Configurable XSL stylesheet for general purpose KeePass 2.x to CSV export

⇄ →

Main features

• Automatic export of all custom string fields.
• Configurable: Select the fields to include / exclude.
• Three CSV output styles:
  • Single header line, one column per field name.

    Drawback: Many custom string fields can result in many columns.

  • Multiple header lines, one per set of custom string fields.

    Useful when only few sets of custom string field names are used.

  • Single header line, custom string fields require two columns each.

    Drawback: Custom string field names are listed in columns rather than the header.

CSV header and column structure

General overview, valid for all three output styles

Header Number	Entry status	Group	Fields before auto-added	Remaining string fields: Added automatically	Fields after auto-added
single column	single column	single column	multiple columns	multiple columns	multiple columns
Only used when multiple headers are printed.	Current Recycle Bin Old version Old & binned	Group “path”	Configurable XSL variable: fields_before_autoadd__unfiltered Fields from any tab can be added. Custom string fields can be added too. Defaults String fields in Tab “General”	KeePass has two “types” of string fields: The ones in tab “General”. The custom string fields in tab “Advanced”. String fields are added automatically, … except when listed in any of the XSL variables: fields_before_autoadd__unfiltered fields_after_autoadd__unfiltered excluded_str_field_names_unescaped	Configurable XSL variable: fields_after_autoadd__unfiltered Fields from any tab can be added. Custom string fields can be added too. Defaults Attachments, UUID & modified date-time
Header_1 Header_2 …	Current_Entry Bin_Entry History_Entry Bin_History_Entry	example: /group/sub/

Style1: Single header, one column per field name

Style2: Multiple headers

Style3: Single header, two columns per custom field

CSV output generation: Direct vs indirect

Direct CSV export: KeePass → CSV

In KeePass

1. Open the Export dialogue: File → Export
2. Select Transform using XSL Stylesheet and set a Destination file path.
3. Click OK, enter the database password and pass your XSL file of choice.

Indirect CSV generation: KeePass → XML → web browser → CSV

Benefit

When experimenting with different XSL CSV generation settings, directly exporting the CSV file from KeePass is both tedious and time consuming.

The faster way is viewing the CSV output in a web browser, allowing to simply reload the page.

Caveat

Viewing a local file on your computer requires browser file access (explained below).

Step 1: Export as XML

First export the database as an XML file:

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→

Step 2: Associate the XML file with the XSL stylesheet

Edit the XML file:

1. Insert

   <?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="my_xml_stylesheet.xsl"?>

   as line 2.
2. Adapt my_xml_stylesheet.xsl to your XSL file’s name.
3. Store the XML and XSL files in the same folder (or use a relative path).

Viewing in your browser – Option 1: http server

Place your XML and XSL files on a http server and open the XML file’s corresponding http link.

For many, this option will be a no-go. → See Option 2.

Viewing in your browser – Option 2: Launch a chromium based browser with file access

Steps

• Pick a chromium based browser.
• Close all of its windows.
• Launch with the --allow-file-access-from-files option.
  • e.g. chrome --allow-file-access-from-files
• Open your locally stored XML file.

HTML rendered example

• XSL 
• XML  (pay attention to line 2, which associates the XSL stylesheet)
• Resulting CSV when configured for style 1’s output: 

Configuring the XSL

Basics

• Open the XSL in a text editor (example).
• Navigate to destination or variable by searching with the editor’s “Find” command.

  → Always search from the beginning of the file (first occurrence *).

Main anchor points

Use these when you want to have a look at all parameters, rather than specific ones.

• Configuration parameters & properties
  • The configurable parameters are from this point onward.
• csv export options 1/4: What to include in the output
  • These are the main options.
• csv export options 2/4: Separators, breaks and which parts to print
  • Separators used in the CSV output.
    Example: Delimiter for nested KeePass groups.
  • Breaks – Example: Line breaks for multi line fields.
  • Parts to print: Currently limited to whether to print attachment reference numbers.
• csv export options 3/4: Names
  • Names used in the csv output.
    For example: “Attachments” for the attachments column header.
• csv export options 4/4: Empty rows
  • Options for adding empty rows between headers and classes of entries.

Setting boolean parameters

Example:

<xsl:variable name="example_bool_parameter" select="true()" />

→ Set select to either false()^{do not export} or true()^{do export}.

Include or exclude the recycle bin and history

Recycle bin: export_recycle_bin

<xsl:variable name="export_recycle_bin" select="true()" />

History: export_history

<xsl:variable name="export_history" select="true()" />

Output style selection

Styles 1, 2 & 3

Style 1: use_style_1_unified_header   Example: xml + xsl🛈 or txt/csv🛈

<xsl:variable name="use_style_1_unified_header" select="true()" />

Style 2: use_style_2_multi_header   Example: xml + xsl🛈 or txt/csv🛈

<xsl:variable name="use_style_2_multi_header" select="true()" />

Style 3: use_style_3_nameValCols   Example: xml + xsl🛈 or txt/csv🛈

<xsl:variable name="use_style_3_nameValCols" select="true()" />

The database summary output

Database summary: print_db_stat   Example: xml + xsl🛈 or txt🛈

<xsl:variable name="print_db_stat" select="true()" />

When setting multiple outputs to true()

Result: Text output with multiple sections🛈   Example: xml + xsl🛈 or txt/csv🛈

Fields: Include, exclude and order of

Order of the added fields

As visualised in chapter Output Structure, fields are added in the following order:

1. As listed in fields_before_autoadd__unfiltered

   → Explicitly included fields 1/2.

2. String fields not listed in 1, 3 and excluded_str_field_names_unescaped

   → Implicitly included fields.

3. As listed in fields_after_autoadd__unfiltered

   → Explicitly included fields 2/2.

Listing fields

Explicitly included fields are listed and sorted as in the following example:

<xsl:variable name= "fields_before_autoadd__unfiltered" "fields_after_autoadd__unfiltered" >
  <xsl:text>String=UserName</xsl:text>
  <xsl:value-of select="$CRLF" />
  <xsl:text>Binary</xsl:text>
  <xsl:value-of select="$CRLF" />
  <xsl:text>UUID</xsl:text>
  <xsl:value-of select="$CRLF" />
  <xsl:text>Times/LastModificationTime</xsl:text>
  <xsl:value-of select="$CRLF" />
</xsl:variable>

Every field identifier, including the very last one, must be followed by an <xsl:value-of select="$CRLF" /> statement.

In case you got lost and cannot find the field listing

Navigate to the top of the XSL file and search for fields_before_autoadd__unfiltered.

→ It should be the first hit.

How to figure out / determine field identifier names

Export the KeePass database as an xml file and study the tags within xml elements named <Entry>.

String field identifiers

Use: <xsl:text>String=…</xsl:text>

Where … is as in <String><Key>…</Key></String>

Example

<String>
  <Key>User One</Key>
  <Value>Michael321</Value>
</String>

 ↳ List as:  <xsl:text>String=User One</xsl:text>

Excluding specific string field names

String field exclusion – Basics

Use: <xsl:text>…</xsl:text>

Where … is as in <String><Key>…</Key></String>

Note: String= is not included.

Example

<String>
  <Key>Exclude this</Key>
  <Value>Don’t want to export this.</Value>
</String>

 ↳ List as:  <xsl:text>Exclude this</xsl:text>

String field exclusion – Wildcards

• *   is the wildcard for zero or more characters
• ?   is the wildcard for exactly one character
• ?+  is the wildcard for zero or one character(s)

• To match the wildcards literally, escape with ^.

  I.e. ^*, ^? and ^?+.

Include attachment file names in the output

Use: <xsl:text>Binary</xsl:text>

→ This will export all the entry’s attachment file names into a single multiline CSV cell.

All other field identifiers

Use: <xsl:text>tag name</xsl:text>

Example: Tag name UUID

<xsl:text>UUID</xsl:text>

Nested tags are supported → Examples:

<xsl:text>Times/CreationTime</xsl:text>

<xsl:text>AutoType/Association/KeystrokeSequence</xsl:text>

Exporting AutoType

Nonetheless, a relatively crude “raw” export can be achieved with the following settings:

<xsl:variable name="fields_after_autoadd__unfiltered">
  …
  <xsl:text>AutoType/Enabled</xsl:text>
  <xsl:value-of select="$CRLF" />
  <xsl:text>AutoType/DataTransferObfuscation</xsl:text>
  <xsl:value-of select="$CRLF" />
  <xsl:text>AutoType/Association/Window</xsl:text>
  <xsl:value-of select="$CRLF" />
  <xsl:text>AutoType/Association/KeystrokeSequence</xsl:text>
  <xsl:value-of select="$CRLF" />
</xsl:variable>

AutoType entrys with more than one associated window will result in the export of multiple values within a single column.

→ Details in the next two sub-chapters ⬎

Output when selecting tags with multiple occurrences

All matching tags will be exported into a single CSV cell!

Output when selecting tags with descendant elements

Only text nodes at the selected element’s topmost level are exported.

Attachment reference №

print_attachment_ref_no

Whether or not to include the attachment reference number in the output.
 As in e.g.:"4: attachment.txt"

<xsl:variable name="print_attachment_ref_no" select="true()" />

attachment_refnum_separator

The separator between the reference number and the attachment’s file name.
 As in e.g.:"4: attachment.txt"

<xsl:variable name="attachment_refnum_separator">
  <xsl:text>: </xsl:text>
</xsl:variable>

Soft break – multi line KeePass fields

softbrk

Which line separator to use when exporting multi line KeePass fields.

Extended configuration

For information on the “extended” / all other configuration options

Look through the comments in csv export options */4.

Changeworthy extended options

• group_delim, gpath_leading_char & gpath_trailing_char

  Delimiter for nested KeePass groups.

  → Change in case of conflict with your group names.

  • Example:  MyGroup/MySubgroup  🛈

• group_omit_root_name

  All KeePass groups are descendants of the root group, i.e. the top most group.

  As there is only one root group, excluding it from the output frees up some space.

  • Example 🛈 with setting true() → MyGroup/MySubgroup
  • Example 🛈 with setting false() → MyDatabase/MyGroup/MySubgroup

• header_list_only_last_fieldname

  Example: KeePass field Times/CreationTime

  • when true() → the header will show CreationTime
  • when false() → the header will show Times/CreationTime

Potentially changeworthy extended options

• Custom column and row header names

  → Look through csv export options 3/4: Names

• Empty CSV rows when headers and entry types change

  → Look through csv export options 4/4: Empty rows

  Adding empty rows can be useful for two reasons:

  1. Visual separation
  2. Spreadsheet apps: Jumping to empty cells with Control + ↑↓

Less likely to be changed extended options

• escaped_aster & escaped_qmark

  When escaping wildcards, the code internally replaces them with a unicode character.

  I.e. * is replaced with escaped_aster and ? with escaped_qmark.

  → Change in case of conflict with your field names.

Downloads

All files including documentation

7z archive

XSL files

Master XSL file

This will export the database summary and all three styles   .

• Html rendered XSL  .
• Example TXT / CSV output  + .
• Example XML file to use with the XSL    

Pre-selected XSL files

These files are structurally identical to the master XSL, with the only difference being the configuration (only one export active instead of the master file’s four).

Style 1    

Style 2    

Style 3    

Database summary    

Test KeePass databases ^{→ Password: “test”}

More comprehensive set of entries      

Compact, for basic tests