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Attaching Files to NetSuite Records

Learn how to attach files to purchase orders, invoices, and other NetSuite records using the SOAP attach action.

Prerequisites​

  • NetSuite connector configured with soap and fileCabinet resources enabled
  • File uploaded to File Cabinet (see uploading files)

Basic File Attachment​

Attach a file to a purchase order:

from abstra.connectors import run_connection_action

# Assuming you have:
# - file_id: ID of uploaded file
# - po_id: ID of purchase order

result = run_connection_action(
    "netsuite",
    "attach",
    {
        "attachTo": {
            "type": "purchaseOrder",
            "internalId": po_id
        },
        "attachedRecord": {
            "type": "file",
            "internalId": file_id
        }
    }
)

if result['data']['success']:
    print(f"✓ Attached file {file_id} to PO {po_id}")

Supported Record Types​

Transactions​

# Invoice
run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
    "attachTo": {"type": "invoice", "internalId": "12345"},
    "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_id}
})

# Vendor Bill
run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
    "attachTo": {"type": "vendorBill", "internalId": "67890"},
    "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_id}
})

# Sales Order
run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
    "attachTo": {"type": "salesOrder", "internalId": "11111"},
    "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_id}
})

# Cash Sale
run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
    "attachTo": {"type": "cashSale", "internalId": "22222"},
    "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_id}
})

Entities​

# Customer
run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
    "attachTo": {"type": "customer", "internalId": "33333"},
    "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_id}
})

# Vendor
run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
    "attachTo": {"type": "vendor", "internalId": "44444"},
    "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_id}
})

# Employee
run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
    "attachTo": {"type": "employee", "internalId": "55555"},
    "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_id}
})

Complete Workflow: Upload and Attach​

Upload a file and immediately attach it:

from abstra.connectors import run_connection_action
import base64

# Step 1: Upload file
with open("contract.pdf", "rb") as f:
    file_content = base64.b64encode(f.read()).decode('utf-8')

file_result = run_connection_action(
    "netsuite",
    "add_file",
    {
        "name": "contract.pdf",
        "content": file_content,
        "fileType": "PDF"
    }
)
file_id = file_result['data']['id']
print(f"✓ Uploaded file: {file_id}")

# Step 2: Attach to purchase order
attach_result = run_connection_action(
    "netsuite",
    "attach",
    {
        "attachTo": {
            "type": "purchaseOrder",
            "internalId": "501628"
        },
        "attachedRecord": {
            "type": "file",
            "internalId": file_id
        }
    }
)

if attach_result['data']['success']:
    print(f"✓ File attached to PO")

Attach Multiple Files​

Attach several files to one record:

def attach_files_to_record(record_type, record_id, file_ids):
    """Attach multiple files to a single record"""
    results = []

    for file_id in file_ids:
        result = run_connection_action(
            "netsuite",
            "attach",
            {
                "attachTo": {
                    "type": record_type,
                    "internalId": record_id
                },
                "attachedRecord": {
                    "type": "file",
                    "internalId": file_id
                }
            }
        )

        results.append({
            "file_id": file_id,
            "success": result['data']['success']
        })

        if result['data']['success']:
            print(f"✓ Attached file {file_id}")
        else:
            print(f"❌ Failed to attach file {file_id}")

    return results

# Usage
file_ids = ["654321", "654322", "654323"]
attach_files_to_record("purchaseOrder", "501628", file_ids)

Attach Same File to Multiple Records​

Share one file across multiple records:

def attach_file_to_records(file_id, record_type, record_ids):
    """Attach one file to multiple records"""
    results = []

    for record_id in record_ids:
        result = run_connection_action(
            "netsuite",
            "attach",
            {
                "attachTo": {
                    "type": record_type,
                    "internalId": record_id
                },
                "attachedRecord": {
                    "type": "file",
                    "internalId": file_id
                }
            }
        )

        results.append({
            "record_id": record_id,
            "success": result['data']['success']
        })

        if result['data']['success']:
            print(f"✓ Attached to {record_type} {record_id}")

    return results

# Usage - attach policy document to all vendors
vendor_ids = ["100", "101", "102"]
attach_file_to_records("654321", "vendor", vendor_ids)

Practical Examples​

Attach Invoice to Purchase Order​

from abstra.connectors import run_connection_action
from datetime import datetime
import base64

# Create PO
po_result = run_connection_action("netsuite", "post_purchase_order", {
    "data": {
        "entity": {"id": "123"},
        "subsidiary": {"id": "1"},
        "tranDate": datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d"),
        # ... other PO fields
    }
})
po_id = po_result['data']['id']

# Upload invoice
with open("vendor_invoice.pdf", "rb") as f:
    content = base64.b64encode(f.read()).decode('utf-8')

file_result = run_connection_action("netsuite", "add_file", {
    "name": f"invoice_po_{po_id}.pdf",
    "content": content,
    "fileType": "PDF"
})
file_id = file_result['data']['id']

# Attach invoice to PO
run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
    "attachTo": {"type": "purchaseOrder", "internalId": po_id},
    "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_id}
})

print(f"✓ Created PO {po_id} with attached invoice")

Attach Supporting Documents to Customer​

import base64

customer_id = "12345"
documents = [
    {"file": "contract.pdf", "type": "PDF"},
    {"file": "id_document.jpg", "type": "JPGIMAGE"},
    {"file": "bank_statement.pdf", "type": "PDF"}
]

for doc in documents:
    # Upload
    with open(doc['file'], "rb") as f:
        content = base64.b64encode(f.read()).decode('utf-8')

    file_result = run_connection_action("netsuite", "add_file", {
        "name": doc['file'],
        "content": content,
        "fileType": doc['type']
    })

    # Attach
    run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
        "attachTo": {"type": "customer", "internalId": customer_id},
        "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_result['data']['id']}
    })

    print(f"✓ Attached {doc['file']} to customer {customer_id}")

Error Handling​

Always include error handling:

def safe_attach(record_type, record_id, file_id):
    """Safely attach file with error handling"""
    try:
        result = run_connection_action(
            "netsuite",
            "attach",
            {
                "attachTo": {
                    "type": record_type,
                    "internalId": str(record_id)
                },
                "attachedRecord": {
                    "type": "file",
                    "internalId": str(file_id)
                }
            }
        )

        if result.get('status') == 'error':
            return {
                "success": False,
                "error": result.get('message', 'Unknown error')
            }

        return {
            "success": result['data']['success'],
            "response": result['data']
        }

    except Exception as e:
        return {
            "success": False,
            "error": str(e)
        }

# Usage
result = safe_attach("purchaseOrder", "123456", "654321")
if result['success']:
    print("✓ File attached successfully")
else:
    print(f"❌ Attachment failed: {result['error']}")

Best Practices​

Naming Convention​

Name files to reflect their purpose:

# Good: Descriptive names
f"po_{po_id}_contract_signed.pdf"
f"invoice_{vendor_id}_{date}.pdf"
f"customer_{customer_id}_id_verification.jpg"

# Bad: Generic names
"document.pdf"
"file1.pdf"

Verify Before Attaching​

Check that records exist:

# Verify PO exists before attaching
po_check = run_connection_action("netsuite", "query", {
    "query": f"SELECT id FROM Transaction WHERE id = {po_id} AND type = 'PurchOrd'"
})

if po_check['data']['items']:
    # PO exists, proceed with attachment
    run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
        "attachTo": {"type": "purchaseOrder", "internalId": po_id},
        "attachedRecord": {"type": "file", "internalId": file_id}
    })
else:
    print(f"❌ PO {po_id} not found")

Batch Processing​

Process attachments in batches:

import time

def batch_attach(attachments, batch_size=10, delay=1):
    """
    Process attachments in batches
    attachments: list of {"record_type", "record_id", "file_id"}
    """
    results = []

    for i in range(0, len(attachments), batch_size):
        batch = attachments[i:i + batch_size]
        print(f"Processing batch {i//batch_size + 1}...")

        for attachment in batch:
            result = run_connection_action("netsuite", "attach", {
                "attachTo": {
                    "type": attachment['record_type'],
                    "internalId": attachment['record_id']
                },
                "attachedRecord": {
                    "type": "file",
                    "internalId": attachment['file_id']
                }
            })
            results.append(result)

        # Delay between batches
        if i + batch_size < len(attachments):
            time.sleep(delay)

    return results

Troubleshooting​

"Action attach not found"​

Enable the soap resource:

  1. Go to NetSuite connection settings
  2. Check soap checkbox
  3. Save connection

"Invalid record reference"​

Verify record exists and type is correct:

# Check record exists
result = run_connection_action("netsuite", "query", {
    "query": f"SELECT id, type FROM Transaction WHERE id = {record_id}"
})

if result['data']['items']:
    record = result['data']['items'][0]
    print(f"Record {record_id} is type: {record['type']}")
else:
    print(f"Record {record_id} not found")

"Permission denied"​

Ensure your NetSuite role has:

  • File Cabinet > View permission
  • Attach Files to Records permission

Record Type Reference​

Common NetSuite record types for attach action:

Record TypeParameter Value
Purchase OrderpurchaseOrder
Sales OrdersalesOrder
Invoiceinvoice
Vendor BillvendorBill
Cash SalecashSale
Customercustomer
Vendorvendor
Employeeemployee
Expense ReportexpenseReport
Journal EntryjournalEntry

Next Steps​

Resources​