Import Snippets

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Overview

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Why Import Matters

• Text files and Markdown notes
• Code snippet files (.js, .py, .sql, etc.)
• Documentation files
• Export files from other snippet managers
• Note-taking apps exports
• Gists and code samples

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How It Works

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Drag & Drop Import

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Single File Import

1. Open Finder/Explorer
   • Navigate to the file you want to import
2. Select the File
   • Click once to select
3. Drag to Snippets AI
   • Click and hold on the file
   • Drag it over to the Snippets AI window
4. Drop Into Target Location Drop onto:
   • Specific Folder: File imports into that folder
   • Main Panel: File imports into currently selected folder
   • Empty Space: File imports into root/current team
5. Snippet Created
   • New snippet appears with filename as title
   • File content becomes snippet content
   • Syntax automatically detected based on file extension

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Multiple Files Import

1. Select Multiple Files
   • In Finder/Explorer:
     • Cmd/Ctrl + Click for individual files
     • Shift + Click for range
2. Drag Selection to Snippets AI
   • All files drag together
   • Badge shows count (e.g., “12 files”)
3. Drop Into Target
   • All files import into same destination folder
4. Batch Processing
   • Snippets AI processes files one by one
   • Progress indicator shows import status
   • All snippets appear when complete

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Folder Import

1. Drag a Folder from Finder/Explorer
2. Drop onto Snippets AI
3. Folder Structure Options: Option A: Flatten
   • All files in folder import as snippets
   • No subfolder structure preserved
   • All snippets in target folder
   Option B: Preserve Structure
   • Each subfolder becomes a folder in Snippets AI
   • Nested structure maintained
   • Files become snippets in corresponding folders

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Supported File Types

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Code Files

• .js, .jsx - JavaScript, React
• .ts, .tsx - TypeScript
• .py - Python
• .rb - Ruby
• .go - Go
• .rs - Rust
• .java - Java
• .cpp, .c, .h - C/C++
• .cs - C#
• .swift - Swift
• .php - PHP
• .sql - SQL
• .sh, .bash, .zsh - Shell scripts

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Markup & Documentation

• .md - Markdown
• .mdx - MDX
• .txt - Plain text
• .html - HTML
• .css, .scss, .sass - Stylesheets
• .json - JSON
• .yaml, .yml - YAML
• .xml - XML
• .tex - LaTeX

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Configuration Files

• .env - Environment variables
• .config - Config files
• .toml - TOML config
• .ini - INI files
• Dockerfile - Docker configs
• .gitignore, .dockerignore - Ignore files

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Other Formats

• .log - Log files (imported as text)
• .csv - CSV files (imported as text)
• No extension - Imported as plain text

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Unsupported File Types

• Images (.png, .jpg, .gif)
• Videos (.mp4, .mov)
• Archives (.zip, .tar)
• Executables (.exe, .app)

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Import Settings

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Snippet Naming

database-query.sql → Snippet name: "database-query"

• Import dialog shows filename
• Edit name before confirming
• Applies to single file imports

• Import with default names
• Bulk rename afterwards using folder actions

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Syntax Detection

• After import, open snippet
• Change syntax via syntax selector
• See Syntax Highlighting guide

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Tag Application

• Drag files to tag in sidebar
• Files import with that tag applied

• Some import dialogs allow tag selection
• Choose tags before confirming import

• Import files first
• Select all imported snippets
• Drag to tags to apply

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Migration From Other Tools

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From TextExpander

1. Export from TextExpander
   • File → Export → Text File Format
   • Exports as .txt files
2. Import to Snippets AI
   • Drag exported files
   • Drop into Snippets AI
   • Snippets created from each file
3. Reorganize
   • Use folders/tags to organize
   • Set up shortcuts for text expansion

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From Raycast

1. Locate Raycast Snippets
   • Raycast stores snippets as JSON
   • Export via Raycast settings
2. Convert to Text Files (if needed)
   • Use script to extract snippets
   • Save each as .txt or .md
3. Import to Snippets AI
   • Drag files to Snippets AI
   • Apply tags for categorization

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From Notion

1. Export Notion Pages
   • Export as Markdown & CSV
   • Downloads .md files
2. Import Markdown Files
   • Drag .md files to Snippets AI
   • Preserves Markdown formatting
3. Clean Up Imports
   • Remove Notion metadata if present
   • Organize into folders

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From Alfred Snippets

1. Export Alfred Snippets
   • Alfred Preferences → Snippets → Export
2. Import JSON or Text Files
   • If plain text, drag to Snippets AI
   • If JSON, may need conversion script
3. Set Up Shortcuts
   • Configure keyboard shortcuts in Snippets AI

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From Gists

1. Download Gists
   • Clone gist repos or download files from GitHub
2. Import to Snippets AI
   • Drag gist files
   • Syntax auto-detected
3. Tag by Language or Purpose
   • Apply relevant tags
   • Organize by project

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Bulk Import Best Practices

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Advanced Import

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CSV Import

1. Prepare CSV

name,content,tags,folder
Auth Function,const auth = () => {...},javascript auth,Functions
API Call,fetch('/api/data'),javascript api,Utils

2. Import CSV
   • Snippets AI can parse CSV with headers
   • Creates snippets with specified tags/folders
3. Map Columns
   • Import dialog maps CSV columns to snippet fields
   • Flexible column mapping

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JSON Import

[
	{
		"name": "React Component",
		"content": "const Component = () => {...}",
		"tags": ["react", "component"],
		"syntax": "javascript"
	}
]

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API Import

const files = await fs.readdir('./snippets');

for (const file of files) {
	const content = await fs.readFile(`./snippets/${file}`, 'utf-8');

	await fetch('https://api.getsnippets.ai/v1/snippets', {
		method: 'POST',
		headers: {
			Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
			'Content-Type': 'application/json',
		},
		body: JSON.stringify({
			name: file.replace(/\.[^/.]+$/, ''), // Remove extension
			content: content,
			syntax: detectSyntax(file),
			folder_id: 'your-folder-id',
		}),
	});
}

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Troubleshooting

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Import Failed

1. Check File Type: Ensure file is text-based, not binary
2. File Size: Very large files (>10MB) may fail; split them up
3. Permissions: Ensure Snippets AI has file system access
4. Encoding: Files should be UTF-8 encoded

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Wrong Syntax Detected

1. Open imported snippet
2. Click syntax selector
3. Choose correct syntax manually
4. Syntax is saved with snippet

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Duplicate Imports

1. Use search to find duplicates
2. Select duplicate snippets
3. Delete them
4. Or use “Merge Duplicates” feature if available

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What’s Next