I’m using 365 Scope and Get Email List, then looping through the list, downloading each email, and then adding each to an IEnumerable(of ILocalResource) to be attached to an email with Send SMTP.
Frequently when it tries to send the email it says it can’t find the file. I have a Log Message showing me the file path immediately after it’s downloaded. When I watch the folder, the file appears then disappears.
Do you have a path example for the downloaded file?
Do you have a step in your automation that clears the file after download?
Do you have a policy that is enforced to delete that type of file from that location?
Can you provide a project sample with only the replicable activities?
What is the Studio and Robot version?
It’s your Download Email activity and it automatically decides the path and filename. An example: C:\Users\xxxxxxxx\AppData\Local\Temp\1\ndqk02o1.3ut.eml
I do not have a step that clears the files after download.
There can’t be a policy like that because sometimes it works. Also, it can’t be content-based because during development I’m literally downloading the same email each run.
Regarding project sample, it’s literally just this:
Studio/Robot 24.10.8
UiPath.MicrosoftOffice365.Activities 2.7.24
UiPath.System.Activities 24.10.7
Hello! Because our automations can run in the cloud on robots where the file would be of no use after the workflow execution has ended, we save the email in a temporary location and remove it once the workflow execution ends. The onus is on the user to do something with it inside the automation.
A second option to preserve the email is to populate the Destionation Path input. If you do, the file is persisted.
Hi @postwick
This usually happens because the file you’re adding to the attachment list is getting deleted or disposed before the SMTP activity actually sends the mail.
With O365 activities, downloaded emails are often saved to a temporary location and can be cleaned up automatically (especially when the scope/iteration ends). So even though you log the path and briefly see the file in the folder, it disappears before Send SMTP Mail Message tries to attach it.
In short, don’t attach the file directly from the O365 download location—save it somewhere stable first, then add it to the IEnumerable(Of ILocalResource) and send the email.
There is no Destination Path in the Download Email activity.
The workflow is still running when the file disappears.
Except sometimes it works and the file doesn’t disappear.
Could you please upgrade to 3.5.10 and try again? If this does not solve it, we shall open a ticket and investigate.
3.5.10 does not have the 365 Scope activity so I cannot use it
It surely does, can you check if you enable the Classic category please? the project must be windows!
Oh duh, my mistake. Thank you yes the Scope activity is there.
Moving the file to another folder seems to have fixed the issue.
Hi @postwick
The downloaded email is stored in a temporary location managed by the O365 Scope. That temp file is not guaranteed to stay available for a consistent amount of time. Sometimes the SMTP activity runs fast enough and attaches the file before the scope or GC cleanup removes it, so it works. Other times, the cleanup happens first, so SMTP can’t find the file and throws the error. That’s why it feels random.
Hi @postwick
When you move or copy the file to a folder you control, it’s no longer tied to the O365 Scope’s temporary lifecycle. The file stays on disk until you explicitly delete it, so Send SMTP Mail Message can reliably access it every time. This makes the process deterministic instead of timing-dependent.
This topic was automatically closed 3 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
