File formats
The file formats Lookio reads, the size limit of each, how each one is read, and what to do with a format that is not supported.
Lookio reads each format with the reader that fits it best. The app, the API and the engine accept the same formats and the same sizes.
Accepted formats
| Format | Extensions | Size limit | Read with |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF, scans included | pdf | 50 MB | OCR |
| Images | png jpg jpeg webp gif bmp tif tiff avif | 20 MB | OCR |
| PowerPoint | pptx ppsx | 30 MB | OCR |
| Word and OpenDocument text | docx docm odt | 25 MB | Conversion to Markdown |
| Spreadsheets | xlsx xlsm xls xlsb ods numbers | 25 MB | Conversion to Markdown |
| CSV | csv tsv | 90 MB | Lookio’s own parser |
| Saved web pages | html htm xml | 8 MB | Conversion to Markdown |
| Text | txt md markdown mdx json | 5 MB | Read as is. A JSON file that lists rows is read as a table |
The limit is per file. The extension sets the format. The first bytes of a binary file must match its extension: a text file renamed .pdf is refused.
How each reader behaves
- OCR reads text from PDFs, including scans, from images and from slides. The text keeps page markers, so a citation can name the page.
- Conversion to Markdown keeps headings, lists and tables of Word, OpenDocument, spreadsheet and HTML files.
- CSV finds the delimiter and the encoding. An export with semicolons from a European tool works.
- Text files are indexed as they are. Markdown headings become sections.
After an import, open the resource and choose View the text. You see what Lookio read and what it could not read. See Resources.
Formats Lookio does not read
Lookio refuses these formats before it stores anything, and says what to do.
| Format | What to do |
|---|---|
doc | Open the file in Word and save it as docx. |
ppt | Save it as pptx, or export it as PDF. |
odp | Export it as PDF or pptx. |
rtf | Save the document as docx. |
pages | In Pages, use File, Export To, Word or PDF. |
key | In Keynote, use File, Export To, PowerPoint or PDF. |
epub | Not supported yet. Export the book as PDF. |
zip | Not supported yet. Add the files one by one. |
heic | Export the photo as JPEG or PNG. |
Lookio also refuses any other extension, an empty file, and a file over its limit. The error gives the file’s size and the limit for its format.
Upload
In the app, drop files on the Files tab of Add a resource, or click to choose them. You can add several files at once, with the same tags and source. Each file becomes one resource.
Over the API, send the file’s bytes as the request body to POST /v1/resources/file, with its name in file_name. With the CLI, run lookio resources add-file ./handbook.pdf. The CLI streams the file from the disk.
If an upload stops before the end, Lookio refuses it and creates nothing.