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FTP: unified-canvas UX, legacy designer removal, SFTP enumeration fixes [STUD-80716] - #590

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FTP: unified-canvas UX, legacy designer removal, SFTP enumeration fixes [STUD-80716]#590
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@viogroza viogroza commented Aug 4, 2026

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Adopts the unified canvas across all 8 FTP activities, removes the legacy WPF designer project, and fixes the reported SFTP enumeration crash. Follows the Cryptography pack (c21a272, STUD-80718) as the reference implementation.

Unified canvas

  • Property configuration moved out of ActivitiesMetadata.json into the ViewModels. The JSON now declares activities only ("Properties": []), matching Cryptography. WithFtpSession's Body is declared as a DesignProperty and hidden in the ViewModel, the same way JavaScopeViewModel handles its scope body.
  • One section vocabulary across both layers: Input -> Options -> Security / Proxy (scope only) -> Output last, applied to the ViewModels and the runtime [LocalizedCategory] attributes so the two cannot drift.
  • Toggle for every boolean (including ContinueOnError), Number for Port / Timeout / ProxyPort, a data source for FtpsMode, placeholders on path fields.
  • Verb-first renames: Directory Exists -> Check If Folder Exists, File Exists -> Check If File Exists, Enumerate Objects -> List Files and Folders. Old names keep working as search aliases via DisplayNameAliasKeys.
  • Three field-anchored design-time validations on WithFtpSession (missing username, no authentication method, negative timeout).

Legacy designer removal

UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design deleted (40 files) - activities render from their ViewModels now, mirroring Cryptography's feb1052. Packaging narrows to $(PortableFramework); the Windows TFM existed only to carry the Design dll. Activity search synonyms were preserved through the metadata JSON.

SFTP enumeration fix

The reported failure - SftpPathNotFoundException: No such file when enumerating ".":

  • An unreadable sub-directory no longer discards the whole enumeration. Servers can return an entry from readdir and then refuse opendir on it. That sub-directory is now skipped and its path traced, instead of failing the operation. Connection and timeout failures still propagate, and the caller's own RemotePath is not covered by the leniency.
  • Dropped the ChangeDirectory / restore dance. It was not in a finally, so a mid-walk failure left the shared session's working directory pointing into the tree - and since the scope shares one session, with ContinueOnError = True every later relative path resolved from the wrong place.
  • 16 listing tests added (11 enumeration, 5 download).

Behaviour changes reviewers should look at

  1. The enumeration leniency above - by CONTRIBUTING's wording ("an exception is no longer thrown") this is a Bucket 1 change. It is the point of the fix, but calling it out explicitly. Affects List Files and Folders and Download Files on SFTP only; Delete, Upload, Move and the Exists pair are untouched, as is plain FTP/FTPS.
  2. Download Files can now report success on a partial transfer when a sub-folder is skipped. The trace names the path; the activity outcome does not. Documented.
  3. The new design-time validations change exception type and timing for an already-broken scope - InvalidWorkflowException at workflow load instead of ArgumentNullException during execution, which an in-workflow Try/Catch can no longer intercept. No previously-working workflow is affected: each validation fires only where ExecuteAsync already threw.

Symbolic-link handling is unchanged across all 8 activities - the recursion and file-selection predicates are equivalent to the pre-branch ones. No public API change: no activity property added, removed, renamed or retyped; no [RequiredArgument] / [Obsolete] / [DefaultValue] change; no design-time IsRequired change; UiPath.FTP.Activities.API untouched.

Known limitation - documented, pinned, deliberately not fixed here

FtpObjectType.Link is unreachable on the SFTP path. SSH.NET's IsRegularFile is a (mode & S_IFREG) == S_IFREG test and S_IFLNK contains S_IFREG, so every symbolic link classifies as File: List Files and Folders' Link filter matches nothing over SFTP, and Check If File Exists answers True for a link while Check If Folder Exists answers False for a linked folder. FTP/FTPS report Link correctly, so the two protocols disagree.

The fix is understood - separate the dispatch classifier from the reporting one; a naive reorder regresses Download and FileExists - but it changes FtpObjectInfo.Type for shipped workflows, so it belongs in its own change with its own release note. The shipped docs now state it everywhere they previously promised Link, and SFTP_GetFtpObjectType_ClassifiesSymbolicLinkAsFile pins it so it cannot be changed by accident.

Verification

  • Activities.FTP.sln builds clean - 0 errors; the only warnings are 2 pre-existing CS0618 (FtpSslProtocols.Default, x2 TFMs) and 2 NuGet pack deprecations.
  • dotnet test Activities.FTP.sln: 59/59 in UiPath.FTP.Tests, 18/19 in UiPath.FTP.Activities.API.Tests (1 pre-existing skip).
  • Package verified: single lib/net6.0 with UiPath.FTP.dll, UiPath.FTP.Activities.dll, .API.dll/.xml and 13 satellite locales - no Design dll, no lib/net6.0-windows. Same layout Cryptography has shipped since feb1052.
  • Every metadata / .resx / C# resource key resolves; all 8 icons present; runtime [LocalizedCategory] matches ViewModel Category on every visible property.

Before merge

  • Not yet opened in Studio. This is a UX change and it has only been verified structurally. A canvas smoke test (and screenshots) is the main gap.
  • Localization sync required. 52 changed strings still carry their old translations in all 13 locales, and 18 new keys have none. Missing keys fall back to English; stale ones do not - a German user still sees "Directory Exists". Also worth excluding the deleted UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.*.resx path on the Localization side so the orphans do not come back.
  • Version bump? Release VersionPrefix is still 3.2.0. The package now ships one fewer assembly and drops a TFM. Neither reference commit touched the version props, so precedent says leave it - flagging for a maintainer call.

Follow-up, needs a repo-owner decision

UseSftp (bool) + FtpsMode (3-value enum) are two controls for one concept: the transport is really a four-way choice, so 6 states encode 4 meanings and FtpsMode is silently ignored when UseSftp is on. Consolidating into one Protocol selector touches public properties, so it needs owner sign-off. A cheap non-breaking slice exists in the meantime: there is no rule on UseSftp, so with SFTP selected the user still sees FtpsMode, SslProtocols and AcceptAllCertificates, none of which SFTP reads.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

@viogroza @claude
FTP: unified-canvas UX, legacy designer removal, SFTP enumeration fix…
f099964 
…es [STUD-80716]

Unified canvas adoption across all 8 FTP activities:
- Property configuration moved from ActivitiesMetadata.json into the
  ViewModels; the metadata JSON now declares activities only, matching
  the Cryptography pack. WithFtpSession's Body is declared as a
  DesignProperty and hidden there, the same way JavaScopeViewModel
  handles its scope body.
- One section vocabulary across both layers: Input -> Options ->
  Security / Proxy (scope only) -> Output last, applied to the
  ViewModels and the runtime [LocalizedCategory] attributes.
- Toggle widget for all booleans (including ContinueOnError), Number
  widget for Port / Timeout / ProxyPort, FtpsMode data source added.
- Verb-first renames: Directory Exists -> Check If Folder Exists,
  File Exists -> Check If File Exists, Enumerate Objects -> List Files
  and Folders. Terminology, casing and placeholders normalised.
- Three field-anchored design-time validations on WithFtpSession
  (missing username, no authentication method, negative timeout). Each
  fires only where ExecuteAsync already threw, so no workflow that ran
  before now fails validation.

Legacy WPF designer removal:
- UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design deleted (40 files); activities now
  render from their ViewModels, mirroring Cryptography's feb1052.
- Activity search synonyms preserved via DisplayNameAliasKeys in the
  metadata JSON.
- Packaging narrowed to $(PortableFramework); the Windows TFM existed
  only to carry the Design dll. InternalsVisibleTo grants and the
  stale XmlnsDefinition removed.

SFTP enumeration fix (UiPath.FTP/SftpSession.cs) -- the reported
"SftpPathNotFoundException: No such file" when enumerating ".":
- An unreadable sub-directory (no-such-file, permission denied, bare
  SSH_FX_FAILURE) is now skipped and traced instead of discarding the
  whole enumeration; connection and timeout failures still propagate.
  The caller's own RemotePath is not covered by this leniency. This is
  the actual fix, applied to all four walks, sync and async.
- Dropped the ChangeDirectory / restore dance; it was not in a finally,
  so a mid-walk failure left the shared session's working directory
  pointing into the tree.
- No symbolic-link guard: measured against SSH.NET 2024.1.0, S_IFDIR
  and S_IFLNK are distinct values of the mode word's type field, so a
  link is never reported as a directory and never enters the recursion
  set. An earlier revision added an !IsSymbolicLink clause on the
  strength of a mock that set both flags; it could not fire and has
  been removed, with the reasoning recorded so it is not reinstated.
- 16 listing tests (11 enumeration, 5 download). FakeItem now derives
  its type flags from one kind so a fake cannot describe an entry no
  server can send -- notably IsRegularFile is true for a link, which
  SSH.NET reports and the old fake denied.

Package documentation (docs/ ships in the nupkg as content/docs):
- List Files and Folders and Download Files now document the recursive
  walk: links are not descended into, an unreadable sub-folder is
  skipped and traced rather than fatal, connection failures still fail,
  and a bad RemotePath still fails. Download Files also states that it
  reports success on a partial transfer.
- The same notes added to the coded-workflow API reference for
  EnumerateObjects and DownloadFiles.
- The Link limitation below is now stated wherever the docs previously
  promised it: the Filter enum table, FtpObjectInfo.Type, the
  FtpObjectType reference in overview.md and coded-api.md, the
  filter-by-type example, and the Check If File/Folder Exists pair
  (a link answers True as a file and False as a folder).

Known limitation, documented in the shipped docs, pinned by tests, and
deliberately not fixed here: FtpObjectType.Link is unreachable on the SFTP path, because
SSH.NET's IsRegularFile is a (mode & S_IFREG) == S_IFREG test and
S_IFLNK contains S_IFREG. List Files and Folders therefore reports
links as File and its Link filter matches nothing, where FTP/FTPS
reports them correctly. Correcting it changes FtpObjectInfo.Type for
shipped workflows, so it belongs in its own change with its own
release note.

Follow-ups: localization sync for the renamed strings and the three
synonym keys; the UseSftp + FtpsMode protocol-selector consolidation
needs a repo-owner decision (breaking contract change).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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sonarqubecloud Bot commented Aug 4, 2026

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Quality Gate Failed Quality Gate failed

Failed conditions
12.5% Coverage on New Code (required ≥ 80%)

See analysis details on SonarQube Cloud

@viogroza viogroza added the C:FTP label Aug 5, 2026
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viogroza requested a review from Copilot August 5, 2026 13:05
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Pull request overview

This PR modernizes the FTP activity pack by moving to unified-canvas ViewModel-driven UX, removing the legacy WPF designer assembly/TFM, and hardening SFTP recursive enumeration to avoid failing the whole operation when a listed subdirectory cannot be opened.

Changes:

  • Refactors FTP activity ViewModels to fully configure unified-canvas property UI (ordering, sections/categories, widgets, placeholders, and visibility).
  • Removes the legacy UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design project and updates packaging/solutions to ship only the portable TFM output.
  • Updates SFTP listing walks to avoid ChangeDirectory side-effects and to skip unreadable subdirectories during recursion (with trace warnings), plus adjusts link classification behavior docs.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 70 out of 73 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file
File Description
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP/SftpSession.cs Refactors SFTP recursive listing/walk logic, adds async listing seam, and introduces “skip unreadable subdirectory” behavior with tracing.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP/Extensions.cs Documents and enforces SFTP symlink classification behavior (links reported as files), removes unreachable IsSymbolicLink branch.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/WithFtpSession.cs Aligns runtime property categories with unified-canvas section vocabulary and adds design-time validations.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/UiPath.FTP.Activities.csproj Removes InternalsVisibleTo for the deleted legacy designer assembly.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs Removes XmlnsDefinition mapping for the deleted legacy designer namespace.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/WithFtpSessionViewModel.cs Moves scope UI/property configuration into ViewModel (sections, widgets, data sources, visibility, menu actions).
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/UploadFilesViewModel.cs ViewModel-driven unified-canvas property configuration (labels/tooltips/placeholders/widgets/sections).
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/MoveItemViewModel.cs ViewModel-driven unified-canvas property configuration and ContinueOnError wiring.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/FileExistsViewModel.cs ViewModel-driven unified-canvas property configuration including Output section placement.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/EnumerateObjectsViewModel.cs ViewModel-driven unified-canvas property configuration and Output section placement.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/DownloadFilesViewModel.cs ViewModel-driven unified-canvas property configuration and ContinueOnError wiring.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/DirectoryExistsViewModel.cs ViewModel-driven unified-canvas property configuration including Output section placement.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/DeleteViewModel.cs ViewModel-driven unified-canvas property configuration and ContinueOnError wiring.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/BaseFtpViewModel.cs Centralizes ContinueOnError UI configuration for consistent unified-canvas behavior across activities.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/MoveItem.cs Aligns runtime ContinueOnError category/strings with unified-canvas Options section vocabulary.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/DownloadFiles.cs Fixes runtime category for LocalPath to be Input (not Output).
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging.csproj Drops Windows TFM and removes packaging references to the legacy Design assembly.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/overview.md Updates activity names/descriptions and documents SFTP “Link never produced” behavior.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/coded-api.md Documents recursive-walk behavior changes and SFTP symlink/type limitations for coded API consumers.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/activities/WithFtpSession.md Updates property table text, placeholders, and wording to match unified-canvas UX.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/activities/UploadFiles.md Updates naming/wording and adds placeholders consistent with unified-canvas UX.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/activities/MoveItem.md Updates naming/wording and adds placeholders consistent with unified-canvas UX.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/activities/FileExists.md Renames doc title/display name and adds SFTP symlink caveat.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/activities/EnumerateObjects.md Renames doc title/display name and documents recursive-walk + SFTP symlink limitations.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/activities/DownloadFiles.md Adds recursive-walk behavior notes and updates wording/placeholders.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/activities/DirectoryExists.md Renames doc title/display name and adds SFTP symlink caveat.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Packaging/docs/activities/Delete.md Updates wording and adds placeholders consistent with unified-canvas UX.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/WithFtpSessionDesigner.xaml.cs Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/WithFtpSessionDesigner.xaml Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/UploadFilesDesigner.xaml.cs Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/UploadFilesDesigner.xaml Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.csproj Deleted (legacy WPF designer project removed).
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/ReleaseNotes.txt Included in legacy designer removal set (no functional code impact).
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.zh-TW.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.zh-CN.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.tr.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.ru.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.ro.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.pt.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.pt-BR.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.ko.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.ja.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.fr.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.es.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.es-MX.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.de.resx Deleted legacy designer localization resource.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.Designer.cs Deleted legacy designer generated resource accessor.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/SharedResources.cs Deleted legacy designer resource bridge type.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/Resources.cs Deleted legacy designer resource wrapper.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs Deleted legacy designer assembly metadata.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/MoveItemsDesigner.xaml.cs Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/MoveItemsDesigner.xaml Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/FileExistsDesigner.xaml.cs Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/FileExistsDesigner.xaml Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/EnumerateObjectsDesigner.xaml.cs Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/EnumerateObjectsDesigner.xaml Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/DownloadFilesDesigner.xaml.cs Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/DownloadFilesDesigner.xaml Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/DirectoryExistsDesigner.xaml.cs Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/DirectoryExistsDesigner.xaml Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/DesignerMetadata.cs Deleted legacy designer metadata/registration.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/DeleteDesigner.xaml.cs Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/DeleteDesigner.xaml Deleted as part of legacy designer project removal.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/ApiRegistrationBase.cs Deleted legacy synonym API registration base.
Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/ActivitySynonymApiRegistration.cs Deleted legacy activity synonym registration logic (now preserved via metadata).
Activities/Credentials/UiPath.Credentials.Activities/UiPath.Credentials.Activities.csproj Removes an incorrect/obsolete InternalsVisibleTo to the deleted FTP designer assembly.
Activities/Community.Activities.sln Removes the legacy FTP designer project from the top-level solution.
Activities/Activities.FTP.sln Removes the legacy FTP designer project from the FTP pack solution.
Files not reviewed (2)
  • Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Design.Designer.cs: Generated file
  • Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/Properties/UiPath.FTP.Activities.Designer.cs: Generated file

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Comment thread Activities/FTP/UiPath.FTP.Activities/NetCore/ViewModels/WithFtpSessionViewModel.cs
Comment on lines 185 to 189
MenuActionsBuilder<PasswordInputMode>.WithValueProperty(ProxyPasswordInputModeSwitch)
.AddMenuProperty(ProxyPassword, PasswordInputMode.Password)
.AddMenuProperty(ProxySecurePassword, PasswordInputMode.SecurePassword)
.BuildAndInsertMenuActions(true);
}
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