gh-k-dense-ai-claude-scientific-writer/skills/markitdown/references/file_formats.md

File Format Support

This document provides detailed information about each file format supported by MarkItDown.

Document Formats

PDF (.pdf)

Capabilities:

• Text extraction
• Table detection
• Metadata extraction
• OCR for scanned documents (with dependencies)

Dependencies:

pip install 'markitdown[pdf]'

Best For:

• Scientific papers
• Reports
• Books
• Forms

Limitations:

• Complex layouts may not preserve perfect formatting
• Scanned PDFs require OCR setup
• Some PDF features (annotations, forms) may not convert

Example:

from markitdown import MarkItDown

md = MarkItDown()
result = md.convert("research_paper.pdf")
print(result.text_content)

Enhanced with Azure Document Intelligence:

md = MarkItDown(docintel_endpoint="https://YOUR-ENDPOINT.cognitiveservices.azure.com/")
result = md.convert("complex_layout.pdf")

---

Microsoft Word (.docx)

Capabilities:

• Text extraction
• Table conversion
• Heading hierarchy
• List formatting
• Basic text formatting (bold, italic)

Dependencies:

pip install 'markitdown[docx]'

Best For:

• Research papers
• Reports
• Documentation
• Manuscripts

Preserved Elements:

• Headings (converted to Markdown headers)
• Tables (converted to Markdown tables)
• Lists (bulleted and numbered)
• Basic formatting (bold, italic)
• Paragraphs

Example:

result = md.convert("manuscript.docx")

---

PowerPoint (.pptx)

Capabilities:

• Slide content extraction
• Speaker notes
• Table extraction
• Image descriptions (with AI)

Dependencies:

pip install 'markitdown[pptx]'

Best For:

• Presentations
• Lecture slides
• Conference talks

Output Format:

# Slide 1: Title

Content from slide 1...

**Notes**: Speaker notes appear here

---

# Slide 2: Next Topic

...

With AI Image Descriptions:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI()
md = MarkItDown(llm_client=client, llm_model="gpt-4o")
result = md.convert("presentation.pptx")

---

Excel (.xlsx, .xls)

Capabilities:

• Sheet extraction
• Table formatting
• Data preservation
• Formula values (calculated)

Dependencies:

pip install 'markitdown[xlsx]'  # Modern Excel
pip install 'markitdown[xls]'   # Legacy Excel

Best For:

• Data tables
• Research data
• Statistical results
• Experimental data

Output Format:

# Sheet: Results

| Sample | Control | Treatment | P-value |
|--------|---------|-----------|---------|
| 1      | 10.2    | 12.5      | 0.023   |
| 2      | 9.8     | 11.9      | 0.031   |

Example:

result = md.convert("experimental_data.xlsx")

---

Image Formats

Images (.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .webp)

Capabilities:

• EXIF metadata extraction
• OCR text extraction
• AI-powered image descriptions

Dependencies:

pip install 'markitdown[all]'  # Includes image support

Best For:

• Scanned documents
• Charts and graphs
• Scientific diagrams
• Photographs with text

Output Without AI:

![Image](image.jpg)

**EXIF Data**:
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D
- Date: 2024-01-15
- Resolution: 4000x3000

Output With AI:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI()
md = MarkItDown(
    llm_client=client,
    llm_model="gpt-4o",
    llm_prompt="Describe this scientific diagram in detail"
)
result = md.convert("graph.png")

OCR for Text Extraction: Requires Tesseract OCR:

# macOS
brew install tesseract

# Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install tesseract-ocr

---

Audio Formats

Audio (.wav, .mp3)

Capabilities:

• Metadata extraction
• Speech-to-text transcription
• Duration and technical info

Dependencies:

pip install 'markitdown[audio-transcription]'

Best For:

• Lecture recordings
• Interviews
• Podcasts
• Meeting recordings

Output Format:

# Audio: interview.mp3

**Metadata**:
- Duration: 45:32
- Bitrate: 320kbps
- Sample Rate: 44100Hz

**Transcription**:
[Transcribed text appears here...]

Example:

result = md.convert("lecture.mp3")

---

Web Formats

HTML (.html, .htm)

Capabilities:

• Clean HTML to Markdown conversion
• Link preservation
• Table conversion
• List formatting

Best For:

• Web pages
• Documentation
• Blog posts
• Online articles

Output Format: Clean Markdown with preserved links and structure

Example:

result = md.convert("webpage.html")

---

YouTube URLs

Capabilities:

• Fetch video transcriptions
• Extract video metadata
• Caption download

Dependencies:

pip install 'markitdown[youtube-transcription]'

Best For:

• Educational videos
• Lectures
• Talks
• Tutorials

Example:

result = md.convert("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID")

---

Data Formats

CSV (.csv)

Capabilities:

• Automatic table conversion
• Delimiter detection
• Header preservation

Output Format: Markdown tables

Example:

result = md.convert("data.csv")

Output:

| Column1 | Column2 | Column3 |
|---------|---------|---------|
| Value1  | Value2  | Value3  |

---

JSON (.json)

Capabilities:

• Structured representation
• Pretty formatting
• Nested data visualization

Best For:

• API responses
• Configuration files
• Data exports

Example:

result = md.convert("data.json")

---

XML (.xml)

Capabilities:

• Structure preservation
• Attribute extraction
• Formatted output

Best For:

• Configuration files
• Data interchange
• Structured documents

Example:

result = md.convert("config.xml")

---

Archive Formats

ZIP (.zip)

Capabilities:

• Iterates through archive contents
• Converts each file individually
• Maintains directory structure in output

Best For:

• Document collections
• Project archives
• Batch conversions

Output Format:

# Archive: documents.zip

## File: document1.pdf
[Content from document1.pdf...]

---

## File: document2.docx
[Content from document2.docx...]

Example:

result = md.convert("archive.zip")

---

E-book Formats

EPUB (.epub)

Capabilities:

• Full text extraction
• Chapter structure
• Metadata extraction

Best For:

• E-books
• Digital publications
• Long-form content

Output Format: Markdown with preserved chapter structure

Example:

result = md.convert("book.epub")

---

Other Formats

Outlook Messages (.msg)

Capabilities:

• Email content extraction
• Attachment listing
• Metadata (from, to, subject, date)

Dependencies:

pip install 'markitdown[outlook]'

Best For:

• Email archives
• Communication records

Example:

result = md.convert("message.msg")

---

Format-Specific Tips

PDF Best Practices

1. Use Azure Document Intelligence for complex layouts:

   md = MarkItDown(docintel_endpoint="endpoint_url")
   

2. For scanned PDFs, ensure OCR is set up:

   brew install tesseract  # macOS
   

3. Split very large PDFs before conversion for better performance

PowerPoint Best Practices

1. Use AI for visual content:

   md = MarkItDown(llm_client=client, llm_model="gpt-4o")
   

2. Check speaker notes - they're included in output

3. Complex animations won't be captured - static content only

Excel Best Practices

1. Large spreadsheets may take time to convert

2. Formulas are converted to their calculated values

3. Multiple sheets are all included in output

4. Charts become text descriptions (use AI for better descriptions)

Image Best Practices

1. Use AI for meaningful descriptions:

   md = MarkItDown(
       llm_client=client,
       llm_model="gpt-4o",
       llm_prompt="Describe this scientific figure in detail"
   )
   

2. For text-heavy images, ensure OCR dependencies are installed

3. High-resolution images may take longer to process

Audio Best Practices

1. Clear audio produces better transcriptions

2. Long recordings may take significant time

3. Consider splitting long audio files for faster processing

---

Unsupported Formats

If you need to convert an unsupported format:

1. Create a custom converter (see api_reference.md)
2. Look for plugins on GitHub (#markitdown-plugin)
3. Pre-convert to supported format (e.g., convert .rtf to .docx)

---

Format Detection

MarkItDown automatically detects format from:

1. File extension (primary method)
2. MIME type (fallback)
3. File signature (magic bytes, fallback)

Override detection:

# Force specific format
result = md.convert("file_without_extension", file_extension=".pdf")

# With streams
with open("file", "rb") as f:
    result = md.convert_stream(f, file_extension=".pdf")