Image forming apparatus and control method therefor

A method of controlling an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a document management server, the method comprising:

• a first transmission step, of transmitting information of a document designated in the image forming apparatus and information indicating a function of the image forming apparatus to the document management server to request determination processing for determining whether or not the image forming apparatus is capable of processing the designated document;
• a first reception step of receiving a determination result of the determination processing;
• a determination step of, when the determination result indicates that the image forming apparatus is not capable of processing the designated document, determining whether the document management server is outside a firewall that the image forming apparatus is inside of;
• an acquisition step of, when the document management server is determined in said determination step to be outside the firewall, acquiring information about a function of another image forming apparatus;
• a second transmission step of transmitting information about the function of the other image forming apparatus to the document management server;
• a second reception step of receiving a list including at least one suitable image forming apparatus which is determined by the document management server from among image forming apparatuses based on the function which have been informed to the document management server and a file format of the designated document, wherein the suitable image forming apparatus is capable of converting the file format of the designated document;
• a display step of displaying the list;
• and
• a direction step of directing a suitable image forming apparatus selected from the list to acquire the designated document from the document management server and perform printing processing for the acquired document,
• wherein said steps are performed by a computer.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium recording a program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a document management server, the method comprising:

• a first transmission step of transmitting information of a document designated in the image forming apparatus and information indicating a function of the image forming apparatus to the document management server to request determination processing for determining whether or not the image forming apparatus is capable of processing the designated document;
• a first reception step of receiving a determination result of the determination processing;
• a determination step of, when the determination result indicates that the image forming apparatus is not capable of processing the designated document, determining whether the document management server outside a firewall that the image forming apparatus is inside of;
• an acquisition step of, when it is determined in said determination step that the document management server is outside the firewall, acquiring information about a function of another image forming apparatus;
• a second transmission step of transmitting information about the function of the to the document management server;
• a second reception step of receiving a list including at least one suitable image forming apparatus which is determined by the document management server from among image forming apparatuses based on the function which have been informed to the document management server and a file format of the designated document, wherein the suitable image forming apparatus is capable of converting the file format of the designated document;
• a display step of displaying the list;
• and
• a direction step of directing a suitable image forming apparatus selected from the list to acquire the designated document from the document management server and perform printing processing for the acquired document.