file

A file object contains information about a file shared with a workspace.

Copy{
    "id": "F0S43PZDF",
    "created": 1531763342,
    "timestamp": 1531763342,
    "name": "tedair.gif",
    "title": "tedair.gif",
    "mimetype": "image/gif",
    "filetype": "gif",
    "pretty_type": "GIF",
    "user": "U061F7AUR",
    "editable": false,
    "size": 137531,
    "mode": "hosted",
    "is_external": false,
    "external_type": "",
    "is_public": true,
    "public_url_shared": false,
    "display_as_bot": false,
    "username": "",
    "url_private": "https://.../tedair.gif",
    "url_private_download": "https://.../tedair.gif",
    "thumb_64": "https://.../tedair_64.png",
    "thumb_80": "https://.../tedair_80.png",
    "thumb_360": "https://.../tedair_360.png",
    "thumb_360_w": 176,
    "thumb_360_h": 226,
    "thumb_160": "https://.../tedair_=_160.png",
    "thumb_360_gif": "https://.../tedair_360.gif",
    "image_exif_rotation": 1,
    "original_w": 176,
    "original_h": 226,
    "deanimate_gif": "https://.../tedair_deanimate_gif.png",
    "pjpeg": "https://.../tedair_pjpeg.jpg",
    "permalink": "https://.../tedair.gif",
    "permalink_public": "https://.../...",
    "comments_count": 0,
    "is_starred": false,
    "shares": {
        "public": {
            "C0T8SE4AU": [
                {
                    "reply_users": [
                        "U061F7AUR"
                    ],
                    "reply_users_count": 1,
                    "reply_count": 1,
                    "ts": "1531763348.000001",
                    "thread_ts": "1531763273.000015",
                    "latest_reply": "1531763348.000001",
                    "channel_name": "file-under",
                    "team_id": "T061EG9R6"
                }
            ]
        }
    },
    "channels": [
        "C0T8SE4AU"
    ],
    "groups": [],
    "ims": [],
    "has_rich_preview": false
}

Properties

Depending on the file's type, you may encounter different fields relevant to that type. For instance, you may encounter fields such as image_exif_rotation, original_w, and original_h for images but not find those fields for HTML documents.

Lists related properties

When the file is a list, meaning filetype has value list, there will be additional fields in the response for this API.

Copy{
    ...
    "filetype": "list",
    "list_metadata": {
        "icon": "",
        "description": "",
        "description_blocks": [
            {
                "type": "rich_text",
                "block_id": "k\/5jH",
                "elements": [
                    {
                        "type": "rich_text_section",
                        "elements": [
                            {
                                "type": "text",
                                "text": "My list description"
                            }
                        ]
                    }
                ]
            }
        ],
        "creation_source": {
            "type": "blank"
        },
        "is_trial": false,
        "schema": [
            {
                "id": "Col0181CWE8KC",
                "name": "Task",
                "key": "name",
                "type": "text",
                "is_primary_column": true,
                "options": {
                    "format": "text"
                }
            },
            {
                "id": "Col00",
                "name": "Completed",
                "key": "todo_completed",
                "type": "todo_completed",
                "is_primary_column": false
            },
            {
                "id": "Col01",
                "name": "Assignee",
                "key": "todo_assignee",
                "type": "todo_assignee",
                "is_primary_column": false
            },
            {
                "id": "Col02",
                "name": "Due Date",
                "key": "todo_due_date",
                "type": "todo_due_date",
                "is_primary_column": false
            },
            {
                "id": "Col01831YFLG3",
                "name": "Notes",
                "key": "Col01831YFLFM",
                "type": "text",
                "is_primary_column": false,
                "options": {
                    "format": "text"
                }
            }
        ],
        "subtask_schema": [
            {
                "id": "Col0181CWE8KC",
                "name": "Task",
                "key": "name",
                "type": "text",
                "is_primary_column": true,
                "options": {
                    "format": "text"
                }
            },
            {
                "id": "Col00",
                "name": "Completed",
                "key": "todo_completed",
                "type": "todo_completed",
                "is_primary_column": false
            },
            {
                "id": "Col01",
                "name": "Assignee",
                "key": "todo_assignee",
                "type": "todo_assignee",
                "is_primary_column": false,
                "options": {
                    "format": "multi_entity",
                    "default_value": null,
                    "show_member_name": true
                }
            },
            {
                "id": "Col02",
                "name": "Due Date",
                "key": "todo_due_date",
                "type": "todo_due_date",
                "is_primary_column": false
            }
        ],
        "views": [
            {
                "id": "View0181CWE8KU",
                "name": "All items",
                "type": "table",
                "is_locked": false,
                "position": "1731452687",
                "columns": [
                    {
                        "visible": true,
                        "key": "name",
                        "id": "Col0181CWE8KC",
                        "position": "5000000000"
                    },
                    {
                        "visible": true,
                        "key": "todo_completed",
                        "id": "Col00",
                        "position": "5000000001"
                    },
                    {
                        "visible": true,
                        "key": "todo_assignee",
                        "id": "Col01",
                        "position": "5000000002"
                    },
                    {
                        "visible": true,
                        "key": "todo_due_date",
                        "id": "Col02",
                        "position": "5000000003"
                    },
                    {
                        "visible": true,
                        "key": "Col01831YFLFM",
                        "id": "Col01831YFLG3",
                        "position": "5000000006"
                    }
                ],
                "date_created": 1753729952,
                "created_by": "U02178QA5BA",
                "stick_column_left": false,
                "is_all_items_view": true,
                "default_view_key": "all_items",
                "show_completed_items": true
            }
        ],
        "integrations": [],
        "todo_mode": true,
        "default_view": "View0181CWE8KU"
    },
    "list_limits": {
        "over_row_maximum": false,
        "row_count_limit": 1000,
        "row_count": 455,
        "archived_row_count": 75,
        "over_column_maximum": false,
        "column_count": 2,
        "column_count_limit": 30,
        "over_view_maximum": false,
        "view_count": 1,
        "view_count_limit": 50,
        "max_attachments_per_cell": 10
    }
}

Authentication

Authentication is required to retrieve file URLs.

The url_private property points to a URL to the file contents. Editable-mode files will also have a url_private_download parameter, which includes headers to force a browser download. Both url_private and url_private_download require an authorization header of the form:

CopyAuthorization: Bearer A_VALID_TOKEN

In this case, A_VALID_TOKEN is representative of a real OAuth token, bearing at least the files:read scope. Learn more about OAuth Scopes.

Fields providing URLs that require this form of authentication include:

• url_private
• url_private_download
• thumb_64
• thumb_80
• thumb_160
• thumb_360
• thumb_480
• thumb_720
• thumb_960
• thumb_1024

Thumbnails

If a thumbnail is available for the file, the URL to a 64x64 pixel will be returned as the thumb_64 prop.

The thumb_80 prop (when present) contains the URL of an 80x80 thumb. Unlike the 64px thumb, this size is guaranteed to be 80x80, even when the source image was smaller (it's padded with transparent pixels).

A variable sized thumb will be returned as thumb_360, with its longest size no bigger than 360 (although it might be smaller depending on the source size). Dimensions for this thumb are returned in thumb_360_w and thumb_360_h.

In the case where the original image was an animated gif with dimensions greater than 360 pixels, we also created an animated thumbnail and pass it as thumb_360_gif.

Depending on the original file's size, you may even find a thumb_480, thumb_720, thumb_960, or thumb_1024 property.

All thumbnails require an authorization header as described above.

Permalinks

The permalink URL points to a single page for the file containing details, comments and a download link. If the file is available to the public, a permalink_public URL points to the public file itself.

The edit_link is only present for posts and snippets and is the page at which the file can be edited.

Previews

For posts, we also include a short plain-text preview than can be shown in place of a thumbnail.

For snippets, we include a preview of the contents (a few truncated lines of plaintext), as well as a more complex syntax-highlighted preview (preview_highlight) in HTML. The total count of lines in the snippet if returned in lines, while lines_more contains a count of lines not shown in the preview.

Slack Connect files

When a file is uploaded into a Slack Connect channel, file object properties are not immediately accessible to apps listening via the Events API or RTM API. Instead, the payload will contain a file object with the key-value pair "file_access": "check_file_info" meaning that further action is required from your app in order to view an uploaded file's metadata.

Copy    "files": [
        {
          "id": "F12345678",
          "mode": "file_access",
          "file_access": "check_file_info",
          "created": 0,
          "timestamp": 0,
          "user": ""
        }
      ]

See Slack Connect: working with channels between organizations for more details on how to handle this scenario.

File types

Possible filetype values include, but are not limited to the following: