Scan workflows

A workflow is an automatic sequence of working steps. Instead of renaming, converting and filing every scanned document by hand, a workflow does all that automatically. You define the steps once, and Docuflair carries them out on every new document by itself.

Permission required

To access this function you need the following permission:

• Show workflows (AdminUI_WorkflowManagement_ListWorkflows)

You grant permissions through groups — see permissions – overview.

Scan workflows collect scanned documents from a source — a hotfolder or a multifunction printer, for example — and process them further. Docuflair can convert incoming documents automatically and, depending on the licence, make them available to be reviewed and released by hand.

What scan workflows can be used for:

• Converting documents
• Reading documents by OCR
• Removing blank pages
• Searching for barcodes
• Generating metadata
• Redacting personal information automatically
• Turning documents into black-and-white documents
• Converting documents to PDF/A for long-term archiving

To show the workflows, choose Flow/Workflows in the menu.

To set up a new workflow, click Create a new workflow.

The commands in the column at the far right also let you edit, delete or copy workflows. The icon with the “lightning bolt” shows the most recent events for a workflow and helps with analysis and fault-finding. The Update the start menu switch in the top right-hand corner determines whether a workflow newly added appears on the multifunction printers automatically — that is, whether users are shown a tile for it straight away.

Types

Creating a new workflow takes only a few working steps. In the first step you choose the type of the workflow.

• Input/output
  The simplest type of workflow. One or more data sources are watched for incoming documents; the documents are saved at a storage location of your choosing, in the file format you want.
• Input/preprocessing/output
  This type of workflow additionally offers preprocessing — that is, various image processing methods such as changing the contrast and brightness, removing blank pages or straightening pages.
• Input/preprocessing/recognition/output
  Recognition additionally lets you search for text and barcodes. Recognition by form type is possible as well, where forms have been taught beforehand.
• Input/Docuflair QR code
  One or more data sources are watched for incoming documents. The documents are split on the basis of QR codes and forwarded to contacts from the address book.
• Input/preprocessing/Docuflair QR code
  Here too, one or more data sources are watched for incoming documents. This type of workflow additionally offers preprocessing — that is, various image processing methods such as changing the contrast and brightness, removing blank pages or straightening pages. The documents are split on the basis of QR codes and forwarded to contacts from the address book.

Having chosen the type you want, give the workflow a unique name; a description is optional. A click on Save creates the new workflow and takes you to a page with the configuration options.

Print workflows

Print workflows collect documents from a source, a hotfolder for example, and print them. Docuflair can convert incoming documents automatically and, depending on the licence, make them available to be reviewed and released by hand.

To create a new workflow, choose the Flow item in the menu and then the Workflows sub-item. Click Create workflow to begin setting it up.

First give the workflow a unique name; a description is optional. As the type, choose Input -> Print. A click on Save creates the workflow, and the page moves on to the data source.

Two possibilities are available as the data source for print workflows:

• Hotfolder
  Watches a folder for newly incoming documents. When Docuflair spots a document, processing begins after about 15 seconds: the document is converted where necessary or passed straight to a workflow.
• Mobile devices
  Docuflair offers a web API through which mobile devices such as Android or iOS phones can pass data to be printed to Docuflair by means of an app. Once the transfer has succeeded, processing of the document begins immediately.

Conversion workflows

A conversion workflow turns documents from one format into another automatically — from Word to PDF or from TIFF to PDF/A, for example. The documents are collected from a data source, converted and filed at the output location.

Conversion workflows collect documents from a data source (a hotfolder, for example) and convert them to another file format. Unlike scan workflows, no scans are processed here; existing files are converted instead.

To set up a new conversion workflow, choose the type Input/conversion/output while creating a workflow.

The hotfolder is available as the data source for conversion workflows. When a document is recognised in the folder watched, conversion and output begin automatically.