application based on the .NET Framework 4.8 and uses the M-Files .NET API to talk with an M-Files Server.

1. .NET Framework 4.8

   Recent versions of Windows (Win10 v1909 and Windows Server 1909) have it preinstalled. For older versions of windows you may need to download and install it explicitly. You can download it from Microsoft at: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet-framework/thank-you/net48-web-installer

2. M-Files API

   The M-Files API is automatically installed if you install M-Files on your machine.

Which output formats are supported?

The metadata is exported as a Csv-File, as it can be processed in most applications, e.g. Excel. The documents are exported just as they are.

Which version of a file is exported?

By default, only the latest version is exported. Exporting all versions or only exporting versions in a specific time range is also supported in Version 1.8.

How does the licensing work?

The application starts in a time unlimited trial mode for evaluation purposes. For full functionality a license needs to be bought. When you buy a license, you get an e-Mail with a license key. You can enter that license key inside the application to download a license and unlock the full functionality of the application. This requires an internet connection. Afterwards the license is stored on your machine and you don't need an internet connection to continue using Vault Exporter for M-Files. The license is not bound to a particular machine, so you can transfer it freely to other machines.

What if my machine is not connected to the internet?

If the machine is not connected to the internet, you can use this link to generate the license and transfer it to machine. Alternatively, you can also install the application on a machine that is connected to the internet, enter you license key, download the license and transfer it to machine in question.

Additionally, Vault Exporter for M-Files has an integrated Update check that looks for updates on startups. If you are not connected to the internet you will not be notified about available updates directly inside the application.

What do I get when I buy a License?

• The right to use Vault Exporter in a commercial setting, eg. your company.
• A license key, which allows the download of a license that removes the trial restriction of max. 10 exported files per class
• 1-year of free updates to Vault Exporter
• e-Mail support
• The gratitude of the developer

How can I install Vault Exporter?

Download the Setup.zip open it and double click the Setup.exe. Vault Exporter for M-Files will be silently installed in the background and started afterwards. This might take a couple of seconds, depending on the speed of your machine.

How can I uninstall Vault Exporter for M-Files?

As with any other software, open the 'Add or remove programs', search for Vault Exporter for M-Files, select it and click 'Uninstall'.

Where can I find previous versions of Vault Exporter for M-Files?

The Changelog contains download links for the last couple of versions.

What is a command-line interface?

A command-line interface is a text-based alternative to the default graphical interface. The main advantage over a graphical interface is that all required information, e.g. the server or vault name can be supplied all at once and the export can be performed without any user interaction.

When would I use the command-line interface?

If you find yourself running exports with the same settings over and over again. E.g. if you want to export files every friday.

How can I use the command-line interface?

• Open a new command-line shell
  e.g. by pressing Win + r and then typing cmdENTER
• Navigate to the installation folder of the Vault Exporter for M-Files and enter the directory of the latest version by executing:

  cd %LOCALAPPDATA%\MFilesExporter\app-1.2.1

  C:\Users\user>cd %LOCALAPPDATA%\MFilesExporter\app-1.2.1
  
  C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\MFilesExporter\app-1.2.1>

• In this directory you will find two applications:
  1. MFilesExporter.exe is the Wizard GUI Application
  2. MFilesExporterC.exe is the Console Application

  C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\MFilesExporter\app-1.8.0>MFilesExporterC.exe --help
  Vault Exporter for M-Files v1.8.0 / 2024-05-23 (https://vault-exporter.com)
  
  Usage:
    -?, -h, --help             Prints out this help message and exits.
    -e, --export               Starts an commandline Export with the supplied
                                 arguments.
    -w, --wizard               Starts the Gui Wizard (default).
        --export-folder-template=VALUE
                               Sets the export folder template (default: files\"
                                 ClassName")
    -f, --export-file-folder=VALUE
                               Sets the base export file folder
        --export-deleted-items Marks deleted items for export
    -u, --username=VALUE       Sets the username for authenticating to the M-
                                 Files Server
    -p, --password=VALUE       Sets the password for authenticating to the M-
                                 Files Server
    -d, --domain=VALUE         Sets the domain for authenticating to the M-Files
                                 Server
    -s, --server=VALUE         Sets the server name
    -g, --vault-guid=VALUE     Specifies the vault by guid
    -n, --vault-name=VALUE     Specifies the vault by name
        --rpc, --conn-rpc      Sets the connection mode to RPC (default)
        --https, --conn-https  Sets the connection mode to https
        --grpc, --conn-grpc    Sets the connection mode to gRPC
        --win, --auth-windows  Sets the authentication mode to windows
                                 authentication (default)
        --auth-mfiles          Sets the authentication mode to M-Files
                                 authentication
    -l, --loglevel=VALUE       Sets the minimum log-level. Possible values are:
                                 Verbose, Info, Error, Silent, default: Info
        --enable-cli-logfile   Enables logging to the logfile in addition to
                                 stdout / stderr if used from the commandline.
        --logfile=VALUE        Sets the path of the logfile (default: log.txt)
                                 and implicitly enables writing to the logfile (
                                 see: enable-cli-logfile)
        --search-segmented     Uses the segmented search instead of the all-at-
                                 once search. Slower, but saves memory.
        --search-allatonce     Uses the all-at-once search. Faster, but might run
                                 into memory issues on very large vaults.
        --segment-size=VALUE   Specifies the segment size that is for by the
                                 segmented search. (default: 1000)
        --download-default     Uses the default download method supplied by the M-
                                 Files API.
        --download-alt         Uses an alternative download method with better
                                 performance.
        --list-classes         Lists the classes of the supplied vault
        --class-ids=VALUE      Specifies the class-ids that should be exported.
                                 By default all classes will be exported. Specify
                                 multiple class-Ids by supplying a comma
                                 separated list, eg. --class-ids '1,2,3'
        --export-version=VALUE Specifies the version export. Possible values are:
                                 Latest, All, TimeRange; default: Latest
        --export-version-from=VALUE
                               Specifies the minimum last modified date in the
                                 format yyyy-MM-dd that versions must have to be
                                 exported and sets export-version TimeRange. eg. -
                                 -export-version-from 2024-05-23
        --export-version-until=VALUE
                               Specifies the maximum last modified date in the
                                 format yyyy-MM-dd that versions must have to be
                                 exported and sets export-version TimeRange. eg. -
                                 -export-version-from 2024-05-23
  
  ExitCodes:
          0 - Success
          1 - InvalidArguments
          2 - ExportFailed
          3 - ListClassesFailed
  
  Examples:
  
  1. Export 'Sample Vault' from localhost using current windows user to default export folder:
          MFilesExporter -e -n "Sample Vault"
  
  2. Export 'Sample Vault' from localhost using M-Files authentication with username and password:
          MFilesExporter -e -n "Sample Vault" --auth-mfiles -u exporter -p password
  
  3. Export 'Sample Vault' from remote server 192.168.56.5:
          MFilesExporter -e -n "Sample Vault" -s 192.168.56.5
  
  4. Export 'Sample Vault' from localhost to custom directory:
          MFilesExporter -e -n "Sample Vault" -f c:\temp\export
  
  5. Export 'Sample Vault' from localhost with all files in same folder:
          MFilesExporter -e -n "Sample Vault" --export-folder-template=files
  

Changelog