Files Form

An advanced file handling form with multiple output templates and recent files support.

Source: files.yml

What It Does

This is a power-user form for batch file processing. Select multiple files, choose an output template, and get formatted content. It demonstrates:

• Recent files feature
• Template selector with conditional visibility
• Multiple template definitions
• The render_template filter for dynamic templates
• Tab-based organization

Use Case

Process multiple files with different output formats—create code context for AI, generate file manifests, build documentation, or any batch file operation.

Example output (Simple template):

# File 1: main.ts
````ts
import { app } from './app';
app.run();
````

# File 2: config.yml
````yml
port: 3000
````

Demonstration of the Files form in action

Available Templates

Template	Output Style
Simple	Basic file content with code fences
Markdown List	Detailed list with metadata
Table Summary	Markdown table of file info
Code Context	Rich format for AI code context
File Manifest	Bullet list with properties
Archive Contents	Numbered simple list

Form Configuration (Key Sections)

Schema

schema:
  type: object
  properties:
    description:
      type: string
    templateSelector:
      type: string
      enum:
        - Simple
        - Markdown List
        - Table Summary
        - Code Context
        - File Manifest
        - Archive Contents
    simpleTemplate:
      type: string
    # ... other template fields
    files:
      type: array
      format: file
  required:
    - files

UI Schema with Recent Files

- type: Control
  scope: '#/properties/files'
  label: Select files
  options:
    accept: '*'
    recentFiles:
      enabled: true
      maxItems: 100

Template Selection with Conditional Visibility

- type: Control
  scope: '#/properties/simpleTemplate'
  rule:
    effect: SHOW
    condition:
      scope: '#/properties/templateSelector'
      schema:
        const: Simple

Dynamic Template Rendering

template: |
  {% case templateSelector %}
  {% when 'Simple' %}
  {% assign activeTemplate = simpleTemplate %}
  {% when 'Markdown List' %}
  {% assign activeTemplate = markdownListTemplate %}
  {% endcase %}
  
  {% for file in files -%}
  {{activeTemplate | render_template: file}}
  {% endfor %}

Key Features

Recent Files Support

Enable quick access to recently used files:

options:
  recentFiles:
    enabled: true
    maxItems: 100

Recent Files Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	false	Enable the recent files feature
maxItems	number	10	Maximum number of files to store in history
namespace	string	—	Share history between fields with the same namespace
historyKey	string	—	Explicit storage key for complete control over history scope

Sharing history across fields:

Use namespace to share recent files between different file input fields:

# Both fields share the same recent files history
- type: Control
  scope: '#/properties/sourceFiles'
  options:
    recentFiles:
      enabled: true
      namespace: code-files

- type: Control
  scope: '#/properties/testFiles'
  options:
    recentFiles:
      enabled: true
      namespace: code-files

The render_template Filter

This special filter renders a template string with a given context:

{{activeTemplate | render_template: file}}

The file object becomes available in the template as file.name, file.text, etc.

Template Variables

Each template can use these variables:

Variable	Description
file.name	Filename without extension
file.fullName	Filename with extension
file.extension	File extension
file.text	File content
file.size	Size in bytes
file.mime	MIME type
file.hash	SHA-256 hash
forloop.index	1-based loop counter
forloop.first	True if first iteration

Using {% raw %} in Templates

Templates stored as data need {% raw %} to prevent early evaluation:

simpleTemplate: |
  {% raw %}# File {{forloop.index}}: {{file.fullName}}
  ````{{file.extension}}
  {{file.text}}
  ````{% endraw %}

Espanso Trigger

matches:
  - trigger: ':files'
    replace: '{{output}}'
    force_mode: clipboard
    vars:
      - name: output
        type: script
        params:
          args:
            - C:/Program Files/Espanso Dynamic Forms/EDF.exe
            - --form-config
            - \{\{env.EDF_FORMS}}/files.yml

Customization Ideas

• Create custom templates for your specific file-processing needs
• Add file type filtering (only code files, only images)
• Build templates for specific programming languages
• Add a description prefix that appears before files
• Create a "diff" template comparing two files