Multi-Format Processing

Process different file formats with appropriate models and extraction techniques. This example demonstrates handling various file types including images, PDFs, and text files with optimal model selection.

Overview

Multi-format processing allows you to handle diverse file types in a single workflow, automatically selecting the best model and approach for each format. This is essential for document libraries, media collections, and heterogeneous data processing.

Basic Multi-Format Processing

Mixed File Types

Process different file formats with a single command:

dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Analyze this file and describe its content, format, and key information" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" \
  --id "multi-format-analysis" \
  --directory "./mixed-files" \
  --file-pattern "*.{pdf,jpg,png,txt,md,docx}" \
  --concurrent

Format-Specific Prompts

Use different prompts based on detected file types:

# Images
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Describe this image including objects, people, setting, and visual elements" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview,ollama:qwen2.5vl:latest" \
  --id "image-analysis" \
  --directory "./content" \
  --file-pattern "*.{jpg,jpeg,png,webp,gif}" \
  --concurrent

# Documents  
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Extract key information: title, summary, main points, and document type" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" \
  --id "document-analysis" \
  --directory "./content" \
  --file-pattern "*.{pdf,docx,txt,md}" \
  --concurrent

Advanced Multi-Format Processing

Structured Multi-Format Schema

Extract consistent data across different file formats:

dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Analyze this file and extract structured metadata" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" \
  --id "multi-format-structured" \
  --directory "./documents" \
  --file-pattern "*.{pdf,jpg,png,txt}" \
  --schema "title, type, summary, key_points array, confidence int: 1-10" \
  --concurrent

Format-Adaptive Processing

Different approaches for different formats:

# Vision models for images
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Extract visual information and any text content" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview,ollama:qwen2.5vl:latest" \
  --id "visual-content" \
  --directory "./mixed-media" \
  --file-pattern "*.{jpg,png,webp}" \
  --schema "objects array, text_content, scene_description, has_people bool" \
  --concurrent

# Text models for documents  
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Extract document structure and content analysis" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview,openrouter:openai/gpt-4o-mini" \
  --id "document-content" \
  --directory "./mixed-media" \
  --file-pattern "*.{pdf,txt,md}" \
  --schema "document_type, title, sections array, word_count int" \
  --concurrent

Format-Specific Optimizations

Image Processing Pipeline

# High-quality image analysis
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Provide detailed visual analysis including composition, colors, and subjects" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" \
  --id "detailed-images" \
  --directory "./photos" \
  --file-pattern "*.{jpg,jpeg,png}" \
  --timeout 45000 \
  --concurrent \
  --max-concurrency 4

Document Processing Pipeline

# Comprehensive document analysis
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Extract and analyze document content with context and implications" \
  --models "google:gemini-2.5-pro-exp-03-25" \
  --id "detailed-documents" \
  --directory "./reports" \
  --file-pattern "*.pdf" \
  --timeout 60000 \
  --concurrent \
  --max-concurrency 2

Text File Processing

# Code and text file analysis
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Analyze this text file for content type, quality, and key insights" \
  --models "ollama:codestral:latest,google:gemini-3-flash-preview" \
  --id "text-analysis" \
  --directory "./texts" \
  --file-pattern "*.{txt,md,js,py,ts}" \
  --concurrent

Real-World Use Cases

Digital Asset Management

# Catalog mixed media library
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Create catalog entry for this file" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" \
  --id "asset-cataloging" \
  --directory "./digital-assets" \
  --file-pattern "*.{jpg,png,pdf,mp4,docx}" \
  --schema "filename, type, description, tags array, size_category, content_rating" \
  --concurrent

Content Migration

# Analyze content for migration planning
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Assess this file for content migration: complexity, dependencies, and recommendations" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" \
  --id "migration-assessment" \
  --directory "./legacy-content" \
  --file-pattern "*.{pdf,doc,xls,ppt,jpg,png}" \
  --schema "complexity int: 1-5, dependencies array, migration_effort, recommendations" \
  --concurrent

Research Data Processing

# Process mixed research materials
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Extract research-relevant information and classify by academic discipline" \
  --models "google:gemini-2.5-pro-exp-03-25" \
  --id "research-processing" \
  --directory "./research-materials" \
  --file-pattern "*.{pdf,png,jpg,txt}" \
  --schema "discipline, research_type, methodology, key_findings array, citations int" \
  --concurrent

Performance Considerations

Model Selection by Format

Format	Recommended Model	Rationale
Images	google:gemini-3-flash-preview	Best vision capabilities
PDFs	google:gemini-3-flash-preview	Strong document understanding
Text	ollama:gemma3:12b	Cost-effective for simple text
Code	ollama:codestral:latest	Specialized code understanding
Complex Docs	google:gemini-2.5-pro	Advanced reasoning needed

Concurrency Guidelines

# Conservative approach for mixed formats
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" \
  --max-concurrency 3 \
  --timeout 45000

# Aggressive processing for simple tasks  
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --models "ollama:gemma3:12b" \
  --max-concurrency 8 \
  --timeout 30000

Output Analysis

Generate Multi-Format Report

# Comprehensive analysis report
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval report --id multi-format-analysis --format html --output multi-format-report.html

# Export structured data for analysis
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval report --id multi-format-structured --format csv --output metadata.csv

# Compare processing across formats
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval report --id multi-format-analysis --format json | jq '.results[] | {file: .file, format: .format, processing_time: .timing.total}'

Analysis Patterns

# Analyze processing time by file type
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval report --id multi-format-analysis --format json | jq '
  .results | 
  group_by(.file | split(".") | last) | 
  map({format: .[0].file | split(".") | last, avg_time: (map(.timing.total) | add / length)})
'

# Success rates by format
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval report --id multi-format-analysis --format json | jq '
  .results | 
  group_by(.file | split(".") | last) | 
  map({format: .[0].file | split(".") | last, success_rate: (map(select(.success == true)) | length) / length})
'

Error Handling

Format-Specific Error Patterns

# Robust processing with fallbacks
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Process this file, handling any format-specific challenges" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview,ollama:gemma3:12b" \
  --id "robust-multi-format" \
  --directory "./problematic-files" \
  --file-pattern "*.{pdf,jpg,txt}" \
  --timeout 60000 \
  --concurrent \
  --resume

File Size Considerations

# Handle large files with extended timeouts
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval batch \
  --prompt "Process large file with patience" \
  --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" \
  --id "large-files" \
  --directory "./large-files" \
  --file-pattern "*.{pdf,jpg}" \
  --timeout 120000 \
  --concurrent \
  --max-concurrency 1

Best Practices

Planning

• File Survey: Catalog file types and sizes before processing
• Model Mapping: Match optimal models to file formats
• Resource Planning: Estimate processing time and costs by format
• Error Anticipation: Plan for format-specific failure modes

Execution

• Batch by Type: Group similar formats when possible
• Progressive Processing: Start with smaller samples
• Monitor Resources: Watch memory usage with mixed formats
• Validate Results: Check outputs across different formats

Quality Control

• Format Validation: Ensure files are properly formatted
• Output Consistency: Use schemas to maintain structure across formats
• Spot Checking: Manually verify results from different formats
• Performance Tracking: Monitor processing efficiency by format

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Memory Usage: Mixed formats can cause memory spikes
2. Processing Time: Different formats have varying complexity
3. Model Compatibility: Not all models handle all formats well
4. Output Inconsistency: Different formats may produce different output structures

Debug Commands

# Test single file from each format
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- run --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" --file "./test.pdf" "Analyze this document"
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- run --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" --file "./test.jpg" "Analyze this image"  
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- run --models "google:gemini-3-flash-preview" --file "./test.txt" "Analyze this text"

# Check file format distribution
find ./directory -name "*.*" | sed 's/.*\.//' | sort | uniq -c

# Monitor processing progress
dotenvx run -- pnpm run cli -- eval list --details | grep multi-format

Next Steps

• Try batch processing for scaling multi-format workflows
• Explore structured output for consistent data extraction
• See cost analysis for optimizing multi-format processing costs
• Learn about model evaluation for format-specific model selection