Forum / Announcements - exporting forum posts

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Once the forum is made available to students (via the Forum settings), you may want to do one or more of the following actions, depending on the forum settings.

Export an entire forum, or part of a forum

  1. Open the forum, then click on the cog icon in the top-right corner of the page (parallel with the title of the forum). Select Export from the bottom of the list

  2. You can choose to export the entire forum or add filters to export part of it:
    • Specific students
    • Specific discussion topics
    • Posts within a particular date range

  3. Choose a file format. The default file format is a CSV file, which opens in Excel, but there are other file formats you may prefer. Note that all the export options show data in a tabled layout.

  4. Under the Export options section, make sure that both boxes are ticked (these make the exported file easier to read).

  5. Click the Export button

Export a discussion thread

  1. Open the forum and open the discussion topic you wish to export.

  2. Above the first post, select Mahara ePortfolio from the File Download menu, then click on the Export whole discussion to portfolio.


  3. You will be asked if you want to confirm if it is in HTML (a web page) or Leap2A format (a Mahara compatible format), then confirm the export.

  4. The exported HTML file will download to your computer. The exported Leap2A file will be available in Mahara.

Alternatively, if you want to export the discussion topic without sending it to Mahara, you could print the page as an Adobe PDF file.


Export a single post

You (or a student) can export a post to a portfolio.

  1. Find the post you wish to export

  2. In the bottom right-hand corner of the post, click on the Export to portfolio link.


  3. Select Mahara ePortfolio from the Select destination menu

  4. You will be asked if you want to export the post as a HTML file (a web page) or Leap2A file (a Mahara compatible format). Then click Next.

  5. Confirm your export by clicking Continue

  6. The exported file is now available in Mahara.

You can also copy and paste the post’s text into Mahara. While this easier, be aware that it doesn't carry across the post date and time, so won’t be suitable in all situations.

» How-to glossary