Switching from Better PDF Exporter
Exportelier does not execute Better PDF Exporter templates or copy their assets. Migration means choosing the Exportelier authoring mode that best preserves the intent of each template, then validating the result with representative Jira data.
Use Word Template Mode when the existing branded Word layout is the source of truth. Use the visual designer when one format-agnostic template should produce PDF, Markdown and DOCX. Word templates are DOCX-in/DOCX-out only.
Equivalence map
| Existing construct or requirement | Exportelier equivalent | Migration note |
|---|---|---|
| Branded page layout, styles, native headers, footers and page numbers | Word Template Mode | Upload a macro-free .docx; the native OOXML layout is preserved in place. |
| One maintained template for PDF, Markdown and DOCX | Visual designer / JSON AST | Rebuild the layout once with supported designer components. |
| Issue key, summary, status, people and dates | Field binding or Word value token | Use the token reference rather than copying incumbent placeholders. |
| Repeated comments, subtasks, worklogs or attachments | Designer table/list component or Word ${#each …} loop |
Validate empty and large collections explicitly. |
| Optional content | Word ${#if path} condition |
V1.1 Word conditions test truthiness only; expressions and scripts are not supported. |
| Description and comment rich text | ADF-aware text rendering | Check tables, lists, code blocks and unsupported ADF fallbacks in the sample output. |
| Attachment gallery or metadata list | Designer attachment component or Word attachment-metadata loop | Embedded attachment binaries and remote images have format-specific limits. |
| Search, board, sprint, release or backlog selection | Export context outside the template | JQL and data fetching are never executed inside Word templates. |
| PDF signing, watermark or PDF attachment embedding | PDF-specific designer settings | These controls do not map to Word Template Mode and may degrade in AST-to-DOCX. |
| Groovy, JavaScript, XSL-FO extensions or arbitrary expressions | No direct equivalent | Replace with field bindings, fixed formatters and explicit layout components; scripts are never executed. |
Recommended migration path
- Inventory the top three templates by actual export volume and business impact.
- Decide separately for each template whether native Word fidelity or multi-format maintenance is more important.
- Remove macros and active content from any Word-template candidate.
- Replace placeholders using the Word Template token reference, or rebuild the layout in the visual designer.
- Test at least one sparse issue, one normal issue and one issue with large rich text and collections.
- Compare the resulting document against the agreed acceptance checklist, not against undocumented behavior of the incumbent engine.
For an assisted migration, use the template migration concierge runbook.
Hard boundaries
- Uploaded Word templates produce DOCX only.
- Macro-enabled files, active content and unsafe relationships are rejected.
- Foreign template syntax is never executed.
- Designer-to-DOCX has documented degradations; see Export formats.