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Folder Management

Folders are the foundation of Hippo’s RAG system - they organize your documents into isolated, searchable knowledge bases.

What are Folders?

Think of folders as knowledge base containers:
  • Each folder holds a collection of related documents
  • Documents are automatically indexed for semantic search
  • Chats are linked to folders to access their documents
  • Folders provide logical separation of knowledge domains
Best practice: Create separate folders for different knowledge domains (e.g., “Product Docs”, “HR Policies”, “Customer Support”)

Core Operations

Create a Folder

from cerevox import Hippo

hippo = Hippo(api_key="your-api-key")

# Create folder with name and description
folder = hippo.create_folder(
    name="Product Documentation",
    description="User guides, API docs, and tutorials"
)

print(f"Created: {folder.name}")
print(f"ID: {folder.id}")
Response fields:
  • id: Unique folder identifier
  • name: Folder name
  • description: Folder description
  • created_at: Creation timestamp
  • file_count: Number of files in folder

List All Folders

# Get all your folders
folders = hippo.get_folders()

for folder in folders:
    print(f"{folder.name}: {folder.file_count} files")

Get Folder Details

# Get specific folder by ID
folder = hippo.get_folder(folder_id="folder_123")

print(f"Name: {folder.name}")
print(f"Files: {folder.file_count}")
print(f"Created: {folder.created_at}")

Update Folder

# Update folder name or description
updated_folder = hippo.update_folder(
    folder_id=folder.id,
    name="Updated Product Docs",
    description="Complete product documentation library"
)

print(f"Updated: {updated_folder.name}")

Delete Folder

Deleting a folder is permanent and removes all files, chats, and Q&A history within it!
# Delete folder and all its contents
hippo.delete_folder(folder_id=folder.id)

print("Folder deleted successfully")

Folder Organization Strategies

Create folders for each department or team:
  • “Engineering Docs”
  • “Sales Playbooks”
  • “HR Policies”
  • “Customer Support”
Benefit: Easy access control and logical separation
Organize by product lines:
  • “Product A Documentation”
  • “Product B User Guides”
  • “Service X Training Materials”
Benefit: Clear product-specific knowledge bases
Useful for financial or periodic documents:
  • “Q1 2025 Reports”
  • “2024 Annual Filings”
  • “Monthly Updates - March 2025”
Benefit: Easy to archive and reference historical data
For client-specific or project-based work:
  • “Client: Acme Corp”
  • “Project: Website Redesign”
  • “Customer: TechStartup Inc”
Benefit: Isolated knowledge per client/project

Folder Limits & Quotas

Files per Folder

Free tier: Up to 100 files Pro tier: Up to 10,000 files Enterprise: UnlimitedContact sales for custom limits

Folder Count

Free tier: Up to 10 folders Pro tier: Up to 100 folders Enterprise: UnlimitedSee pricing

Best Practices

Good: “Product API Documentation v2.0” Bad: “Docs”, “Folder1”, “Misc”Descriptive names make it easier to manage multiple folders and understand their purpose at a glance.
folder = hippo.create_folder(
    name="Customer Support KB",
    description="FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and product manuals for support team"
)
Descriptions help team members understand folder contents without exploring files.
# Delete old or unused folders
folders = hippo.get_folders()

for folder in folders:
    if folder.file_count == 0:
        print(f"Empty folder: {folder.name}")
        # Optionally delete
        # hippo.delete_folder(folder.id)
Clean up empty or outdated folders to keep your workspace organized.
Don’t: Create 50 folders with 2-3 files each Do: Create fewer folders with more related documentsFolders with more documents generally yield better search results.
Start with broad categories and refine as your knowledge base grows:
  1. Start: “Product Documentation”
  2. As it grows → Split into “Product A Docs”, “Product B Docs”
  3. As it grows more → Split by version or feature
Avoid premature over-organization.

Complete Example: Manage Product Docs

from cerevox import Hippo

hippo = Hippo(api_key="your-api-key")

# 1. Create folders for different product areas
folders = {}

for area in ["User Guides", "API Reference", "Tutorials", "Release Notes"]:
    folder = hippo.create_folder(
        name=f"Product Docs - {area}",
        description=f"{area} for all products"
    )
    folders[area] = folder
    print(f"Created: {folder.name}")

# 2. Upload files to appropriate folders
hippo.upload_file(folders["User Guides"].id, "getting-started.pdf")
hippo.upload_file(folders["API Reference"].id, "api-v2.pdf")
hippo.upload_file(folders["Tutorials"].id, "tutorial-basics.pdf")

# 3. List all folders and their stats
all_folders = hippo.get_folders()

print("\nFolder Summary:")
for folder in all_folders:
    print(f"  {folder.name}: {folder.file_count} files")

# 4. Clean up if needed
# hippo.delete_folder(folder_id=folders["Release Notes"].id)

Next Steps

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