diff --git a/miniapp/miniapp.cpp b/miniapp/miniapp.cpp
index be9bcd1dc5b2bca9a657aeeb21d2514affdd5f05..24ea92483e85c7e184e08726c10fe7e11d248169 100644
--- a/miniapp/miniapp.cpp
+++ b/miniapp/miniapp.cpp
@@ -66,37 +66,37 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
         auto recipe = make_recipe(options, pdist);
         auto cell_range = distribute_cells(recipe->num_cells());
 
-        // build model from recipe
-        // TODO: I would rather just forward the options object. 
 
         model_type m(*recipe, cell_range.first, cell_range.second);
-        std::unique_ptr<file_export_type> file_exporter;
+
+        // File output is depending on the input arguments
+        std::unique_ptr<file_export_type> file_exporter;      
         if (!options.spike_file_output) {
-            m.set_global_spike_callback(
-                file_export_type::do_nothing);
-            m.set_local_spike_callback(
-                file_export_type::do_nothing);
+            // TODO: use the no_function if PR:77
+            m.set_global_spike_callback(file_export_type::do_nothing);
+            m.set_local_spike_callback(file_export_type::do_nothing);
         }
         else {
-            file_exporter = nest::mc::util::make_unique<file_export_type>(
-                options.file_name, options.output_path, 
-                options.file_extention, true);
+            // The exporter is the same for both global and local output
+            // just registered as a different callback
+            file_exporter = 
+                util::make_unique<file_export_type>(
+                    options.file_name, options.output_path, 
+                    options.file_extention, options.over_write);
 
             if (options.single_file_per_rank) {
-                    m.set_global_spike_callback(
-                        file_export_type::do_nothing);
+                    m.set_global_spike_callback(file_export_type::do_nothing);
                     m.set_local_spike_callback(
-                        [&](const std::vector<spike_type>& spikes) { file_exporter->do_export(spikes); });
-
+                        [&](const std::vector<spike_type>& spikes) { 
+                            file_exporter->do_export(spikes); });
              }
              else {
                  m.set_global_spike_callback(
-                     [&](const std::vector<spike_type>& spikes) { file_exporter->do_export(spikes); });
-                   m.set_local_spike_callback(
-                       file_export_type::do_nothing);
+                     [&](const std::vector<spike_type>& spikes) {
+                     file_exporter->do_export(spikes); });
+                   m.set_local_spike_callback(file_export_type::do_nothing);
              }
         }
-       
 
         // inject some artificial spikes, 1 per 20 neurons.
         cell_gid_type spike_cell = 20*((cell_range.first+19)/20);
diff --git a/src/communication/exporter_interface.hpp b/src/communication/exporter_interface.hpp
index 8f7a714c9a1a735d338950c130debab89c0e3123..58178a9f5234cc62a5c2f33ca0cdd72129b88093 100644
--- a/src/communication/exporter_interface.hpp
+++ b/src/communication/exporter_interface.hpp
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ public:
     // Returns the status of the exporter
     virtual bool good() const = 0;
 
-    // Static NULL version of the do_export function for NOP callbacks
+    // Static version of the do_export function for NOP callbacks
     static void do_nothing(const std::vector<spike_type>&)
     {}
 };
diff --git a/src/model.hpp b/src/model.hpp
index f6d3f7922ae925a7bb6831d7f7b028277318b5ba..1e98bddf74ff7fe2c55264a05f222082cc8f4edc 100644
--- a/src/model.hpp
+++ b/src/model.hpp
@@ -178,11 +178,16 @@ public:
     std::size_t num_spikes() const { return communicator_.num_spikes(); }
     std::size_t num_groups() const { return cell_groups_.size(); }
 
+    // register a callback that will perform a export of the global
+    // spike vector 
     void set_global_spike_callback(std::function<void(
         const std::vector<spike_type>&)> global_export_callback)
     {
         global_export_callback_ = global_export_callback;
     }
+
+    // register a callback that will perform a export of the rank local
+    // spike vector
     void set_local_spike_callback(std::function<void(
         const std::vector<spike_type>&)> local_export_callback)
     {