Folders and documents
Tenant-scoped folders organize files with permissions, metadata, archive state, and previews.
Feature guide
Documents and retention
Store, classify, generate, preview, archive, and govern files throughout operational processes.
On this page
Complete feature description
Understanding documents and retention in UserTasks
Documents provide tenant-scoped file storage, folders, previews, metadata, archive state, permissions, workflow automation, and retention governance. Files can be uploaded by users or forms, generated by workflows, retrieved through APIs, and connected to the case or task that produced them.
Document operations include reading text, downloading external files into storage, converting base64, handling CSV and Excel, and manipulating Word, Excel, or PowerPoint templates. Metadata templates add typed classification while folder inheritance keeps related documents consistent.
Retention policies govern how long assets are kept, when they require review, and what archive, hold, or purge action applies. Policy activity remains part of the audit and workflow history.
When to use this feature
- A process creates or collects files as evidence.
- Documents need consistent metadata or folder organization.
- Office documents must be generated from workflow data.
- Retention, review, archive, or disposition rules apply.
What you can build
- Generated contracts and letters
- Evidence and case-file repositories
- Approval document packages
- Spreadsheet imports and exports
- Metadata-driven document reports
- Retention review and disposition workflows
Production design notes
- Apply least-privilege document and folder permissions.
- Validate file type, size, and metadata before downstream processing.
- Use a durable identifier in generated filenames and metadata.
- Test retention policies with non-production assets before enabling destructive actions.
Core concepts
Metadata
Ad hoc values or reusable typed templates classify documents for search, rules, and reporting.
Document automation
Workflow operations upload, read, archive, manipulate, and generate common office formats.
Retention
Policies define duration, exact date, review, legal hold, archive, or purge behavior with evidence.
Actions and capabilities
What designers and operators can do in this product area.
Documents and retention actions
The main operations available in Documents and retention.
Documents and retention actions
Upload and download
Store files and retrieve them through the UI, workflows, or authorized APIs.
Example: Generate a contract, classify it with metadata, and assign a seven-year retention policy.
Configuration inputs
- Permission to view and edit the relevant documents and retention assets.
- The target folder, file, metadata template, generation source, or retention policy.
- Any required mappings, recipients, filters, variables, permissions, or lifecycle settings shown by the designer.
How to use it
- 1.Open Documents from the main navigation.
- 2.Create or open the relevant asset and choose “Upload and download”.
- 3.Complete the required fields, map dynamic values, and review access to every referenced asset.
- 4.Use preview, test, or validation where available; correct errors before publishing or executing.
- 5.Run the action and inspect its status, output, history, or audit record.
Expected results
- The document is stored or transformed with its permissions, metadata, and lifecycle evidence intact.
- Failures remain visible with enough context to correct configuration or retry safely.
Documents and retention actions
Preview and read
Preview supported files or read text content into workflow context.
Example: Generate a contract, classify it with metadata, and assign a seven-year retention policy.
Configuration inputs
- Permission to view and edit the relevant documents and retention assets.
- The target folder, file, metadata template, generation source, or retention policy.
- Any required mappings, recipients, filters, variables, permissions, or lifecycle settings shown by the designer.
How to use it
- 1.Open Documents from the main navigation.
- 2.Create or open the relevant asset and choose “Preview and read”.
- 3.Complete the required fields, map dynamic values, and review access to every referenced asset.
- 4.Use preview, test, or validation where available; correct errors before publishing or executing.
- 5.Run the action and inspect its status, output, history, or audit record.
Expected results
- The document is stored or transformed with its permissions, metadata, and lifecycle evidence intact.
- Failures remain visible with enough context to correct configuration or retry safely.
Documents and retention actions
Archive and organize
Move work into folders and maintain active or archived lifecycle state.
Example: Generate a contract, classify it with metadata, and assign a seven-year retention policy.
Configuration inputs
- Permission to view and edit the relevant documents and retention assets.
- The target folder, file, metadata template, generation source, or retention policy.
- Any required mappings, recipients, filters, variables, permissions, or lifecycle settings shown by the designer.
How to use it
- 1.Open Documents from the main navigation.
- 2.Create or open the relevant asset and choose “Archive and organize”.
- 3.Complete the required fields, map dynamic values, and review access to every referenced asset.
- 4.Use preview, test, or validation where available; correct errors before publishing or executing.
- 5.Run the action and inspect its status, output, history, or audit record.
Expected results
- The document is stored or transformed with its permissions, metadata, and lifecycle evidence intact.
- Failures remain visible with enough context to correct configuration or retry safely.
Documents and retention actions
Apply metadata template
Attach a typed schema and validate document metadata values.
Example: Generate a contract, classify it with metadata, and assign a seven-year retention policy.
Configuration inputs
- Permission to view and edit the relevant documents and retention assets.
- The target folder, file, metadata template, generation source, or retention policy.
- Any required mappings, recipients, filters, variables, permissions, or lifecycle settings shown by the designer.
How to use it
- 1.Open Documents from the main navigation.
- 2.Create or open the relevant asset and choose “Apply metadata template”.
- 3.Complete the required fields, map dynamic values, and review access to every referenced asset.
- 4.Use preview, test, or validation where available; correct errors before publishing or executing.
- 5.Run the action and inspect its status, output, history, or audit record.
Expected results
- The document is stored or transformed with its permissions, metadata, and lifecycle evidence intact.
- Failures remain visible with enough context to correct configuration or retry safely.
Documents and retention actions
Generate Office documents
Replace content and insert tables, lists, cells, or images in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Example: Generate a contract, classify it with metadata, and assign a seven-year retention policy.
Configuration inputs
- Permission to view and edit the relevant documents and retention assets.
- The target folder, file, metadata template, generation source, or retention policy.
- Any required mappings, recipients, filters, variables, permissions, or lifecycle settings shown by the designer.
How to use it
- 1.Open Documents from the main navigation.
- 2.Create or open the relevant asset and choose “Generate Office documents”.
- 3.Complete the required fields, map dynamic values, and review access to every referenced asset.
- 4.Use preview, test, or validation where available; correct errors before publishing or executing.
- 5.Run the action and inspect its status, output, history, or audit record.
Expected results
- The document is stored or transformed with its permissions, metadata, and lifecycle evidence intact.
- Failures remain visible with enough context to correct configuration or retry safely.
Documents and retention actions
Assign retention policy
Apply governance rules and monitor review or execution state.
Example: Generate a contract, classify it with metadata, and assign a seven-year retention policy.
Configuration inputs
- Permission to view and edit the relevant documents and retention assets.
- The target folder, file, metadata template, generation source, or retention policy.
- Any required mappings, recipients, filters, variables, permissions, or lifecycle settings shown by the designer.
How to use it
- 1.Open Documents from the main navigation.
- 2.Create or open the relevant asset and choose “Assign retention policy”.
- 3.Complete the required fields, map dynamic values, and review access to every referenced asset.
- 4.Use preview, test, or validation where available; correct errors before publishing or executing.
- 5.Run the action and inspect its status, output, history, or audit record.
Expected results
- The document is stored or transformed with its permissions, metadata, and lifecycle evidence intact.
- Failures remain visible with enough context to correct configuration or retry safely.
Potential use cases
Patterns you can adapt to your own operating model.
Contract package
Generate a contract from approved data and retain it under policy.
Approval completed
Populate Word template
Upload generated file
Apply metadata
Assign retention
Evidence collection
Collect files during a task and classify them consistently.
User task form
File upload
Move to case folder
Validate metadata
Audit event