Files

Store and organize files within your projects, areas, and resources using the Explorer.

Uploading Files

  1. Navigate to a Project, Area, or Resource
  2. Click the Explorer tab
  3. Navigate to a folder (or stay at root)
  4. Click Upload File in the toolbar
  5. Choose a file from your computer
  6. Optionally add a name
  7. Click Create

Explorer Interface

Files are managed in the Explorer alongside notes and folders. See Explorer for full details on:

  • Folder organization
  • Drag and drop
  • Sorting options
  • Keyboard navigation

File Display

Each file in the Explorer shows:
- File icon (based on type)
- Name
- Size
- Upload date

File Preview

Click a file in the Explorer to open the inline previewer. The previewer renders content directly in the modal so you can review files without downloading them. The same previewer is also embedded on the full file detail page and on public file shares.

Previewable Files

File Type Preview
Images (jpg, png, gif, webp, svg, etc.) Resized image preview (:preview variant up to 1600×1600)
PDFs Embedded PDF.js viewer (in-browser pagination, zoom, search)
Videos (mp4, webm, mov, etc.) HTML5 video player with controls
Audio (mp3, wav, ogg, etc.) HTML5 audio player
Markdown (.md, .markdown) Rendered HTML (sanitized) with fenced code highlighting
Code/text (.rb, .py, .go, .js, .ts, .json, .yml, .sh, .sql, etc.) Syntax-highlighted source via Rouge, theme-aware
Office documents (.docx, .doc, .odt, .rtf, .xls, .xlsx, .ods, .ppt, .pptx, .odp, .pages, .key, .numbers) Converted to PDF in the background and rendered in the PDF viewer
Other File icon with content type and download CTA

Text and code previews are capped at the first 1 MB of content. Larger files show a truncation banner; download the full file to view the rest.

Office document previews are generated server-side using LibreOffice. After upload, conversion runs as a background job (typically a few seconds for documents, longer for large spreadsheets or slide decks). While conversion is in progress the preview pane shows "Preparing preview…". If conversion fails, the file owner sees a "Retry preview" button. Apple iWork formats (.pages, .key, .numbers) rely on LibreOffice's reverse-engineered import and may render with reduced fidelity.

Preview Actions

  • Download - Get a copy of the file
  • View Full Page - Open the full file detail page
  • Edit - Change name or move to folder
  • Delete - Remove the file
  • Share - Create a public link

Keyboard Shortcuts

While the previewer is open:

  • ESC - Close the previewer
  • ← - Previous file in the current directory
  • → - Next file in the current directory

Navigation buttons are also available in the preview toolbar.

File Names

Auto-naming

When you upload a file without specifying a name:
- The filename (without extension) is used
- Extension is preserved separately

Manual Naming

Override the auto-name by entering a custom name in the form.

Organizing Files

Using Folders

Organize files into folders:

  1. Create folders in the Explorer
  2. Drag files into folders
  3. Use breadcrumbs to navigate

Moving Files

Move files to different locations:

  1. Drag and drop - Drag onto a folder or breadcrumb
  2. Edit form - Change the folder in the edit view
  3. Move to project - Transfer to a different project

When a file is moved:
- The file content is preserved
- A journal entry is created

Supported File Types

Para supports all file types:

Common Types

Category Extensions
Documents PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT
Spreadsheets XLS, XLSX, CSV
Presentations PPT, PPTX
Images PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG
Audio MP3, WAV, M4A
Video MP4, MOV, AVI
Archives ZIP, RAR, 7Z

File Size Limits

  • Maximum file size: 100MB
  • No limit on number of files

Best Practices

Organizing Files

  1. Use folders - Group related files together
  2. Use descriptive names - "Q4-2024-Budget-Final.xlsx" not "document.xlsx"
  3. Clean up regularly - Archive or delete unused files

File Naming Conventions

Good examples:
- meeting-notes-2024-01-15.pdf
- design-mockup-v2-approved.png
- contract-client-name.docx

Poor examples:
- Document (1).pdf
- IMG_4523.jpg
- final_final_v3.docx

Collaboration

When sharing a project:

  • Collaborators can view all files
  • Collaborators can upload new files
  • Collaborators can edit file metadata
  • Uploads trigger notifications

Public Sharing

Share individual files publicly:

  1. Open the file detail view
  2. Click Share
  3. Create a share link with optional expiration
  4. Recipients can view and download

See Public Sharing for details.

Find files using global search (Cmd+K):

  • Search by file name
  • Results show the folder path
  • Results link directly to the file