#$path='/data/';
$path= '/data/documents/';

while (my $ref = $query->fetchrow_hashref()) {
   print "url: $ref->{url}\n";
   my $ff = File::Fetch->new(uri=>$ref->{url});
   my $where = $ff->fetch( to => '$path');
   my $error= $ff->error();
   print $error;
[download]

my $where = $ff->fetch( to => '$path');

Again, you are enclosing a variable inside single quotes, so it won't be interpolated. Remove the quotes for more success.

Here is an SSCCE showing how to use File::Fetch successfully.

#!/usr/bin/env perl
use strict;
use warnings;
use File::Fetch;
use Test::More tests => 1;

my $url = 'https://www.perlmonks.org/?part=1;displaytype=displaycode;n
+ode_id=11145569;abspart=1';

my $ff = File::Fetch->new (uri => $url);

my $loc = $ff->fetch (to => '/tmp/');

ok -f $loc, "Downloaded file to $loc";
[download]

Try examining the return value of fetch like this in your code to find the saved file.

---

🦛

"Success"!!! ok, I got it to work for one file and when doing it for the 2nd file, it overwrote the first, because all the files are named "document.pdf". so I updated it to this, which isn't ideal. I would rather use the field document_id in the database instead of just getting back document0.pdf document1.pdf document2.pdf

 
$i=0;
while (my $ref = $query->fetchrow_hashref()) {
   print "url: $ref->{url}\n";
   my $ff = File::Fetch->new(uri=>$ref->{url});
   my $where = $ff->fetch( to => '/data/documents/');
      my $error= $ff->error();

   rename ("C:/data/documents/document.pdf","C:/data/documents/documen
+t$i.pdf");
 ($i++);
   }
[download]

the other website I tried it on gave me a nasty gram of "Unable to Respond to this Request" "contact the helpdesk" But this will work for now.