File Drop Automation

Automate processing when files land in a shared inbox — typical for ERP exports, EDI, or legacy systems that only write CSV to disk.

Goal

When orders-*.csv appears in C:\data\inbox, read the file, send each row to an HTTP API, then archive the file.

Step 1 — File Changed trigger

1. Add File Changed from Triggers.
2. Inspector settings:
   • Folder Path — C:\data\inbox (create the folder first).
   • File Filter — orders-*.csv.
   • Change Type — Created.

See File Changed for all properties.

Step 2 — Read File

1. Connect Read File after the trigger.
2. Set File Path to {{filePath}} from the trigger output.
3. Choose Format — CSV if rows should iterate downstream.

Step 3 — Transform and HTTP

1. Add Transform to map CSV columns to your API schema.
2. Add HTTP Request — POST each row or batch depending on your API.
3. Use {{$var.apiUrl}} for the endpoint base.

Step 4 — Archive processed files

1. After success, add Move File (or Write File + delete) to move {{filePath}} to C:\data\archive\.
2. Log failures so operators can retry from Jobs → Failed.

Step 5 — Activate on-prem

1. Validate the workflow. File triggers require Active state on a host with folder access.
2. Drop a test CSV into the inbox and verify Jobs → History.

Runtime deployment

For production file drops on a server without Studio:

1. Activate the workflow in Studio.
2. Export Runtime with the same inbox path on the target host.
3. Install as a Windows service or Linux systemd unit.

See also

• Read File
• Export Runtime to Edge
• Webhook to API Notification (event-driven alternative)