40.6 Processing
40.6.1 Overview ¶
The Processing page controls the pace and robustness of the background processing as well as the handling of problematic files.
Program options, Processing page
40.6.2 Pace and limits ¶
| Setting |
Meaning |
| Check interval (seconds) |
Interval between two checks of the monitored folders; the countdown appears in the status bar (see chapter 7.2.4) |
| Pause between files (seconds) |
Optional wait time after each processed file - e.g. to go easy on slow network drives or printers |
| Cancel stalled file processing after (minutes, 0 = off) |
If processing a file makes no progress for that long (e.g. a hanging email or print call), the file is logged as an error and skipped. Regular wait times (dynamic attachments, send pause) count as progress. |
| Max. wait time for locked files (seconds, 0 = off) |
Waits before processing until a locked file has been released (e.g. virus scanner, copy operation in progress). If it remains locked, it is silently deferred to the next check run and retried then. |
| File size stability for new files (seconds, 0 = off) |
A freshly written file is only processed once its size and modification date have remained unchanged for the specified duration - detects copy operations still in progress, e.g. on network shares. |
40.6.3 Time window ¶
Limit processing to a time window: processing only runs within the given times (from/to) and weekdays. Outside the window the program waits; new files are caught up at the next window.
40.6.4 Filing of problematic files ¶
For three cases, a target folder can be configured to which affected files are moved - the inbox folder stays clean and nothing gets lost:
| Case |
Option |
| Files with errors |
Move files with errors to: … |
| Files without a match |
Move files without a filter match to: … |
| Files without invoice data |
Move files without invoice data to: … (additionally: log errors) |
40.6.5 Duplicate handling ¶
| Option |
Effect |
| Skip new files with already processed invoice data as duplicates |
Recognizes e.g. a re-exported or copied PDF of the same invoice by invoice number, invoice date, and seller, and skips it. The check does not apply during catch-up with “process already processed files again”. |
| Treat moved files as already known |
A file moved by a task is not processed again at its new location if that location is monitored as well |
40.6.6 Email notifications and malfunction notification ¶
Under Email notifications, two program-wide messages can be enabled (sent via the account from Options → E-mail sending; recipients separated by semicolons or commas):
| Option |
Effect |
| Send message on processing errors |
Reports general processing errors (e.g. a file that cannot be processed or a file timeout) by email to the given recipients. Identical error causes are reported again after 15 minutes at the earliest. |
| Send message for files without invoice data |
Reports files from which no invoice data could be read (once per file). |
Under Malfunction notification you enable the early warning for unattended operation: Send message if no processing for x minutes. If processing shows no sign of life for longer than the given time span, an email goes to the stored recipients - you learn about a problem without having to check yourself. The detection itself always runs (error log, notice in the main window, Windows Event Viewer); the email is opt-in. The monitoring works both in normal operation (by the main program) and in service/headless operation (by the supervisor process, see chapter 60.1.4).
Tip: use a simple, reliable sending account for these warnings if possible - if the sending path itself fails, the error log and the Windows Event Viewer remain as channels.