sift export

Export knowledge graph to various formats

Overview

Export the knowledge graph to standard formats for use in external tools, analysis platforms, or visualization software.

Usage

sift export FORMAT [OPTIONS]

Arguments

format · string · required

Export format. Supported values:

• json - JSON graph format
• graphml - GraphML XML format (default)
• gexf - GEXF XML format for Gephi
• csv - CSV edge/node lists
• sqlite - SQLite database

Options

--output · string

Output directory containing graph data. Use -o as shorthand.

--to · string

Export file or directory path. Overrides default location.

--verbose · boolean · default: "false"

Enable verbose logging. Use -v as shorthand.

Supported Formats

GraphML (Default)

XML-based graph format supported by:

• Cytoscape
• yEd
• Neo4j
• NetworkX

Default output: {output_dir}/graph.graphml

GEXF

Graph Exchange XML Format for:

• Gephi
• Sigma.js
• Graph visualization tools

Default output: {output_dir}/graph.gexf

JSON

Structured JSON with full graph data:

• Nodes with attributes
• Edges with properties
• Metadata

Default output: {output_dir}/graph.json

CSV

Two CSV files:

• entities.csv - Node list with attributes
• relations.csv - Edge list with properties

Default output: {output_dir}/csv/

SQLite

Relational database with tables:

• entities - Entity nodes
• relations - Edges
• attributes - Entity attributes

Default output: {output_dir}/graph.sqlite

Entity Descriptions

If entity_descriptions.json exists (from sift narrate), descriptions are included in exports:

sift narrate
sift export graphml

Descriptions appear as node attributes in exported formats.

Examples

Export to GraphML

sift export graphml

Creates output/graph.graphml.

Export to Gephi format

sift export gexf

Creates output/graph.gexf for Gephi visualization.

Export to CSV

sift export csv

Creates output/csv/entities.csv and output/csv/relations.csv.

Custom export path

sift export json --to ./exports/my-graph.json

Exports to specified file path.

Export from custom output directory

sift export graphml --output ./project/results

Exports graph from custom output directory.

Export to SQLite

sift export sqlite --to ./database/knowledge.sqlite

Creates SQLite database at specified path.

Output Summary

Displays:

• Export format
• Entity count
• Relation count
• Output file location(s)

Example Output

Exported! (GRAPHML)
  Entities: 1,234
  Relations: 3,456
  Output: output/graph.graphml

For CSV:

Exported! (CSV)
  Entities: 1,234
  Relations: 3,456
  Output: output/csv/entities.csv, output/csv/relations.csv

Common Workflows

Export for Gephi

sift export gexf
# Open graph.gexf in Gephi

Export for Python analysis

sift export json

import json
with open('output/graph.json') as f:
    graph = json.load(f)

Export for Neo4j

sift export csv
# Import CSVs using Neo4j's LOAD CSV

Export for R/igraph

sift export graphml

library(igraph)
g <- read_graph("output/graph.graphml", format="graphml")

Error Handling

Exits with error if:

• No graph_data.json found (run sift build first)
• Unsupported format specified
• Invalid export path

Format Validation

sift export xyz
# Error: Unsupported format: xyz
# Supported: json, graphml, gexf, csv, sqlite

Common Mistake Prevention

If user types sift export --to json (meaning format):

# Incorrectly interpreted as:
sift export graphml --to json

# System corrects to:
sift export json

The CLI detects this pattern and auto-corrects.

See Also

• view - Interactive visualization
• narrate - Generate descriptions for export
• build - Build graph for export