Quick Summary:
- FormAssembly’s Salesforce Workflow Connector can handle file uploads in Salesforce multiple ways: a single respondent-uploaded file, multiple files from a repeatable section, a document FormAssembly generates automatically, and a document that requires an e-signature before it sends.
- The “first published location ID” field controls which Salesforce record a file relates to, and it is the only required mapping on the Workflow Connector’s Upload a File action.
- Preconditions let a workflow skip a file-upload action entirely when no file was submitted, which matters most for optional or repeatable uploads.
- FormAssembly forms accept up to 35 MB total per response, but Salesforce caps each individual file at 25 MB by default, so an otherwise valid submission can still throw an error once it reaches Salesforce.
Anyone who manages file uploads in Salesforce knows how fast the edge cases pile up: a resume that needs to land on the right contact record, a folder of supporting documents that has to reach the right case, or a signed agreement that can’t get lost in transit, to name a few. A recent FormAssembly webinar walked through how to solve these problems with the Salesforce Workflow Connector, from a single uploaded file to a document that requires a signature before it ever reaches Salesforce.
How Do You Send a Single File Upload to Salesforce?
The most common pattern is a single file field — a resume, an ID, a signed waiver — mapped to a Salesforce contact or case record through the Upload a File action in the Workflow Connector.
In the webinar’s example, a conference registration form asked attendees to upload a resume. The workflow first looked up a matching contact record by email address and saved that contact’s ID as a variable. The Upload a File action then mapped the resume to that record through the first published location ID field, so the file appeared directly on the correct contact in Salesforce rather than floating unattached. A formula-based file title — combining the respondent’s first and last name — replaced the generic “resume” filename Salesforce would otherwise use, which keeps a Salesforce instance easier to search once there are dozens of resumes on file.
How Do You Send Multiple File Uploads to Salesforce From One Form?
To collect more than one file without knowing in advance how many a respondent needs, the file upload field has to live inside a repeatable section – not be made repeatable on its own. That distinction matters, specifically for workflow connectors.
The example shared in the webinar extended the same registration form to let attendees apply as conference speakers, uploading an application, speaker notes, a slide deck, and any other supporting material inside a repeatable section. Because not every registrant applies to speak, the workflow added a precondition on the upload action so it only runs when the file name field is not blank. Without that precondition, the action would try to run even when no file was submitted.
Can FormAssembly Send a Generated Document to Salesforce, Not Just a File a Respondent Uploads?
Yes. FormAssembly’s document generation step can build a document from form or workflow data and send that generated file to Salesforce, with no upload from the respondent required.
The process starts with a doc that is in .DOC, .DOCX, .PPT, or .PPTX format, and that includes tags in curly brackets, such as a name or receipt-number placeholder. Uploading that template to a document step automatically detects the tags and lets each one be mapped to a form field or a formula. The webinar’s receipt example mapped a receipt number to the workflow’s response ID, a receipt date to a formula pulling in the submission date, and a payment status to a variable returned from an earlier Stripe step. Once a respondent submits the form, FormAssembly fills in the template and generates a finished PDF, which a Salesforce connector step then uploads the same way as any other file.
How Do You Get a Signed Document Into Salesforce?
By adding an e-signature step after a document step and mapping the signer to a form field, most often the respondent’s email address.
In the webinar’s speaker-agreement scenario, the uploaded document template included e-signature tags, which prompted FormAssembly to suggest adding an e-signature step automatically. That step can send one generated document or several — the demo sent both a receipt and a speaker agreement together, so a signer could review both at once. The Salesforce connector’s Upload a File action then references the signed output specifically, and the workflow holds until the signature is complete before sending anything to Salesforce.
What Is a “First Published Location ID,” and Why Does It Matter?
The first published location ID tells Salesforce which record a file should be related to and where it should show up when someone views that record — a contact, a case, or any other object.
It is the only required mapping on the Workflow Connector’s Upload a File action, which makes it the first thing to check when a file uploads successfully but doesn’t appear where expected. A file with no first published location ID mapped can still land in Salesforce Files without being related to anything, which makes it effectively invisible from the record someone would normally check.
What Are Best Practices for File Uploads in Salesforce?
Here are the best practices for file uploads in Salesforce:
- Test incrementally. Building and testing one connector action at a time makes it far easier to catch an error at its source instead of untangling a fully built workflow after the fact.
- Use preconditions for optional or repeatable uploads. Preconditions stop an action from running when no file was submitted, which avoids empty or duplicate uploads to Salesforce.
- Double-check the first published location ID whenever a file doesn’t show up where expected. A successful upload with no relationship mapped will still reach Salesforce Files, it just won’t be attached to the record someone is viewing.
- Turn on secure file scanning if it’s available. Enterprise and Government plans can scan uploaded files before they’re sent to Salesforce, adding a security check ahead of storage.
Curious to learn more?
The full session includes a live, click-by-click build of every scenario above, plus audience questions on Salesforce storage limits, save-and-resume behavior, and where each of these features lives across FormAssembly’s plans.
You can watch the full webinar presentation on-demand, or request a demo of the platform – no strings attached.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a file size limit for file uploads in Salesforce?
FormAssembly allows up to 35 MB total across all files in a single response, but Salesforce enforces its own limit of 25 MB per individual file by default. A response with one file over that per-file limit can pass through FormAssembly without issue and still throw an error once Salesforce tries to store it. Organizations that need a higher per-file limit can work with Salesforce to increase it.
Where do I find the document generation step?
Can a generated document have multiple pages?
Yes. A generated document can include as many pages as the template requires, as long as the finished file stays under the 35 MB response limit.
What file format does the document template need to be?
The template uploaded to a document step needs to be a doc that is in .DOC, .DOCX, .PPT, or .PPTX format. FormAssembly reads the tags in that template and fills them in with form or workflow data to generate a PDF.
Does this work with FormAssembly’s save-and-resume feature?
It can, with a precondition in place. If a Salesforce connector runs on a save action, adding a precondition prevents the same document from being uploaded to Salesforce every time a respondent saves and returns to a form, rather than only once at final submission.
