# .gpkg importer with options?

**URL:** <https://gramps.discourse.group/t/gpkg-importer-with-options/7782>\
**Category:** Ideas\
**Tags:** data-import\
**Created:** [June 4, 2025, 2:40pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/gpkg-importer-with-options/7782 "2025-06-04T14:40:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 4, 2025, 2:40pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/gpkg-importer-with-options/7782/1 "2025-06-04T14:40:31Z")

</div>

Can importer plugins be made with options?

The relative media path and media objects of Gramps XML `.gpkg` files often cause complaints when importing to a different OS or when doing repeated tests.

Perhaps there could be an importer option to ignore Media files and paths? Or maybe a Gramps .gpkg importer plugin that skips those?

> Media directory _c:\users\name of file.gpkg.media_ exists. Delete it first, then restart the import process

Also, the menu for import file types is … ambiguous for non-exports. They might see a file with a .gramps or .gpkg extension. But the menu does not give a clue.

“Gramps package (portable XML)” what the heck does _THAT_ mean? Isn’t XML implicitly “portable”? Ok, so gpkg is an abbreviation for Gramps package and Gramps was a backronym. But that isn’t very helpful to the average user. And while I know the difference between a “Gramps XML Family Tree” and a “Gramps package (portable XML)”, why should it be so complicated that Aunt Martha needs to look it up?

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/a/a23bd20555ca00da03c63dea2b758bd8186780ec.png)

The Export dialog has different labels and tooltips:

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/5/567d06cb5afd87ff82cb3acdeb488e632f636f9d.png)  
feature request filed - [13873](https://gramps-project.org/bugs/view.php?id=13873): Harmonize importer/exporter menus

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 4, 2025, 3:36pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/gpkg-importer-with-options/7782/2 "2025-06-04T15:36:43Z")

</div>

When I plan to share a Gramps export file (here on Discourse, or with a family member), it seems necessary to save it as an uncompressed `.gramps` XML and inspect the data. Then, for increased compatibility, I might use a text editor to trim out the chunks with Relative media path, unused tags, researcher, name-formats, namemaps, bookmarks.

If it is really important that others can access the data, I might even labor to import the XML file into the 4.28 GrampsPortable and export the compressed `.gramps` file in its broadly compatible XML format (making certain to clear the Researcher/Owner data in the GUI)

It would be nice to be able to do all this using an alternative exporter plugin.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/1X/2ac1e712b7adf612e31ca08a55419f4cf37c0158.png) [@system](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 3:37pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/gpkg-importer-with-options/7782/3 "2025-07-04T15:37:21Z")

</div>

This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.