Reusable Subworkflow: Dynamically Compress Multiple Files

This n8n workflow demonstrates a reusable subworkflow pattern for dynamically compressing multiple files into a single ZIP archive. It's designed to be called by other workflows, providing a clean and modular way to handle file compression tasks.

What it does

This workflow performs the following steps:

1. Listens for Execution: It starts when triggered by another n8n workflow using the "Execute Workflow Trigger" node. This allows it to receive input data from the calling workflow.
2. Prepares File Data (Edit Fields): An "Edit Fields (Set)" node is present, likely intended for transforming or preparing the file data received from the calling workflow before compression.
3. Executes Custom Logic (Code): A "Code" node is included, which can be used to implement custom JavaScript logic. In a typical scenario for this workflow, this node would likely process the input items to structure them correctly for the Compression node, such as extracting binary data and file names.
4. Compresses Files: The "Compression" node takes the processed file data and compresses it into a ZIP archive.
5. Provides Notes: A "Sticky Note" is included for documentation within the workflow itself.

Prerequisites/Requirements

• n8n Instance: An active n8n instance to import and run the workflow.
• Calling Workflow: Another n8n workflow that will trigger this subworkflow and provide the necessary file data for compression. The calling workflow should pass items containing binary data and associated file names.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow:
   • Download the provided JSON file.
   • In your n8n instance, click on "Workflows" in the left sidebar.
   • Click "New" -> "Import from JSON" and paste the workflow JSON or upload the file.
2. Configure the Calling Workflow:
   • In your main workflow, add an "Execute Workflow" node.
   • Select this "Reusable Subworkflow: Dynamically Compress Multiple Files" workflow in the "Workflow" field of the "Execute Workflow" node.
   • Ensure your calling workflow passes the binary file data and corresponding filenames as input to this subworkflow. The "Code" node within this subworkflow will likely need to be adapted to correctly parse the input structure from your calling workflow.
3. Activate the Workflow: Toggle the workflow to "Active" in the top right corner.

This subworkflow is now ready to be called by other workflows whenever you need to dynamically compress a collection of files.