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Working with a file uploaded via a form

  • May 21, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 37 views
J
Most Valuable Pathfinder
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I have a customer that is presenting users with a simple form, with two Select File boxes. The user selects the two files, and the next step in the process is a Task Bot that takes actions on those files. Both files are on accessible network shares. The two file objects are being passed to the Task Bot, but attempting to manipulate them ends in very vague failure.

Trying to simply cast the file object with .file:getName or .file:getPath returns an error (File name not found, or File Path not found)

Attempting to use Process Composer > Get Storage File also fails, but the error message shows the path to the file in CoPilot Storage: <Control Room URL>/storage/v1/file/<big long string for file>

I also tried with the Get Storage File v2, action. Unlike v1, it expects a String path to the file and outputs back to a file object; I tried to cast the file object same as above, but no dice.

I have been reading through the docs, but am not finding any info for this element on the form; just for upload file under Process Composer. I am just curious how we actually use a file that is submitted via a form.

    4 replies

    Aaron.Gleason
    Automation Anywhere Team
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    • Aaron.Gleason
    • Automation Anywhere Team
    • May 21, 2026

    ​@JLogan3o13 We have this outlined in a couple of Pathfinder videos, but here's the gist:

    In your Task Bot, you will need four input variables: Two file variables and two list variables. 

    In your Process, pass the file info from the Form to each file AND pass the SAME file info, case as a List to the two list input variables. 

    In your Task Bot, use a String: Extract from the first List element (element 0), extracting the characters AFTER ?fn= and storing that into two String variables. Those are the two filenames. 

    The file contents will still be held in the file variables like normal. 

    J
    Most Valuable Pathfinder
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    • JLogan3o13Most Valuable Pathfinder
    • Author
    • Most Valuable Pathfinder
    • May 22, 2026

    Hi, ​@Aaron.Gleason thanks for the response. I wouldn’t mind the links to those videos if you remember them; I have not hit on them yet.

    The list[0] does indeed hold the file name, but I am still not understanding how I download the file from storage to the local system for processing. If I use the file name in the Get Storage File action I get the same error. Something akin to:

    Fail to save content of <CR URL>/storage/v1/file/<stream> to C:\Temp\TempFile.csv Location

    Aaron.Gleason
    Automation Anywhere Team
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    • Aaron.Gleason
    • Automation Anywhere Team
    • May 22, 2026

    ​@JLogan3o13 I'm out of the office for some time so I'm going from memory.

    Consider using the File: Copy action to copy from the file path (list element zero) to the local file system rather than using the file variables. You might be running into a file access issue where the UNC you are copying from is expecting username/password that the CR can't provide but the local computer could. 

    J
    Most Valuable Pathfinder
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    • JLogan3o13Most Valuable Pathfinder
    • Author
    • Most Valuable Pathfinder
    • May 22, 2026

    Thanks, that failed as well. I'll keep playing with it, see if I can get it to work.

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