Collect the documents each case needs in n8n

The same steps work for onboarding, loans, rentals, visas: anything where the paperwork depends on the case. Checked on self-hosted n8n 2.44 with version 0.13.0 of the node.

Import it from

with Import from File. It needs no form in Formstep: the request builds one.

Before you start

• The Formstep node on an n8n with a public HTTPS address, and a Formstep credential.

• Somewhere to keep the files. The example writes them to n8n’s disk; the last step shows Google Drive instead.

1. Start from the case

The example starts with an Edit Fields node named Claim: claimId, claimType ( water_damage or theft), claimLabel, firstName and email. In your workflow, it is the record that opens the case: a CRM deal, a new row, a webhook from your claims system.

2. Turn the checklist into blocks

A Code node named Build the checklist looks up the documents for the claim type and writes the form as blocks: a greeting, two hidden fields the greeting reads, one file question per document, and a note.

const checklists = {
  water_damage: [
    { key: 'damage_photos', title: 'Photos of the damage', maxFiles: 10 },
    { key: 'repair_estimate', title: 'Repair estimate from a contractor', maxFiles: 1 },
  ],
  theft: [
    { key: 'police_report', title: 'Police report', maxFiles: 1 },
    { key: 'receipts', title: 'Receipts for the stolen items', maxFiles: 10 },
  ],
}
const documents = checklists[$json.claimType]
if (!documents) throw new Error(`No checklist for claim type ${$json.claimType}`)
const blocks = [
  { type: 'header', content: 'Hi {{first_name}}, a few documents for claim {{claim_id}}' },
  { type: 'paragraph', content: 'Upload each document below. Photos from your phone are fine.' },
  { type: 'hiddenField', key: 'first_name' },
  { type: 'hiddenField', key: 'claim_id' },
  ...documents.map((document) => ({ type: 'file', ...document })),
  { type: 'text', key: 'notes', title: 'Anything we should know?', required: false },
]
return { json: { ...$json, blocks } }

Each block takes type, a key and the options of its kind; {{first_name}} in text shows a hidden field’s value. Every block type and option is in Create a form and a request in one call.

3. Send the request with a new form

Add a Formstep Create request node and set Form Source to New Form:

• Form Blocks is {{ JSON.stringify($json.blocks) }}, the blocks from the Code node.

• Context fills the hidden fields: {{ JSON.stringify({ first_name: $json.firstName, claim_id: $json.claimId }) }}.

• Form Options gives it your brand: a cover color, a logo, a theme.

• Set Recipient Email, turn on Wait for the Outcome, and under Additional Fields set Delivery, Expires At ({{ $now.plus({ days: 14 }).toISO() }}) and an External ID. Test Mode is on in the example.

The customer sees only the documents their claim needs:

4. Wait, then make one item per file

Add a Wait node (On Webhook Call) and an If node that checks {{ $json.body.type }} is request.completed. Each file question’s answer is a list of files with a name, a size, a type and a url. A Code node turns them into one item per file:

// One item per uploaded file, named after the question it answers.
const event = $json.body.data
const items = []
for (const [question, answer] of Object.entries(event.answers)) {
  if (!Array.isArray(answer)) continue
  for (const file of answer) {
    if (file.url) items.push({ json: { question, name: `${question} - ${file.name}`, url: file.url } })
  }
}
return items

5. Download and save each file

An HTTP Request node downloads {{ $json.url }} with Response Format File, once per item. The example then writes each file with Read/Write Files from Disk, as /home/node/.n8n-files/{{ $('Claim').item.json.claimId }} {{ $json.name }}.

To keep them in Google Drive instead, replace that node with Google Drive › Upload file: Input Data Field Name data, File Name {{ $json.name }}, and the claim’s folder as Parent Folder. S3, Dropbox and SharePoint nodes take the binary field the same way.

• The event’s data.submission.pdfUrl, a PDF of all the answers, is set only when the form keeps a PDF: when it has a Signature question or a webhook subscription. A request that only calls back, as here, has none.

• To send the customer a document to read or sign as well, use a published form with a Documents block, as in Get a manager’s approval. A new form takes no documents.

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