Update:
Based on your updated question I guess you want something like
Manipulate[{a, b}, {a, 1, 10}, {b, 1, 10},
Button["export", Export[SystemDialogInput["FileSave",".txt"], {{"a", a}, {"b", b}}, "Table"],
Method -> "Queued"],
Button["import", {a, b} = Import[SystemDialogInput["FileOpen", ".txt"], "Table"][[All, 2]],
Method -> "Queued"]]
Old post:
You could use a Setter
instead of a Button
to get the intended scoping
Manipulate[Plot[Sin[x (1 + a*x)], {x, 0, 6}], {a, 0, 100},
Dynamic@Setter[Dynamic@a, ToExpression["a=90"], "a=90"]]
One can make the Setter
looker like a Button
by adding the option Appearance -> "Button"
.