Read File (B2WS Server)

Overview

The Read File (B2WS Server) node reads one or more files from the B2Win Suite server file system and outputs them as NodeFile values.

Purpose

Use this node when the files your workflow needs are stored on the same machine where the B2Win Suite server process runs.

Configuration

Field	Description
File Path	Exact server file path or wildcard pattern. You can use workflow properties in the path to make it dynamic.
Read file content to property	Stores the raw file contents in FILE_READER_CONTENT when enabled. The UI disables this option for unsupported file extensions.

Outputs

Output	Data Type	Collection	Description
OutputFile	NodeFile	True	The node also exposes:

Properties

Property	FlowDataType	Description
FILE_READER_FILE	JsonNode	File information that been read
FILE_READER_CONTENT	String	The file content inside a property

Processing Logic

At runtime, the node evaluates expressions in the path. If the path contains *, it lists matching files in the parent directory and outputs them sorted by file name. If the path is exact, it outputs the file only when it exists and is a regular file. If the path is blank or no files match, the node emits an empty output.

Examples

The file path supports ${propertyName} expressions. For example:

/data/exports/${EXEC_BY_USERNAME}/${REPORT_DATE}/data.csv

At runtime, EXEC_BY_USERNAME and REPORT_DATE are replaced with their current values, allowing the same workflow to read different files per user or per date.

Wildcard examples:

C:\example_folder\invoice_*.csv

Notes / Limitations

• The path must be accessible by the B2Win Suite server process. Ensure the server has read permissions for the specified directory.
• Wildcards are matched within the parent directory of the configured path.
• If no files match, the node returns an empty output rather than failing.
• For reading files from network shares, FTP, SFTP, SharePoint, or IDM, use the corresponding Read File node variant for that storage type.