External File Sources

By using connections to external sources, you can import or link files from external file sources to M-Files and significantly speed up the launch of M-Files. You can, for example, create a link between an existing network drive and M-Files, which makes it possible to modify files both in M-Files and externally to M-Files, using the network drive.

You can also import files from an external source. Importing involves copying the files to M-Files. This means that modifying imported files to M-Files does not affect the original files.

You can also use this function to create a link between M-Files and, for example, a scanner. The M-Files server can be set to import new files from a source folder where scanned documents are saved. For more information, refer to Scanner Sources.

Video: Import Files

Creating a New Connection to an External Source

Steps

  1. Open M-Files Admin.
  2. In the left-side tree view, expand the desired connection to M-Files Server.
  3. In the left-side tree view, expand the document vault of your choice.
  4. Still in the left-side tree view, expand Connections to External Sources and then select File Sources.
  5. Click New File Source... on the task area to start creating a new connection to an external source.
    The Connection Properties dialog is opened.
  6. In the Description field, provide a description for the new connection. You can, for example, describe the external source for which this connection is used.
  7. In the Path from the server field, enter the path to the external location that you wish to connect to M-Files. The location can be, for example, a network drive of a scanner.
    The path must be specified from the point of view of the M-Files server.
  8. Optional: Check the Include subfolders option check box if you wish to include in the connection the entire folde structure of the path specified.
  9. Click Set Account... to specify an account in M-Files to be used for processing files from the external location.
    By default, M-Files uses the server identity (Local System account) as the account.
  10. Optional: Click Filters... to define the files to be processed.
    1. In the Include files that match any of the following filters field, enter the filter or filters for the files that are to be included via this connection.
    2. In the Exclude files that match any of the following filters field, enter the filter or filter for the files that are to be excluded from this connection.
    By default, all files are included except for BAK and TMP files.
    You may use wildcards to define a filter (for example, *.* or *.docx). Multiple filters are separated with semicolons (;).
  11. Select either:
    1. Link files: Select this option if you wish to modify the files of the external source both in M-Files and externally. Modifications made in M-Files are also visible to external users, and modifications made outside M-Files are visible in M-Files. M-Files will store a version history of the linked documents, so that at least all versions modified in M-Files will be available for future use.
      or
    2. Import files: Select this option if you want the files of the external source to be copied to M-Files. Modifying imported documents in M-Files will not have an effect on the original files.

      You may also check the Delete source file after importing option check box if you want the source files to be deleted after they have been imported to M-Files. This option may be useful, for example, when importing scanned documents to M-Files.

  12. Optional: Check the Preserve folder structure option check and in the Target folder field, enter a target folder for the external files if you wish to preserve the original folder structure of the external source in M-Files using traditional folders.
    You may click the ► (right-pointing triangle) icon to refresh the list of traditional folders or to add a new traditional folder to the vault.
  13. Optional: Check the Check for new and deleted files periodically option check box if you want M-Files to automatically check the source folder at predefined intervals and update itself according to which files and folders are new and which have been deleted. Enabling this option makes any changes in the source folder automatically visible in M-Files as well.
    1. In the Delay between checks field, enter the interval in seconds between the automatic source folder checks to define how frequently you want M-Files to check the changes made to the source folder.
  14. Optional: You may click Refresh Now to connect to the external source immediately.
    Click Refreshing Status... to display additional information about the process of refreshing the external source.
  15. Optional: On the Metadata tab, define the metadata to be added for externally created objects.
    For more information, see Defining Metadata for an External File Source.
  16. Optional: On the Advanced tab, you can specify an alias for the new connection.
    For more information, see Associating the Metadata Definitions.
  17. Click OK to finish creating the new connection.

Results

The new connection to an external source is created and added to the File Sources list. Files are added from the external source to M-Files on the basis of the settings you have defined for the connection.
Note: If the user groups All internal users or All internal and external users do not have edit permissions for a linked document, it will not be available in M-Files. This behavior can be prevented by enabling the following registry setting on the M-Files Server computer:
Key HKLM\Software\Motive\M-Files\<version>\Server\MFServer
Value IgnoreACLsForExternalLinks
Value type REG_DWORD
Value data 1

The default behavior can be restored by setting the value data to 0.

© M-Files Corporation 2016
Last updated 10/2016