HappenBoard → Settings → Tools has two round trips: your events as a CSV spreadsheet, and your settings as a JSON file. By default, only administrators can use them.
The same screen has a Re-run setup wizard button. It opens the setup wizard again and leaves your existing data as it is.
Export your events
- Go to HappenBoard → Settings → Tools.
- Click Export events (CSV).
Your browser downloads a file named after your site and the date. It holds every event that is published, scheduled, a draft, pending review or private. Trashed events are left out, so restoring a backup never brings back something you deleted.
There is one row per event. A recurring event (an event that repeats, like a weekly class) appears once, with its repeat rule. The file opens with accented characters intact in Excel.
The columns
| Column | What it holds |
|---|---|
title | The event title. Required for an import. |
status | publish, draft, future (scheduled), pending or private. |
start_utc, end_utc | Start and end in UTC (not your local time), written like 2026-06-15T16:00:00Z. Required for an import. |
all_day | 1 for an all-day event, 0 otherwise. |
rrule | The repeat rule, such as FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO;COUNT=8. Empty for a one-off event. |
venue_name, venue_address | The venue’s name and full address. |
organizer_name, organizer_email | The organizer’s name and email. |
capacity | The number of places. 0 means unlimited. |
categories, tags | Names separated by a vertical bar, such as Yoga|Outdoor. |
excerpt, content | The short summary and the event description. |
format | in_person, virtual or hybrid. |
online_url, online_provider | The link and service of an online event. |
image_url | The address of the featured image. |
If you edit the file in a spreadsheet, check that the dates keep this format before you import it. A cell that starts with =, +, - or @ is written with an apostrophe in front, so a spreadsheet never runs it as a formula. The import removes that apostrophe again.
Import events from a CSV file
- Prepare a CSV file with a header row. Only
title,start_utcandend_utcare required. Columns can be in any order, and columns HappenBoard does not know are ignored. - Go to HappenBoard → Settings → Tools.
- Click Import events (CSV) and pick your file.
- Read the result: Created and Skipped counts, with the first ten row errors listed underneath.
The importer only creates events. It never updates or replaces an existing one, so importing the same file twice gives you two copies of every event.
What happens to each row:
- A row with no title, no start or no end is skipped, and its row number is listed.
- A row whose start or end is not a date and time, such as
2026-06-15T16:00:00Zor2026-06-15 16:00, is skipped, and so is a row that ends before it starts. - A row whose repeat rule HappenBoard cannot use is skipped, with the reason.
- An unknown or empty status becomes a draft.
- Categories and tags are matched by name, and created when they do not exist.
- The venue and organizer come in as text on the event. They are not linked to your venue records.
- The featured image is set only when
image_urlpoints to an image in this site’s Media Library. Images hosted elsewhere are not downloaded. - The organizer email is kept only when it is a valid address.
After the import
Imported events appear straight away on the Events screen, on the admin Calendar and in the calendar and list blocks. A recurring event gets all its dates. Imported events with the draft status stay off your public pages until you publish them.
Attendees and bookings are not part of this file. The Attendees and Bookings screens have their own CSV export, described in managing attendees.
Back up and restore your settings
Click Export settings (JSON) to download a small file with your HappenBoard settings:
- the General and Email settings;
- the map, weather and spam protection options from Integrations;
- the AI agents switch.
Use it to copy a setup to a staging site or a second site. HappenBoard Pro’s settings are not included.
Secret keys are left out on purpose: the Turnstile secret key and the Akismet, Google Maps and Open-Meteo keys. Importing never erases the keys already saved on the receiving site. On a new site, enter them by hand.
To restore, click Import settings (JSON) and pick the file. HappenBoard checks that it is a HappenBoard settings export in a version it understands, then applies it. Any other file is refused and nothing changes.
The file carries the AI agents switch. An import therefore turns AI agent access on or off to match the original site, so check that setting afterwards.
Next steps
- Migrating from another plugin: copy events straight from another events plugin instead.
- Categories, tags and colors: set up your categories before a large import.
- GDPR, personal data and uninstalling: back up before you remove HappenBoard.