File¶
Reads a file that was uploaded to the workflow and outputs its full path and, when applicable, its UTF-8 text contents. Non-text and certain binary file types are blocked from content extraction to avoid unreadable output; for these, only the path is provided.
Usage¶
Use this node at the beginning of a workflow when you need to reference an uploaded file or extract its text content for downstream processing. Select a file from the workflow's upload directory; pass the file_path output to nodes that operate on files (images, PDFs, etc.) and use text_contents for nodes that consume text.
Inputs¶
| Field | Required | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| file | True | STRING | Select a file from the workflow's input directory. You can also upload a new file via the selector. | notes.txt |
Outputs¶
| Field | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| file_path | STRING | Absolute path to the selected file for use by other nodes. | /inputs/notes.txt |
| text_contents | STRING | UTF-8 decoded text contents of the file when readable; empty string for blocked or non-text files. | Meeting notes for Q2... |
Important Notes¶
- Content extraction blocklist: Text extraction is skipped for these extensions: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .webp, .heic, .heif, .hevc, .avif, .tiff, .bmp, .ico, .svg, .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .zip, .gzip, .7z.
- Encoding: Files are read as binary and decoded as UTF-8. If decoding fails, text_contents will remain empty and an error is logged.
- Path validity: The node validates that the selected file exists in the annotated input directory before running.
- Best practice: Use file_path for non-text file processing (e.g., images or archives) and text_contents only for plain-text compatible files.
Troubleshooting¶
- Invalid file path: If you see 'Invalid file path:
', ensure the file is present in the workflow's input directory or re-upload it via the selector. - Empty text_contents for text file: The file may not be UTF-8 encoded or may be on the blocklist. Convert the file to UTF-8 or use a different node that supports the file type.
- Garbled text: This indicates a non-UTF-8 encoding. Convert the file to UTF-8 before uploading.
- No files listed: Verify that the input directory contains files and that you have permission to read them.
Example Pipelines¶
