Read / Write Files from Disk

Questions
1

Describe the problem/error/question: Read / Write files from Disk returns null

What is the error message (if any)? No error message - WOrkflow executes successfully

Please share your workflow

{
“nodes”: [
{
“parameters”: {
“fileSelector”: “C:\RFPFiles\RFPQuestionnaire.pdf”,
“options”: {
“dataPropertyName”: “data”
}
},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.readWriteFile”,
“typeVersion”: 1,
“position”: [
-580,
360
],
“id”: “3d9d8d94-9b08-4ce6-9b6b-cf9e6c20a36b”,
“name”: “Read/Write Files from Disk”,
“alwaysOutputData”: true
},
{
“parameters”: {},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger”,
“typeVersion”: 1,
“position”: [
-740,
360
],
“id”: “ebceb83d-f737-46fa-aab3-7fdbd7d4c352”,
“name”: “When clicking ‘Test workflow’”
}
],
“connections”: {
“Read/Write Files from Disk”: {
“main”: [

]
},
“When clicking ‘Test workflow’”: {
“main”: [
[
{
“node”: “Read/Write Files from Disk”,
“type”: “main”,
“index”: 0
}
]
]
}
},
“pinData”: {},
“meta”: {
“templateCredsSetupCompleted”: true,
“instanceId”: “d01dcfb6ca9d52fc8a0579bff25d75135970c97d202d6eb815716808a10bbb25”
}
}

(Select the nodes on your canvas and use the keyboard shortcuts CMD+C/CTRL+C and CMD+V/CTRL+V to copy and paste the workflow.)

Share the output returned by the last node

Null - the message returned is item exists, but is empty

Information on your n8n setup

  • **n8n version: Latest
  • **Database (default: SQLite): defaults
  • **n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):defaults
  • **Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app):defaults (desktop app)
  • **Operating system:Windows
2

how do you run n8n?
If you start n8n in docker, than you can not use the path of windows C:\RFPFiles\RFPQuestionnaire.pdf.
This directory (volume) must be shared with the container. e.g.
docker run -d -p 5678:5678 -v C:\RFPFiles:/data/RFPFiles n8nio/n8n
After that your file should be available in path /data/RFPFiles/RFPQuestionnaire.pdf

3

where are you storing the read file from? are u writing to disk first? can u share your workflow like this please as we can’t see it,

n8n attach workflow
just white paste after pushing code node.

4

Thanks guys for responding. Apologies for the late response. running n8n from web - so locally i guess - not from docker - not writing to disk - trying to read a locally stored pdf and will later process it… but the “read/wrte” action always returns a null.

1 Like
5
1 Like
6

@Vishal_Krishnamurthy Can u try like this

C:/RFPFiles/RFPQuestionnaire.pdf
or
C:\\RFPFiles\\RFPQuestionnaire.pdf

it might be because how js handles \

7

Your most welcome too, you could also try place the pdf, into the directory of n8n under binary folder too, might help.