Using Files in Workflows

The files mechanism allows Workflows builders to create, edit and use files which are persisted between executions of steps in a Workflow. The lifespan of files is aligned with the lifespan of the execution of the Workflow - when the execution is finished, the files are deleted.

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File object

Each file object contains 3 fields:

1. identifier, which is the unique identifier of the file.

   • This field is used in various actions including upload file or send file via Slack.

2. size, which is the size of the file in bytes.

3. path, which is the absolute path to the file:

   • This field can be used in Bash/Python steps when you want to perform some action on the file (e.g. if you want to print the file in Bash, you can run the cat command and use the file path as the argument).

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Expression Language and Variable Picker Support

When creating the Workflow, the file objects are available in the variable picker under the files section.

1. To access the File Identifier, File Path and the File Size, use the variable picker under the files

2. Select WorkingDirectory under the file section of the Variable Picker.

3. Then choose WorkingDirectory|identifier, WorkingDirectory|path or WorkingDirectory|size according to the respective inputs.

4. Blink’s Expression Language supports accessing the file objects using the get_file function.

{{get_file("WorkingDirectory").identifier}}

• It returns an object containing the 3 fields: the files identifier, path and size

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Limitations

Each execution may create up to 100 files with a total size of 1500 MB.

The maximum size for each file is 500 MB.

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Example Use Cases

• Download a file and send it via Slack.

• Create a file using Bash/Python and upload it to a remote server.

• Generate a Steampipe Report as a file and send it as an attachment in an email.