Slack API files.upload Node

To start off I am having the same problem as the op in this thread I am trying to build a slackbot using botkit by howdy and having difficulty uploading files using the file.upload api.

  bot.api.files.upload({
    token: process.env.token,
    content: fs.createReadStream("example.txt"),
    filetype: "js",
    channels: message.channel
  },function(err,response) {
    if(err) {
      console.log("failed to add file",err)
      bot.reply(message, 'sorry there was an error: '+err)
    }
  });

This code gives me the invalid_array_arg error and I tried using the solution in the thread I linked and my code is this

  request.post({
    url: 'https://slack.com/api/files.upload',
    formData: {
      token: process.env.token,
      file: fs.createReadStream('example.txt'),
      channels: message.channel,
    },
  },  function(err,response) {
    console.log(JSON.parse(response.body));
  });

But this gives me this error

Running skill code for uploadFiles...
/Users/username/bottie/node_modules/request/request.js:336
      if (value.hasOwnProperty('value') && value.hasOwnProperty('options')) {
               ^

TypeError: Cannot read property 'hasOwnProperty' of undefined

I have 'requests' and 'fs' as required var already so I don't think that's what making the errors happen, but thanks in advance for any help received

via John Smith