Adds a file from a remote service

Facts

Method access

HTTP
JavaScript
Python
Java
HTTP
GEThttps://slack.com/api/files.remote.add
Bolt for Java
app.client().filesRemoteAdd
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Bolt for Python
app.client.files_remote_add
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Bolt for JavaScript
app.client.files.remote.add
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Content types

application/x-www-form-urlencoded
  • Rate limits

    Tier 2
  • Arguments

    Required arguments

    Authentication token bearing required scopes. Tokens should be passed as an HTTP Authorization header or alternatively, as a POST parameter.

    Example
    xxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxx

    Creator defined GUID for the file.

    Example
    123456

    URL of the remote file.

    Example
    http://example.com/my_cloud_service_file/abc123

    Title of the file being shared.

    Example
    Danger, High Voltage!
    Optional arguments

    type of file

    Example
    doc

    A text file (txt, pdf, doc, etc.) containing textual search terms that are used to improve discovery of the remote file.

    Example
    ...

    Preview of the document via multipart/form-data.

    Example
    ...

    Usage info

    The add method adds a remote file to Slack. Adding a file does not share it to a channel. To make your beautiful remote file visible, use the files.remote.share method.

    Remote files exist across the whole workspace (or organization, for Enterprise Grid). Because of that, remote files must be added by bots with the bot scope, not by an individual user. Dimension requirements for previews are a minimum of 800w x 400h.

    preview_image is displayed when your remote file is shared. It's a binary image file.

    external_id is the unique ID of the remote file, according to the external host of the file.

    indexable_file_contents is a text file that represents the file for search. When a user searches in Slack, their query will be compared against the contents of this text file for matching. Think of this text file like the alt parameter on an HTML <img> tag — a textual representation of a non-textual object. The text file can contain a description of the remote file, or it can contain search keywords, or anything else text-based.

    Note: this method performs an upsert. If you add a file that has been added before, the existing file will be updated.

        {
            "ok": true,
            "file": {
                "id": "F0GDJ3XMH",
                "created": 1563919925,
                "timestamp": 1563919925,
                "name": "LeadvilleAndBackAgain",
                "title": "LeadvilleAndBackAgain",
                "mimetype": "application/vnd.slack-remote",
                "filetype": "remote",
                "pretty_type": "Remote",
                "user": "U0F8RBVNF",
                "editable": false,
                "size": 0,
                "mode": "external",
                "is_external": true,
                "external_type": "app",
                "is_public": false,
                "public_url_shared": false,
                "display_as_bot": false,
                "username": "",
                "url_private": "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TA9fIaph4eSz2fC_1JGMuYaYUc4IvieIop0WqfCXw5Y/edit?usp=sharing",
                "permalink": "https://kraneflannel.slack.com/files/U0F8RBVNF/F0GDJ3XMH/leadvilleandbackagain",
                "comments_count": 0,
                "is_starred": false,
                "shares": {},
                "channels": [],
                "groups": [],
                "ims": [],
                "external_id": "1234",
                "external_url": "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TA9fIaph4eSz2fC_1JGMuYaYUc4IvieIop0WqfCXw5Y/edit?usp=sharing",
                "has_rich_preview": false
            }
        }
    

    One tricky bit: in the response, the file object may indicate that "has_rich_preview" is false, even if you include preview_image. That's because it takes a few seconds for Slack to parse the preview_image you pass. If you call files.remote.add with the same external_id later, you'll see "has_preview_image": true.

    Example responses

    Errors

    This table lists the expected errors that this method could return. However, other errors can be returned in the case where the service is down or other unexpected factors affect processing. Callers should always check the value of the ok params in the response.

    ErrorDescription
    bad_image

    The uploaded image could not be processed - try passing a JPG or PNG

    bad_title

    The title provided is too long.

    bot_user_required

    bot user token is required

    invalid_external_id

    The external_id provided is too long.

    too_large

    The uploaded image had excessive dimensions

    access_denied

    Access to a resource specified in the request is denied.

    account_inactive

    Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace when using a bot token.

    deprecated_endpoint

    The endpoint has been deprecated.

    ekm_access_denied

    Administrators have suspended the ability to post a message.

    enterprise_is_restricted

    The method cannot be called from an Enterprise.

    invalid_auth

    Some aspect of authentication cannot be validated. Either the provided token is invalid or the request originates from an IP address disallowed from making the request.

    method_deprecated

    The method has been deprecated.

    missing_scope

    The token used is not granted the specific scope permissions required to complete this request.

    not_allowed_token_type

    The token type used in this request is not allowed.

    not_authed

    No authentication token provided.

    no_permission

    The workspace token used in this request does not have the permissions necessary to complete the request. Make sure your app is a member of the conversation it's attempting to post a message to.

    org_login_required

    The workspace is undergoing an enterprise migration and will not be available until migration is complete.

    token_expired

    Authentication token has expired

    token_revoked

    Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace or the app has been removed when using a user token.

    two_factor_setup_required

    Two factor setup is required.

    team_access_not_granted

    The token used is not granted the specific workspace access required to complete this request.

    accesslimited

    Access to this method is limited on the current network

    fatal_error

    The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering a catastrophic error. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.

    internal_error

    The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering an error, likely due to a transient issue on our end. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.

    invalid_arg_name

    The method was passed an argument whose name falls outside the bounds of accepted or expected values. This includes very long names and names with non-alphanumeric characters other than _. If you get this error, it is typically an indication that you have made a very malformed API call.

    invalid_arguments

    The method was either called with invalid arguments or some detail about the arguments passed is invalid, which is more likely when using complex arguments like blocks or attachments.

    invalid_array_arg

    The method was passed an array as an argument. Please only input valid strings.

    invalid_charset

    The method was called via a POST request, but the charset specified in the Content-Type header was invalid. Valid charset names are: utf-8 iso-8859-1.

    invalid_form_data

    The method was called via a POST request with Content-Type application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data, but the form data was either missing or syntactically invalid.

    invalid_post_type

    The method was called via a POST request, but the specified Content-Type was invalid. Valid types are: application/json application/x-www-form-urlencoded multipart/form-data text/plain.

    missing_post_type

    The method was called via a POST request and included a data payload, but the request did not include a Content-Type header.

    ratelimited

    The request has been ratelimited. Refer to the Retry-After header for when to retry the request.

    request_timeout

    The method was called via a POST request, but the POST data was either missing or truncated.

    service_unavailable

    The service is temporarily unavailable

    team_added_to_org

    The workspace associated with your request is currently undergoing migration to an Enterprise Organization. Web API and other platform operations will be intermittently unavailable until the transition is complete.

    Warnings

    This table lists the expected warnings that this method will return. However, other warnings can be returned in the case where the service is experiencing unexpected trouble.

    WarningDescription
    missing_charset

    The method was called via a POST request, and recommended practice for the specified Content-Type is to include a charset parameter. However, no charset was present. Specifically, non-form-data content types (e.g. text/plain) are the ones for which charset is recommended.

    superfluous_charset

    The method was called via a POST request, and the specified Content-Type is not defined to understand the charset parameter. However, charset was in fact present. Specifically, form-data content types (e.g. multipart/form-data) are the ones for which charset is superfluous.

    Arguments

    Need a token? Create and install a Slack app to begin.
    This will make a real API request. Beware of using it with live workspaces.

    API response


    Submit your arguments to see the API response