An Automation v1 runs a file action when its trigger fires. Automations v1 can create folders, copy, move, import, or delete files, or start a Sync. Each v1 Automation performs one type of action, with source and destination rules that can apply across many folders.

Automations v2 connects several actions and controls in one workflow, including branches, transformations, and error paths. It is an opt-in early beta and is not recommended for business-critical production workflows. Existing v1 Automations continue to run unchanged. Read the beta terms before requesting access, and use the migration guide when evaluating an existing v1 workflow in the beta.

For a new automated-transfer deployment, establish the environment and operational owner before configuring triggers and connections. Managed File Transfer covers the first test flow and production handoff. 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.

Automation Configuration

Choose the action first, then the trigger that starts it. Triggers include file activity, inbound webhooks, and scheduled times. The available settings depend on the action and trigger you choose.

Source paths and filename patterns determine which files the Automation processes. Wildcards let one Automation cover several folders, including folders that do not exist when you configure it. For Copy and Move actions, destination settings control where files go, how they are named, whether the folder structure is preserved, and whether existing files are replaced.

For example, one Copy Files Automation can distribute each invoice uploaded to an intake folder to finance, procurement, and compliance folders. A scheduled Move Files Automation can collect matching files into a dated archive. These are separate actions; two v1 Automations watching the same source are not an ordered sequence. Avoid race conditions when one action changes files another needs.

Site Administrators can manage all Automations. Workspace Administrators and Folder Admins can manage Automations within their permitted scope. Review Ownership and Security before relying on a workflow: a v1 Automation can be owned by a user, and changing its owner changes the permissions it runs with.

Extending Automations with Integrations

Use Remote Server Mounts to give external storage a path in your Files.com file tree. An Automation can copy or move files through those paths to exchange data with cloud storage, SFTP servers, or other supported systems. A Run Sync action starts an existing Sync when replication is the right transfer method.

Files.com also connects with workflow platforms such as Boomi, MuleSoft, and Zapier. Use those integrations when part of the process runs in an external application.

Monitoring and Recovery

Automation Logs show run outcomes and the files processed. Check the result of a small first run before enabling a workflow over a large backlog. Automation Administration covers editing, disabling, and running an Automation manually where its trigger supports it.

Automatic retries are off by default in v1. When enabled, they rerun the Automation after a failure or partial failure. Review the retry behavior together with overwrite and source-deletion settings so that repeated work has the result you intend. Use Troubleshooting Automations to investigate skipped files, failed runs, or unexpected matches.

Choose the feature that owns the action, and use monitoring separately to verify its result.

Automations vs. Folder Settings

Folder Settings apply to a folder and are removed when it is deleted. Automations can cover many folders through wildcard paths and remain configured if a referenced folder is deleted. Use a Folder Setting when a rule belongs to one folder, and an Automation when the action needs its own trigger and source selection. Filename and length restrictions still apply: Files.com blocks folder moves or copies into destinations with restrictive settings such as filename or length limits.

Folder structure locks have a separate Automation setting, Ignore Locked Folders (ignore_locked_folders in the API). It defaults to on, allowing the Automation to bypass Lock Subfolders so a workflow can maintain a folder structure protected against accidental manual changes. Turn it off when the Automation must also preserve the locked structure.

Automations and Event Channels

Event Channels can report successful, failed, partially failed, skipped, and retryable runs. They route the selected events to your team or an external system and record delivery attempts. Admin email preferences cover terminal failures and partial failures after retries are exhausted, with emails batched per user.

Automations vs. Syncs

A Sync replicates one source folder to one destination and skips files whose names and sizes already match. An Automation can rename files, flatten folder structures, or deliver to several destinations in response to file activity or a schedule. Use Syncs & Automations to compare transfer timing, remote-server behavior, and destination permissions.

Automations v1