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Performing Actions on New Files

Files.com supports several integration patterns for taking action when new files arrive on your site. Choose the option that fits your scenario.

OptionDetails
AutomationsBuilt into Files.com that allow you to automatically copy or move an arriving file to another folder (which in turn may perform additional automated actions).
E-mail NotificationsSet at the folder level that alert selected users and groups that a file was uploaded.
WebhooksConfigured in your Files.com folders to trigger your backend processes when files arrive (or can be triggered by other file operations).
Amazon SNSTopics set at the folder level that allow you granular control of messages distributed to people and apps triggered by file uploads as well as other file operations.
Slack WebhooksAutomatically post notifications to Slack when actions occur in certain folders in your Files.com account.
Rename Uploaded FilesAutomatically renames uploaded files based on a set pattern.
GPG Encryption/DecryptionAutomatically encrypt or decrypt newly uploaded files using GPG keys that you provide.
Organize FilesAutomatically organize new and existing files into subfolders based on file extension, creation date, modification date, or using a regular expression.

Sample Use Cases for Actions on New Files

The right method depends on what your process needs to do with the arriving file.

When a file needs to be accessed and viewed by a person, an email notification alerts the person to log in and download the file manually.

When critical timing is measured in seconds rather than minutes, use an SNS topic to send a text message to your user announcing the arrival of the file.

To automate downstream processing, use a webhook to trigger your backend process, which then uses the API to download the arriving file immediately.

When your process needs to do several things at once — for instance, alert someone that a file has arrived, archive a copy for safekeeping, and push a copy to your S3 bucket — combine the folder behaviors and integrations built in to Files.com to handle all of it without writing code.