Folders

Folders group the documents of a batch. For example, a mailroom batch holds many envelopes, and each envelope holds one or more letters. The envelope is a folder: its details, such as the sender or the date received, are entered once for the whole envelope, not again on every letter.

A Batch Setup can have folder types. Each folder type has its own fields, set up like document fields.

Try it with the Folders template

The quickest way to see folders work is the Folders: envelopes with letters template. Choose New Batch Setup, open System features › Workflow and batches and pick it. It comes with:

• the folder type Envelope with the fields Sender, Date received (filled with today's date by {date:dd/MM/yyyy}), Received by (filled with the operator by {user}) and Department (a list);
• an envelope sheet rule: a page with the barcode ENVELOPE starts a new envelope folder and is removed;
• a blank-page rule that separates the letters inside an envelope.

Download its sample files from the template's card: import envelopes-of-post.pdf (three envelopes with five letters between them) and open the batch in Index / Validate. Print envelope-sheet.pdf to scan your own post.

Set up folder types

1. Open the Batch Setup and go to General.
2. Under Folder types, enter a name, for example Envelope, and choose Add folder type. DocView makes a key from the name, for example envelope.
3. Add the folder type's fields with Add field, as for batch fields. Fields can have default values with variables, lists and checks.

Start folders while scanning

A separation rule can start a folder as well as a document. Open the rule on the OCR, separation & classification step and enter the folder type's key in Also starts a folder of type.

For example, with an envelope separator sheet:

Each envelope sheet then starts a new folder, and the letters scanned after it go into that folder until the next envelope sheet. The rules that can start folders are Barcode, Patch code, Separator sheet, Keywords on the page, Blank separator page and Fixed number of pages.

Work with folders on the Index screen

• The document list shows each folder above its first document, with its documents indented.
• When a document in a folder is open, the folder's fields are shown under the document's fields. Enter them once; they belong to all the folder's documents.
• New folder from this document starts a folder of the chosen type at the open document. The documents after it in the same folder move into the new folder too.
• The × next to a folder's name takes its documents out of the folder and removes the folder with its values.
• Discard changes puts the folders back as they were when the batch was opened.

Folders elsewhere

• Batch Manager: a batch's details show each folder with its values above its documents.
• Batch split: a folder's documents stay together: they all go with the group of the folder's first document. When an operator splits a batch through the middle of a folder, both batches get the folder with the same values.
• Export: templates can use doc.folder.name, doc.folder.type and doc.folder.fields.Sender, and folders lists the folders with their documents. The built-in XML puts the documents of a folder in a Folder element with the folder's fields:

<Documents>
  <Folder number="1" name="Envelope 1" type="envelope">
    <Fields><Field name="Sender">A. Smith</Field></Fields>
    <Document number="1" class="letter">…</Document>
    <Document number="2" class="letter">…</Document>
  </Folder>
</Documents>

Tip: Importing from Kodak Info Input turns its folder classes into folder types, and its "new folder" separation into rules that start folders. See Import a setup from other products.