Monitor folders - Send new PDF files automatically by email

Step-by-step instructions for automated sending of PDF files by email with Automatic PDF Processor for Windows

Introduction

This tutorial will show you how to set up a hot folder. If the filter criteria are met, Automatic PDF Processor will send all new PDF documents placed in this folder automatically to the designated email recipient. After creating the profile, you can optionally use the Catch-up function from the upper toolbar to send a batch of PDF files already existing in that folder.


Create a new profile

Click the "New Profile..." button in the upper toolbar to create a new profile and open the configuration dialog box. Give the profile a suitable name (for example, Send invoices by email) and optionally enter a comment. You can have the profile color-coded to better distinguish tasks performed in the log list. If required, the password for the PDF files can be entered in the input field below.

Create profile for sending PDF invoices

Specify the folder(s) to be monitored

The next step is to specify one (or optionally several) folders to be monitored. As soon as new PDF files arrive in this folder, they will be detected by the program and (provided the filter criteria are met) automatically processed - in this case, sent as an email attachment. Click the "Add..." button and select one of the folders listed there.

Monitore invoice folder

Set one or more filters

Optionally set various filter criteria here to send only specific PDF files by mail. For example, enter a part of the file name. In addition, you can enter a term from the document text, for example, Invoice. Also supported is the use of a list containing, for example, all customer names or numbers, of which the document must contain at least one value. Filter terms can be combined with logical AND as well as OR. The adjacent "Preview Results" tab shows whether the sample files added (in the next step) meet the filter criteria. New PDF files dropped into the watched folder will be sent if you do not enter a filter term.

Restrict PDF files

Add five or more sample files

Specify five or more PDF files here which correspond to the files you want to process. In the profile settings, you will get a preview of the extracted data, verification results, etc., based on these sample files. If the PDF files are to be printed only, this specification is not required. However, since the preview of the filter results is also based on the sample files, this specification is recommended. It is best to select files here that are located in a separate directory and are not processed, especially not renamed or moved.

Add PDF sample files

Configure the send settings in the program options

First open the program options via Menu -> Program Options. Then, in the category Email Account For Sending, on the tab File Sending, configure the account that should be used to send the emails. Choose there between:

  • an Outlook email account
  • a SMTP server
  • a local Exchange server
  • or an online Exchange server.
Email sending settings

Activate and configure task Send File

Select the task type Send File and set the task status to Active.

Activate task Send File

Configure recipient

The following options are available for the recipient type:

  • Fixed email address
    With this type, all matching PDF documents are sent to the provided email address.

    Fixed email address
  • Email address from placeholder
    With this type, the recipient email address is contained in the respective document text and provided via a predefined placeholder. For instructions on how to extract data from the document text, see the following page: Extract PDF data.

    Email address from placeholder
  • Email address from CSV mapping
    With this type, the recipient email address is not contained in the respective document text, but another characteristic such as the customer number. Provided that a CSV file is then available which contains the email address assigned to the customer number, the recipient can be determined in this way.

    Email adress from CSV mapping

    Configuration - extract email recipient

Entering the message text

The message text can be sent as plain text or HTML formatted. When using the option Send As HTML Message, the text must be entered in HTML format.

Plain message text
HTML formatted message text

Additional static attachments

Here you can specify attachments to be included with the message. The term Static here means that each message will include the same email attachments.

Specify static attachments

Additional dynamic attachments

Additional attachments can be defined here that are to be sent together with each message but individually for each recipient. For example, this could be a delivery bill, which should always be sent together with an invoice.

The delivery bill contains the invoice number in the file name as a common feature. In order to be able to use this invoice number, it must be provided (in the same profile) with a data extraction rule. InvNo is used as the rule name in this example.

Click on 'Add dynamic attachment' - a new tab appears. First, assign the name. The name serves only for clarity and is used, for example, to label the tab. Enter 'File name -> contains: Delivery bill<AND>' and select the placeholder InvNo from the placeholder menu above to add it to the filter.

Specify dynamic attachments

Recommendations

The sent message should additionally be moved to another folder with the name Processed or similar, if possible. To do this, activate the task Move file and specify the destination path. This ensures that even without log data or in the case of damaged log data, it is clear which files have already been sent. Thus, multiple processing can thus be ruled out beyond doubt.

Configuration - move PDF files

Notifications

The next step is to specify whether status messages regarding the processing of each PDF file are to be sent to a particular email address. The email can be sent using either the default Outlook email account, an SMTPĀ server, or an Exchange server. After successfully sending the PDF file, any sound file can be played.

Receive processing status via email

Other step-by-step instructions


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