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integrate-file-viewer — Claude Code skill: how to install

Sets up CogniteFileViewer in Flows applications to render CDF files, documents, and images without manual PDF worker configuration.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add cognitedata/builder-skills --skill integrate-file-viewer -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What integrate-file-viewer does

This skill guides coding agents through embedding the Cognite file viewing library into a Flows project. It inspects package.json and vite.config.ts, moves library code into src/cognite-file-viewer/, and adds react-pdf@^9.1.1. The agent avoids installing pdfjs-dist directly because react-pdf includes it internally.

The skill adds optimizeDeps.exclude: ['pdfjs-dist'] to vite.config.ts so Vite skips pre-bundling that breaks the PDF.js web worker. The component handles native PDFs, images (JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG, TIFF), and plain text. Office formats like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint render via CDF Document Preview API conversion.

Without an explicit height on the container or component styles, the viewer collapses to zero height. File references accept CDF internal IDs, data-modeled instance IDs, or direct URLs.

What it helps with

  • integrate CogniteFileViewer into a Flows app
  • configure react-pdf and Vite worker exclusions
  • preview CDF images, PDF files, and converted office documents
  • render diagram annotation overlays using instance IDs

Example prompts for the agent

  • Add CogniteFileViewer to the asset inspector component
  • Integrate CDF file preview with PDF annotations into this view
  • Set up the file viewer for CDF documents and configure Vite

How to install integrate-file-viewer

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add cognitedata/builder-skills --skill integrate-file-viewer -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/integrate-file-viewer/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/integrate-file-viewer/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about integrate-file-viewer

How to install integrate-file-viewer in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add cognitedata/builder-skills --skill integrate-file-viewer -a claude-code in your terminal. This creates ~/.claude/skills/integrate-file-viewer/SKILL.md.

What does integrate-file-viewer do?

It manages the end-to-end setup of CogniteFileViewer: copying source files to src/cognite-file-viewer/, installing react-pdf@^9.1.1, and configuring Vite dependency optimization.

Which file formats are supported by the viewer?

It previews PDF files, plain text (.txt, .csv, .json), raster and vector images, plus Office documents converted via the CDF Document Preview API.

Source text

SKILL.md · Apache-2.0
---
name: integrate-file-viewer
description: "MUST be used whenever integrating CogniteFileViewer into a Flows app to preview CDF files (PDFs, images, text). Do NOT manually wire up react-pdf or file resolution — this skill handles installation, Vite config, worker setup, and component usage. Triggers: file viewer, file preview, CogniteFileViewer, PDF viewer, view CDF files, document viewer, preview file."
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Edit, Write, Bash
---

# Integrate CogniteFileViewer

Add `CogniteFileViewer` to this Flows app to preview CDF files (PDF, image, text).

## Dependencies

The file-viewer library files (copied in Step 2) require this npm package:

| Package | Version |
|---|---|
| `react-pdf` | `^9.1.1` |

`pdfjs-dist` ships as a dependency of `react-pdf` at the correct version — do not install it separately.
`react` and `@cognite/sdk` are assumed to already be present in Flows apps.

---

## Your job

Complete these steps in order. Read each file before modifying it.

---

## Step 1 — Understand the app

Read these files before touching anything:

- `package.json` — detect package manager (`packageManager` field or lock file) and existing deps
- `vite.config.ts` — understand current Vite setup
- The component where the viewer should be added

---

## Step 2 — Copy the file-viewer source files

The file-viewer library lives in the `code/` directory next to this skill file. Read and copy
**all** files from there into `src/cognite-file-viewer/` inside the app:

- `code/types.ts`
- `code/mimeTypes.ts`
- `code/fileResolution.ts`
- `code/useViewport.ts`
- `code/useFileResolver.ts`
- `code/useDocumentAnnotations.ts`
- `code/DocumentAnnotationOverlay.tsx`
- `code/CogniteFileViewer.tsx`
- `code/index.ts`

> The PDF.js worker is configured inside `CogniteFileViewer.tsx` — no separate consumer setup is needed.

---

## Step 3 — Install dependencies

Install `react-pdf` (see **Dependencies** above) using the app's package manager:

- pnpm → `pnpm add react-pdf@^9.1.1`
- npm  → `npm install react-pdf@^9.1.1`
- yarn → `yarn add react-pdf@^9.1.1`

> **pnpm users:** pnpm's strict linking may prevent the browser from resolving `pdfjs-dist`. Either add `pdfjs-dist` as a direct dependency (`pnpm add pdfjs-dist`), or add `public-hoist-pattern[]=pdfjs-dist` to `.npmrc`.

---

## Step 4 — Configure Vite

Add `optimizeDeps.exclude: ['pdfjs-dist']` to `vite.config.ts` to prevent Vite from pre-bundling pdfjs-dist (which breaks the worker):

```ts
export default defineConfig({
  // ... existing config ...
  optimizeDeps: {
    exclude: ['pdfjs-dist'],
  },
});
```

---

## Step 5 — Use the component

Import and render `CogniteFileViewer` from the locally copied files:

```tsx
import { CogniteFileViewer } from './cognite-file-viewer';
```

Get the `sdk` from the `useDune()` hook (already available in every Flows app):

```tsx
import { useDune } from '@cognite/dune';
const { sdk } = useDune();
```

### Supported file types

| Type | Formats |
|---|---|
| PDF | `.pdf` — page navigation, zoom, pan, diagram annotation overlay |
| Office documents | Word, PowerPoint, Excel, ODS, ODP, ODT, RTF, TSV — converted to PDF via the CDF Document Preview API, then rendered identically to PDF |
| Image | JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG, TIFF — zoom, pan, rotation |
| Text | `.txt`, `.csv`, `.json` — rendered as preformatted text |
| Other | Falls back to `renderUnsupported` |

### Minimal usage

This is all you need — zoom, pan, and touch gestures are handled internally:

```tsx
<CogniteFileViewer
  source={{ type: 'internalId', id: file.id }}
  client={sdk}
  style={{ width: '100%', height: '600px' }}
/>
```

> **The component needs a defined height.** If the parent has no explicit height, the viewer will collapse to zero. Always set a `height` via `style`, `className`, or the parent container.

### File source

Pass any of three source types:

```tsx
// By instance ID (data-modelled file — enables annotations)
<CogniteFileViewer
  source={{ type: 'instanceId', space: 'my-space', externalId: 'my-file' }}
  client={sdk}
/>

// By CDF internal ID
<CogniteFileViewer
  source={{ type: 'internalId', id: 12345 }}
  client={sdk}
/>

// By direct URL
<CogniteFileViewer
  source={{ type: 'url', url: 'https://...', mimeType: 'application/pdf' }}
/>
```

**Prefer `instanceId` when available** — it's the only source type that enables the diagram annotation overlay. When listing files via `sdk.files.list()`, check `file.instanceId` first:

```tsx
source={
  file.instanceId
    ? { type: 'instanceId', space: file.instanceId.space, externalId: file.instanceId.externalId }
    : { type: 'internalId', id: file.id }
}
```

### Full props reference

```tsx
<CogniteFileViewer
  // Required
  source={source}
  client={sdk}              // required for instanceId and internalId sources

  // PDF pagination
  page={page}               // controlled current page (1-indexed)
  onPageChange={setPage}
  onDocumentLoad={({ numPages }) => setNumPages(numPages)}

  // Zoom & pan (works on PDF and images)
  zoom={zoom}               // 1 = 100%; Ctrl/Cmd+wheel, pinch-to-zoom, and middle-click drag built in
  onZoomChange={setZoom}
  minZoom={0.25}            // default
  maxZoom={5}               // default
  panOffset={pan}           // controlled pan offset; resets on page change
  onPanChange={setPan}

  // Fit mode
  fitMode="width"           // 'width' fits to container width; 'page' fits entire page in container

  // Rotation (PDFs and images)
  rotation={rotation}       // 0 | 90 | 180 | 270

  // Diagram annotations (instanceId sources only)
  showAnnotations={true}    // default
  onAnnotationClick={(annotation) => { /* annotation.linkedResource has space + externalId */ }}
  onAnnotationHover={(annotation) => {}}

  // Custom annotation tooltip (replaces native <title> tooltip)
  renderAnnotationTooltip={(annotation, rect) => (
    <div style={{
      position: 'absolute',
      left: rect.x + rect.width,
      top: rect.y,
      zIndex: 11,
    }}>
      {annotation.text}
    </div>
  )}

  // Custom overlay (SVG paths, highlights, drawings — works on PDF and images)
  renderOverlay={({ width, height, originalWidth, originalHeight, pageNumber, rotation }) => (
    <svg
      width={width}
      height={height}
      viewBox={`0 0 ${originalWidth} ${originalHeight}`}
      preserveAspectRatio="none"
      style={{ position: 'absolute', top: 0, left: 0, pointerEvents: 'all' }}
    >
      <path d="..." stroke="cyan" fill="none" />
    </svg>
  )}

  // Custom renderers (all optional)
  renderLoading={() => <MySpinner />}
  renderError={(error) => <MyError message={error.message} />}
  renderUnsupported={(mimeType) => <div>Cannot preview {mimeType}</div>}

  // Layout
  className="..."
  style={{ width: '100%', height: '100%' }}
/>
```

---

## Tips & tricks

**Reset page, zoom and rotation when the source changes.**
The component does not reset these automatically when you switch files — do it yourself:

```ts
const navigateToFile = (file: FileInfo) => {
  setSelectedFile(file);
  setPage(1);
  setZoom(1);
  setRotation(0);
};
```

**Gate pagination UI on `numPages > 0`.**
`onDocumentLoad` only fires for PDFs. Don't render pagination controls until you know there are pages to paginate:

```tsx
{numPages > 0 && (
  <>
    <button disabled={page <= 1} onClick={() => setPage(p => p - 1)}>‹</button>
    <span>{page} / {numPages}</span>
    <button disabled={page >= numPages} onClick={() => setPage(p => p + 1)}>›</button>
  </>
)}
```

**Annotation click → navigate to linked file.**
`annotation.linkedResource` contains the `space` and `externalId` of the linked CDF instance. Match it against `file.instanceId` to navigate:

```ts
onAnnotationClick={(annotation) => {
  if (!annotation.linkedResource) return;
  const { space, externalId } = annotation.linkedResource;
  const linked = files.find(
    f => f.instanceId?.space === space && f.instanceId?.externalId === externalId
  );
  if (linked) navigateToFile(linked);
}}
```

**Touch support is built in.** Two-finger pinch-to-zoom and two-finger drag-to-pan work on touch devices automatically. No configuration needed.

**Pan is middle-click drag** (when zoomed in) on desktop. Left-click remains free for annotation clicks and text selection.

**Ctrl/Cmd + wheel zooms toward the cursor** — also built in. Wire `zoom`/`onZoomChange` if you want programmatic zoom buttons or to persist zoom state; otherwise it works fully uncontrolled.

**`renderOverlay` receives original page dimensions** (`originalWidth`, `originalHeight`) so you can set up an SVG `viewBox` in the original coordinate space. Paths drawn in PDF-point or image-pixel coordinates will map correctly to the rendered page at any zoom level.

---

## Common pitfalls

| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| `Failed to resolve module specifier 'pdf.worker.mjs'` | pdfjs-dist not hoisted (pnpm) | Add `public-hoist-pattern[]=pdfjs-dist` to `.npmrc`, or `pnpm add pdfjs-dist` directly |
| `API version does not match Worker version` | `pdfjs-dist` version mismatch between app and `react-pdf` | Do not install `pdfjs-dist` separately — let `react-pdf` provide it. If already installed, remove it |
| Annotations never show | `instanceId` is `undefined` — annotation overlay is disabled without it | Use `instanceId` source, or fall back and accept no annotations for classic files |
| Annotations show but are empty | File has no `CogniteDiagramAnnotation` edges in CDF | Expected — only P&ID/diagram files synced to the data model have annotations |
| Viewer collapses to zero height | Parent has no explicit height | Set `height` via `style`, `className`, or parent CSS |

© cognitedata · Apache-2.0 · cognitedata/builder-skills

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