How to output File Upload Media Url into email action message

Just using the cs form with the file upload save url in field. And was hoping instead of attaching the file to the email I could print the url just like how it auto saves it into the field. I tried these different fields on email action and all seem to output nothing.

{{dc:file:upload name=“file_upload”}}
{{dc:form:data key=“file_upload”}}
{{dc:file:all}}

Sidenote other aspects of the form are working great only just started the past week trying it out e.g. I am using it with way for internal contact for for staff with option to email users and this with combination of loop providers and filtering is working great for internal small dashboard reporting side and not having to require any other plugins.

Hey Jay,

Here is why your previous attempts returned nothing or failed to show the file URL, and how you can correctly print the uploaded file’s URL in your email message.


Why the tags you tried outputted nothing

  1. {{dc:file:upload name="file_upload"}} and {{dc:file:all}}:
    These tags access the raw PHP $_FILES array (containing server metadata like temporary names, MIME types, and sizes). They do not contain the final upload URL and cannot be printed directly as text because they return PHP arrays.
  2. {{dc:form:data key="file_upload"}}:
    This retrieves values from the $_REQUEST parameters. Since uploaded files are processed separately through $_FILES rather than request parameters, the key is empty in $_REQUEST.

How to print the File URL in the Email Action

To output the URL of the uploaded file, you need to use nested actions and Cornerstone’s dynamic content post-processing.

Step 1: Nest the Email Action inside the File Upload Action

In Cornerstone, actions can pass outputs to subsequent actions only if they are structured hierarchically. In your editor Outline/Navigator:

  1. Drag the Email Action to be a child (nested under) the File Upload Action.
  2. Make sure the File Upload Action has Create Media enabled. This generates a WordPress attachment and returns its ID.
▼ Form
  ▼ File Upload Action
      Email Action

Step 2: Use the Form Action Response Tag with Post-Processing

When the Email Action is nested inside the File Upload Action, it can access the parent action’s output using {{dc:form_action:response}} (which returns the attachment ID).

To convert the ID into a direct public file URL, append the post-processing parameter type="file". Use the following tag in your email message:

{{dc:form_action:response type="file"}}
  • Direct File URL (e.g. PDF, Image): {{dc:form_action:response type="file"}}
  • Attachment Page URL: {{dc:post:permalink post="{{dc:form_action:response}}"}} (This uses the attachment ID to look up its permalink page).

If that doesn’t help, kindly provide the following info in a Secure Note.

  • WordPress Login URL
  • Admin username and password
  • Page URL where we can see the issue

You can find the Secure Note button at the bottom of your posts.

Thanks.