---
title: "Service: /members/{member}/groups/{group}/loadingzone/start [POST]"
source: https://dev.pageseeder.com/api/services/start-loading-POST.html
description: "Starts loading a specified loading zone after files have been uploaded. Supports file validation, cross-reference resolution, indexing, overwrite handling, and optional workflow assignment with configurable notifications."
last_updated: 2026-09-02T11:36:06+10:00
document_type: api_endpoint
operation_id: load-POST
resource_id: load
path_template: /members/{member}/groups/{group}/loadingzone/start
http_method: POST
api_category: load
implementation_version: 6.3000
api_since: 5.9500
deprecated_since: null
obsolete_since: null
api_support: supported
cache_control: N/A
generated_at: 2026-09-02
tokens: ~1936
---

# /members/\{member\}/groups/\{group\}/loadingzone/start \[POST\]

## Description

Starts loading the specified [loading zone](../../reference/glossary/loading_zone.md).

Before calling this service, use [/upload PUT](upload-PUT.md) or [/upload POST](upload-POST.md) to upload files into the loading zone.

Following is the xmlspec parameter content showing example files and other default settings. *See* [upload-request-3.0.dtd](../../reference/advanced/schemas/upload_request_3.0.md).

```xml
<upload-request version="3.0">
  <files>
    <file path="lorem_ipsum_files/cat.gif" />
    <file path="lorem_ipsum_files/cat.jpg" />
    <file path="lorem_ipsum.psml" 
          docid="lorem1" 
          title="Lorem Ipsum"
          description="This is a test document." 
          labels="test,basic" />
    <file path="sample GIF image.gif" />    
    <file path="sample DOCX document.docx" >
      <action project="default" target="import">
        <param name="remove.original" value="true" />
        <param name="create.subfolder" value="false" />
        <param name="remove.config" value="true" />
      </action>
    </file>
  </files>
  <validate>true</validate>
  <overwrite summary="false">false</overwrite>
  <createxrefs>true</createxrefs>
  <index>true</index>
  <message subject="File upload"
           notification="silent">The file has been uploaded.
  </message>
</upload-request>
```

In the xmlspec files section, the following dynamic tokens can be used in `filename`, `docid` or `title` attributes: `filename` (without extension), `extension`, `document-type`, `year`, `month`, `date`. For example:

```xml
<upload-request version="3.0">
  <files>
    <mediatype value="application/vnd.pageseeder.psml+xml"
               docid="[filename]-[document-type]" 
               title="[filename]" 
               labels="doc1,doc2"/>
  </files>
</upload-request>
```

Depending on overwrite and summary parameters, the load might be stopped and the following summary returned by the [Service: /groups/\{group\}/threads/\{threadid\}/progress \[GET\]](get-group-thread-progress-GET.md).

```xml
<thread id="8a1955f42b4139bf6ea86334ed62d6cf" 
        name="Loading 5 document/folders"
        username="jsmith"
        groupid="4" 
        status="completed">
  <message>Overwrite confirmation needed</message>
  <overwrite-summary destination="/ps/acme/specs/documents/lorem-ipsums"
                     file-overwrites="2"
                     file-new="2"
                    [url-orverwrite=""
                     url-new=""]>
    <files>
      <file name="lorem" 
            path="/" 
            type="folder" 
            existing="2" 
            overwrites="1" 
            new="1">
        <file name="lorem_ipsum_files" 
              path="lorem_ipsum_files" 
              overwrite="true" 
              type="folder" 
              existing="3" 
              overwrites="1" 
              new="1">
          <file name="cat.gif"
                path="lorem_ipsum_files/cat.gif" 
                extension="gif"
                overwrite="true"
                ... />
          <file name="cat.jpg" 
                path="lorem_ipsum_files/cat.jpg" 
                extension="jpg" 
                create="true"
                ... />
        </file>
        <file name="lorem_ipsum.psml" 
              path="lorem_ipsum.psml" 
              extension="psml" 
              level="portable" 
              behavior="psml--" 
              overwrite="true"
              ... />
        <file name="sample GIF image.gif" 
              path="sample GIF image.gif" 
              extension="gif" 
              create="true"
              ... />
      </file>
    <files>
    <urls>
      [<file ... />]
    </urls>
  </overwrite-summary>
</thread>
```

If parameter mode=preview, then xmlspec should only contain one file, for example:

```xml
<upload-request version="3.0">
  <files>
    <file path="Test doc 1.docx">
      <action project="default"
              target="preview-imports"
              delay="2000" />
    </file>
  </files>
</upload-request>
```

The load is then stopped after the action script is run and the path to the resulting file is returned by the thread progress service (above) as follows:

```xml
<thread id="9c13726540fe2db56d9b0e1278647f60" 
        name="Preview of Test doc 1.docx"
        username="jsmith" 
        groupid="4" 
        status="completed">
  <message>Success!!</message>
  <action progress="0">Script</action>
  <previewpath>
    /session/EpqLa9LHnB5ivBZPZeCbpDTpvabcdabcd/acme/spec/Test doc 1.psml
  </previewpath>
</thread>
```

> **Note:** If updating code to use this service instead of the obsolete `com.pageseeder.load.servlets.StartLoading`, note that `<upload-request>` must be sent as an xmlspec parameter. Also, in the returned XML, `<thread>` is wrapped by `<load-start>`.

## Parameters

| Name | Description | Required | Type | Default value |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| assignedto | ID of assigned member for workflow (requires status specified) | no | string |  |
| createxrefs | Whether to resolve image and cross-references in the files | no | boolean | `true` |
| description | The workflow description (requires status specified) | no | string |  |
| due | The task due date and time in ISO-8601 format – status **MUST** be set. e.g. `2010-10-25T18:00:00+11:00` | no | datetime |  |
| folder | The folder the file should be uploaded into (relative to the root of the group, ignored if url is specified) | no | string |  |
| index | Whether to index the files | no | boolean | `true` |
| mode | If `preview` then loading is stopped after action scripts are run (requires xmlspec) | no | string |  |
| notification-content | Upload notification message text | no | string |  |
| notification-labels | Labels for upload message e.g. Important, Typo | no | string |  |
| notification-subject | Upload notification subject text | no | string |  |
| notify | Upload notification flag, must be `silent`, `normal` or `announce` (`notification-*` parameters are ignored if `silent` ) | no | string |  |
| overwrite | Whether to overwrite existing files | no | boolean | `false` |
| overwrite-properties | Whether to overwrite existing properties (labels, docid, title, ...) and metadata | no | boolean | `false` |
| priority | Priority for workflow e.g. `High`, `Medium`, `Low` (requires status specified) | no | string |  |
| status | Status for workflow e.g. `Initiated` ,`In Progress`, `Complete`, `Approved`, `Suspended`, `Terminated` | no | string |  |
| summary | Whether to return an overwrite summary, if true and `overwrite=true`, always return summary, if true and `overwrite=false`, return summary only if overwrite occurs | no | boolean |  |
| syncfolder | Whether to synchronize the destination folder by archiving any documents not in the upload | no | boolean | `false` |
| uploadid | An `ID` to uniquely identify this upload (overrides xlinkid) | no | string |  |
| url | A URL pointing to the folder the file should be uploaded into | no | url |  |
| validate | Whether to validate the files with schematron | no | boolean | `true` |
| workflow-labels | Labels for workflow e.g. Important, Typo (requires status specified) | no | string |  |
| workflow-notify | Workflow notification flag, must be `silent`, `minimal`, `normal` or `announce` (requires status specified) | no | string | `silent` |
| xmlspec | The XML specification for the load (overridden by parameters) | no | string |  |

## Permission

Contributor or higher in the group.

## Response

```xml

<load-start>
  <thread id="[thread ID]" ... >
     [thread XML]
  <thread>
</load-start>
```

## Error Handling

No specific errors expected for this service.