What Balise opens
| Extension | What Balise does with it |
|---|---|
.md, .markdown | Markdown document with exact source preserved |
.csv | Delimited data with detected dialect |
.tsv, .tab | Same engine, with tabs preferred |
.mmd, .mermaid | Mermaid source rendered locally |
Opening a folder activates a Markdown workspace.
Balise refuses to open them and preserves originals without conversion.
Import a document
File > Import… reads an external file and prepares a new unsaved copy. The source is never modified. The proposed name reuses the filename with a converti suffix.
| Source | Proposed copy |
|---|---|
.txt, .rtf, .html, .htm | Markdown |
.docx, .epub, .pdf | Markdown |
.json, .yaml, .yml, .xml | Markdown or CSV |
.tsv, .tab, .xlsx, .ods | CSV |
The preview lets you choose Markdown or CSV when both are possible. For a multi-sheet document, select one sheet or import all; each becomes a separate CSV document.
Balise preserves headings, lists, tables, links and emphasis it can represent cleanly. Local images become Markdown assets and are copied beside the new document on its first save. A PDF without usable text goes through local text recognition and keeps a page image as reference.
Companion files
Balise sometimes writes small files beside yours. None contains the only copy of any data: delete them and your files remain complete.
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
file.csv.balise.json | Formatting, merged cells, validation rules and protection, without CSV data |
[folder].balisekanban | Columns, card order and metadata, no Markdown text |
[folder].balisewhiteboard | Whiteboard positions, groups and relationships |
.baliseindex/ | Rebuildable local summaries and their fingerprints |
Choose CSV companion-file locations in Settings.
Convert a data copy
Convert a copy produces a new file for a specific tool. Your original is never modified.
| Profile | When to choose it |
|---|---|
| Preserve | Keep the exact dialect detected on open |
| RFC 4180 | A tool requires strictly standard CSV |
| Unix UTF-8 with LF line endings | Scripts, Git repositories and processing pipelines |
| Excel UTF-8 with BOM | A spreadsheet requiring a BOM |
| Regional semicolon | A spreadsheet configured in French |
| TSV | Content has many commas |
Conversion starts with a preview showing dialect, encoding and content changes before you choose the destination. The final write checks that the source has not changed since the preview was calculated.
Share from Markdown
Copy context immediately puts the last prepared summary, then the document name linked to its local path, on the clipboard for Codex or Claude Code, without full source or attachments. You can also print the document while retaining equations and diagrams.
File > Export… makes a standalone HTML, unthemed HTML, PDF or DOCX copy of the current content. See The Markdown workspace for settings and resource limits. DOCX preserves editable text; its equations and diagrams become images.
A Mermaid diagram exports to SVG and PNG.
A data inspection report exports to Markdown or JSON.
What Balise does not convert
Balise never modifies the imported document or saves in its original format. Import only creates a Markdown or CSV copy.
Numbers files and password-protected documents are unsupported.