Understanding the Export cURL Command

The Export cURL Command allows you to export data directly from your Ripple Registry or a specific study without logging into the Ripple platform. This command-line tool enables you to specify the source and variables you want to export, then download the data into a CSV (Excel-compatible) file for further filtering or analysis.

What Is the Export cURL Command?

The Export cURL Command is a line of code you run in your terminal to retrieve data from Ripple. It allows bulk data exports from either the Registry or an individual study and is particularly useful for integrating with third-party systems or performing offline data analysis.

Components of the Export cURL Command

To successfully run an Export cURL Command, you’ll need to include the following elements:

1. Ripple Site URL – The base URL of the Ripple site you’re exporting from
2. Authorization Key – Verifies your identity and ensures you have the correct permissions to access the requested data
3. Export Type – Tells Ripple whether you're exporting from the Registry or from a specific study
   1. To find the Export Type for a study: Open the study in Ripple and copy the string of letters and numbers from the URL
4. Export Timezone – Ensures all date and event timestamps align with your preferred time zone
5. Variables to Export – The exact names of the data fields you want to retrieve
   1. Variable names must match those listed in the Data Dictionary or Export Page
6. Output File Name – The name of the CSV file where your data will be saved

In this example:

• Exporting from the Ripple site is https://supportplayground.ripplescience.org

• Authorization is provided using a valid API key(site permissions and log-in credentials)

• The export is pulling data from a specific study (identified by export-type=EDFCgcTTiH7N2rK9o)

• The time zone is set to America/Chicago

• The following variables are being exported:

  • globalId, firstName, lastName, birthday, race, ethnicity

  • contactFutureStudies, participantContacts, statusId

  • Events (All or None)

  • Custom variables: substudyParticipation, potentialEligibility, dateScreened, diagnoses

• The output will be a CSV Excel file, "AncillaryAexport".