# IRPCObjectOperations.UploadExistingFiles

Location: [gRPC API](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/index.md) > [Vault API](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/vault/index.md) > [Objects, versions, properties and files](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/index.md)

HTML version: https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/UploadExistingFiles/

Badges: `Vault API / core` `write` `session or assertion`

Copies existing file versions into new uploads, for example to create a new object with a copy
of a file.

- **Service:** [Objects, versions, properties and files](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/index.md) `MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations`
- **gRPC method:** `/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/UploadExistingFiles`
- **HTTP (mf-http-grpc):** `POST /grpc/v1/upload-existing-files`
- **Request:** [`UploadExistingFilesRequest`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/UploadExistingFiles/index.md#request)
- **Response:** [`UploadExistingFilesResponse`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/UploadExistingFiles/index.md#response)
- **Book and level:** Vault API, core
- **Kind:** write
- **Session:** Required: a session (mfiles-session-id-bin metadata) or a session assertion (x-mf-session-assertion metadata).
- **Idempotent:** no
- **Returns metadata structure version:** no
- **Streaming:** none (unary)

<a id="remarks"></a>

## Remarks

Each copy is an upload like one made with
[UploadTempFile](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/UploadTempFile/index.md) and
[UploadTempFileCommit](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/UploadTempFileCommit/index.md), so it can be
passed to [AddObjectWithFiles](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/AddObjectWithFiles/index.md). Remove the
copies you do not use with
[RemoveUploadSession](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/RemoveUploadSession/index.md).

<a id="request"></a>

## Request: UploadExistingFilesRequest

Request details for creating temporary file uploads from existing files.

> Nested message fields are expanded to depth 3; follow a type link for deeper levels and for the type's own page.

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `obj_file_vers[]` | repeated [`ObjFileVer`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.ObjFileVer/index.md) | The files to copy, each as object and specific file version. |
| `obj_file_vers[].obj_id` | [`ObjID`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.ObjID/index.md) | The object that owns the file. |
| `obj_file_vers[].obj_id.type` | `int32` | The object type ID, for example 0 for documents. In a lookup value, the value list ID (for a lookup to objects, the object type ID). |
| `obj_file_vers[].obj_id.item_id` | [`ItemID`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.ItemID/index.md) | The ID of the object within its type, in `item_id.internal_id`. |
| `obj_file_vers[].file_ver` | [`FileVer`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.FileVer/index.md) | The specific file version, as in `File.file_ver`. |
| `obj_file_vers[].file_ver.file_id` | [`FileID`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.FileID/index.md) | The file. |
| `obj_file_vers[].file_ver.type` | [`FileVerType`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Enums/MFiles.FileVerType/index.md) | `FILE_VER_TYPE_SPECIFIC` for a file version number. Values: `FILE_VER_TYPE_UNINITIALIZED` (0), `FILE_VER_TYPE_LATEST` (1), `FILE_VER_TYPE_ANY` (2), `FILE_VER_TYPE_SPECIFIC` (3). |
| `obj_file_vers[].file_ver.internal_version` | `int32` | The file version number. |
| `obj_file_vers[].file_ver.external_repository_version` | `string` | Used only for files in external repositories. Leave empty. |
| `obj_file_vers[].file_ver.external_repository_sort_key` | `int64` | Used only for files in external repositories. Leave 0. |
| `return_file_refs` | `bool` | True to get the copies in `file_refs` instead of `upload_ids`. In a vault without stateless uploads they are the upload IDs as decimal strings. |

<a id="response"></a>

## Response: UploadExistingFilesResponse

Response with temporary file upload ids created from existing files.

> Nested message fields are expanded to depth 3; follow a type link for deeper levels and for the type's own page.

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `upload_ids[]` | repeated `int32` | An array of temporary file ids. Empty if returnFileRefs was requested. |
| `file_refs[]` | repeated `string` | If returnFileRefs was requested, the copies in the order of the requested files: file_refs of stateless uploads if the vault supports them, otherwise the upload IDs in decimal. |

<a id="related"></a>

## Related methods

- [UploadTempFile](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/UploadTempFile/index.md): Uploads a block of a file to a temporary upload session on the server. The upload can then be used as the content of a new object.
- [UploadTempFileCommit](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/UploadTempFileCommit/index.md): Completes an upload made with UploadTempFile.
- [AddObjectWithFiles](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/AddObjectWithFiles/index.md): Creates a new object, optionally with its files, and optionally checks it in.
- [RemoveUploadSession](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCObjectOperations/RemoveUploadSession/index.md): Removes an upload and its temporary file.