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Searching Files Attached to Records

Learn how to search for files attached to transactions (purchase orders, invoices, etc.) using the SOAP Advanced Search with file join.

Prerequisites​

  • NetSuite connector configured with soap resource enabled
  • Transaction internal ID

Why Use This Action?​

Files attached to transactions via the SOAP attach operation cannot be queried using SuiteQL. The search_transaction_files action uses SOAP Advanced Search with fileJoin to retrieve these attachments.

Basic Usage​

from abstra.connectors import run_connection_action

# Search for files attached to a purchase order
result = run_connection_action(
    "netsuite",
    "search_transaction_files",
    {
        "transactionId": "670932",
        "transactionType": "purchaseOrder"
    }
)

# Check results
if result['status'] == 'success':
    files = result['data']['files']
    print(f"Found {len(files)} attached files")

    for file in files:
        print(f"  - {file['fileName']} (ID: {file['fileId']})")
        print(f"    Type: {file['fileType']}")
        print(f"    URL: {file['fileUrl']}")

Parameters​

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
transactionIdstringYesInternal ID of the transaction
transactionTypestringNoType of transaction (default: purchaseOrder)

Supported Transaction Types​

  • purchaseOrder - Purchase Orders
  • salesOrder - Sales Orders
  • invoice - Invoices
  • vendorBill - Vendor Bills
  • estimate - Estimates

Response Format​

{
    "status": "success",
    "data": {
        "success": True,
        "totalRecords": 1,
        "files": [
            {
                "fileId": "678765",
                "fileName": "invoice.pdf",
                "fileUrl": "/core/media/media.nl?id=678765&c=...",
                "fileType": "_PDF"
            }
        ]
    }
}

Practical Examples​

Get Files from a Purchase Order​

def get_po_attachments(po_internal_id):
    """Get all files attached to a purchase order"""
    result = run_connection_action(
        "netsuite",
        "search_transaction_files",
        {
            "transactionId": str(po_internal_id),
            "transactionType": "purchaseOrder"
        }
    )

    if result['status'] == 'success':
        return result['data']['files']
    return []

# Usage
files = get_po_attachments("670932")
for f in files:
    print(f"{f['fileName']} - {f['fileType']}")

Get Files from an Invoice​

result = run_connection_action(
    "netsuite",
    "search_transaction_files",
    {
        "transactionId": "123456",
        "transactionType": "invoice"
    }
)

Download Attached File Content​

import base64

# 1. Search for attached files
result = run_connection_action(
    "netsuite",
    "search_transaction_files",
    {
        "transactionId": "670932",
        "transactionType": "purchaseOrder"
    }
)

# 2. Download each file
for file in result['data']['files']:
    file_details = run_connection_action(
        "netsuite",
        "get_file",
        {"fileId": file['fileId']}
    )

    # Save to disk
    content = file_details['data'].get('content')
    if content:
        with open(file['fileName'], 'wb') as f:
            f.write(base64.b64decode(content))
        print(f"Downloaded: {file['fileName']}")

Check if Transaction Has Attachments​

def has_attachments(transaction_id, transaction_type="purchaseOrder"):
    """Check if a transaction has any file attachments"""
    result = run_connection_action(
        "netsuite",
        "search_transaction_files",
        {
            "transactionId": str(transaction_id),
            "transactionType": transaction_type
        }
    )

    if result['status'] == 'success':
        return len(result['data']['files']) > 0
    return False

# Usage
if has_attachments("670932"):
    print("PO has attachments")
else:
    print("PO has no attachments")

Process Multiple Transactions​

def get_attachments_for_transactions(transaction_ids, transaction_type="purchaseOrder"):
    """Get attachments for multiple transactions"""
    all_attachments = {}

    for trans_id in transaction_ids:
        result = run_connection_action(
            "netsuite",
            "search_transaction_files",
            {
                "transactionId": str(trans_id),
                "transactionType": transaction_type
            }
        )

        if result['status'] == 'success':
            all_attachments[trans_id] = result['data']['files']

    return all_attachments

# Usage
po_ids = ["670932", "670933", "670934"]
attachments = get_attachments_for_transactions(po_ids)

for po_id, files in attachments.items():
    print(f"PO {po_id}: {len(files)} files")

Building Full File URLs​

The fileUrl returned is a relative path. To build the full URL:

def get_full_file_url(account_id, relative_url):
    """Convert relative URL to full NetSuite URL"""
    return f"https://{account_id}.app.netsuite.com{relative_url}"

# Example
account_id = "1234567"
file_url = "/core/media/media.nl?id=678765&c=1234567&h=abc123"
full_url = get_full_file_url(account_id, file_url)
print(f"Full URL: {full_url}")

Error Handling​

result = run_connection_action(
    "netsuite",
    "search_transaction_files",
    {
        "transactionId": "670932",
        "transactionType": "purchaseOrder"
    }
)

if result['status'] == 'error':
    print(f"Error: {result['message']}")
elif result['data']['success']:
    files = result['data']['files']
    if files:
        print(f"Found {len(files)} files")
    else:
        print("No files attached to this transaction")
else:
    print("Search failed")

Troubleshooting​

"Action search_transaction_files not found"​

  • Enable soap resource in your NetSuite connection configuration

Empty Results​

  • Verify the transaction ID is correct
  • Check that the transaction type matches
  • Confirm files were attached (not just referenced)

Permission Errors​

  • Ensure the NetSuite role has Transaction Search permissions
  • Verify the token has access to the transaction type
FeatureSuiteQL (query)SOAP (search_transaction_files)
Files via Communication subtabYesYes
Files via SOAP attachNoYes
Query flexibilityHighLimited to transaction + files
PerformanceFasterSlower

Use search_transaction_files when:

  • Files were attached using the SOAP attach action
  • SuiteQL queries return empty for known attachments

Use SuiteQL query when:

  • Files were attached via NetSuite UI (Communication subtab)
  • You need complex filtering or joins

Next Steps​