FeaturesImport & Export

Import & Export

Lokus provides powerful import and export capabilities for seamless data migration and publishing workflows. Move your notes from other apps or export to various formats for sharing and archiving.

Version: 1.3.1 | Formats: 10+ | Sources: Obsidian, Notion, Roam, Evernote

Overview

Import Capabilities

  • Obsidian: Full vault import with attachments
  • Notion: Database and page exports
  • Roam Research: JSON export processing
  • Evernote: ENEX file import
  • Standard Markdown: Any markdown files
  • HTML: Web page conversion
  • Plain Text: Bulk text import

Export Formats

  • PDF: Print-ready documents
  • DOCX: Microsoft Word format
  • HTML: Web publishing
  • Markdown: Standard format
  • ZIP: Batch archive
  • JSON: Data exchange
  • Print: Physical documents

Importing from Other Apps

Import from Obsidian

Full Vault Import:

1. Open Command Palette (Cmd+K)
2. Type "Import from Obsidian"
3. Select Obsidian vault folder
4. Configure import options:
   Yes Preserve wiki links
   Yes Import attachments
   Yes Maintain folder structure
   Yes Convert plugins to Lokus equivalents
5. Click "Import"

What Gets Imported:

  • All markdown files (.md)
  • Attachments and images
  • Folder structure
  • Frontmatter metadata
  • Tags (converted to Lokus format)
  • Wiki links [[]]
  • Aliases and file properties
  • Templates

Compatibility Notes:

Yes Wiki links: [[note]] → Fully compatible
Yes Embeds: ![[note]] → Converted
Yes Tags: #tag → Compatible
Yes Callouts: >[!note] → Compatible
Yes Math: $$ equations $$ → Compatible
No Dataview queries: Manual conversion needed
No Custom plugins: Check Lokus plugin library

Post-Import Steps:

1. Verify all files imported
2. Check broken links report
3. Review attachment locations
4. Test wiki links functionality
5. Install equivalent plugins
6. Adjust workspace settings

Import from Notion

Export from Notion:

1. In Notion: Settings → Export all workspace content
2. Format: Markdown & CSV
3. Include subpages: Yes
4. Create folders for subpages: Yes
5. Export button → Wait for zip file
6. Download and unzip

Import to Lokus:

1. Command Palette → "Import from Notion"
2. Select unzipped folder
3. Configure:
   Yes Convert Notion blocks to markdown
   Yes Import databases as Lokus Bases
   Yes Convert properties to frontmatter
   Yes Import inline images
4. Start import

Notion to Lokus Conversions:

Notion Blocks → Lokus Markdown
- Text blocks → Paragraphs
- Headings → # ## ### Headings
- Bullet lists → - items
- Numbered lists → 1. items
- Toggle lists → Callout blocks
- Quotes → > Blockquotes
- Code blocks → ``` code ```
- Databases → Lokus Bases
- Callouts → >[!note] Callouts
- Embeds → Links/Images

Import from Roam Research

Export from Roam:

1. Roam: Settings → Export All
2. Format: JSON
3. Download roam-export.json

Import to Lokus:

1. Command Palette → "Import from Roam Research"
2. Select roam-export.json
3. Configure:
   Yes Convert block references
   Yes Maintain daily notes structure
   Yes Convert page links to wiki links
   Yes Import block embeds as quotes
4. Import

Roam Conversions:

- ((block-ref)) → [[note#heading]]
- #[[Page Link]] → [[Page Link]]
- [[Page Link]] → [[Page Link]] (compatible)
- {{TODO}} → - [ ] Task checkbox
- {{[[TODO]]}} → Task with date
- {{query}} → Manual recreation needed
- {{[[table]]}} → Convert to markdown table

Import from Evernote

Export from Evernote:

1. Evernote: File → Export Notes
2. Format: ENEX (.enex)
3. Select notebooks
4. Export

Import to Lokus:

1. Command Palette → "Import from Evernote"
2. Select .enex file(s)
3. Configure:
   Yes Convert to markdown
   Yes Import attachments
   Yes Preserve tags
   Yes Extract creation dates
   Yes Maintain notebooks as folders
4. Import

Conversion Notes:

Evernote → Lokus
- Notebooks → Folders
- Tags → #tags in Lokus
- Rich text → Markdown
- Attachments → attachments/ folder
- Web clips → HTML or markdown
- Sketches → Image files
- Audio → Media files

Import Standard Markdown

Bulk Markdown Import:

1. Drag folder into Lokus window
   OR
   Command Palette → "Import Folder"

2. Select markdown folder
3. Options:
   Yes Preserve structure
   Yes Copy images to attachments
   Yes Create index file
   Yes Scan for tags
4. Import

Supported Markdown:

Yes Standard Markdown (CommonMark)
Yes GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM)
Yes MultiMarkdown
Yes Pandoc Markdown
Yes Markdown Extra

Batch Import

Import Multiple Sources:

1. Command Palette → "Batch Import"
2. Add import jobs:
   - Obsidian vault
   - Notion export
   - Folder of markdown
3. Configure each import
4. Set destination folders
5. Start batch import
6. Monitor progress

Exporting from Lokus

Export to PDF

Single File Export:

1. Open note to export
2. Command Palette → "Export to PDF"
   OR Right-click note → "Export"
3. Configure options:
   - Page size: A4, Letter, Legal
   - Orientation: Portrait/Landscape
   - Margins: Normal, Narrow, Wide
   - Include: TOC, page numbers, header/footer
   - Style: Current theme or custom CSS
4. Export

Advanced PDF Options:

{
  "pdf": {
    "pageSize": "a4",
    "orientation": "portrait",
    "margins": {
      "top": 2.5,
      "bottom": 2.5,
      "left": 2.5,
      "right": 2.5
    },
    "header": {
      "enabled": true,
      "content": "{{title}}",
      "align": "center"
    },
    "footer": {
      "enabled": true,
      "content": "Page {{page}} of {{pages}}",
      "align": "right"
    },
    "toc": true,
    "pageNumbers": true,
    "embedFonts": true,
    "quality": "high"
  }
}

Batch PDF Export:

1. Select multiple files (Cmd+Click)
2. Right-click → "Export Selected to PDF"
3. Choose:
   - Single PDF (merged)
   - Multiple PDFs (separate files)
4. Export to folder

Export to DOCX

Microsoft Word Export:

1. Open note
2. Command Palette → "Export to DOCX"
3. Options:
   - Template: Default, Academic, Business
   - Styles: Heading levels, fonts
   - Include images: Yes/No
   - Convert tables: Yes/No
4. Export

DOCX Features:

Yes Heading styles preserved
Yes Bold, italic, underline
Yes Lists (bulleted, numbered)
Yes Tables with borders
Yes Images (embedded or linked)
Yes Hyperlinks active
Yes Code blocks (monospace)
No Math equations (converted to images)
No Custom callouts (converted to quotes)

Export to HTML

Web Page Export:

1. Command Palette → "Export to HTML"
2. Options:
   - Template: Minimal, Full, Blog
   - Include CSS: Inline or external
   - JavaScript: None, Basic, Full
   - Images: Embed or link
   - Syntax highlighting: Yes/No
3. Export

HTML Templates:

Minimal Template:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>{{title}}</title>
  <style>/* minimal styles */</style>
</head>
<body>
  {{content}}
</body>
</html>

Blog Template:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>{{title}}</title>
  <meta name="description" content="{{description}}">
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
  <article>
    <header>
      <h1>{{title}}</h1>
      <time>{{date}}</time>
      <div class="tags">{{tags}}</div>
    </header>
    <main>{{content}}</main>
  </article>
</body>
</html>

Export to Markdown

Clean Markdown Export:

1. Right-click note → "Export to Markdown"
2. Options:
   Yes Preserve wiki links or convert to standard
   Yes Include frontmatter
   Yes Relative or absolute image paths
   Yes Line break style (\\n or <br>)
3. Export

Use Cases:

  • Backup pure markdown
  • Publish to Jekyll/Hugo
  • Submit to GitHub
  • Convert to other formats with Pandoc

Batch Export

Export Multiple Files:

1. Select files in file tree
2. Right-click → "Export Selected"
3. Choose format: PDF, DOCX, HTML, MD
4. Export as:
   - ZIP archive
   - Folder with files
   - Single merged document
5. Export

Export Folder

Full Folder Export:

1. Right-click folder → "Export Folder"
2. Format: PDF, Markdown, HTML
3. Options:
   Yes Include subfolders
   Yes Preserve structure
   Yes Create index/TOC
   Yes Export attachments
4. Export as ZIP

Custom Export Templates

Creating Templates

Template Structure:

templates/export/
├── pdf/
│   ├── default.css
│   ├── academic.css
│   └── business.css
├── html/
│   ├── blog.html
│   ├── documentation.html
│   └── minimal.html
└── docx/
    └── template.docx

PDF Template (CSS):

/* templates/export/pdf/custom.css */
@page {
  size: A4;
  margin: 2.5cm;
}
 
body {
  font-family: "Merriweather", serif;
  font-size: 11pt;
  line-height: 1.6;
  color: #333;
}
 
h1 {
  font-size: 24pt;
  margin-top: 2em;
  border-bottom: 2px solid #3b82f6;
}
 
h2 {
  font-size: 18pt;
  margin-top: 1.5em;
}
 
code {
  background: #f5f5f5;
  padding: 0.2em 0.4em;
  border-radius: 3px;
  font-family: "JetBrains Mono", monospace;
}

HTML Template:

<!-- templates/export/html/blog.html -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>{{title}}</title>
  <meta name="description" content="{{description}}">
  <meta name="author" content="{{author}}">
  <meta name="date" content="{{date}}">
  <style>
    {{styles}}
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <article>
    <header>
      <h1>{{title}}</h1>
      <div class="meta">
        <time datetime="{{isoDate}}">{{date}}</time>
        {{#if tags}}
        <div class="tags">
          {{#each tags}}
          <span class="tag">{{this}}</span>
          {{/each}}
        </div>
        {{/if}}
      </div>
    </header>
    <main>
      {{content}}
    </main>
    <footer>
      <p>Exported from Lokus on {{exportDate}}</p>
    </footer>
  </article>
</body>
</html>

Template Variables

Available Variables:

{{title}}          - Note title
{{content}}        - Rendered markdown
{{date}}           - Creation date
{{modified}}       - Last modified date
{{author}}         - Author name
{{tags}}           - Array of tags
{{description}}    - Note description
{{path}}           - File path
{{word Count}}     - Word count
{{readingTime}}    - Est. reading time
{{exportDate}}     - Export timestamp
{{toc}}            - Table of contents
{{backlinks}}      - List of backlinks

Publishing Workflows

Static Site Generation

Jekyll Setup:

1. Export to Markdown
2. Structure:
   _posts/
   ├── 2025-01-23-note-title.md
   ├── 2025-01-24-another-note.md
   └── ...

3. Frontmatter conversion:
---
title: Note Title
date: 2025-01-23
categories: [notes, ideas]
tags: [tag1, tag2]
---

4. Push to GitHub Pages

Hugo Setup:

1. Export to Markdown
2. Structure:
   content/
   ├── posts/
   │   ├── note-1.md
   │   └── note-2.md
   └── ...

3. Build: hugo
4. Deploy to Netlify/Vercel

Blog Publishing

Medium/Dev.to:

1. Export single post to Markdown
2. Include frontmatter
3. Upload images to hosting
4. Update image URLs
5. Copy-paste to platform
6. Publish

Ghost/WordPress:

1. Export to HTML or Markdown
2. Use platform's import tool
3. Or: API-based publishing plugin

Migration Guides

Obsidian → Lokus

Complete Migration:
1. Backup Obsidian vault
2. Import vault to Lokus
3. Verify wiki links work
4. Check attachments imported
5. Install equivalent plugins
6. Test workflows
7. Gradually transition

Notion → Lokus

Database Migration:
1. Export Notion workspace
2. Import to Lokus
3. Convert databases to Bases
4. Recreate views (table/grid/list)
5. Set up filters
6. Train on Bases usage

Evernote → Lokus

Full Migration:
1. Export notebooks as ENEX
2. Import each ENEX file
3. Organize into folders
4. Re-tag notes
5. Check attachments
6. Set up templates
7. Configure sync

Troubleshooting

Import Issues

Files Not Importing:

- Check file format is supported
- Verify source folder structure
- Look for special characters in filenames
- Check import logs for errors
- Try importing in smaller batches

Broken Links After Import:

1. Open link repair tool
2. Scan for broken links
3. Auto-fix where possible
4. Manually review remaining
5. Update link format in settings

Images Not Showing:

- Verify images in attachments folder
- Check image path format
- Ensure file extensions are correct
- Try re-importing with "Copy images" on

Export Issues

PDF Export Failing:

- Check page size settings
- Reduce image quality
- Export in smaller batches
- Try different PDF engine
- Clear export cache

DOCX Formatting Issues:

- Use simpler markdown
- Avoid custom HTML
- Check heading levels
- Simplify tables
- Use standard fonts

Best Practices

Before Migrating

1. Backup source app data
2. Plan folder structure
3. Document custom workflows
4. List required plugins
5. Test with sample data
6. Prepare team for transition

After Export

1. Verify all files exported
2. Check formatting preserved
3. Test links and images
4. Review in target format
5. Archive original source

Last Updated: January 23, 2025 | Version: 1.3.1 | Formats: 10+