---
alias: user-guide-automation-task-filedrivers-createfile
tags:
- automation tasks
description: "This documentation details a task to create or update files, managing paths, content, and permissions"
---

# Create File

![Screenshot showing a file creation interface with a filename field displaying "filewithcontent lg".](images/filewithcontent-lg.svg)

When activated, the `create file` task creates a new file or update the content of an existing one. The file `path` can be provided either by the input port or in the task settings.

![Screenshot showing the "Create File" task with options for path, string content, and filename.](./images/image17.png)

## Inputs

| Name                 | Data Type | Description                                                        |
|----------------------|-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| path                 | `String`  | File path                                                          |
| content              | `String`  | File content to be written                                         |
| encoding             | `String`  | File content encoding                                              |
| mode                 | `Integer` | File system permissions mode                                       |
| flag                 | `String`  | File System Flags                                                  |
| attempts             | `Integer` | Number of attempts to perform this operation. Default is 1 attempt |
| sleepBetweenAttempts | `Integer` | Interval of time between the attempts. Default is 1000ms           |
| Activate             | `any`     | Activate the task                                                  |

## Outputs

| Name    | Data Type | Description  |
| ------  | --------- | --------- |
|  Success  |       `Boolean`         | Triggered when the task is executed with success |
|  Error           |        `Error`                | Triggered when the task failed for some reason |

## Settings

On the `General` tab, you have the usual settings and the following settings:

| Name    | Data Type | Values | Default | Description  |
| ------  | --------- | --------- | --------- | --------- |
| Path | `String` |  |  | File path |
| Content | `String` |  |  | File content to be written |
| Encoding | `Enum` | `utf8`<br>`ucs2`<br/>`utf16le`<br/>`latin1`<br/>`binary`<br/>`base64`<br/>`ascii`<br/>`hex` | `utf8` | File content encoding |
| Mode | `Integer` |  | 0o666 | File system permissions mode |
| Flag          | `String` |        | w  | File System Flags |
| Number of attempts     | `Integer` |        | 1       | Number of attempts to perform this operation. |
| Sleep Between Attempts | `Integer` |        | 1000    | Interval of time between the attempts.        |

For the `Path` file you can use tokens as represented below:

```bash
Available tokens:
  ${path} - Watched path
  ${archive} - Archive path
  ${temp} - Temporary directory of the user
  ${id} - DriverId ("\" chars replaced with "_")

Examples:
  ${path}\subdir\newFile.txt
  ${temp}\files\${id}\Recipe\File.csv
  c:\source\Result\OK.bin
```

![Screenshot showing settings menu options.](./images/image18.png)

### File system permissions mode

The task setting `mode` controls the ability of the users to view, change, navigate, and execute the contents of the file system.

Each of the three rightmost digits represents a different component of the permissions: owner, group, and others. These are the examples from the symbolic notation section given in octal notation:

| Symbolic Notation | Octal Notation | Integer Notation | Description                                                  |
| ----------------- | -------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `----------`      | 0o000          | 000              | No permissions                                               |
| `-rwx------`      | 0o700          | 448              | Read, write & execute only for owner                         |
| `-rwxrwx---`      | 0o770          | 504              | Read, write & execute for owner and group                    |
| `-rwxrwxrwx`      | 0o777          | 511              | Read, write & execute for owner, group and others            |
| `---x--x--x`      | 0o111          | 73               | Execute                                                      |
| `--w--w--w-`      | 0o222          | 146              | Write                                                        |
| `--wx-wx-wx`      | 0o333          | 219              | Write & execute                                              |
| `-r--r--r--`      | 0o444          | 292              | Read                                                         |
| `-r-xr-xr-x`      | 0o555          | 365              | Read & execute                                               |
| `-rw-rw-rw-`      | 0o666          | 438              | Read & write                                                 |
| `-rwxr-----`      | 0o740          | 480              | Owner can read, write & execute<br>Group can only read<br>Others have no permissions |

### File System Flags

The following flags are available :

| Flags | Description                                                  |
| ----- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `a`   | Open file for appending. The file is created if it does not exist. |
| `ax`  | Like `'a'` but fails if the path exists.                     |
| `a+`  | Open file for reading and appending. The file is created if it does not exist. |
| `ax+` | Like `'a+'` but fails if the path exists.                    |
| `as`  | Open file for appending in synchronous mode. The file is created if it does not exist. |
| `as+` | Open file for reading and appending in synchronous mode. The file is created if it does not exist. |
| `r`   | Open file for reading. An exception occurs if the file does not exist. |
| `r+`  | Open file for reading and writing. An exception occurs if the file does not exist. |
| `rs+` | Open file for reading and writing in synchronous mode. Instructs the operating system to bypass the local file system cache. |
| `w`   | Open file for writing. The file is created (if it does not exist) or truncated (if it exists). |
| `wx`  | Like `'w'` but fails if the path exists.                     |
| `w+`  | Open file for reading and writing. The file is created (if it does not exist) or truncated (if it exists). |
| `wx+` | Like `'w+'` but fails if the path exists.                    |

## Behavior

In this task you choose a driver when dropping it into the workflow (if you have more than one driver associated with the controller).

Upon activation, will send a `CreateFile` command to the driver where it will try to write into a file located in the `path` location. If it fails, will retry `attempts` times, waiting `sleepBetweenAttempts`milliseconds each time.

If the operation is executed with success, a value `true` is emitted on the `Success` output. In case of the task , for some reason, is not able perform the `copy` operation, an `Error` is emitted.

## Remarks

There is no particular remark to be made.