# Drop approved documents and their data into a folder another system watches

Every approved document is written to a folder as a file plus its field values — a Movement on Process trigger with Content - Export and Export Data actions — the universal hand-off for any system that can import from a folder.

Product: content-central · Versions: 7.8+ · Audience: system-administrator · Time: 40 minutes · Last verified: 2026-09-05

Canonical: https://help.ademero.com/content-central/workflow/drop-approved-documents-into-a-folder-for-another-system

**When you're done, each document that clears its final approval is written to a folder as a file, with its field values written alongside — the two-action pattern any system that can import from a folder can consume, no connector required.**

```plan
scope: document-type
trigger: Approval Processes › Movement on Process | Approval Process: your process · Process Evaluation: Approval by Final Member
action: Content - Export | XML Schema: None (or CapturePoint XmlImportSchema 1.0 for a per-file XML descriptor)
action: Export Data | Export Data Template: your CSV template
rule: "Final approval → export file and data", enabled
```

No single action writes both the document and its metadata, so the recipe always uses two, on the same rule, in this order.

## One-time setup: where the files go

1. On the Content Central server, open the **Configuration Manager**. The document files written by **Content - Export** land in the **Workflow Export** system folder; the data file location comes from the **Export Data** section, where you register a **Name:** and a **Location:**. Point both at folders the receiving system watches and the Content Central service account can write to. Screens and rules: [Configuration Manager: what lives where](/content-central/administration/configuration-manager-what-lives-where).

2. In the web client, go to **Administration** > **Workflow** > **Export Templates** and create a template. Give it a name, choose the **Export Data Path:** you registered, scope it to this catalog and document type, and add the field and system-field columns the other system needs. Keep **Include Header** on.

The end-to-end export article covers the template editor and the validation checklist: [Export documents and their metadata](/content-central/administration/export-documents-and-metadata).

## Build the trigger

1. Go to **Administration** > **Catalogs & Document Types**, pick the **Catalog** and **Document Type**, click the **Workflow** tile, then **Triggers** > **New Trigger**.

2. **Type:** `Approval Processes` and `Movement on Process`. **Trigger Name:** `Final approval given`. **Approval-Process Evaluation:** `Single Approval Process`; **Approval Process:** yours. **Process Evaluation:** `Approval by Final Member`. **Save**.

## Build the actions

1. Click **Actions** > **New Action**. **Type:** `Content - Export`. **Action Name:** `Export document file`. **XML Schema:** `None` — or `CapturePoint XmlImportSchema 1.0` if the receiving system reads a per-document XML descriptor with the field values. **Save**.

2. **New Action**. **Type:** `Export Data`. **Action Name:** `Export field values`. Choose your template under **Export Data Template:**. Optionally set **Field to Populate:** to a field that should record the export. **Save**.

## Wire the rule

1. Click **Rules** > **New Rule**. **Rule Name:** `Final approval → export file and data`.

2. **Add Trigger:** `Final approval given`. **Add Action:** `Export document file`, then `Export field values`. **Apply**.

## Test it

1. Run one test document through to final approval.

2. Open the export folders on the server.

**What you should see:** the document file in the workflow export location and a new row (with the header, on first run) in the data file — or the XML descriptor beside the file if you chose the schema. Then let the receiving system pick them up and confirm it imported what you expect. If files appear but the other system ignores them, the problem is on its side: file naming, the columns it expects, or folder permissions.

> **IMPORTANT:** The export folder is outside Content Central's security. Lock down its permissions to the two service accounts that need it, and have the receiving system delete or move files it has consumed so the folder doesn't become a second, unguarded archive.

## Variations

| Want this instead | Change this |
| --- | --- |
| Export on capture rather than approval | Trigger **Content Capture** › **Content Captured in this Document Type** |
| Export only documents flagged for export | Trigger **Content Field Values** › **Field Value Updated in this Document Type** on an "Export" field ([field-change recipe](/content-central/workflow/clear-paid-invoices-from-queues-and-file-them)) |
| Nightly batch instead of one at a time | A scheduled **Content Query** trigger with **Reprocess Matching Records After** long enough that each document exports once |
| Hand off to CapturePoint or another Content Central | `CapturePoint XmlImportSchema 1.0` on the export, and an [XML capture job](/content-central/capture/set-up-an-xml-capture-job) on the receiving side |
| A direct accounting connector instead of files | [Export approved invoices to accounting](/content-central/workflow/export-approved-invoices-to-accounting) |
| Copy to another team inside Content Central instead | [Keep a copy of every approved document in a shared folder](/content-central/workflow/keep-a-copy-of-approved-documents-in-a-shared-folder) |

## What's next

- [Export documents and their metadata](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/export-documents-and-metadata)
- [Connect another system to Content Central](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/integrations/connect-another-system-to-content-central)
- [Run your own program when a document arrives](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/workflow/run-your-own-program-when-a-document-arrives)