ELO Importer

The ELO Importer is the central module for automated document ingestion from the filesystem into ELO. It is designed for scenarios like invoice intake, scanner inboxes, batch imports, and automated deliveries from third-party systems.

How the Import Works

1. Detect — The watch folder periodically checks for new files in the source directory.
2. Filter — Only files matching the configured file types are processed. Optionally, duplicates are detected.
3. Analyze (optional) — The analyzer classifies the document and extracts metadata. PDFs can be automatically split.
4. Resolve target — Depending on the mode, the ELO target folder is determined by ID, path template, or search.
5. Upload — The document is imported into ELO with mask, metadata, and optional access rights.
6. Post-processing — The original file is moved to the success/error folder. Optionally, a workflow is started or an automation chain is triggered.

Import Pipeline

┌──────────────────┐     ┌───────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐
│ Watch Folder     │────▶│ Validation    │────▶│ Analyzer         │
│ • File types     │     │ • Duplicates  │     │ • Classification │
│ • Recursive      │     │ • File type   │     │ • PDF splitting  │
└──────────────────┘     └───────────────┘     └──────────────────┘
                                                       │
                         ┌───────────────┐     ┌───────▼──────────┐
                         │ Post-process  │◀────│ Upload to ELO    │
                         │ • Success/Err │     │ • Mask + fields  │
                         │ • Workflow    │     │ • ACL            │
                         │ • Chain       │     │ • Target path    │
                         └───────────────┘     └──────────────────┘

• Multiple watch folders — Monitor any number of input directories simultaneously, each with its own settings, intervals, and targets.
• Flexible target resolution — Three modes: Fixed ELO folder ID, dynamic path templates with date variables, or search via FindSearch.
• Duplicate detection — SHA256-based checks prevent importing identical files multiple times, even if they are renamed.
• Dynamic path templates — Target paths with variables like {{ year }}, {{ monthNameEn }}, or {{ date "2006-01" }} for automatic folder structures.
• Analyzer integration — Automatic document classification, OCR, and metadata extraction before upload.
• PDF splitting — Automatically split multi-page PDFs: at blank pages, after page count, by document type, or via regex patterns.
• PDF merging — Merge multiple files: all, by pattern, by date, by classification, or sequentially.
• Mask and field mapping — Automatically assign documents to an ELO mask and set index fields.
• Container mode — Document containers for grouped filing (e.g. original document + attachments).
• Workflow trigger — Automatically start an ELO workflow after successful import.
• Access control (ACL) — Inherit permissions from the target folder or set custom user/group permissions.
• Rate limiting — Limit the request rate to ELO to protect the system during large import volumes.
• Chain integration — Trigger automation chains before upload, after success, or after failure.
• CSV import — Import tabular data via CSV upload or API endpoint.
• NIQCD support — Read and apply NIQCD metadata files alongside documents.
• Import statistics and logs — Every import is logged with status, duration, file size, and error details.
• Resilient error handling — Failed files are routed to the error folder with detailed logging. Automatic health checks warn on recurring errors.

1. Create a Watch Folder

Open the ELO Importer Configuration and click Add Watch Folder. Give it a unique name and set the source folder. Also define a success and error folder — this way you can always trace which files were processed and which ones failed.

2. Restrict File Types

Enter the allowed file types as a comma-separated list, e.g. pdf,tif,docx. If you leave this field empty, all file types will be imported. We recommend starting with a few types and expanding as needed.

3. Set the Target in ELO

Choose one of three target modes:

• ID — Simplest mode: All files go to a fixed ELO folder. Enter the ELO folder ID.
• Path — Dynamic mode: The target path can include date variables, e.g. ¶Archive¶{{ year }}¶{{ monthNameEn }}. The folder is automatically created if it doesn't exist yet.
• Search — Most flexible mode: The target is determined via ELO search (e.g. matching case via mask name and ObjKey filter).

4. Configure Mask and Metadata

Select the ELO document mask to assign to imported documents. Optionally, you can set a name template for the document name in ELO and enable fulltext indexing.

5. Enable Duplicate Detection (Recommended)

Enable Duplicate Detection to prevent the same file from being imported multiple times. Detection is based on the SHA256 hash of the file.

6. Set the Schedule

In Continuous mode, enter an interval (e.g. 2m for every 2 minutes). In Scheduled mode, you can define fixed times of day (e.g. 08:00, 12:00, 18:00).

7. Advanced Options (Optional)

• Analyzer — Enable the analyzer for automatic document classification and metadata extraction.
• PDF Splitting — Automatically split multi-page PDFs at blank pages or after a page count.
• Workflow — Enter a workflow ID so imported documents are immediately handed over to an ELO workflow.
• ACL — Configure access rights: inherit (from target folder) or custom (specific users/groups).
• Rate Limiting — Limit the request rate for large import volumes.
• Chain Integration — Trigger automation chains before/after the import.

8. Start and Monitor

Save your configuration and activate the watch folder. On the Status page you can track progress in real time. The Logs tab provides details on every individual import.

• Always define SuccessFolder and ErrorFolder — This keeps the source folder clean. Failed files can be analyzed separately without interfering with ongoing imports.
• Enable duplicate detection — SHA256-based checks prevent the same file from being imported multiple times. Especially important for automated deliveries where files may be accidentally placed twice.
• Start with limited file types — Begin with pdf,tif and expand later. This prevents unwanted files (e.g. .tmp, .log) from being imported.
• Use deterministic target paths — Use templates like ¶Archive¶{{ year }}¶{{ monthNameEn }} for predictable folder structures in ELO.
• Test mask configuration first — Validate mask assignment and required fields before going live. Missing required fields will cause import errors.
• Use rate limiting for high volumes — For watch folders with high throughput (>100 files/cycle), enable rate limiting to protect the ELO instance from overload.
• Use container mode intentionally — This mode creates a document container for each file. Only useful when you need to group original documents with attachments.
• Monitor logs and statistics regularly — Import statistics and logs help detect failing watch folders early and identify bottlenecks.
• Configure ACL consciously — In inherit mode, the document inherits the target folder's permissions. With custom, you can grant specific users and groups access.

Example 1: Simple Folder Import to a Fixed ELO Folder

The simplest use case: All PDF files from a folder are imported into a fixed ELO folder.

Name:           Invoice Intake
Source Folder:  C:\Import\Invoices
Success Folder: C:\Import\_success
Error Folder:   C:\Import\_error
File Types:     pdf
Target Mode:    id
Target ID:      4711       (ELO folder ID)
Mask ID:        100
Interval:       2m         (check every 2 minutes)

Example 2: Date-Based Filing with Duplicate Detection

Documents are automatically sorted into monthly folders. Duplicates are detected and skipped.

Name:                Invoice Archive
Source Folder:       C:\Import\Invoices
Success Folder:      C:\Import\_success
Error Folder:        C:\Import\_error
File Types:          pdf,tif
Target Mode:         path
Target Path:         ¶Archive¶Invoices¶{{ year }}¶{{ monthNameEn }}
Mask ID:             100
Duplicate Detection: true
Interval:            5m

Result in ELO: ¶Archive¶Invoices¶2026¶March¶Invoice_001.pdf

Example 3: Scanner Inbox with PDF Splitting

A scanner delivers multi-page PDFs. These are automatically split at blank pages and imported individually.

Name:             Scanner Input
Source Folder:    C:\Scan\Input
Success Folder:   C:\Scan\_done
Error Folder:     C:\Scan\_error
File Types:       pdf
Target Mode:      id
Target ID:        5000
Mask ID:          200
PDF Splitting:
  Enabled:        true
  Strategy:       blank_pages
  Remove blanks:  true
Interval:         1m

Example 4: Import with Analyzer and Workflow

Documents are automatically classified, assigned to the matching mask, and handed over to a workflow.

Name:             Contract Intake
Source Folder:    C:\Import\Contracts
Success Folder:   C:\Import\_success
Error Folder:     C:\Import\_error
Target Mode:      path
Target Path:      ¶Contracts¶{{ year }}
Analyzer:
  Enabled:        true
  Mode:           direct
Default Workflow: 5
Interval:         5m

Example 5: Bulk Import with Rate Limiting

A nightly batch imports large volumes. Rate limiting protects the ELO instance from overload.

Name:               Nightly Batch
Source Folder:      D:\Batch\Nightly
Success Folder:     D:\Batch\_done
Error Folder:       D:\Batch\_error
Recursive:          true
Target Mode:        path
Target Path:        ¶Import¶{{ year }}¶{{ month }}
Mask ID:            100
Duplicate Detection: true
Rate Limiting:
  Enabled:          true
  Requests/Sec:     5
  Burst:            10
Execution Mode:     scheduled
Start Times:        02:00

Example 6: Chain Integration After Import

After each successful import, an automation chain is triggered to e.g. send a notification.

Name:             Incoming Mail
Source Folder:    C:\Import\Mail
Target Mode:      id
Target ID:        6000
Mask ID:          100
Chain Integration:
  Chain ID:       notify-import
  Trigger:        after_success
  Async:          true
Interval:         2m