The /file-convert-extract command enables you to convert between file formats and extract content from documents. Perfect for:

• Converting Excel to CSV
• Extracting text from PDFs
• Converting Markdown to PDF/DOCX
• Processing Word and PowerPoint files
• Validating CSV data

​

Basic Usage

Use the command to convert and extract files:

/file-convert-extract convert "report.xlsx" to CSV format

/file-convert-extract extract text from "document.pdf"

/file-convert-extract convert "readme.md" to PDF with A4 format

​

Key Features

​

File Conversion

• Excel (.xlsx) to CSV
• Markdown (.md) to PDF/DOCX
• HTML to PDF
• Multi-sheet Excel processing
• Format preservation

​

Text Extraction

• PDF to plain text
• Word documents to text
• PowerPoint to text
• Content preservation
• Metadata extraction

​

Data Validation

• CSV structure validation
• Data quality checks
• Error reporting
• Warning notifications
• Consistency verification

​

Output Options

• Multiple format support
• Custom PDF settings
• Sheet-by-sheet processing
• Batch operations

​

Example Commands

​

Excel to CSV

/file-convert-extract convert Excel file to CSV format

​

PDF Text Extraction

/file-convert-extract extract all text from PDF document

​

Markdown to PDF

/file-convert-extract convert markdown to PDF with letter size landscape

​

Multi-sheet Excel

/file-convert-extract convert workbook to separate CSV files per sheet

​

With Validation

/file-convert-extract convert Excel and validate resulting CSV data

​

Supported Conversions

​

Excel Processing

• Single sheet: .xlsx → .csv
• Multi-sheet: .xlsx → multiple .csv files
• Validation: Optional CSV validation
• Metadata: Row/column counts

​

Text Extraction

• PDF: .pdf → .txt
• Word: .docx → .txt
• PowerPoint: .pptx → .txt
• Clean text: Formatted output

​

Document Conversion

• Markdown: .md → .docx or .pdf
• HTML: .html → .pdf
• Format options: Size and orientation
• Quality: High-fidelity conversion

​

Input Sources

​

File URLs

{
  "file_urls": ["https://example.com/document.pdf"],
  "file_links_expire_in_days": 7
}

​

Artifact Files

// Use files from previous steps
const artifact = config.findArtifact('report.xlsx', { stepId: 'step_id' });
const payload = {
  file_urls: [artifact.url],
  file_links_expire_in_days: 7
};

​

PDF Conversion Options

​

Format Settings

• pdf_format: ‘a4’ or ‘letter’
• pdf_orientation: ‘portrait’ or ‘landscape’
• Quality: High-resolution output
• Compatibility: Standard PDF format

​

Conversion Examples

/file-convert-extract convert markdown to A4 portrait PDF
/file-convert-extract convert HTML to letter landscape PDF

​

Response Structure

​

Single File Response

{
  "files": [
    {
      "file_url": "https://pinkfish.app/files/original.pdf",
      "filename": "document.pdf",
      "converted": {
        "file_url": "https://pinkfish.app/files/converted.txt",
        "filename": "document_converted.txt",
        "mime_type": "text/plain"
      }
    }
  ],
  "total": 1
}

​

Multi-sheet Excel Response

{
  "converted": {
    "sheets": [
      {
        "sheetName": "Sales",
        "file_url": "https://pinkfish.app/files/workbook_Sales.csv",
        "filename": "workbook_Sales.csv",
        "rowCount": 50,
        "columnCount": 8
      }
    ],
    "totalSheets": 2
  }
}

​

CSV Validation

​

Validation Features

• Structure verification
• Data type checking
• Missing value detection
• Format consistency
• Error categorization

​

Validation Response

{
  "validation": {
    "isValid": true,
    "errorCount": 0,
    "warningCount": 1,
    "errors": [],
    "warnings": ["Column 'Date' has 2 empty cells"]
  },
  "validationStatus": "passed_with_warnings"
}

​

File Handling

​

Download and Save

// Single converted file
await config.downloadFromUrl(file.converted.file_url, {
  saveToFile: true,
  outputFilenames: file.converted.filename
});

// Multi-sheet files
for (const sheet of file.converted.sheets) {
  await config.downloadFromUrl(sheet.file_url, {
    saveToFile: true,
    outputFilenames: sheet.filename
  });
}

​

Binary File Handling

• Use config.downloadFromUrl() for binary files
• Automatic type detection
• Proper encoding preservation
• No manual binary handling needed

​

Best Practices

1. File Source Management

   • Use artifact URLs directly
   • Set appropriate expiration days
   • Validate source file accessibility

2. Conversion Strategy

   • Choose appropriate output formats
   • Consider file size limitations
   • Plan for multi-sheet processing

3. Validation Usage

   • Enable validation for data quality
   • Review warnings and errors
   • Handle validation failures

4. Output Handling

   • Save converted files properly
   • Use correct download methods
   • Preserve file metadata

​

Common Use Cases

​

Data Processing

/file-convert-extract convert sales spreadsheet to CSV for analysis

​

Document Processing

/file-convert-extract extract text from contract PDFs for review

​

Report Generation

/file-convert-extract convert markdown reports to professional PDFs

​

Data Migration

/file-convert-extract convert legacy Excel files to modern CSV format

​

Error Handling

​

Common Issues

• Unsupported file formats
• Corrupted source files
• Network access problems
• Size limitations

​

Error Recovery

• Validate source files first
• Check file accessibility
• Handle partial conversions
• Retry failed operations

​

Performance Considerations

​

File Size Limits

• Large files take longer
• Memory constraints apply
• Network transfer time
• Processing complexity

​

Optimization Tips

• Batch similar operations
• Use appropriate formats
• Monitor processing time
• Cache converted results

​

Tips

• Use artifact URLs directly without re-uploading content
• Enable CSV validation for data quality assurance
• Choose PDF format and orientation based on content layout
• Handle multi-sheet Excel files with separate CSV outputs
• Use downloadFromUrl() for proper binary file handling
• Set reasonable expiration days for temporary file links