Extract text from EXAMPLE files
To convert your EXAMPLE file to another format, you need Laravel or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Environment Config Template" file type, you need software like Laravel or a similar tool.
A .example file is primarily a configuration template used in software development environments, most notably within the Laravel PHP framework as .env.example. These files serve as placeholders that define which environment variables (such as database credentials or API keys) are required for an application to run, without exposing sensitive production data in version control systems like Git.
The key problem for users is that .example files are effectively inert; the operating system often treats them as unknown binary files, and the application itself ignores them until they are manually copied and renamed (usually to .env). Opening them on a standard Windows or Mac setup often triggers an "Open With" prompt because no default application is associated with the extension. Furthermore, line-ending discrepancies (CRLF vs. LF) between Windows and Linux environments can corrupt these files when moving between servers.
For immediate viewing or editing without risking syntax errors, the best approach is converting or renaming the file to TXT. If you need to include the configuration schema in technical documentation or share it with non-technical stakeholders, converting to PDF ensures the formatting and variable list remain unalterable. For archiving setup instructions, DOCX allows for annotation.
Convert.Guru analyzes your EXAMPLE file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ENV, ICS, PGW and GPL files.
If you want to convert EXAMPLE file to INI, CFG, CONF, CONFIG, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, ENV, PROPERTIES or RC, you can use Laravel or similar software from the "Configuration Template Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert ZSHRC, CONF, RCFILE, GITCONFIG, RC, PLIST, BASHRC, CONFIG, PROFILE, INI, PREFS or CFG files to EXAMPLE, try Laravel or another comparable tool in the "Configuration Template Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our EXAMPLE converter.