Load GCS File¶
Reads a file from a Google Cloud Storage (GCS) path and returns its contents as a string. Validates the path format and delegates the read operation to a backend service, returning whatever text content is retrieved.
Usage¶
Use this node when you need to load the textual contents of a file stored in GCS into your workflow (e.g., PDB files, JSON, TXT). Provide a fully qualified GCS path starting with gs:// and connect the output to downstream nodes that accept string content.
Inputs¶
| Field | Required | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gcs_path | True | STRING | Fully qualified GCS path to the file to read. Must start with gs:// and include the bucket and object path. | gs://emi-file-uploads/scaffolds/template.pdb |
Outputs¶
| Field | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| file_content | STRING | The complete textual content of the file loaded from the specified GCS path. | ATOM 1 N GLY A 1 11.104 13.207 12.851 1.00 20.00 N ... |
Important Notes¶
- This node expects a valid GCS URI format (gs://bucket/path/to/object). It will raise an error if the format is invalid.
- The output is a string. If the target file is binary or not UTF-8/ASCII text, the returned content may be unreadable or empty.
- Access to the specified GCS bucket/object must be permitted for the underlying service; insufficient permissions will cause failures.
- The operation has a fixed timeout (approximately 120 seconds). Very large files or slow networks may lead to timeouts.
- If the file is large, consider whether downstream nodes can handle long strings or large payloads.
Troubleshooting¶
- Invalid GCS path format error: Ensure the path begins with gs:// and includes the bucket and full object path (e.g., gs://my-bucket/path/file.txt).
- Empty content returned: Verify the file actually contains text, confirm it is not binary, and check that the specified object path is correct.
- Permission denied or not found: Confirm that the service has read access to the bucket and object; verify IAM roles and that the object exists.
- Timeout while loading: Reduce file size, check network connectivity, or try again later. If the file is very large, consider alternative approaches to handle or stream the data.
- Unexpected characters or encoding issues: Ensure the file is encoded in UTF-8 or a compatible text encoding expected by downstream consumers.