Desktop UI Export Import

Export & Import Panels (Desktop)

Export

• Surface it as a modal or dedicated panel, not a silent one-click action, whenever there's a real decision to make (format, quality, destination) — but if there's genuinely only one sensible format and destination, don't manufacture a dialog just to have one; a direct "Export" action with a system save-location picker is fine.
• Group the decisions in a sensible order: format first (it often determines which other options are even relevant), then quality/settings specific to that format, then destination last.
• Show a live estimate where feasible (estimated file size, estimated duration for a render/export) — this is the kind of detail that makes an export dialog feel considered rather than a bare form.
• Progress: a real, measured progress bar (see desktop-ui-feedback-messaging) with an estimated time remaining once it's calculable, and a working Cancel action — never lock the user out of cancelling a long export.
• On completion: a clear success state with a direct way to act on the result (Show in folder / Open / Copy path), not just a toast that vanishes and leaves the user to go hunt for the file themselves.
• Remember the user's last-used settings (format, quality, destination folder) as the new defaults for next time — repeat exporters shouldn't have to reconfigure the same choices every session.

Import

• Support drag-and-drop as a first-class path, not just a "browse files" button — the drop zone should give clear visual feedback the moment a drag enters the window (a highlighted border/overlay), not just on successful drop.
• Validate before committing, and show what was found (file count, format, a quick preview/thumbnail where feasible) before the import actually runs — this catches "wrong file" mistakes before they cost the user an undo.
• Handle partial failure gracefully: if importing 20 files and 2 fail, don't fail the whole batch silently or block the 18 that succeeded — import what's valid, and clearly report which ones failed and why (see the error-message guidance in desktop-ui-feedback-messaging).
• Show progress for anything non-instant, exactly like export — an import that appears to hang with no feedback reads as a crash, not a wait.

Format and destination pickers

• If there's more than one export/import format, present them as a clear, labeled choice (radio group or select, per desktop-ui-text-inputs/desktop-ui-buttons-controls) with a one-line description of what each format is good for if the difference isn't obvious from the name alone (a novice user often can't distinguish two audio codec names without help).
• Destination pickers should default to the last-used location or a sensible platform default (Documents, Downloads, or the app's own project folder) — never default to a deeply nested or unpredictable path.

Accessibility & internationalization

• Prefer the OS's native file picker over a custom-built file browser wherever possible — the native one inherits keyboard access, screen reader support, and localization for free; a custom one has to reimplement all three.
• Drag-and-drop import always needs a real keyboard/menu-driven fallback (a File > Import menu item, a button) — drag-and-drop alone excludes keyboard-only and many screen reader users entirely.
• Leave headroom in format/destination labels for translated text (see desktop-ui-accessibility-i18n).

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