WebDAVInstall

Overview

This node allows interaction with WebDAV servers to perform file operations such as downloading, uploading, listing, moving, copying, and deleting files or directories. The "Download File" operation specifically retrieves a file from a WebDAV server given its directory and file path.

Common scenarios where this node is beneficial include:

• Automating backup or retrieval of files stored on a WebDAV server.
• Integrating WebDAV-hosted documents into workflows for processing or analysis.
• Synchronizing files between WebDAV storage and other systems.

For example, you can use the "Download File" operation to fetch a report stored on a WebDAV server and then process it in subsequent workflow steps.

Properties

Output

The output contains one item per input, each with the following structure:

• json:

  • path: The server-relative path of the downloaded file.
  • contentType: The MIME type of the file.
  • contentLength: Size of the file in bytes (if available).
  • lastModified: Timestamp string of last modification (if available).
  • etag: Entity tag for cache validation (if available).
  • statusCode: HTTP status code returned by the server.

• binary:

  • data: The binary content of the downloaded file, prepared for further binary processing in n8n.

This means the node outputs the raw file data along with metadata about the file.

Dependencies

• Requires an API key credential configured with the WebDAV server URL and authentication details.
• The base URL must include the protocol (http:// or https://) and point to the WebDAV endpoint.
• The node uses HTTP methods like GET and PROPFIND to interact with the WebDAV server.
• No additional external dependencies beyond standard HTTP requests.

Troubleshooting

• Invalid Base URL: If the base URL in credentials is missing or does not start with http:// or https://, the node will throw an error. Ensure the URL includes the protocol and points correctly to the WebDAV server.
• Absolute URLs in Path Fields: Paths must be server-relative starting with /. Absolute URLs are not allowed and will cause errors.
• No Data Returned: If the requested file path does not exist or returns no data, an error is thrown.
• Unexpected Data Type: The node expects binary data for downloads. Receiving JSON instead indicates a possible error response from the server.
• Connection Errors: Common network issues like host not found, connection refused, or timeout will produce descriptive error messages indicating the problem.
• Destination URL Validation: For move or copy operations, destination URLs must be on the same server as the base URL; otherwise, an error is raised.

To resolve these issues, verify credentials, paths, and network connectivity.

Links and References

• WebDAV Protocol Overview
• n8n Expressions Documentation
• WebDAV Server Setup Examples