# Creating multiple files with one msg
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582
**Category:** General
**Created:** [5 October 2022 08:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582 "2022-10-05T08:18:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Deuceyd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Deuceyd)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 08:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/1 "2022-10-05T08:18:05Z")
Hey All!
Very new here and I'm 100% certain I'm missing something simple so apologies for any stupid questions. I have a fairly simple flow running to check a web folder for a bunch of files and create a html file for each of the files found.
The issue I'm having at the moment is I'm really struggling to find a way to send each msg.payload to my file create node as a separate command, triggering the file node once per payload rather than sending all payloads to the node at once and creating 1 file with say 8 links.
My flow is essentially, check folder & collect the file details in the msg object =\> set variables for the html start tags, end tags etc =\> basic function node to combine the details:
msg.fileObj = msg.htmlStart + msg.fileObj.permalink + msg.htmlCloseTag + msg.file + msg.htmlEnd
msg.payload = msg.fileObj
return msg;
I then clear up the msg so only the payload returns and fire it into a file create node. Lets say I have 8 msg.payloads, is there a simple way or a handy piece of javascript I could use to essentially say - send the first payload, then wait... then the second and so on?
Thanks in advance!
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### Author:  [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 08:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/2 "2022-10-05T08:31:45Z")
> [@Deuceyd](#):
>
> Lets say I have 8 msg.payloads, is there a simple way or a handy piece of javascript I could use to essentially say - send the first payload, then wait... then the second and so on?
The `split` node is designed for this. Not certain why you say it should "wait" - are you using global/flow context? If no, then you can run this at full speed with no waiting.
If you share your flow (or a simplified, minimal example) with demo data we can show you how.
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 08:35 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/3 "2022-10-05T08:35:15Z")
Or you could `node.send()` multiple times in a Function node to send multiple messages, if that fits your requirement better. See [Writing Functions : Node-RED](https://nodered.org/docs/user-guide/writing-functions)
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### Author:  [@Deuceyd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Deuceyd)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 08:57 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/4 "2022-10-05T08:57:54Z")
Thanks a lot Steve, you're absolutely right that was just bad wording on my part. I dont actually need it to wait as long as each payload is sent to the file create as a separate msg. Here's the key part of my flow at the moment:
`[{"id":"03084b6a8123d65d","type":"function","z":"bde6fd980bf6e6c4","name":"","func":"msg.fileObj = msg.htmlStart + msg.fileObj.permalink + msg.htmlCloseTag + msg.file + msg.htmlEnd\n\n//if (msg.fileObj) {\n //node.warn(msg.fileObj[0]); // first match\n\n//}\n\nmsg.payload = msg.fileObj\nreturn msg;\n\n\n\n","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[],"x":200,"y":220,"wires":[["3012734f8c47c192"]]},{"id":"a08a6de5f6bfc2f1","type":"change","z":"bde6fd980bf6e6c4","name":"Set Variables","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"htmlStart","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"str"},{"t":"set","p":"htmlEnd","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"str"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":590,"y":160,"wires":[["03084b6a8123d65d"]]},{"id":"3012734f8c47c192","type":"function","z":"bde6fd980bf6e6c4","name":"","func":"\nvar fileLink = { payload: msg.fileObj};\nreturn fileLink;","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[],"x":420,"y":220,"wires":[["28837590b8845d38"]]},{"id":"28837590b8845d38","type":"file","z":"bde6fd980bf6e6c4","name":"Create file","filename":"C:\\Users\\ben.readings\\Documents\\Demos\\Client A\\inboundfiles.html","appendNewline":true,"createDir":true,"overwriteFile":"false","encoding":"none","x":670,"y":220,"wires":[["c83081990f44c6db"]]}]`
---
### Author:  [@Deuceyd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Deuceyd)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 08:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/5 "2022-10-05T08:59:29Z")
Thanks a lot Steve! You're right no real need to wait, I just want to make sure each of my msg's comes through separately to the file create node. I've added a snippet of my flow below
`[{"id":"03084b6a8123d65d","type":"function","z":"bde6fd980bf6e6c4","name":"","func":"msg.fileObj = msg.htmlStart + msg.fileObj.permalink + msg.htmlCloseTag + msg.file + msg.htmlEnd\n\n//if (msg.fileObj) {\n //node.warn(msg.fileObj[0]); // first match\n\n//}\n\nmsg.payload = msg.fileObj\nreturn msg;\n\n\n\n","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[],"x":200,"y":220,"wires":[["3012734f8c47c192"]]},{"id":"a08a6de5f6bfc2f1","type":"change","z":"bde6fd980bf6e6c4","name":"Set Variables","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"htmlStart","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"str"},{"t":"set","p":"htmlEnd","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"str"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":590,"y":160,"wires":[["03084b6a8123d65d"]]},{"id":"3012734f8c47c192","type":"function","z":"bde6fd980bf6e6c4","name":"","func":"\nvar fileLink = { payload: msg.fileObj};\nreturn fileLink;","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[],"x":420,"y":220,"wires":[["28837590b8845d38"]]},{"id":"28837590b8845d38","type":"file","z":"bde6fd980bf6e6c4","name":"Create file","filename":"C:\\Users\\ben.readings\\Documents\\Demos\\Client A\\inboundfiles.html","appendNewline":true,"createDir":true,"overwriteFile":"false","encoding":"none","x":670,"y":220,"wires":[["c83081990f44c6db"]]}]`
---
### Author:  [@Deuceyd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Deuceyd)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 09:00 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/6 "2022-10-05T09:00:20Z")
Thanks for the help Colin! This is an interesting one, I guess my main concern with using a node.send in the function node was I have an unpredictable number of files. Maybe I could stick the node.send in a for loop or something? Thats something I'm struggling a bit with.
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### Author:  [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 09:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/7 "2022-10-05T09:11:59Z")
looking at the partial flow you have posted, I am confused.
First you say...
> [@Deuceyd](#):
>
> check a web folder for a bunch of files and create a html file for each of the files found
Are you creating 1 file or multiple files?
"create a html file for each of the files found" implies creating multiple files. however, you have a hard coded (single) file name set/fixed in the write file node!
* * *
If I were to guess, you want...
1. read a directory listing
2. Generate an `a` anchor (hyperlink) that points to each file in the diretory
3. Write a file containing a list of hyperlinks
Is that the goal? 1 file to be generated?
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### Author:  [@Deuceyd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Deuceyd)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 09:22 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/8 "2022-10-05T09:22:14Z")
Yeah I think you just made me realise my embarassing mistake... on reflection not sure how I expected that to work hardcoded. I'll grab the filename and fire it as an input with each msg object and give that a shot to create each file individually. Thanks a lot for your help mate.
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 09:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/9 "2022-10-05T09:23:09Z")
> [@Deuceyd](#):
>
> check folder & collect the file details
How are you doing that, and in what form do you get the file details?
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### Author:  [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 09:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/10 "2022-10-05T09:30:53Z")
While I was waiting for your repsonse, I knocked this up to generate a single file of hyperlinks.
While it may not be what you want, it may give you some clues...
```auto
[{"id":"f6e764337c455bef","type":"fs-ops-dir","z":"ccdc4f1f78201a08","name":"List PDFs in c:\\temp","path":"path","pathType":"msg","filter":"filter","filterType":"msg","dir":"payload","dirType":"msg","x":1620,"y":140,"wires":[["5bb5ae22a5d81a5c"]]},{"id":"3c7cb4afe87b57ec","type":"inject","z":"ccdc4f1f78201a08","name":"","props":[],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","x":1250,"y":140,"wires":[["34ce3cdda5961df8"]]},{"id":"ef8535503bf95ce8","type":"debug","z":"ccdc4f1f78201a08","name":"debug 97","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"true","targetType":"full","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":1640,"y":200,"wires":[]},{"id":"5bb5ae22a5d81a5c","type":"function","z":"ccdc4f1f78201a08","name":"make document","func":"const links = []\nconst files = msg.payload\nconst html = []\n\nhtml.push(\"\")\nhtml.push(\" \")\nhtml.push(\" File List\")\nhtml.push(\" \")\nhtml.push(\" \")\nhtml.push(\" \")\nfor (let index = 0; index < files.length; index++) {\n const fullpath = path.join(msg.path, files[index])\n const text = files[index]\n const anchor = ` ${text}`\n links.push(anchor)\n}\nhtml.push(...links)\nhtml.push(\"
\")\nhtml.push(\" \")\nhtml.push(\"\")\n\n//make final HTML\nmsg.payload = html.join('\\n')\n\n//generate the save as filename for the \"write file\" node\nmsg.filename = path.join(msg.path, msg.outputFilename)\n\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[{"var":"path","module":"path"}],"x":1440,"y":200,"wires":[["ef8535503bf95ce8"]]},{"id":"34ce3cdda5961df8","type":"change","z":"ccdc4f1f78201a08","name":"Set Variables","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"path","pt":"msg","to":"c:/temp","tot":"str"},{"t":"set","p":"filter","pt":"msg","to":"*.pdf","tot":"str"},{"t":"set","p":"outputFilename","pt":"msg","to":"result.html","tot":"str"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":1410,"y":140,"wires":[["f6e764337c455bef"]]},{"id":"7b56130a0c6bab9b","type":"comment","z":"ccdc4f1f78201a08","name":"Make single file full of hyperlinks","info":"","x":1330,"y":100,"wires":[]}]
```
**NOTE: uses the most excellent `node-red-contrib-fs-ops` for listing files in a directory (and much ore)**
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### Author:  [@Deuceyd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Deuceyd)
#### Post date: [5 October 2022 09:44 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/11 "2022-10-05T09:44:11Z")
Thanks all very much for your help! There was a fairly major failing in my flow design which was hardcoding the filename (many thanks for picking up on that Steve). Soon as I grabbed the filename from elsewhere and threw the path on the front then fired it to the create file it's all tickedy boo.
Again, a little embarrassing but thanks all for your help!
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [19 October 2022 09:44 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/creating-multiple-files-with-one-msg/68582/12 "2022-10-19T09:44:13Z")
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