Why eForm File Uploads Fail and What to Check First

File upload failures in old eForm setups usually look deceptive. The form submits, the email may even arrive, but the attachment never makes it through. In practice, that means one of the validation, field naming, transport, or upload-path assumptions is wrong.

First things to verify

• the form uses enctype="multipart/form-data"
• the upload input name matches what the form processor expects
• PHP upload limits allow the file size
• temporary and target directories are writable

Why older forms fail silently

Legacy form processors were often more tolerant with text fields than with uploads. A small mismatch in field naming or form encoding can leave the rest of the form working while the file is silently ignored.

Recommended troubleshooting order

1. test with a tiny file
2. inspect PHP upload limits and error reporting
3. check the form encoding and file field name
4. verify the handler actually attaches uploaded files instead of only mailing text fields

When you debug uploads, always separate transport problems from markup problems first.