Watch Folders

Watch folders let DocMan automatically import files from a directory on your server directly into a specific cabinet and folder. This is the simplest way to get files into DocMan without manual uploads.

How It Works

1. You configure a watch folder by pointing it at a directory on your server (e.g., D:\Scans\Incoming).
2. DocMan polls that directory at a configurable interval (default: 30 seconds).
3. When new files appear, DocMan moves them into the designated cabinet and folder.
4. If OCR is enabled, imported files are automatically queued for text extraction and indexing.

When to Use Watch Folders

Standard watch folders are ideal when:

• You have a scanner that outputs to a network folder and you want everything filed into one place.
• A third-party application already handles file naming, sorting, or pre-processing before DocMan picks them up.
• You want a simple, predictable import — every file goes to the same destination.

The assumption is that any file organization, naming conventions, or folder routing has already been handled before the file lands in the watch folder. DocMan's job is just to pick it up and store it.

Configuration

Navigate to Admin → Watch Folders to set up a new watch folder.

Setting	Description
Source Path	The server directory to monitor (e.g., D:\Scans\Incoming or \\server\share\scans).
Target Cabinet	The DocMan cabinet to import into.
Target Folder	The specific folder within the cabinet. Leave blank to import into the cabinet root.
File Pattern	Filter which files to import by extension (e.g., *.pdf, *.tif, *.* for all files).
Poll Interval	How often to check for new files, in seconds. Default is 30.
Active	Toggle to enable or disable the watch folder without deleting the configuration.

Behavior

• Files are moved, not copied. Once imported, the original file is removed from the source directory.
• If a file with the same name already exists in the target folder, DocMan appends a timestamp to avoid overwriting.
• Subdirectories inside the watch folder are not processed. Only files at the top level of the source path are imported.
• Files that are still being written (locked by another process) are skipped and retried on the next poll cycle.

Example: Scanner Integration

A common setup is connecting a network scanner to DocMan:

1. Configure your scanner to output PDFs to \\server\DocManScans\HR.
2. In DocMan, create a watch folder with source path \\server\DocManScans\HR and target folder HR Documents → Scanned.
3. Every scan automatically appears in DocMan, OCR'd and searchable, within seconds.

Troubleshooting

• Files not importing: Verify the DocMan service account has read/write/delete permissions on the source path.
• Network paths not accessible: Ensure the service account can reach the UNC path. Map the drive if needed, or use the full UNC path.
• Large files skipped: Check the max upload size setting in Admin → Settings.

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Next: AI Watch Folders — automatic folder placement and file naming using AI.