Assets

Assets are the media, files, and notes stored inside a Box. You can view them in the Box sidebar, in Gallery view, or open them as Frames on your workspace.

Various asset types displayed in a Box

Supported Asset Types

Supported File Formats

Examples of different asset types in Refbox

Adding Assets

Refbox offers multiple ways to add Assets to your Boxes, giving you flexibility based on your workflow.

Add File Button

Use the Toolbar button to browse your computer:

1. Click the Add File button in the Toolbar
2. Select one or more files
3. Click Open to import them into the current Box

Paste from Clipboard

Perfect for screenshots and copied content:

1. Copy an image, file, or URL to your clipboard
2. Use one of these methods:
   • Click the Paste from Clipboard button in the Toolbar
   • Focus the Refbox app and use ⌃ +v :note This method does not work if you are focused on any kind of text input field.

Drag and Drop

The quickest method for adding files:

1. Drag files from your file manager or your browser
2. Drop them directly onto the Box sidebar
3. Files are instantly imported
   Certain image and video files are converted to more compressed formats upon import. Resoultion may also be downscaled for efficiency.

Dragging files into a Box

Add Notes

Create a text-based Asset:

1. Click the Add Note button in the Toolbar
2. Enter your note text
3. The note is saved to your current Box

Add URLs

To add web references, copy a URL and use the Paste from Clipboard method above.

Interacting with Assets In A Box

Refbox provides multiple ways to interact with Assets in the Box sidebar. Most actions support various input methods for mouse, trackpad, and tablet users.

Preview Assets

Click Preview

Click any Asset to open it in a temporary Frame beside the Box. The Asset displays an "eye" icon while being previewed.

As a Frame, you have access to all Frame functionality like zooming, panning, and rotating (depending on the Asset type).

Dismiss the preview:

• Click the X button on the Frame
• Press Delete orbackspace while the Frame is focused

Make it permanent:

Drag the Frame away from the Box. After a certain distance, a pulse animation plays to indicate the Frame is now permanent and the "eye" icon is removed from the Asset.

Previewing an Asset in a temporary Frame

Zoom Preview

Hold ⌃ while hovering over an Asset for a quick zoomed preview. Release to dismiss.

Reorder Assets

Click and drag any Asset up or down within the Box to reorder your collection. Your custom order is preserved automatically.

Native File Drop

Export Assets from Refbox to your operating system:

1. Hold Shift
2. Drag an Asset from the Box
3. Drop it into a folder, application, or desktop

Dragging an Asset out to the file system

Creating Frames from Assets

To view an Asset in detail on your workspace, create a Frame:

1. Click and drag an Asset from the Box sidebar
2. Drop it onto the workspace area
3. A Frame opens displaying the Asset

You can create multiple Frames from the same Asset to view it at different zoom levels or transformations.

Dragging an Asset to create a Frame

Asset Context Menu

Right-click any Asset (in the Box or Gallery view) to access context-specific actions. Available options vary depending on the asset type.

Common Actions

Type-Specific Actions

Context menu options for different asset types

Image Settings

For image and GIF Assets, right-click and select Image Settings to access crop, rendering mode (smooth or pixelated), and background color options. All settings are non-destructive.

Asset Import Quality

When importing large media files, Refbox offers quality options to balance file size and visual fidelity:

Configure the default import quality in Settings > Behavior > Assets.

Tips and Best Practices