The Documents Partner API by SEPTEO is the interface that allows a third-party application to access a law firm's document management system without requiring the firm to open any inbound ports.
How access works
Requests don't go directly to the firm's document management system. Instead, they follow this path:
- The partner application calls the cloud interface over HTTPS and authenticates using an access token.
- The cloud verifies the license and permissions, then forwards the request via a message broker to the Connector running on the firm's network.
- The Connector executes the request in the local LEXolution.DMS and sends the result back the same way.
The key point: the Connector establishes outbound connections only (HTTPS and MQTT over WebSocket, both on port 443). No inbound firewall rules need to be opened on the firm's side.
Who acts in the document management system
The session in the local document management system runs on behalf of the requesting user. That user's identity travels with the request, and the permissions they hold in the firm's document management system govern every individual access. If the document management system denies the request, the interface returns an error — typically 404 NOT_FOUND, because a document a user isn't allowed to see is indistinguishable from one that doesn't exist.
This means the firm retains full control over its permissions: if a user can't do something in the document management system, they can't do it through the interface either.
What the interface can do today
| Area | Function |
|---|---|
| Finding case files and folders | Search by name, file reference, or keyword, or browse page by page without filters |
| Contents | List all documents in a case file or folder |
| Sections | List the sections of a case file or folder and retrieve the documents within a specific section |
| Documents | Upload, download, or move a document to a different case file or folder |
| Operational status | Query the connection status of your firm's Connector |
The individual endpoints are described in Endpoint Overview.
Document management terminology
This documentation uses the same terminology as the LEXolution.DMS manual. Anyone familiar with the document management system will feel right at home; the English names alongside are the ones that appear in the interface itself.
| Term | Meaning | In the interface |
|---|---|---|
| Case file | The collection to which documents are assigned. All documents in a case file share its case file data. |
container, containerId
|
| Folder | Like a case file, but without case file references — for example, a knowledge base. | also container
|
| Section | A subdivision within a case file or folder into which documents are filed. Sections have IDs starting at 1; trayId 0 is not a section — it represents documents filed directly in the case file. |
filing-tray, trayId
|
| Section structure | The complete section tree of a case file or folder. | the list of filing-tray entries |
| Document | An individual file along with its document metadata. |
document, documentId
|
| File reference | The business identifier of a case file. | fileReference |
Case files and folders are treated the same by the interface. Both appear as container, are found and read using the same calls, and both can have a section structure. Where this documentation says "case file" for brevity, the same applies to folders.
File content doesn't pass through the interface
The actual file bytes never travel through the interface itself. Instead:
- Uploading — the application requests a time-limited upload URL, places the file there, and then simply notifies the interface that the uploaded object should be imported.
- Downloading — the interface responds with a time-limited download URL from which the application retrieves the file.
This keeps calls lightweight and fast, and supports documents of any size. The full flow is shown with a complete example in Quick Start.
Requirements for an integration
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Firm license | The firm needs one of the two license options — see Licenses and Permissions. What applies in each case is governed by the contract with STP. |
| User accounts with the appropriate role | The partner application acts on behalf of a user account at the firm. Whether those are individual user accounts or a dedicated technical account for the application is a design decision — both models are described in Getting Started |
| Connector installed | The Connector must be installed on a firm server, authenticated, and connected to the document management system |
Documentation for the document management system itself
These pages describe the interface. The document management system behind it has its own documentation in the STP Help Center:
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| STP Documents – General | The product itself: case files, folders, sections, documents, permissions |
| Server API Overview | The local server interface of the document management system — the same functionality that the Documents Partner API exposes via the cloud |
The Server API Overview is especially worthwhile for integrators: anyone already familiar with the local interface will recognize the concepts and relationships that the Documents Partner API builds on.
Further reading
For the firm:
- Getting Started — what you need to start using a partner product
- Licenses and Permissions
- Roles and Groups
For developers:
- Connecting Your Own Application — registration, authentication, first call
- Quick Start — sample calls using curl and C#
- Error Codes
This article has been automatically translated by an AI and may therefore contain errors.
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