How to access files and send them via email?

[meta-boy]

I have the following DB hook (it's non-functional)

onModelAfterCreate(function(e) {
    $app.logger().info('New generation record created: ' + e.model.get('fileName'));
    var generationRecord = e.model;
  
    if (generationRecord.get('state') === 'QUEUED') {
      $app.logger().info('Processing generation: ' + generationRecord.get('fileName'));
      try {
        var userId = generationRecord.get('user');
        var fileRecord = generationRecord.get('file');
        var fileName = generationRecord.get('fileName')
  
        $app.dao().findRecordById('users', userId, function(err, userRecord) {
          if (err) {
            throw err;
          }
          var userEmail = userRecord.get('email');
  
          var emailData = {
            to: userEmail,
            subject: 'some subject',
            body: (
              "some body"
            ),
            attachments: [fileRecord],
          };
  
          try {
            var attachment = $filesystem.fileFromPath(emailData.attachments[0].file).reader.open();
  
            var message = new MailerMessage({
              from: {
                address: $app.settings().meta.senderAddress,
                name: $app.settings().meta.senderName,
              },
              to: [{ address: emailData.to }],
              subject: emailData.subject,
              html: emailData.body,
              attachments: {},
            });
            message.attachments[fileName] = attachment;
  
            $app.newMailClient().send(message);
          } catch (err) {
            $app.logger().error('Failed to send email', 'error', err);
            throw err;
          } finally {
            // Close the attachment
            if (attachment) {
              attachment.close();
            }
          }
        });
      } catch (error) {
        $app.logger().error('Failed to process generation:', error);
        generationRecord.set('state', 'FAILED');
        $app.dao().saveRecord(generationRecord, function(err) {
          if (err) {
            throw err;
          }
        });
      }
    }
  }, "generations");

but I believe this is not the right way to load attachments from the db and send in email, whats the right way to do it? My usecase is to send invoice pdfs via email that are generated once the record is created in db

[ganigeorgiev]

See #4686. The attachment field expects a reader so there is no other way with the JSVM (note that fileFromPath expects a valid local path).

Alternatively, instead of file attachment you can simply use a link to the PDF file (this will also make your mail payload smaller). The url needs to be in the format:

https://yourapp.com/api/files/COLLECTION_ID_OR_NAME/RECORD_ID/FILENAME

[meta-boy]

oh okay, can I do a GET request on the file, save it to /tmp or something and then access it via fileFromPath?

[meta-boy]

oh even better, i can just use this https://pocketbase.io/jsvm/functions/_filesystem.fileFromUrl.html

[ganigeorgiev]

No, I don't recommend this but honestly I no longer understand what you are trying todo.

The more I read you code sample the more I'm getting confused. The function callback signature to $app.dao().findRecordById is not correct. I don't know from where did you get the function(err, userRecord) but you can check the docs in https://pocketbase.io/jsvm/classes/Dao.html#findRecordById. The same apply for the saveRecord function - it doesn't accept a callback argument.

My recommendation is to use a simple link in your email but if that's not an option and you want a file attachment, then here is a slightly modified version of your code (I haven't tested it; treat it as a pseudo-code):

onModelAfterCreate(function (e) {
    const fileName = e.model.get('fileName') // I assume this is a text field?

    $app.logger().info('New generation record created: ' + fileName);

    const generationRecord = e.model;

    if (generationRecord.get('state') !== 'QUEUED') {
        return
    }

    $app.logger().info('Processing generation: ' + fileName);

    let fsys, file;

    try {
        const user = $app.dao().findRecordById('users', generationRecord.get('user'));

        // retrieve the file from the app filesystem (works both with S3 and the local filesystem)
        const fileKey = generationRecord.baseFilesPath() + "/" + generationRecord.get("file")
        fsys = $app.newFilesystem()
        file = fsys.getFile(fileKey) // already an io.Reader so there is no need to convert it

        // send an email
        try {
            let message = new MailerMessage({
                from: {
                    address: $app.settings().meta.senderAddress,
                    name: $app.settings().meta.senderName,
                },
                to: [{ address: user.email() }],
                subject: 'subject...',
                html: 'body...',
                attachments: {},
            });
            message.attachments[fileName] = file;

            $app.newMailClient().send(message);
        } catch (err) {
            $app.logger().error('Failed to send email', 'error', err);
            throw err;
        }
        
        // maybe change the generationRecord status?
    } catch (err) {
        $app.logger().error('Failed to process generation:', "error", err);
        generationRecord.set('state', 'FAILED');
        $app.dao().saveRecord(generationRecord);
    } finally {
        file?.close()
        fsys?.close()
    }
}, "generations");

[meta-boy]

yep sorry for the function callback signature earlier, copilot went beserk on that one. I ended up with this

onModelAfterCreate(function (e) {
    $app.logger().info('New generation record created: ' + e.model.get('fileName'));
    var generationRecord = e.model;

    if (generationRecord.get('state') !== 'QUEUED') {
        return
    }
    $app.logger().info('Processing generation: ' + generationRecord.get('fileName'));
    try {

        var userId = generationRecord.get('user');
        var fileName = generationRecord.get('fileName') + ".pdf";
        var fileRecord = generationRecord.get('file');

        var userRecord = $app.dao().findRecordById('users', userId)

        var userEmail = userRecord.get('email');

        var attachment = $filesystem.fileFromUrl(('http://0.0.0.0:8080/api/files/generations/' + generationRecord.id + '/' + fileRecord)).reader.open();

        var emailData = {
            to: userEmail,
            subject: '',
            body: (
                ''
            )
        };

        try {
            var message = new MailerMessage({
                from: {
                    address: $app.settings().meta.senderAddress,
                    name: $app.settings().meta.senderName,
                },
                to: [{ address: emailData.to }],
                subject: emailData.subject,
                html: emailData.body,
                attachments: {},
            });

            message.attachments[fileName] = attachment;


            $app.newMailClient().send(message);
            $app.logger().info('Email sent successfully to ' + userEmail);
            generationRecord.set('state', 'PROCESSED');
            $app.dao().saveRecord(generationRecord)

        } catch (err) {
            $app.logger().error('Failed to send email', 'error', err);
            throw err;
        } finally {
            attachment.reader.close();
        }

    } catch (error) {
        $app.logger().error('Failed to process generation:', 'error', error);
        generationRecord.set('state', 'FAILED');
        $app.dao().saveRecord(generationRecord);
    }
}, "generations");

it manages to send the email (yay!) but still fails and ends up setting the status as 'FAILED' as per my workflow

[meta-boy]

Your code looks better, I'll give that a try

[meta-boy]

yep yours is better