Import and Export

MIDI Set Lister uses .midisetlist files for both complete library backups and individual gig packages. Complete backups restore the entire setup; gig packages let bandmates exchange a show without replacing their libraries.

What a backup contains

A complete backup includes:

• songs and their notes and MIDI messages
• gigs, sets, song assignments, and ordering
• app settings
• the selected theme

Backup filenames follow the pattern MIDI Set Lister YYYY-MM-DD.midisetlist.

Export a backup

1. Open Menu (☰) > Import / Export.
2. Choose the export option.
3. Save or share the .midisetlist file somewhere you control.
4. Keep at least one copy away from the iPhone if the backup is important.

You can also export a backup from Web Control.

Export a gig

Open a gig for editing and choose Export Gig…. The export contains the gig, its sets, their order, and the songs used by those sets.

Settings > MIDI > Export MIDI in Gigs controls whether song MIDI messages are included. It is off by default. Leave it off when sharing with another musician who has a different rig; turn it on when the recipient should receive the exported MIDI setup too.

Web Control provides the same Export Gig… action and uses the same setting. No extra export dialog is required beyond the system save or share sheet.

Import a complete backup

Importing replaces the current songs, gigs, settings, and theme with the contents of the selected backup.

Before importing:

1. Export the current setup if you may need it again.
2. Confirm that you selected the intended .midisetlist file. Legacy JSON backups remain supported.
3. Do not interrupt the app while the import is completing.

After importing, review the selected gig and test MIDI with the connected rig before a performance.

Import a shared gig

Open a shared .midisetlist file through the normal import route. MIDI Set Lister tries to reuse songs already in the destination library by checking the song's known shared identifiers and then comparing a normalized title. Leading and trailing spaces, capitalization, spacing, common punctuation, and quote styles do not prevent an otherwise clear title match.

If a match is uncertain, review it and choose an existing library song or create a new one. When the package does not contain MIDI, a matched song keeps the destination musician's existing MIDI. If no matching song exists, MIDI Set Lister creates it from the package.

Shared identifiers are remembered, so later gig exchanges between the same musicians can match those songs directly even when their original local identifiers were different. Importing a newer copy updates or replaces the matching gig and its setlists rather than duplicating them.

Privacy

Export happens only when you choose it. Once a backup is saved to Files, cloud storage, email, or another service, that copy is governed by the service and location you chose. See the Privacy Policy for the complete data-handling summary.