Uploading and importing files¶

Ultimate Notion provides comprehensive file upload functionality that allows you to upload local files to Notion and import files from external URLs. You can then use these uploaded files in various blocks like images, videos, PDFs, and generic file blocks. Check out the list of supported file types for upload.

Overview¶

Ultimate Notion supports two main methods for getting files into Notion:

Local file upload - Upload files from your local system to Notion
External URL import - Import files directly from external URLs

Both methods return an UploadedFile object that can be used in file-based blocks.

Local File Upload¶

To upload a local file to Notion, use the upload method of a session:

import ultimate_notion as uno

ROOT_PAGE = 'Tests'  # page with connected Ultimate Notion integration

notion = uno.Session.get_or_create()
root_page = notion.search_page(ROOT_PAGE).item()

# Upload a local file
with open('docs/assets/images/social-card.png', 'rb') as file:
    uploaded_image = notion.upload(file=file, file_name='social_card.png')

# Create a page and add the uploaded image
page = notion.create_page(parent=root_page, title='File Upload Demo')
page.append(uno.Image(uploaded_image, caption='An uploaded image'))

File Size Limits and Multi-part Upload¶

Ultimate Notion automatically handles file size limitations and upload modes:

Single-part upload: Files up to 20 MB are uploaded in a single request
Multi-part upload: Files larger than 20 MB are automatically split into chunks and uploaded in multiple parts

Note

Notion's free plan has a 5 MB file size limit. The 20 MB threshold is for paid plans. Ultimate Notion automatically detects the appropriate upload mode based on file size.

File Name Detection¶

If you don't specify a file_name, Ultimate Notion will attempt to detect it from the file object:

with open('LICENSE.txt', 'rb') as file:
    # File name 'LICENSE.txt' is automatically detected
    uploaded_file = notion.upload(file=file)

MIME Type Detection¶

Ultimate Notion automatically detects MIME types for uploaded files using the filetype library. If the MIME type cannot be determined, it defaults to text/plain since Notion doesn't support application/octet-stream.

External URL Import¶

You can import files directly from external URLs without downloading them locally first:

# Import a file from an external URL
url = ('https://test-videos.co.uk/vids/bigbuckbunny/mp4/h264/1080/'
       'Big_Buck_Bunny_1080_10s_20MB.mp4')
imported_file = notion.import_url(url=url, file_name='bunny.mp4')

page.append(uno.Video(imported_file, caption='Bunny movie 🐰'))

External Files vs Uploaded Files¶

You can also work with external files without uploading them to Notion:

# Create external file references
external_image = uno.url(
    'https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/08/06/09/16/flowers-4387827_1280.jpg'
)
external_pdf = uno.url(
    'https://www.melbpc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/small-example-pdf-file.pdf',
    name='External Document'
)

page.append([
    uno.Image(external_image, caption='External image'),
    uno.PDF(external_pdf, caption='External PDF'),
])

Note

External files are not stored in Notion and remain dependent on the external URL being accessible. Uploaded files are stored in Notion's infrastructure and remain available even if the original source is removed.

File Upload Status and Expiry¶

Upload Status Tracking¶

Uploaded files have a status that can be tracked using the FileUploadStatus enum:

PENDING - File upload is in progress
UPLOADED - File has been successfully uploaded and processed
EXPIRED - File upload expired before completion
FAILED - File upload failed

You can check the status of an uploaded file:

print(f"Upload status: {uploaded_image.status}")

Expiry Time Warning¶

File Upload Expiry

Uploaded files have an expiry time! Within this expiry period, the uploaded file must be used (e.g., added to a page or block), or it will be automatically deleted by Notion. You can check the expiry time using the expiry_time attribute:

print(f"File expires at: {uploaded_image.expiry_time}")

Asynchronous File Import¶

Non-blocking Import¶

The import_url method supports asynchronous operation. By default, it blocks until the import is complete, but you can make it non-blocking:

# Non-blocking import - returns immediately
video_file = notion.import_url(url=url, file_name='video.mp4', block=False)
print(f"Import started, status: {video_file.status}")  # Will likely be PENDING

# Later, check if the import is complete
video_file.update_status()
if video_file.status == uno.FileUploadStatus.UPLOADED:
    print("Import complete!")
else:
    print(f"Still processing... Status: {video_file.status}")

Waiting for Completion¶

You can explicitly wait for an upload to complete:

# Start non-blocking import
large_video = notion.import_url(url=url, file_name='large_video.mp4', block=False)

# Wait until upload is fully processed
large_video.wait_until_uploaded()
print("File is now ready to use!")

# Now you can safely use it in blocks
page.append(uno.Video(large_video, caption='Imported video'))

Managing Uploads¶

Listing Uploads¶

You can list all uploads in your workspace and filter by status:

# List all uploads
all_uploads = notion.list_uploads()

# Filter by status
pending_uploads = notion.list_uploads(filter=uno.FileUploadStatus.PENDING)
completed_uploads = notion.list_uploads(filter=uno.FileUploadStatus.UPLOADED)
failed_uploads = notion.list_uploads(filter=uno.FileUploadStatus.FAILED)

File Upload Information¶

Uploaded files provide detailed information:

# Access file metadata
print(f"File name: {uploaded_image.file_name}")
print(f"Content type: {uploaded_image.content_type}")
print(f"Content length: {uploaded_image.content_length}")
print(f"Expiry time: {uploaded_image.expiry_time}")
print(f"Status: {uploaded_image.status}")

# Check import result for URL imports
if imported_file.file_import_result:
    print(f"Import result: {imported_file.file_import_result}")

Complete Example¶

Here's a complete example demonstrating various file upload features including async operations:

"""This example demonstrates how to upload files to Notion"""

import ultimate_notion as uno

PARENT_PAGE = 'Tests'  # Defines the page where the demo should be created


with uno.Session() as notion:
    parent = notion.search_page(PARENT_PAGE).item()
    # Create a new page for our file upload demo
    page = notion.create_page(parent=parent, title='File Upload Demo')

    with open('docs/assets/images/social-card.png', 'rb') as file:
        uploaded_image = notion.upload(file=file, file_name='social_card.png')

    # Check expiry time and status
    print(f'Uploaded image expires at: {uploaded_image.expiry_time}')
    print(f'Upload status: {uploaded_image.status}')

    # Add some introductory content and append the uploaded image.
    page.append(
        [
            uno.Heading1('File Upload Example'),
            uno.Image(
                uploaded_image, caption='An uploaded image used as a demo'
            ),
        ]
    )

    # Import an external file using non-blocking mode
    url = (
        'https://test-videos.co.uk/vids/bigbuckbunny/mp4/h264/1080/'
        'Big_Buck_Bunny_1080_10s_20MB.mp4'
    )
    imported_file = notion.import_url(
        url=url, file_name='bunny.mp4', block=False
    )
    print(f'Import started with status: {imported_file.status}')

    # Wait for the import to complete
    imported_file.wait_until_uploaded()
    print(f'Import completed with status: {imported_file.status}')

    page.append(uno.Video(imported_file, caption='Bunny movie 🐰'))

    # List uploads to see our files
    all_uploads = notion.list_uploads()
    print(f'Total uploads in workspace: {len(all_uploads)}')

    completed_uploads = notion.list_uploads(
        filter=uno.FileUploadStatus.UPLOADED
    )
    print(f'Completed uploads: {len(completed_uploads)}')

This example shows:

Creating a demo page
Uploading a local image file and checking its expiry time
Adding the uploaded image to a page with a caption
Importing a video from an external URL using non-blocking mode
Waiting for the import to complete and checking status
Adding the imported video to the page
Listing and filtering uploads by status