I’d like to propose the ability to access and use files within the native workflow builder.
The problem
Currently, many common business workflows involve moving or sharing files. For example, sending automated email update to a client should include the actual report file, or attaching a photo to a task should also add it to a central project gallery.
At the moment, there is no way to achieve this using Noloco’s native workflows.
In my specific case, I would like to for example add the files attached to a project comment box also so the files field of that project. But there are many other use cases many professionals would need in their automations.
The current workaround and it’s limitations: API
The only way to automate file handling is through the API, but this has it’s limitations that make it unworkable for professional use cases.
Largest of them is security: When accessing a file with the API. The API provides a publicly accessible link. While this works, it’s a security concern for any sensitive documents, as the link can be accessed by anyone who has it.
The proposed solution
My proposal is to expose file attachments (from both comments and file fields) as usable variables within the native Noloco workflow builder.
Currently attachments are not accessible via worflows and this has been confirmed to not be a bug, by Noloco support.
Allowing access via workflows would allow us to build simple, powerful, and secure automations directly within Noloco, without needing third-party tools or custom code.
Common use cases this would enable:
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Emailing files to clients: A workflow could trigger an email to a client and attach a specific report, invoice, or photo directly from a Noloco record. (For example emailing a client the message with the attachments of a comment, instead of just a notification about a comment.)
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Centralizing project files: Automatically move a file attached to a specific task into a central “Project Files” attachment field on the parent project record.
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Integrating with cloud storage: Create a workflow to send files from Noloco to Google Drive, Dropbox, or other services for backup or team sharing.
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Creating approval workflows: Send a document to a manager for approval, and if approved, automatically move it to a “Final Approved Documents” folder.
If the API provided secure links, this native feature might be less critical. However, given the current API limitation, building this into the native workflow builder would be a huge improvement.
This feature would save users from relying on complex, multi-step scenarios in third-party tools like Make.com and would make the Noloco platform even more powerful and self-sufficient.
Thank you for considering this!