A folder source lets one automation read files from a selected folder. You do not need to select each file separately or update the source whenever a file is added or removed.
A folder source can handle two kinds of content:
Choose Spreadsheets when the files already contain data in rows and columns.
Choose Documents when the folder contains PDF or Google Docs files and Sheetgo needs to extract structured data from them with AI.
Select a folder
Create an automation in an existing workflow, or create a blank workflow.
Choose Folder as the source.
In the Folder field, select Select folder.
Find and select the folder on your cloud storage provider. To select another folder later, use Change folder.
Choose the content type
Under IMPORT SETTINGS, open Content type and choose Spreadsheets or Documents. Spreadsheets is the default.
Choose Spreadsheets if each source file already contains a table. This option lets you select a spreadsheet tab and transfer its formatting. You can also choose an optional data processor in the next step.
Choose Documents if the folder contains PDF or Google Docs files and the data must be extracted. The tab and formatting settings disappear because they do not apply to documents. Process with AI becomes a required step, and you cannot replace it with another processor.
For the complete document setup, see Extract data from PDF and text documents.
Choose the import order
Open Settings under IMPORT SETTINGS and choose how Sheetgo should read the files.
Import data from every file in the folder (newest to oldest) reads every file and orders the imported data from newest to oldest.
Import data from every file in the folder (oldest to newest) reads every file and orders the imported data from oldest to newest.
Only import data from the latest file added to the folder reads only the most recently updated file. For example, if the folder contains six files, Sheetgo reads one file instead of all six.
Only import data from the oldest file added to the folder reads only the oldest file, regardless of the other files in the folder.
The first two settings process every file on each run. If the folder contains six files, the run processes six files and consumes automation credits for all six. The last two settings process one file and consume automation credits for one file per run.
Filter the files
Turn on Filter folder content to choose which files Sheetgo imports on each run. Set Match to all when every condition must apply, or any when at least one condition must apply.
Build the filter with these fields:
File type
File name
Date modified
File content
Select Add condition to add another condition. Select Add group to create nested logic.
Import each file only once
Turn on Only import each file once (skip already-processed files) when later runs should process only files that have not been handled before. This option appears under IMPORT OPTIONS for Documents and is on by default.
If a Documents run finds no new files while this setting is on, the automation adds nothing.
Include files in subfolders
Open the source step's advanced settings. Under FOLDER OPTIONS, turn on Include files in subfolders when Sheetgo should also read files inside folders nested under the selected folder.
The same section includes Enable one table per sheet.
Configure spreadsheet files
When Content type is Spreadsheets, use the FILE TAB section to select the tab that Sheetgo imports. Tab name defaults to Every first sheet.
If the required tab is not the first one, choose it from the dropdown. Use the same tab name in each source spreadsheet so Sheetgo can select it consistently.
Under TRANSFER FORMATTING, turn on Copy cell style and values format when you want to transfer spreadsheet formatting with the data. Document sources do not have this option.
Select Next step when the source is ready. The data processor is optional for a folder of spreadsheets. Available processors include Filter rows, Filter columns, Filter by query, Merge data, Left-join data, and Anonymize. Process with AI is not available for a folder of spreadsheets.
Configure document files
When Content type is Documents, Sheetgo reads PDF and Google Docs files. The next step is always Process with AI, which extracts data from each document into structured rows. AI processing is required, the processor cannot be changed, and no other processor is available on this path.
Follow Extract data from PDF and text documents to write the extraction instructions and understand the output.
Choose a destination
After you finish the source and processor steps, choose the destination spreadsheet and file format. Depending on the source format, the destination can be Google Sheets, Excel, or CSV.
Select Finish and save when the automation is ready.