An importer is a software application that reads in a data file

Computer file

A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...

 or metadata

Metadata

The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...

 information in one format and converts it to another format via special algorithm

Algorithm

In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...

s (such as filters

Filter (software)

A filter is a computer program to process a data stream. Some operating systems such as Unix are rich with filter programs. Even Windows has some simple filters built into its command shell, most of which have significant enhancements relative to the similar filter commands that were available in...

). An importer often is not an entire program by itself, but an extension to another program, implemented as a plug-in. When implemented in this way, the importer reads the data from the file and converts it into the hosting application's native format.

For example, the data file for a 3D model may be written from a modeler, such as 3D Studio Max

3D Studio Max

Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio MAX, is for making 3D animations. It was developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabilities, a flexible plugin architecture and can be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It's frequently used by video game developers, TV...

. A game developer

Video game developer

A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...

 may then want to use that model in their game's  editor

Level editor

A level editor is a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc and virtual worlds for a video game. In some cases the creator of a video game releases an official level editor for a game, but other times the community of fans step in to fill the void...

. An importer, part of the editor, may read in the 3D Studio Max model and convert it to the game's native format so it can be used in game levels

Level (computer and video games)

A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...

.

Importers are important tools

Game development tool

A game development tool is a specialized software application that assists or facilitates the making of a computer or video game. Some tasks handled by tools include the conversion of assets into formats required by the game, level editing and script compilation.Almost all game development tools...

 in the video game industry. A plug-in or application that does the converse of an importer is called an exporter

Exporter (computing)

An exporter is a software application that writes out a data file in a format different from its native format. It does this via special algorithms . An exporter often is not an entire program by itself, but an extension to another program, implemented as a plug-in...

.

See also

• Data scraping
  Data scraping
  Data scraping is a technique in which a computer program extracts data from human-readable output coming from another program.-Description:Normally, data transfer between programs is accomplished using data structures suited for automated processing by computers, not people...
  
  
• Web scraping
  Web scraping
  Web scraping is a computer software technique of extracting information from websites...
  
  
• Report mining
  Report mining
  Report mining is the extraction of data from human readable computer reports. Conventional data extraction requires a connection to a working source system, suitable connectivity standards or an API, and usually complex querying...
  
  
• Mashup (web application hybrid)
  Mashup (web application hybrid)
  In Web development, a mashup is a Web page or application that uses and combines data, presentation or functionality from two or more sources to create new services...
  
  
• Metadata
  Metadata
  The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
  
  
• Comparison of feed aggregators
  Comparison of feed aggregators
  The following is a comparison of notable RSS feed aggregators. Often e-mail programs and web browsers have the ability to display RSS feeds. They are listed here, too.Many BitTorrent clients support RSS feeds for broadcatching ....