File References

File References provide a way to access a file through a Flow or process without processing the file in memory. Instead, the file will be stored and accessed within the FileStorage, increasing efficiency by reducing the amount of data accessed by a Flow. This is advantageous over FileData for large files, as the file does not need to exist in memory to be utilized. To utilize File References in a Flow, steps such as the Load From File Data or Load From Path will create File References to a file stored locally.

Specify Max File Size

Under COMMON PROPERTIES the Max File Size and be set to limit to prevent users from uploading files beyond a necessary size. In cases where large files need to be uploaded, there is an overall hard limit of 1e21 KB.

Example

Add upload and download steps on the Flow. Create another example of the flow using file data for comparison. Most of the information on File References is covered in File Type Overview.

The below example will allow a user to download a file using File Reference as its input.

1. Create a Flow. Add two Form steps to the Flow itself.
2. Design a Form with a File Upload control. In the Properties, Set the Output Type to use File Reference.
3. Save and Close the Form Designer.
4. On the second Form, add a File Download control. This will pull and download the File from the machine.