Deleting files

The Documents plugin provides functionality for deleting files.

How files get deleted

Files in the Documents Plugin can be deleted in two ways:

Explicit deletion

Using the Kafka delete action described below to manually delete a specific file by its fileId and customId.

Implicit deletion (replacement)

When uploading a new file with the same customId AND documentType combination as an existing file, the previous file is automatically marked as deleted.

Understanding implicit deletion

The implicit deletion behavior ensures that each customId + documentType combination points to only one active file. When you upload a new file with an existing combination:

• The previous file is marked as deleted in the database
• The previous file’s download URLs stop working
• The new file becomes the active document for that combination

This is by design and useful for scenarios where you want to replace documents (e.g., updating a profile photo or replacing a draft contract). However, if you need to store multiple files of the same type, ensure each has a unique customId.

Prerequisites

Before deleting files, ensure:

1. Access Permissions: Ensure that the user account used has the necessary access rights for updates or deletions.

2. Kafka Configuration:

• Verify Kafka Setup: Ensure proper configuration and accessibility of the Kafka messaging system.
• Kafka Topics: Understand the Kafka topics used for these operations.

3. File IDs and Document Types: Prepare information for updating or deleting files:

• fileId: ID of the file to delete.
• customId: Custom ID associated with the file.

In the example below, we use a fileId generated for a document using Uploading a New Document scenario.

{
  "docs": [
    {
      "customId": "119407",
      "fileId": "c4e6f0b0-b70a-4141-993b-d304f38ec8e2",
      "documentType": "BULK",
      "documentLabel": null,
      "minioPath": "flowx-dev-process-id-119408/119407/466_BULK.pdf",
      "downloadPath": "internal/files/c4e6f0b0-b70a-4141-993b-d304f38ec8e2/download",
      "noOfPages": 2,
      "error": null
    }
  ],
  "error": null
}

Configuring the deletion process

To delete files, follow these steps:

1. Create a process that includes a Send Message Task (Kafka) node and Message Event Receive (Kafka) node:

• Use the Send Message Task node to send the delete request.
• Use the Receive Message Task node to receive the delete reply.

2. Configure the first node (Send Message Task) by adding a Kafka Send Action.

3. Specify the Kafka topic for sending the delete request.

To identify defined topics in your environment:

• Navigate to Platform Status > FLOWX Components > document-plugin-mngt and click the eye icon on the right side.
• In the details screen, expand the KafkaTopicsHealthCheckIndicator line and then details → configuration → topic → file → delete. Here will find the in and out topics for deleting files.

4. Fill in the request message body.

Message request example

Example of a message following the custom integration data model:

{
  "customId": "119408",
  "fileId": "c4e6f0b0-b70a-4141-993b-d304f38ec8e2"
}

• fileId: The ID of the file.
• customId: The custom ID.

5. Configure the second node (Receive Message Task) by adding a Data stream topic:

The response will be sent to ..out Kafka topic.

Receiving the reply

The reply body should contain the following values:

• customId: The unique identifier for your document (it could be for example the ID of a client)
• fileId: The ID of the file
• documentType: The document type
• error: Any error message in case of an error during the deleting process

Message response example

{
  "customId": "119408",
  "fileId": "c4e6f0b0-b70a-4141-993b-d304f38ec8e2",
  "documentType": null,
  "error": null
}