FileUpload

Last updated on Feb 27, 2025 | Also applies to ColdFusion

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CFML Reference User Guide

ColdFusion functions

ColdFusion functions by category
Functions a-b
1. Abs
2. ACos
3. AddSOAPRequestHeader
4. AddSOAPResponseHeader
5. AjaxLink
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7. ApplicationStop
8. ArrayAppend
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56. BooleanFormat
Functions-c-d
Functions-e-g
Functions-h-im
Functions-in-k
Functions-l
Functions-m-r
Functions-s
Functions-t-z
1. Tan
2. ThreadJoin
3. ThreadTerminate
4. Throw
5. TimeFormat
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8. ToScript
9. ToString
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11. Transactionandconcurrency
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15. Trim
16. UCase
17. URLDecode
18. URLEncodedFormat
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20. Val
21. ValueList
22. VerifyClient
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25. WriteDump
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29. WSGetSubscribers
30. WSPublish
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32. XmlChildPos
33. XmlElemNew
34. XmlFormat
35. XmlGetNodeType
36. XmlNew
37. XmlParse
38. XmlSearch
39. XmlTransform
40. XmlValidate
41. Year
42. YesNoFormat

ColdFusion tags

ColdFusion tag summary
ColdFusion tags by category
1. Application framework tags
  1. cfapplication
  2. cfassociate
  3. cferror
  4. cfimport
  5. cfinterface
  6. cflock
  7. cfscript
  8. cfthread
2. Communications tags
3. Database manipulation tags
4. Data output tags
  1. cfchart
5. Debugging tags
  1. cfdump
  2. cftimer
  3. cftrace
6. Exception handling tags
  1. cfcatch
  2. cferror
  3. cffinally
  4. cfrethrow
  5. cfthrow
  6. cftry
7. Extensibility tags
  1. cfchart
  2. cfchartdata
  3. cfchartseries
  4. cfcollection
  5. cfcomponent
  6. cfexecute
  7. cfftp
  8. function
  9. cfindex
  10. cfinterface
  11. cfinvoke
  12. cfinvokeargument
  13. cfobject
  14. cfproperty
  15. cfreport
  16. cfreportparam
  17. cfreturn
  18. cfsearch
  19. cfsharepoint
  20. cfspreadsheet
  21. cfwddx
  22. cfxml
8. File management tags
  1. cfdirectory
  2. cffile
  3. cffileupload
  4. cfftp
  5. cfzip
  6. cfzipparam
9. Flow-control tags
  1. cfabort
  2. cfbreak
  3. cfcase
  4. cfcontinue
  5. cfdefaultcase
  6. cfelse
  7. cfelseif
  8. cfexecute
  9. cfexit
  10. cfif
  11. cfinclude
  12. cflocation
  13. cfloop
  14. cfrethrow
  15. cfswitch
  16. cfthrow
  17. cftry
10. Forms tags
  1. cfapplet
  2. cfcalendar
  3. cffileupload
  4. cfform
  5. cfformgroup
  6. cfformitem
  7. cfgrid
  8. cfgridcolumn
  9. cfgridrow
  10. cfgridupdate
  11. cfinput
  12. cfpdf
  13. cfpdfform
  14. cfpdfformparam
  15. cfpdfparam
  16. cfpdfsubform
  17. cfselect
  18. cfslider
  19. cftextarea
  20. cftree
  21. cftreeitem
11. Internet Protocol tags
  1. cfajaximport
  2. cfajaxproxy
  3. cfftp
  4. cffeed
  5. cfimap
  6. cfhttp
  7. cfhttpparam
  8. cfldap
  9. cfmail
  10. cfmailparam
  11. cfmailpart
  12. cfpop
  13. cfsprydataset
12. Page processing tags
  1. cfcache
  2. cfcontent
  3. cfflush
  4. cfheader
  5. cfhtmlhead
  6. cfinclude
  7. cfprocessingdirective
  8. cfsetting
  9. cfsilent
13. Security tags
14. Variable manipulation tags
  1. cfcookie
  2. cfdump
  3. cfparam
  4. cfregistry
  5. cfsavecontent
  6. cfschedule
  7. cfset
  8. cfsetting
15. Other tags
  1. cfimage
  2. cflog
  3. cfregistry
Tags a-b
Tags c
Tags f
Tags g-h
1. cfgraph
2. cfgraphdata
3. cfgrid
4. cfgridcolumn
5. cfgridrow
6. cfgridupdate
7. cfheader
8. cfhtmlhead
9. cfhtmltopdf
10. cfhtmltopdfitem
11. cfhttp
12. cfhttpparam
Tags i
1. cfif
2. cfimage
3. cfimap
4. cfimapfilter
5. cfimpersonate
6. cfimport
7. cfinclude
8. cfindex
9. cfinput
10. cfinsert
11. cfinterface
12. cfinvoke
13. cfinvokeargument
Tags j-l
Tags m-o
Tags p-q
1. cfparam
2. cfpdf
3. cfpdfform
4. cfpdfformparam
5. cfpdfparam
6. cfpdfsubform
7. cfpod
8. cfpop
9. cfpresentation
10. cfpresentationslide
11. cfpresenter
12. cfprint
13. cfprocessingdirective
14. cfprocparam
15. cfprocresult
16. cfprogressbar
17. cfproperty
18. cfquery
19. cfqueryparam
Tags r-s
1. cfregistry
2. cfreport
3. cfreportparam
4. cfrethrow
5. cfreturn
6. cfsavecontent
7. cfschedule
8. cfscript
9. cfsearch
10. cfselect
11. cfservlet
12. cfservletparam
13. cfset
14. cfsetting
15. cfsharepoint
16. cfsilent
17. cfslider
18. cfspreadsheet
19. cfsprydataset
20. cfstoredproc
21. cfswitch
Tags t
1. cftable
2. cftextarea
3. cftextinput
4. cfthread
5. cfthrow
6. cftimer
7. cftooltip
8. cftrace
9. cftransaction
10. cftree
11. cftreeitem
12. cftry
Tags u-z
1. cfupdate
2. cfwddx
3. cfwebsocket
4. cfwindow
5. cfxml
6. cfzip
7. cfzipparam

CFML Reference

Cloud services

CFML Reference User Guide
ColdFusion functions
ColdFusion tags
1. ColdFusion tag summary
2. ColdFusion tags by category
  1. Application framework tags
    1. cfapplication
    2. cfassociate
    3. cferror
    4. cfimport
    5. cfinterface
    6. cflock
    7. cfscript
    8. cfthread
  2. Communications tags
  3. Database manipulation tags
  4. Data output tags
    1. cfchart
  5. Debugging tags
    1. cfdump
    2. cftimer
    3. cftrace
  6. Exception handling tags
    1. cfcatch
    2. cferror
    3. cffinally
    4. cfrethrow
    5. cfthrow
    6. cftry
  7. Extensibility tags
    1. cfchart
    2. cfchartdata
    3. cfchartseries
    4. cfcollection
    5. cfcomponent
    6. cfexecute
    7. cfftp
    8. function
    9. cfindex
    10. cfinterface
    11. cfinvoke
    12. cfinvokeargument
    13. cfobject
    14. cfproperty
    15. cfreport
    16. cfreportparam
    17. cfreturn
    18. cfsearch
    19. cfsharepoint
    20. cfspreadsheet
    21. cfwddx
    22. cfxml
  8. File management tags
    1. cfdirectory
    2. cffile
    3. cffileupload
    4. cfftp
    5. cfzip
    6. cfzipparam
  9. Flow-control tags
    1. cfabort
    2. cfbreak
    3. cfcase
    4. cfcontinue
    5. cfdefaultcase
    6. cfelse
    7. cfelseif
    8. cfexecute
    9. cfexit
    10. cfif
    11. cfinclude
    12. cflocation
    13. cfloop
    14. cfrethrow
    15. cfswitch
    16. cfthrow
    17. cftry
  10. Forms tags
    1. cfapplet
    2. cfcalendar
    3. cffileupload
    4. cfform
    5. cfformgroup
    6. cfformitem
    7. cfgrid
    8. cfgridcolumn
    9. cfgridrow
    10. cfgridupdate
    11. cfinput
    12. cfpdf
    13. cfpdfform
    14. cfpdfformparam
    15. cfpdfparam
    16. cfpdfsubform
    17. cfselect
    18. cfslider
    19. cftextarea
    20. cftree
    21. cftreeitem
  11. Internet Protocol tags
    1. cfajaximport
    2. cfajaxproxy
    3. cfftp
    4. cffeed
    5. cfimap
    6. cfhttp
    7. cfhttpparam
    8. cfldap
    9. cfmail
    10. cfmailparam
    11. cfmailpart
    12. cfpop
    13. cfsprydataset
  12. Page processing tags
    1. cfcache
    2. cfcontent
    3. cfflush
    4. cfheader
    5. cfhtmlhead
    6. cfinclude
    7. cfprocessingdirective
    8. cfsetting
    9. cfsilent
  13. Security tags
  14. Variable manipulation tags
    1. cfcookie
    2. cfdump
    3. cfparam
    4. cfregistry
    5. cfsavecontent
    6. cfschedule
    7. cfset
    8. cfsetting
  15. Other tags
    1. cfimage
    2. cflog
    3. cfregistry
3. Tags a-b
4. Tags c
5. Tags f
6. Tags g-h
  1. cfgraph
  2. cfgraphdata
  3. cfgrid
  4. cfgridcolumn
  5. cfgridrow
  6. cfgridupdate
  7. cfheader
  8. cfhtmlhead
  9. cfhtmltopdf
  10. cfhtmltopdfitem
  11. cfhttp
  12. cfhttpparam
7. Tags i
  1. cfif
  2. cfimage
  3. cfimap
  4. cfimapfilter
  5. cfimpersonate
  6. cfimport
  7. cfinclude
  8. cfindex
  9. cfinput
  10. cfinsert
  11. cfinterface
  12. cfinvoke
  13. cfinvokeargument
8. Tags j-l
9. Tags m-o
10. Tags p-q
  1. cfparam
  2. cfpdf
  3. cfpdfform
  4. cfpdfformparam
  5. cfpdfparam
  6. cfpdfsubform
  7. cfpod
  8. cfpop
  9. cfpresentation
  10. cfpresentationslide
  11. cfpresenter
  12. cfprint
  13. cfprocessingdirective
  14. cfprocparam
  15. cfprocresult
  16. cfprogressbar
  17. cfproperty
  18. cfquery
  19. cfqueryparam
11. Tags r-s
  1. cfregistry
  2. cfreport
  3. cfreportparam
  4. cfrethrow
  5. cfreturn
  6. cfsavecontent
  7. cfschedule
  8. cfscript
  9. cfsearch
  10. cfselect
  11. cfservlet
  12. cfservletparam
  13. cfset
  14. cfsetting
  15. cfsharepoint
  16. cfsilent
  17. cfslider
  18. cfspreadsheet
  19. cfsprydataset
  20. cfstoredproc
  21. cfswitch
12. Tags t
  1. cftable
  2. cftextarea
  3. cftextinput
  4. cfthread
  5. cfthrow
  6. cftimer
  7. cftooltip
  8. cftrace
  9. cftransaction
  10. cftree
  11. cftreeitem
  12. cftry
13. Tags u-z
  1. cfupdate
  2. cfwddx
  3. cfwebsocket
  4. cfwindow
  5. cfxml
  6. cfzip
  7. cfzipparam
CFML Reference
1. Reserved words and variables
2. Ajax JavaScript functions
3. ColdFusion ActionScript functions
4. ColdFusion mobile functions
5. Application.cfc reference
6. Script functions implemented as CFCs
7. ColdFusion Flash Form style reference
8. ColdFusion event gateway reference
9. ColdFusion C++ CFX Reference
10. ColdFusion Java CFX reference
11. WDDX JavaScript Objects
Cloud services

Description

Uploads file to a directory on the server.

Returns

Struct that contains the result (or status) of file upload.For details of what the struct contains, see the usage section of cffile action = "upload".

Function syntax

FileUpload(destination, fileField, accept, nameConflict, strict, allowedExtensions, continueOnError)

FileUpload(destination, fileField, accept, nameConflict, strict, allowedExtensions, continueOnError)

History

ColdFusion (2025 release): Added the parameter continueOnError.
ColdFusion (2018 release) Update 3, ColdFusion (2016 release) Update 10, ColdFusion 11 Update 18: Added the parameter allowedExtensions.
ColdFusion 9.0.1: Added this function.

Parameters

Value	Description
destination	Path of directory in which to upload the file. If not an absolute path (starting with a drive letter and a colon, or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the ColdFusion temporary directory returned by the function getTempDirectory. If the destination you specify does not exist, ColdFusion creates a file with the specified destination name. For example, if you specify the destination C:\XYZ, ColdFusion creates a file XYZ in the C: drive.
accept	Limits the MIME types to accept. It is a comma-delimited list. For example, the following code permits JPEG and Microsoft Word file uploads :" image/jpg ,application / msword ". When strict="true" If strict is true and the mime type is specified in the accept attribute, the file does not get uploaded if the extension is blocked in the server or application settings. When strict="false" And you provide a file extension in the attribute accept, the extension overrides the blocked extension list in the server or application settings. The file then gets uploaded. And you try to upload a file and the mime type is specified in the accept attribute, the file does not get uploaded. The file that you are trying to upload has it’s extension blocked in the Administrator/Application-level settings. Values specified in the attribute allowedExtensions override the list of blocked extensions in the server or application settings.
nameConflict	Action to take if file has the same name of a file in the directory. Error: File is not saved. ColdFusion stops processing the page and returns an error. Skip: File is not saved. This option permits custom behavior based on file properties. Overwrite: Replaces file. MakeUnique: Forms a unique filename for the upload; name is stored in the file object variable serverFile.
allowedExtensions	A comma-separated list of file extensions, which will be allowed for upload. For example, .png, .jpg, or, .jpeg. You can use "*" (star) to allow all files, except where you specify the MIME type in the accept attribute. Values specified in the parameter allowedExtensions overrides the list of blocked extensions in the server or application settings.
fileField	Name of form field used to select the file. Do not use number signs (#) to specify the field name.
strict	strict="false" If strict is false, and you provide a file extension in the attribute accept, the extension overrides the blocked extension list in the server or application settings. The file then gets uploaded. If you provide a MIME type in the attribute accept, and the extension of the file you are trying to upload is blocked in the Administrator/Application-level settings, the file does not get uploaded. For example, If you have blocked file type CFM in the ColdFusion Administrator and specified accept=".cfm" in the tag, and when you try uploading a CFM file, the file gets uploaded. If you have blocked file type CFM in the ColdFusion Administrator and specified accept= ”text /x- coldfusion ” in the tag, and when you try uploading a CFM file, the file gets blocked. strict="true" If strict is true and the mime type is specified in the accept attribute, the file does not get uploaded if the extension is blocked in the server or application settings. For example, if you have blocked file type CFM in the ColdFusion Administrator and specified accept= ”text /x- coldfusion ” and strict=”true ” , and you try uploading a cfm file, the file does not get uploaded. Values specified in the attribute allowedExtensions overrides the list of blocked extensions in the server or application settings.
continueOnError	When set to true, the file upload continues even after encountering an upload error. A file upload error happens due to the following reasons: Empty file Invalid file type Invalid MIME or extension File already exists In the case of an upload failure, the error details will be stored in the errors attribute.

Usage

cffile action = "upload"

Example

upload = FileUpload("C:\location\",

"fileData",

"text/x-coldfusion",

"Overwrite",

true,

".cfm, .png");

writeDump(upload);

</cfscript>

<cfscript> upload = FileUpload("C:\location\", "fileData", "text/x-coldfusion", "Overwrite", true, ".cfm, .png"); writeDump(upload); </cfscript>

<cfscript> 
   upload = FileUpload("C:\location\",
            "fileData",
            "text/x-coldfusion",
            "Overwrite", 
            true, 
            ".cfm, .png");
   writeDump(upload);
</cfscript>

Example- using continueOnError

<button type="submit">Upload</button>

</form>

if( structKeyExists( form, "fileInput" )) {

try {

uploadedFile = FileUpload(destination="C:\Code",fileField="fileInput",mimeType="*",onConflict="Error",continueOnError="true" strict="true",allowedExtensions=".jpg");

// check the file extension of the uploaded file; mime types can be spoofed

if (not listFindNoCase("jpg,jpeg", uploadedFile.serverFileExt)) {

throw("The uploaded file is not of type JPG.");

}

// do stuff with uploadedFile...

} catch ( coldfusion.tagext.io.FileUtils$InvalidUploadTypeException e ) {

writeOutput( "This upload form only accepts JPEG files." );

}

catch (any e) {

writeOutput( "An error occurred while uploading your file: #e.message#" );

}

writeDump(abcd);

</cfscript>

<form method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data"> <input type="file" name="fileInput"> <button type="submit">Upload</button> </form> <cfscript> if( structKeyExists( form, "fileInput" )) { try { uploadedFile = FileUpload(destination="C:\Code",fileField="fileInput",mimeType="*",onConflict="Error",continueOnError="true" strict="true",allowedExtensions=".jpg"); // check the file extension of the uploaded file; mime types can be spoofed if (not listFindNoCase("jpg,jpeg", uploadedFile.serverFileExt)) { throw("The uploaded file is not of type JPG."); } // do stuff with uploadedFile... } catch ( coldfusion.tagext.io.FileUtils$InvalidUploadTypeException e ) { writeOutput( "This upload form only accepts JPEG files." ); } catch (any e) { writeOutput( "An error occurred while uploading your file: #e.message#" ); } } writeDump(abcd); </cfscript>

<form method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
  <input type="file" name="fileInput">
  <button type="submit">Upload</button>
</form>
<cfscript>
  if( structKeyExists( form, "fileInput" )) {
    try {
      uploadedFile = FileUpload(destination="C:\Code",fileField="fileInput",mimeType="*",onConflict="Error",continueOnError="true" strict="true",allowedExtensions=".jpg");
      // check the file extension of the uploaded file; mime types can be spoofed
      if (not listFindNoCase("jpg,jpeg", uploadedFile.serverFileExt)) {
      throw("The uploaded file is not of type JPG.");
      }
      // do stuff with uploadedFile...
    } catch ( coldfusion.tagext.io.FileUtils$InvalidUploadTypeException e ) {
      writeOutput( "This upload form only accepts JPEG files." );
    }
    catch (any e) {
    writeOutput( "An error occurred while uploading your file: #e.message#" );
    }
  }
  writeDump(abcd);
</cfscript>

This sample code provides a basic file upload form and server-side processing to handle the uploaded file in ColdFusion. It checks for the presence of a file, attempts to upload it to a specified directory, validates the file extension, and handles errors appropriately.

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