Performing Actions on New Files

Files.com supports lots of different integration patterns for taking action when new files arrive on your Files.com site. The best option depends on your use case.

The options currently include:

• E-mail Notifications set at the folder level that alert selected users and groups that a file was uploaded
• Webhooks configured in your Files.com folders to trigger your backend processes when files arrive (or can be triggered by other file operations)
• Automations built into Files.com that allow you to automatically copy an arriving file to another folder (which in turn may perform additional automated actions)
• Amazon SNS topics 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

The best method for pulling/downloading an arriving file is likewise dependent on the end state that your process calls for.

• When a file needs to be viewed by a person, the email notifier alerting a person to log in and download the file manually would facilitate that.
• If critical timing is measured in seconds rather than minutes for your manual operation, use an SNS topic to trigger Amazon SMS to send a text message to your user announcing the arrival of the file.
• To automate the process, use a webhook to trigger your backend process that leverages our API to download the arriving file immediately.
• If your process needs to do multiple things at once, for instance alert someone that a file has arrived, take an archived copy of the file for safe keeping, and push a copy of the file immediately to your S3 bucket, then you can combine the folder behaviors and integrations built-in to Files.com to accomplish that, no coding necessary.