Automations
Automations run file-handling work when a trigger fires, so recurring transfers, imports, and cleanup do not depend on someone starting them each time. Files.com has two Automation versions. Use the documentation for the version of the Automation you are configuring: its ownership, inputs, execution, and recovery depend on that version.
Automations v1
Automations v1 performs one action type per Automation: Create Folders, Copy Files, Move Files, Delete Files, Import Files, or Run Sync. A single action can process many files or deliver to several destinations. Several independently triggered v1 Automations do not form an ordered multi-step workflow.
Use v1 for business-critical production workflows while v2 is in beta. Start with v1 action types and v1 triggers, then configure the source and destination rules for that action.
Automations v2 (Beta)
Automations v2 connects actions and controls into a multi-step workflow. One run can transform a file, branch on its contents, encrypt it, and deliver it, with a recorded result for each node. Nodes pass their output to the next node, so the connections define which work happens next and which files or data it receives.
V2 is an opt-in early beta and is not recommended for business-critical production workflows. Contact Support or your account manager to request access under the beta terms. With access enabled, start with the v2 Builder and example workflows.
Identifying an Automation's Version
The Automations list's Version column identifies an Automation as V1 or V2. A v1 Automation has one action type and its settings. A v2 Automation opens in the Builder as a graph of a trigger, actions, and controls.
Sites with beta access offer New Automation v1 and New Automation v2. Without beta access, creation is for v1. Enabling the beta does not convert existing v1 Automations or change how they run.
A v2 Revision identifies a saved graph, not the Automation version. Revision 1 of a v2 Automation is still Automations v2.
Automation Configuration
Both versions select work through triggers and can act on paths in Files.com, including Remote Server Mounts. Configure the action directly in v1. In v2, configure the trigger's input and the nodes that process it. Similar names do not make settings or behavior interchangeable.
| Question | Automations v1 | Automations v2 |
|---|---|---|
| What runs? | One action type | A connected graph of actions and controls |
| Which files are selected? | Source paths and filename patterns | Trigger file selection, followed by each node's inputs |
| Where do files go? | Destination paths and tokens | Node destinations and TransformScript templates |
| Whose permissions apply? | The current owner's permissions; a Folder Admin edit can change ownership | Site or Workspace ownership, independent of the user who edits it |
| What does an inbound webhook supply? | A trigger request; its body is ignored | JSON data items or selected files and folders for the workflow |
| How does a failed run retry? | Replans the work, excluding matching operations already successful or skipped | Resumes at the failed node, reusing completed nodes' outputs |
Migration from v1 to v2
Migration is optional during the beta. Conversion is one-way, so evaluate an existing workflow by converting a disabled clone and keeping its v1 original. Review the converted graph, trigger, and destinations before testing with non-production files. Runs recorded before conversion retain their original format; use the guidance for the version that produced the run.
Monitoring and Recovery
For v1, use Automation Logs, retry behavior, and v1 troubleshooting. For v2, use Run Logs and Run Detail to inspect node inputs, outputs, errors, and branches, then follow v2 troubleshooting.
Extending Automations with Integrations
A Workspace can group an Automation with the Remote Servers, folders, and other flows for the same task or functional area, even when one IT team manages them all.
Remote Servers connect Automations to external storage through mounted paths or Syncs. Files.com also connects with workflow platforms such as Boomi, MuleSoft, Zapier, and Power Automate and Azure Logic Apps when part of the process belongs in another application.
Comparing Automations to Related Features
Choose the feature that performs the work, then monitor its result separately. For a new automated-transfer deployment, Managed File Transfer covers environment choice, operational ownership, and the first production handoff.
Automations vs. Folder Settings
A Folder Setting applies a rule to a folder and is removed when that folder is deleted. An Automation has its own trigger and source selection and remains configured if a referenced folder is deleted. Use a Folder Setting when the rule belongs to that folder; use an Automation when the work needs its own timing, selection, or destinations.
Automations and Event Channels
Event Channels report selected Automation run outcomes to your team or an external system. They monitor the result of the work; the Automation performs it.
Automations vs. Syncs
A Sync replicates one source folder to one destination and skips files whose names and sizes already match. Use an Automation when the workflow needs renaming, several destinations, or processing beyond replication. Syncs & Automations compares transfer timing, remote-server behavior, and destination permissions.
Automations vs. Expectations
An Expectation monitors for expected deliveries and reports the ones that do not occur. With Content Validation, it also validates file contents against rules you write, without changing the files. An Expectation opens an Incident when a scheduled delivery does not arrive or does not pass its checks. Use an Expectation to confirm that a partner delivered the file on time and that it passed its checks, and an Automation to process the file.
Automations vs. AI Tasks
An AI Task runs Files.com AI on a schedule, when file activity occurs, or when an administrator starts it, to review a document, audit permissions, or evaluate anything else that a fixed rule cannot. Use an Automation for defined file operations and an AI Task for a review that needs interpretation. Combine them by having an Automation move a file to a staging folder, an AI Task review it, and another Automation deliver it.