Add export/import functionality for forms (transferability)

[RainerKlute]

Nextcloud (please complete the following information):

• Nextcloud-Version: 25.0.2
• Forms-Version: 3.0.1

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe. I cannot transfer a form from one Nextcloud instance to another.

Describe the solution you'd like I would like to be able to export a form (or all forms or selected forms) to an editable file, e. g., XML or JSON, and then import the form(s) via that file into another or even the same Nextcloud instance.

Describe alternatives you've considered None

Additional context None

[susnux]

Migrating forms from one instance to another is available with forms 3.0.0, see #582

But this might be also related to #102 and #560

[RainerKlute]

If I understand it correctly, @susnux, forms migration is a part of user migration – and that seems to be overkill to me. I think the other issues you mentioned and mine all boil down to the following requirements:

• Export a form as a file in some textual format (XML, JSON, whatever).
• Import a form from such a file, creating either a new form or updating an existing one.
• Export/import multiple forms at one (“deluxe version”).

This would enable or support at least the following purposes:

• Export and import of forms made simple
• Documentation of forms, possibly by transforming the textual version of the form into something else (not in the scope of this enhancement request)
• Versioning of forms
• Automated generation of forms
• Automated updating of forms, e. g., options in an option menu, additional questions, etc.

[stefan-franz]

This whould be a great improvement for me and my team. Hope it will implemented in the future.

[Chartman123]

You know that you could use our API for things like that? https://github.com/nextcloud/forms/blob/main/docs/API.md

[stefan-franz]

Oh that is not a solution for me. I have a managed Nextcloud and my team too. And no one is able to do that described.

[Chartman123]

@stefan-franz I think that a basic import/export could be implemented directly in the front-end. The API is probably more interesting for all the use cases that @RainerKlute mentioned in his last post.

[RainerKlute]

@stefan-franz I think that a basic import/export could be implemented directly in the front-end. The API is probably more interesting for all the use cases that @RainerKlute mentioned in his last post.

Oh, I wasn’t even aware that there is an API – thanks for the hint! Anyway, a basic import/export function in the front-end would be extremely helpful.

[kirmaha]

For a scientific study, I had to write down structured informations every 5 minutes on a tablet during whole working days for a month. I choosed to use Nextcloud Forms because of privacy concerns, and I'm super happy with that choice! It was light and robust enough for the job. The downside is that there was no way to save my 50 items form as a file, in order to share it with other researchers who would want to replicate the study. So to me, it would an important feature for professional/scientific usecases.

[rolliracker]

I very much support this request. It would be really very useful and increase the usability of Forms a lot. It would also enable a simple way of reusing questions from old forms by copy and paste of the relevant parts in a xml or json file into a new form, without the need to reenter them again via the GUI.

[davidspring]

I also think this is a very useful feature. Any word on when it can be added?

[timmwille]

this would be helpful indeed