Return File HTTP response
Terminates the Flow and returns a file as the HTTP response to the caller.
Use this action when a client calls the Flow over HTTP and expects a file in return. Typical use cases are 3rd party applications or InVision Workbooks that call a Flow to generate or fetch a file on demand, for example a PDF report or an Excel export.
Example 
This flow generates an HTML report for a given portfolio and returns it as a PDF file. It uses the portfolio ID, report ID and response format to generate the HTML report data, converts that data to the type required by the next step, converts the HTML content into a PDF byte array, and uses Return File HTTP response to return the PDF file to the caller.
Properties
| Name | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Title | No | The title of the action. |
| File contents | Yes | Select the variable containing the file to return, for example a byte array. |
| File name | No | Select or enter the name of the file, including the file extension, for example report.pdf. The extension is used to determine the content type of the response. Default: ReturnFileHttpResponse. |
| Content disposition | No | Specifies how the client should handle the file. See Content disposition below. |
| Description | No | Additional notes or comments about the action or configuration. |
Content disposition
The Content-Disposition header tells the client whether the file should be displayed or downloaded.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| (empty) | The file is returned as a download, using the specified File name. This is the default. |
attachment |
The client should download the file and save it using the specified File name. |
inline |
The client should display the file directly, if possible, for example by showing a PDF in the browser. |
The File name is always added to the Content-Disposition header, so you should not include it in the Content disposition value.
Content type
The content type of the response is determined from the extension of the File name, for example application/pdf for .pdf and text/csv for .csv. If no file name is specified, or the extension is unknown, the content type is set to application/octet-stream.
Remarks
- This action terminates the Flow, in the same way as the Return action. It has no outgoing execution port, so no actions can run after it.
- Only short-running Flows can return a file directly to the caller. See Long vs short running Flows for more information.
- To call the Flow from an InVision Workbook and download the file, see Download a file from a Flow.
HTTP: Videos / Getting started
Generate a PDF file with tabular data
This video shows how to generate a PDF file with tabular data using the Adobe PDF Services API, and download the generated file from an InVision Workbook.
It uses the HTTP trigger and Return File HTTP Response actions to handle the request and return the file.