request for export/print transcript feature

[brainchild0]

Currently, the desktop application appears to offer no support for moving complete or partial text transcripts out of the application. Generally, users might want to export all or part of a conversation into plain text, a human-formatted document such as PDF, DOCX, or ODF (or simply print directly to physical media), or a machine-readable transcript in some XML or JSON format. In the case of a machine-readable transcript, a principle objective would be inter-operation with other applications, as well as other deployments of a Signal client.

(I apologize if this question was already addressed, as I searched the open and closed issues and found no related request.)

While in some cases a user's choice to manipulate an external file containing a conversation transcript may introduce a security liability, such choice should be left to the user, as the main distinction between Signal and mainstream messaging systems is that the former emphasizes an attack model of network surveillance for transmitted messages, separate from what choices are made for use of such messages once received through a client. It is a user's concern how to safely store or to copy transcripts after messages are exchanged using the secure protocol.

I am a new user, running Signal Desktop 1.38.2 over Linux Mint 20.0 on Cinnamon Desktop 4.6.7.

[brainchild0]

Related to, but not a duplicate of, #522.

[joeldebruijn]

Always wondered, because the desktop app uses Electron, is printing just turned off in the client (because off security) or must it be 'programmed'? Assuming printing is a native capability of electron apps. Because when I have print, I have print-to-pdf which would be sufficient for archival purposes.

To automate scrolling and screenshotting in combination with OCR seems not feasable. ;)

[brainchild0]

@joeldebruijn: Electron is an application framework that includes support for printing, but supporting a printing feature in any application requires that the application authors write procedures for formatting desired information on a page. Supporting a print feature in Signal Desktop is not a simple matter of simply enabling an existing feature as one switches on a light bulb.

Support for either export or printing would require nontrivial planning and development effort, but hopefully may be prioritized in the near future, due to the value of the features.

[joeldebruijn]

Ah thanks, did not know that.

By the way, the only reason I looked for it was the removing of "export" alltogether. Because with export I have other means for long-term-archival.

https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7565

[stale[bot]]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.

[brainchild0]

Please keep open (i.e. remove stale mark).

[indutny-signal]

Keeping the bot away