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Export format

Icarus strategies are exported as .ica files, which are ZIP archives containing:
  • A JSON file with all strategy data (pages, drawings, agents, abilities, etc.)
  • Image files referenced in the strategy
  • Metadata including version number and map information
The .ica format is proprietary to Icarus but uses standard ZIP compression, making it lightweight and portable.

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Exporting a single strategy

Share an individual strategy file:
1

Open or select the strategy

Either open the strategy you want to export, or right-click it in your library.
2

Choose export

Select “Export” from the file menu or context menu.
3

Choose save location

A file picker opens. Choose where to save the .ica file and optionally rename it.
4

Confirm export

The strategy is packaged with all its data and images, then saved to your chosen location.
Before exporting, Icarus automatically saves your strategy to ensure the export contains all recent changes.

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Exporting folders

Export multiple strategies at once by exporting an entire folder:
1

Right-click a folder

In your library, right-click the folder you want to export.
2

Select export folder

Choose “Export Folder” from the context menu.
3

Choose save location

Select where to save the .zip file containing all strategies in the folder.
4

Wait for completion

All strategies in the folder and its subfolders are packaged into individual .ica files, then bundled into a single ZIP archive.
The folder export preserves your folder structure:
  • Each strategy becomes a .ica file
  • Folders become directories in the ZIP
  • Nested folders are preserved
  • Duplicate folder names get numbered suffixes
Large folders with many strategies and images can take significant time to export. The export process creates temporary files during packaging.

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File naming and sanitization

When exporting, Icarus sanitizes file names:
  • Invalid characters (< > : " / \ | ? *) are replaced with underscores
  • Empty names become “untitled”
  • Duplicate names in the same export get numbered suffixes
This ensures exported files work across all operating systems.

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Sharing strategies

Once exported, share your .ica files with teammates:
  • Direct file sharing: Send via Discord, email, cloud storage, or USB drive
  • Team drives: Store in shared folders like Google Drive or Dropbox
  • Version control: Track changes to strategies in Git (though binary diffs are not meaningful)

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Legacy format support

Icarus maintains backward compatibility:
  • Old strategies without the pages system are automatically migrated on import
  • Legacy image embedding is converted to the modern file-based system
  • Version numbers track format changes
  • Strategies from older Icarus versions open seamlessly
The current version number is stored in Settings.versionNumber. Strategies are migrated to the latest version when opened.

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Export data structure

The JSON inside an .ica file contains: 
{
  "versionNumber": "42",
  "mapData": "Ascent",
  "pages": [
    {
      "id": "uuid-here",
      "sortIndex": "0",
      "name": "Page 1",
      "drawingData": [...],
      "agentData": [...],
      "abilityData": [...],
      "textData": [...],
      "imageData": [...],
      "utilityData": [...],
      "isAttack": "true",
      "settings": {...},
      "lineUpData": [...]
    }
  ]
}

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Technical details

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Image handling

Images are stored efficiently:
  • Original images are saved in the strategy’s support directory
  • Image IDs reference files, not embedded data (except on web)
  • Unused images are cleaned up when loading strategies
  • Export includes only referenced images

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ZIP structure

An exported .ica file contains: 
strategy-name.ica
├── strategy-name.json (the main data)
├── image-uuid-1.png
├── image-uuid-2.jpg
└── (additional images...)

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Compression

The ZIP format provides:
  • Efficient compression of JSON text data
  • Already-compressed images stored without re-compression
  • Fast random access to individual files
  • Wide compatibility across platforms

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