Connect Paige to M-Files

M-Files reads a same-named XML file next to every imported document — and that is exactly what Paige writes. Point Paige at a folder the M-Files server can see, create an external file source that reads Paige's XML with XPath, and finished documents arrive in the vault with their class and properties already set.

Administrators1 hourVerified 2026-09-05

Before you begin

M-Files Admin access to the vault, and a login for the M-Files server itself (the file source is configured there)
An SFTP server whose folder the M-Files server can reach by a local or UNC path — the simplest setup is an SFTP server running on the M-Files server or on a Windows file server it already sees
A Paige scan job with document types and fields set up

At the end of this guide, every document Paige finishes appears in your M-Files vault as a searchable PDF with its class and properties already filled — vendor, invoice number, date, amount, whatever your scan job extracts — without anyone opening the metadata card.

M-Files (also written M‑Files or MFiles) is one of the cleanest fits for Paige. Its external file source feature watches a folder, imports every file it finds, and can read property values from an XML file that has the same name as the document. Paige's SFTP export writes precisely that pair: document.pdf beside document.xml. No middleware, no automation platform, no code.

How the handoff works

Paige finishes a document and uploads it to your SFTP folder as a PDF, then writes .json, .xml, and .csv files with the same base name.
The M-Files server checks the folder on the interval you set, finds the PDF, looks for the same-named .xml, and reads the values you mapped with XPath expressions.
The document is created in the vault with the class and properties you defined. The source PDF and XML are deleted (your choice), so the folder stays empty.

Paige's XML for a document looks like this:

xml

<export>
  <metadata>
    <pdf_file>scan_job_abc123_page_def456_20260905_141502.pdf</pdf_file>
    <scan_job_id>abc123</scan_job_id>
    <page_id>def456</page_id>
    <export_timestamp>2026-09-05T14:15:02.101234</export_timestamp>
    <document_type>Vendor Invoice</document_type>
  </metadata>
  <fields>
    <field name="Vendor Name">Acme Office Supply</field>
    <field name="Invoice Number">INV-20441</field>
    <field name="Invoice Date">08/28/2026</field>
    <field name="Total">1,284.50</field>
  </fields>
  <line_items>
    <table name="Line Items">
      <headers><column>Description</column><column>Qty</column><column>Amount</column></headers>
      <rows>
        <row index="0"><cell column="Description">Copy paper, case</cell><cell column="Qty">10</cell><cell column="Amount">449.00</cell></row>
      </rows>
    </table>
  </line_items>
</export>

Every Paige field is a <field> element whose name attribute is the field's name in the scan job. That's what the XPath expressions below select.

Step 1 — Prepare the folder

The M-Files server (not your workstation) must be able to read and delete files in the folder Paige writes to, using a path that makes sense from the server.

Easiest: run an SFTP server on the M-Files server itself, or on a Windows file server the M-Files server already reaches, and give Paige a folder such as D:\PaigeImport\Invoices. Any Windows SFTP server works; Windows Server's built-in OpenSSH Server is enough.
Make sure the account M-Files uses for the file source (by default the server's Local System account, or one you set) has read, write, and delete rights on that folder.
Open port 22 inbound from Paige's address ranges on your firewall — Outbound IP ranges for firewall allow-lists lists them and explains how to test from outside your network.

Use one folder per scan job. Each folder becomes one M-Files file source with one class and one property mapping.

Step 2 — Point Paige at the folder

In Paige, open Settings (the gear at the bottom of the left menu — administrators only), pick the scan job, and choose Export.
Click the FTP card. Enter the server's FTP Address, Port 22, the Username and Password of the SFTP account, and in FTP Folder Path the folder from Step 1 as the SFTP account sees it (for example /Invoices).
Click Test Connection. What you should see: FTP connection successful! Then connect — Connected to FTP Server! and a green Connected label on the card.
Leave Generate combined metadata file off. M-Files reads the per-document XML; a combined file would just be imported as a stray document.
Turn on Enable Auto Export and, under Auto Export Settings, switch on Only documents having a document type, set Human Reviewed to Reviewed if a person checks documents in Paige first, and Auto Field Entry Complete to Yes. Click Save.

Figure

Paige's FTP export dialog filled in for an M-Files import folder, with the connection test successful

Step 3 — Create the external file source in M-Files Admin

Open M-Files Admin, expand the server connection, then Document Vaults > your vault > Connections to External Sources > File Sources.

Right-click File Sources and choose New File Source….

On the General tab:

Setting	Value
Description	Something like `Paige – Vendor Invoices`
Path from the server	The folder from Step 1, as the M-Files server sees it (for example `D:\PaigeImport\Invoices`)
Include subfolders	Off
Filters	Include files matching `*.pdf` — this keeps the `.json` and `.csv` siblings from being imported as documents
Import files	Selected (not Link files)
Delete source file after importing	On
Check for new and deleted files periodically	On, with a Delay between checks of `60` seconds or so

important

The path is evaluated on the M-Files server, and the account under Set Account must have rights to it. If you enter a path that only exists on your own PC, nothing will ever import and M-Files won't tell you why.

On the Metadata tab:

Set the Class the imported documents should get (for example Purchase Invoice).
Check Read values from an XML file, and check Delete the XML file after use so the folder is cleaned up.
Click Add… for each property you want filled. In the Define Property dialog pick the property, choose Read from an XML file, and enter the XPath expression:

M-Files property	XPath expression
Vendor (or any text property)	`export/fields/field[@name='Vendor Name']`
Invoice number	`export/fields/field[@name='Invoice Number']`
Invoice date	`export/fields/field[@name='Invoice Date']`
Total	`export/fields/field[@name='Total']`
Document kind, if you keep one	`export/metadata/document_type`

The text inside the brackets must match the field's name in Paige exactly, including capitalization and spaces. If a property is a Choose from list type (a vendor object, say), tell the dialog whether the captured value is the item's name or its ID — for Paige data it's the name.

Click OK to save the file source.

Step 4 — Test it

Process one document through the scan job in Paige (review it if you required review) and wait for the export.
Watch the import folder on the M-Files server: the PDF and its three data files appear, then within your check interval the PDF and XML disappear.
In M-Files, search for the document. What you should see: the PDF, in the class you set, with the mapped properties filled from Paige's values. Open it — the text is selectable, which is Paige's searchable layer.

The .json and .csv files stay behind in the folder because the filter excluded them; delete them on a schedule or widen the filter to import them too. If you prefer a clean folder, ask Paige support about limiting which descriptor files a scan job writes.

When it doesn't work

Symptom	Where to look
Files arrive but M-Files never imports them	The path or account on the General tab is wrong from the server's point of view, or the periodic check is off.
Documents import with empty properties	The XML wasn't found (name mismatch means the PDF's base name differs — Paige always matches them, so check the filter didn't import a different file) or an XPath has a typo. XPath errors are logged in the Windows Event Viewer application log on the M-Files server.
A date or number property is empty while text ones are filled	The value's format doesn't match the property type. Paige exports values as text exactly as they appear on the page — set the property to text, or fix the format with a workflow in M-Files.
A "Choose from list" property is empty	The value isn't an existing list item and the dialog is set to match by ID. Switch to matching by name.
Nothing arrives from Paige	The auto-export criteria aren't met, or the document was processed before you turned auto export on. Export it once from the Documents page with the Export button and tick FTP.

If the Paige side is the problem, contact Ademero support with the scan job name and the message from Test Connection.