# Extending JabRef's export and import capabilities

## Custom exports

JabRef's export and import capabilities can be extended quite easily. Please unzip the JabRef-extensions file, preferably to the same folder where you installed JabRef (where the `jabref.jar` file can be found).

To create your own export format, you can define custom layouts, simple templates where at certain places the contents of a JabRef database are written into. For an example see the files in the layout directory. For more details about creating your own export format, please read `API/CustomExports.html`.

The extensions contain also a few simple examples on how to create new field formatters - small commands that determine how database entries are written to your custom layout, please check `net/sf/export/layout/format`.

## Custom imports

You can also quite easily create an importer that allows you to read references from sources important to you. This requires only modest programming skills. Please check the example, compile it using the `compileAll.bat` script, register it as a custom importer with your JabRef-installation and import the SimpleCsvImporter.csv file to see how it is done. More details can be found in `API/CustomImports.html`.

All importers that are part of the standard JabRef-distribution are also included in this extensions-package under `net/sf/jabref/imports`. In addition to serving as further examples, you can also fix them and register them as custom importers if you encounter any problems.

## API documentation

The API-documentation for extensions that require some programming is available under `API/index.html`.