Upload Attribute

Owned by Seth Petry-Johnson
Last updated: Aug 28, 2023
3 min read

Summary

File Upload attributes allow arbitrary documents to be uploaded as part of a Workflow. These attributes are often used to collect supporting documentation. All uploaded documents are stored in the document library of the Workflow Owner. Users can upload any type of document using this data type.

Configuration

This attribute collects:

  • An indicator to Allow Existing Files.  When checked, the user can select files from their Library of previously uploaded files in addition to uploading a file from the local device.

  • An indicator to Allow Files to Have No Extension.  Files without an extension cannot be rendered. as a PDF and complicate some usage scenarios.  We recommend disallowing these types of files unless you have a specific reason to allow them.

  • A list of Allowed Extensions separated by commas.  This list will restrict the types of files that can be uploaded.  When blank, all file types are allowed.

    • The following are common read-only extensions:

      • pdf, jpg, jpeg, tif, tiff, bmp, png, gif

    • Use the following list if you want to ensure all uploaded files can be view as a PDF:

      • doc, docx, jpg, jpeg, jp2, jpx, bmp, png, gif, tiff, tif, Pdf, eps

  • A File Library which issued to organize files into different groups, and in some cases to control which files are able to be selected for different features.  Clicking the  icon will give a detailed list of available File Libraries with their properties.

Display Modes

In input mode, 

The following is an example of an Upload Input Field with Allow Existing Files enabled:

  • If Allow Existing Files is disabled, the [Choose from library] link will be hidden.

  • If the user clicks the [Choose from library] link, they will see the following window to select a file from their document library:

  • The user is also given the choice to Search their document library. The search field searches both the Filename and the Description fields.

  • When a user chooses to Upload a file, it is automatically assigned a Description based on the Title of the Object on which it was uploaded.

In display mode, the attribute appears as follows:

The user has the option to download the document or, if the file type is supported, to view it as a PDF. If their browser supports it, PDFs will be viewed directly on a new browser tab or window without downloading first. The following file types are supported for PDF viewing:

  • MS Office Extensions: .doc, .docx

  • Basic Image Extensions: .jpg, .jpeg, .jp2, .jpx, .bmp, .png, .gif, .tiff, .tif

  • Other Extensions: .Pdf, .eps

Other files type may be supported but have not been tested. The list of the supported file type is controlled by the PdfConversionTypes App Config Setting.

The icons to the right of the file name allow the user to:

  • Download the file (note: clicking the file name will also download the file)

  • View it as a PDF (if the file type supports PDF viewing)

Data Storage

This attribute stores data about the file in the UPLOAD table and references the file using the UPLOAD_ID assigned to the file. The file itself is stored on the server file system and is renamed to match the UPLOAD_ID.

When included in a report, the ID is shown. When a file is chosen from the file library, the same Upload ID can be referenced by more than one upload attribute instance.