An image forming apparatus includes a controller, a storage that stores data, and an image former that forms an image, based on the data. The controller stores data received from an external apparatus, in an individual folder to which a name based on information on the external apparatus is assigned, enables settings for the individual folder, and displays, on a screen that displays the individual folder, the individual folder that is set to satisfy a display condition, regardless of whether or not data is stored in the individual folder.

A system may automatically scan a physical document and perform processing actions on the scanned document according to a workflow. The system may include a scanning device that can detect a trigger event when a portable memory device is connected to or paired with the device or when a document, including one or multiple pages, is placed on the document handler of the device. Upon detecting the trigger event, the scanning device may retrieve the workflow and associated instructions from one or more designated folders on the portable memory device, automatically scan the document on the document handler to a digital document file, and perform various processing actions on the digital document file according to the workflow, with little or no user interaction. The processing actions may include storing, faxing, and emailing the scanned document, and/or performing certain document conversion functions on the digital document file.

An image processing apparatus includes circuitry. The circuitry acquires setting information relating to conveyance processing, image-capturing processing, or image processing of an image reading apparatus and a storage destination of a file that is generated in accordance with the setting information. The setting information and the storage destination are set by a user. The circuitry identifies characteristic information of an existing file present in the storage destination. The circuitry determines whether the setting information corresponds to the characteristic information and generates a determination result. The circuitry notifies the user of information relating to the determination result in a case where the determination result indicates that the setting information does not correspond to the characteristic information.

An image forming apparatus that functions as a client of a distributed file system is provided, in which the image forming apparatus includes: a distributed file system process part for mounting a file system of a server apparatus on the image forming apparatus to enable the image forming apparatus to access the file system of the server apparatus as the distributed file system of the image forming apparatus; and a storing process part for accessing the file system of the server apparatus and storing, in the file system, information that is stored in a storage unit used by the image forming apparatus.