Working Smarter with File Storage¶
Using Views in PocketBase: Example with image_files_overview¶
When working with files, especially images, you’ll often notice that your frontend or services need the same kind of information over and over again: file name, size, dimensions, maybe a description. Instead of assembling this data manually every time, you can create a view in PocketBase that prepares everything for you in advance.
A view acts like a ready-made answer. You ask for image data, and it comes already shaped exactly the way your UI or service needs it.
Why an image view is useful¶
In systems where images are uploaded, processed, and analyzed (for example resized or enriched with AI-generated descriptions), the raw files collection quickly becomes too generic. You don’t always need all files—you often just need images with relevant metadata.
This is where a dedicated view like image_files_overview becomes very helpful.
Example: image_files_overview¶
This view focuses only on image files and exposes the most useful fields for display or processing.
SELECT
f.id,
f.name,
f.mime_type,
f.width,
f.height,
f.size,
f.description,
f.asset_file_id,
f.created
FROM files f
WHERE f.mime_type LIKE 'image/%';
How to think about it¶
Once this view is created, your application no longer needs to:
- filter images manually
- extract metadata field by field
- repeat the same logic across multiple components
Instead, you simply query:
And receive clean, ready-to-use image data.