Patent ID: 8681354

Claim:
An information processing apparatus which generates print data to be processed by a printing apparatus from a document file in accordance with a set printing attribute, said apparatus comprising: a setting unit which sets a printing attribute to a hot folder; a detecting unit which detects that the document file is stored in the hot folder; an obtaining unit which obtains status information indicating a state of the printing apparatus associated with the hot folder in which the document file is stored, when the detecting unit detects that the document file is stored in the hot folder; a determining unit which determines whether the state of the printing apparatus associated with the hot folder in which the document file is stored is modified from a state of the printing apparatus at a time when the setting unit has set the printing attribute to the hot folder; a displaying unit which displays a user interface screen for changing the printing attribute which has been set to the hot folder in which the document file is stored, if the determining unit which determines that the state of the printing apparatus associated with the hot folder in which the document file is stored is modified, wherein a printing attribute added by the modification of the state of the printing apparatus becomes possible to be selected in the user interface screen, and a printing attribute deleted by the modification of the state of the printing apparatus becomes impossible to be selected in the user interface screen; and a transferring unit which transfers the print data based on the document file and the printing attribute which is changed via the user interface screen displayed by the displaying unit if the determining unit determines that the state of the printing apparatus associated with the hot folder in which the document file is stored is modified, and transfers the print data based on the document file and the printing attribute which is not changed if the determining unit determines that the state of the printing apparatus associated with the hot folder in which the document file is stored is not modified.