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List and save PDF attachments and read attached PDFs #53
Description
What are you trying to do?
Some PDFs contain embedded files, including other PDFs and file-attachment annotations on later pages. I want to find and save those files and read attached PDFs without losing my place or edits in the parent document. Folio currently has no attachment list or attached-PDF reading flow.
What would help?
A Files sidebar panel that lists document-level attachments and file-attachment annotations across all pages, lets users save individual files, and opens attached PDFs in temporary read-only tabs. The parent remains mounted with its place, forms, and edits intact. An already-open child can remain usable after its parent closes. Child documents stay out of Recent, saved views, markup, and AI history.
The proposed first version includes separate embedded-stream and child-PDF password prompts, cancellation/retry, and clear feedback for unsupported or invalid files. Recursive browsing of attachments inside attached PDFs and editing attached PDFs are outside this scope. No accounts, telemetry, or network service are needed.
Scope agreement and existing implementation
Related PR: #52. This was built and tested in my fork before I proposed it upstream, so I missed the issue-first and prior-maintainer-approval steps in CONTRIBUTING.md. This issue is to obtain that scope agreement; the existing implementation does not imply approval or an expectation of merge. Would this feature fit Folio, and what scope changes would you want before considering it?
The PR is ready for implementation feedback, is updated to upstream main 5ef1503, and has passing Windows, macOS, and Linux CI in the fork. Test evidence and known validation limits are in the PR description.
Activity
mberman84 commentedon Nov 11, 2026
@pablopda, we can review a smaller first PR that lists attachments embedded at the document level and lets the reader save one. A small PDF fixture can verify that the saved bytes match the attachment. Page-level attachment annotations and reading attached PDFs in their own tabs can be proposed separately. Please confirm you want to take this first piece, or link a PR here, by November 24 at 5 p.m. Pacific.
pablopda commentedon Nov 11, 2026
Yes, I'll take this first piece: list document-level attachments and save one, with a small PDF fixture checking the saved bytes match. Page-level annotations and attached-PDF tabs are left out. I'll link the PR here once CI passes on all three platforms.
pablopda commentedon Nov 11, 2026
The PR for this first piece is #92: it lists document-level attachments in a Files tab and saves one, with a generated PDF fixture checking the saved bytes match. Windows, macOS and Linux CI passed in my fork (https://github.com/pablopda/folio/actions/runs/43070144162). It's a draft until I attach the before/after screenshots; I'll mark it ready then.