Exporting attributes

Task area Export

You can use this tool to export object data and attributes from the active documents and create various reports based on the data.

You can then transfer the data to external applications like Microsoft Excel or to applications you developed yourself. These external applications can be accessed directly from Allplan (online connection).

Note: When you export an *.xac file from Allplan to Microsoft Excel, change it there and then import it back into Allplan, you must save it in *.xac format in Excel. As an alternative, you can also save the file in *.txt format (tab-delimited) and then change the extension from *.txt to *.xac.

Note: If Microsoft Excel is not installed on the computer, the XLSX format is not available, and you will see a message.

Editing XAC files and XLSX files

To export attributes

1. Select all the documents whose data you want to export.
2. Click Export Attributes (How).
   

   Activate Export Attributes in one of the following ways

   • Actionbar:Role Draft Task Teamwork Task area Export

   • Menu bar: Create Bonus Tools Attributes

   • Palette: Tools Create area in the following module(s):

   Attributes

3. Click Settings: Exporting attributes. You have the following options:
   • You can select the report for export.
   • You can select the type of export file: Allplan BCM (.xca), NEVARIS (.xcax) or Excel file (.xlsx). The Excel file (.xlsx) format is preset.
   • You can select the application that you want to use to open the export file.
   • If the Start external application directly option is selected, this application automatically starts after export.
   • You can define the path and file name of the file.
     When you use the xca format and xcax format, you must save the file in the private data exchange folder ...\Users\Windows_username\Documents\Allplan\20252025\Usr\Local\i_o).
   • Click to set the settings in the dialog box back to their defaults.

     Note: The General object attributes.rdlc report is preset for export.

4. Select the elements that you want to include.
   

   • To select a single element, click it.
   • To select elements in a selection rectangle, hold down the left mouse button and open a selection rectangle around the elements you want to select.
   • Some tools allow you to select all elements in the current document by clicking All in the input options or pressing CTRL+A.

   To get detailed information on all selection options provided by Allplan, see Selecting elements, overview.

   When selecting elements, you can use filters, which allow you to filter by element type or property. For more information, see Using filters.

   Note: Click in the input options to find elements based on advanced criteria - for example, to find elements with a specific material.
   This tool works just like the Find Elements tool.

   Note: If you have not selected a follow-up program for XCA files in the Settings, Microsoft Excel starts automatically. If Excel is not installed, Allplan displays a message, saving the exported data to the file specified. Go to step 4.

5. Allplan computes the data (quantities, attributes, and so on), creating the selected report. Allplan saves the report as a file in the format and path selected (see step 3).

   Note: Attributes that are assigned to an object but have no entry ("empty" attributes) are exported with Export attributes. With Export Quantities Data, empty attributes are not considered.

6. The selected external application (for example, Microsoft Excel or your own application) starts, opening the exported file.

Reimporting changed attributes