Licensed to be used in conjunction with basebox, only.
// documents
Uploading files
Overview
How to get files into the chat or a knowledge base – by drag and drop, file dialog or as a whole folder – and what happens to them afterwards. There are two places for uploads, which differ in purpose and limits:
| In the chat | In an app's knowledge base | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | A file for the current conversation | Documents an app answers from permanently |
| Size per file | 10 MB | Considerably more; the value is set by your organisation |
| Number | Up to the allowed number of attachments | Up to the allowed number, e.g. "up to 5000 files" |
| Lifetime | Temporary, for the conversation | Stays in the app until removed |
| Citations | No | Yes, with source passages |
Uploading in the chat
- Click the paperclip icon in the input bar or drag the file into the chat by drag and drop.
- Wait for the confirmation "File uploaded successfully". Sending is blocked while uploads are running.
- Refer to the file in your question: "Summarise the uploaded minutes."
You can attach several files; the preview above the input field shows them. If you exceed the allowed number, basebox accepts files up to the limit and tells you exactly how many were left out.
Uploading to a knowledge base
- Open the app in the app editor and switch to the "Files" tab.
- Drag files or whole folders into the area – or click "Upload" or "Browse" and pick files or a folder in the file dialog.
- The upload area states the limits that apply to you, for example "Drop up to 5000 files with a maximum size of 1,000 MB here".
- Save the app.
For folder uploads the original file name is kept. How the app answers from the files is described under Knowledge bases & sources and What is RAG?.
What happens after the upload
- Text is extracted – from PDF, Word, PowerPoint, e-mail and text files.
- Spreadsheets are captured in a structured way – Excel files can be analysed and calculated with.
- Images and scans are read by text recognition (OCR) – including image-only PDFs and Word files that contain nothing but images. Where a GPU is available, recognition is GPU-accelerated, otherwise it falls back to the CPU automatically.
- Audio files are not transcribed on their own – you give an instruction, such as "Transcribe this recording". See Using speech-to-text.
In the knowledge base you see a processing status per file. A file becomes usable once processing is complete.
Replacing and re-uploading
- If you upload a file with the same name again, the existing one is replaced automatically.
- A deleted file can be uploaded again straight away.
Notes
Note
- Which formats work is listed in full under Supported file formats. Rules of thumb: CSV → save as XLSX, ZIP → extract, video → extract the audio track.
- Password-protected files cannot be processed. Remove the protection first.
- A file that is too large produces a clear message naming the real limit.
- The amount of text counts, not the megabytes: a dense 2 MB PDF can exhaust the context window, a 10 MB Excel file with a few cells will not.
Only upload content you have the rights to
Documents in a knowledge base are visible to everyone the app is shared with. Do not upload content those people are not allowed to see.
Frequently asked questions
Where do my chat files end up? They are processed for the conversation and not kept permanently. For documents you need permanently, an app knowledge base is the right place.
Can I drag a whole folder into the chat? Folder uploads are meant for knowledge bases. In the chat you attach individual files.
Why is my file not recognised? Format, size or corruption – the error message usually names the reason. Step by step: Solving upload problems.
Need help? Contact support