This guide will give you a basic overview of all the steps needed to create a scan workflow. 

  • Create a connector – connectors allow Dispatcher Paragon to connect to external systems such as Microsoft Exchange and shared folders, etc. All workflows will need one connector. A connector can be used by several different workflows.

  • Create a scan workflow – a workflow allows for the configuration of the scan destination, scan options, access rights, etc.

Creating a connector

Before creating the first scan workflow, a connector must be created. If a connector is already created, this step can be skipped.

  1. Go to the Connectors screen and click the Add connector button.

  2. Enter the following general information to distinguish this connector from another:

    • Name – a short title, maximum of 64 characters
    • Description – additional information about the connector. Usually, detailed information to understand the purpose of the connector, maximum 300 characters

  3. Select the desired connector type and follow the specific instructions to configure it:

    • File system – see chapter Edit Workflow, section File System
    • Email (SMTP) – see chapter Edit Workflow, section Email (SMTP)
    • Microsoft Exchange – see chapter Edit Workflow, section Microsoft Exchange

  4. Save changes and continue to workflow creation. The created connector is available to be used in workflows now.

Creating a workflow

Create a workflow using a connector configured in the previous step. Use variables in parameters to further customize the workflow. There are two kinds of variables:

  • capture – defined during the document capture phase, it can be used in both the capture and processing phase, e.g. user and device information
  • user input/process – defined from either a result of processing or user input fields, it can be used in the processing phase only, e.g. outputs from document processing, user input fields

For the list of available variables, see chapter Edit Workflow, section Workflow Variables.

  1. Go to the Workflows screen and click the Add workflow button.

  2. Enter the following general information to distinguish this workflow from another:

    • Name – should be a short description that helps terminal users with workflow selection, maximum 64* characters
    • Description – usually, instructions for the terminal user that provide guidance on using the workflow, maximum 300* characters

    * Some embedded terminals do not support text of this length. In such cases, the text is trimmed.

  3. Select a destination connector and fill in information specific to the connector type:
    • File system – see chapter Edit Workflow, section File System
    • Email (SMTP) – see chapter Edit Workflow, section Email (SMTP)
    • Microsoft Exchange – see chapter Edit Workflow, section Microsoft Exchange
  4. Select suitable scan settings:
    • Scan resolution – determines the DPI of the scanned document
    • Sides – determines whether the document will be scanned as duplex or simplex
    • Color – determines the color scheme of a scan

    Settings are locked for Dispatcher Paragon terminal users by default, i.e., terminal users are not allowed to change them. If it is desirable to allow terminal users to customize scan settings, check the Can be modified by the user on the device option below the settings. In this case, the selected values become defaults on Dispatcher Paragon terminals.

  5. Define and rearrange user input fields. User input fields are helpful for collection information from the user along with a scanned document. The value of each user input field is stored in a variable and can be accessed in the workflow during the delivery. Please note, process variables cannot be used in the capture phase, i.e. variables defined by user input fields can not be used in other user input fields. Add a new user input by clicking the Add user input button.
  6. Provide roles with access to the workflow. This ensures that users in the roles will be permitted to use the workflow at Dispatcher Paragon terminals. If no role is specified, the workflow will not be available to any users.
  7. Save your changes. The workflow is now available on terminals to all users in the roles to whom you have provided access. It is suggested to test a newly created workflow first before providing access to the workflow to other users. Test a workflow by providing access to administrators only.