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Examples of what ActiveFiler can do (these are just a few). Just let us know if you would like ActiveFiler Script files for any of the following scenarios.

Example 1 - organise docs as they're created & give them a unique number

What's the problem?

Documents are saved haphazardly and can't reliably be found (or there are several versions).
We want them organised by client then project and easily identifiable in hard or electronic version.

How can ActiveFiler help?

Automatically arrange documents by client then project and use a unique ID.

What the user has to do:

Instead of having to find where to save the document and create / name folders etc. they just select the project and client when asked (or type them in if they're not there) after they press save in Microsoft Word.

What actually happens:

  • ActiveFiler orders Word documents into client then project folders as they are saved.
  • It names the document using a unique number and inserts that number into the document's footer. This enables reliable and quick identification of the document and tallying up of the electronic and any printed copies.

The sequence of events is as follows:

  1. Save is pressed in Word
  2. ActiveFiler pops up a question box asking for the name of the customer the document relates to. It can be picked from a list.
  3. It then asks for the name of the project the document relates to for that client. It can be picked from a list.
  4. The subject of the document is then asked for.
  5. ActiveFiler saves the document as follows ...\[client name]\[project name]\[subject] - [unique id].doc

What are the benefits:

Documents can always be found and identified. They are organised how we like it and are uniquely identifiable in both hard and electronic versions.

Example 2 - organise documents as they are scanned

What's the problem?

Scanned files are just lumped in a default folder in an unorganised way and need to manually sorted into folders regularly.

How can ActiveFiler help?

It can file them away into folders as they are scanned.

What the user has to do:

Scan the document and pick the category from the list that pops up.

What actually happens:

  1. A document is scanned.
  2. ActiveFiler pops up a question box asking whether the document is for `business`, `household` or `other` (you can pick from a list).
  3. The document is moved to a folder called `business`, `household` or `other`.

What are the benefits:

Time is saved - no `sorting them into folders` is needed. Finding documents is quicker too as they are always to be found it the right place.

Example 3 - name invoices (PDFs) based on an invoice number they contain

What's the problem?

We have loads of invoices that need scanning so they can be searched for by invoice number. But there's hundreds and it's going to take ages.

How can ActiveFiler help?

It can do the task for you. It can read the invoice numbers and use them to name the scanned invoices files.

What the user has to do:

Just put the invoices in a designated folder.

What actually happens:

  1. An invoice (or invoices) is put in a designated folder.
  2. ActiveFiler springs to life and extracts the invoice number from it.
  3. The document is moved to another designated folder and renamed using the invoice number, e.g. as 12345.pdf.
  4. If the invoice number isn't there, ActiveFiler pops up a box and tells you so.

What are the benefits?

There is no longer a long and tiresome task `to file away the invoices`, it is done automatically.

Example 4 - saving documents to the right place, a more complex example

What's the problem?

Word documents were being saved to the wrong place, especially by temporary staff. This was ultimately leading to not being able to locate the correct information for clients.

How can ActiveFiler help?

By automatically organising the documents as they are saved, ensuring they can be reliably located when needed.

What the user has to do:

Just press save as usual and answer any questions that popped up.

What actually happens:

  1. The user presses save in Microsoft Word.

  2. ActiveFiler saves the document to the correct place. The firm like to organise their documents as follows:

    G:\documents\[area of law]\[client]\[file number]\[date] - [document type].docx
    e.g.
    G:\documents\Criminal\WaltonFarehamPlc\123243-223\20091298_1676 - Letter.docx
    [area of law] - ActiveFiler finds out which office the user is in (there are several different offices the company has). It does this by reading a system file. If it can't find which office the user is in for some reason, it will look in one of the company's other computer systems (a practice management system, which actually generated the document) to see what it is.
    [client] - Finds out from the practice management system the first and last name or the company name. If the company name and first name is blank an error box is popped up to the user to inform them that something is wrong and to ring IT support.
    [file number] - ActiveFiler gets the matter ID from the practice management system, or if that's not there, the "short filename". if the "short filename" contains characters that cannot be used in a filename such as slashes or colons, the user is informed so the practice management system can be corrected. ActiveFiler asks the user for a file number instead. Finally whatever the value is, any illegal characters are replaced with spaces.
    [date] - the current date and time e.g. 2010_05_12__1702.
    [document type] - ActiveFiler looks in Microsoft word and extracts the value for a document property called "document type". This is a property that the firm has set within their document templates.

What are the benefits?

Documents are always saved to the right place - there's no room for human error as it's all automated. This saves considerable time as the process is complex. Also information can be reliably and quickly retreived and is now never lost.