# Dumping the options used to export a report from the UI **URL:** \ **Category:** Help\ **Created:** [March 10, 2023, 6:52am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382 "2023-03-10T06:52:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dsoprea](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/dsoprea/32/2639_2.png) [@dsoprea](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/dsoprea)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2023, 6:52am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/1 "2023-03-10T06:52:03Z")
Is there a way to dump the options used to export a chart from the UI to support automating their generation from the CLI? ---
**Author:** ![GeorgeWilmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@GeorgeWilmes](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/GeorgeWilmes)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/2 "2023-03-10T14:32:33Z")
The are saved in .ini files in your [Gramps user directory](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_User_Directory). ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/3 "2023-03-10T17:56:01Z")
The report options/configurations are stored in an `.xml` file rather than as an `.ini` file. (Probably to facilitate including a particular Report’s options using the Books feature.) The 3 XML files stored in the top level of the [Gramps User Directory](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_Glossary#user_directory) are: - `recent-files-gramps.xml` - `report_options.xml` - `tool_options.xml` ---
**Author:** ![dsoprea](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/dsoprea/32/2639_2.png) [@dsoprea](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/dsoprea)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 11:51am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/4 "2023-03-11T11:51:37Z")
Got it. Yes. However, is it possible to feed these back into Gramps in order to regenerate reports with the same parameters for later versions of the data? There appears to be no references on the Internet, no Gramps command-line parameters, and no report options that suggest a method to do this. ---
**Author:** ![GeorgeWilmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@GeorgeWilmes](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/GeorgeWilmes)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/5 "2023-03-11T13:39:15Z")
> [@dsoprea](#): > > Gramps command-line parameters See [here](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Command_Line#report_action_option). Is that what you mean? Also, sorry, my earlier comment about .ini files was for the views and charts in the GUI, not the reports. Thanks @emyoulation for clarifying. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/6 "2023-03-11T16:15:03Z")
> [@dsoprea](#): > > However, is it possible to feed these back into Gramps in order to regenerate reports with the same parameters for later versions of the data? Repeating a configuration a Report is one purpose of the ‘[Book](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Reports_-_part_3)’ feature. The typical use is to create a collation of reports that you would want to run for versioning (as the same person’s data changes) over time or to create a standard packet of reports you want to generate for different people. But it can be used to store a custom configuration of a single report. I just [posted a question](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/commonly-seen-genealogical-reports-that-are-not-supported/3367) about customizing the text report “Detailed Descendant Book” to make a National Genealogical Society style report. It gets most of the way there with configuring options. Saving a Named Book for each Report may be a worthwhile as a ‘Standard Practice’. Gramps remembers the last reconfiguration of options for each report. With the interaction of an extensive number of configuration options, it is easy to become lost during experimentation. But there’s no Reset to Default. So you could use Books as a way to create a ‘Restore Point’. (No volunteer developer has pursued adding a Configuration Reset or something like a CSS Editor style GUI for configuration Restore Points. The Experimental CardView add-on has a 1st cut at a Configuration management system… but it is limited to configuring its set of Category view modes.) Since none of the configuration items have an editing GUI, I currently have a (somewhat convoluted) workaround. It is to have a dummy person (named "Gramps \GENEALOGY') with a gallery of Media opjects that are various `.ini` and `.xml` configuration text files with Note 2ndry objects (organized by attaching to each Media object, not the dummy person) that are copies of those files. Since the OS has ‘helper applications’ configured to open those file types for editing, I can simply ‘View’ the Media object in the Gramps Gallery and the Helper Application will open the file. I can flush the entire contents of a configuration file (or just a chunk) to reset to defaults. Or use the Note as a scratchpad to overwrite the file contents or chunk. After saving the changes, it is necessary to restart Gramps since it is unclear when (or whether) Gramps reloads the edited Configuration file. ---
**Author:** ![PLegoux](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/plegoux/32/413_2.png) [@PLegoux](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/PLegoux)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/7 "2023-03-12T19:27:46Z")
> [@emyoulation](#): > > Gramps remembers the last reconfiguration of options for each report unless you restore a Gramps backup file in a new database, [filters you may have defined could be lost, save them somewhere](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/improving-repeated-use-of-graphical-reports/3203/4) ---
**Author:** ![SNoiraud](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/snoiraud/32/72_2.png) [@SNoiraud](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/SNoiraud)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/8 "2023-03-12T19:31:21Z")
Filters are always in $HOME/.gramps/gramps51/custom\_filters.xml on linux ---
**Author:** ![PLegoux](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/plegoux/32/413_2.png) [@PLegoux](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/PLegoux)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 8:47am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/9 "2023-03-13T08:47:14Z")
I don’t speak about filters themselves but their definition in Books. If you change the database, filters in books are probably not the one you choose initially in the previous db ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/1X/2ac1e712b7adf612e31ca08a55419f4cf37c0158.png) [@system](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 8:47am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/dumping-the-options-used-to-export-a-report-from-the-ui/3382/10 "2023-04-12T08:47:36Z")
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