Folder Listing

Folder Listing input tasks list the files present in a selected folder and gives you the option to use filename masks, to sort files by name or date, and to list the files present in the selected folder’s subfolders. The lists it generates are in XML format.

Input

Folder Listing captures nothing, however it does read the input folders (and, if selected, subfolders) and gathers information about each file in that folder.

Processing

Folder Listing loops through the files and, for each file, generates an XML node with information about the file.

Output

The output is an XML file containing information about each file. If the Sub-directories option was checked, the structure of the XML also contains the folder structure as it is present on the drive.

Here is a sample of the XML that is generated:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1252"?>
<files count="3" filemask="*.*">
    <folder>C:\Samples\<file>
            <filename>invoice.pdf</filename>
            <path>C:\Samples\</path>
            <time>2012/06/01 16:14:40</time>
            <size>81452</size>
        </file>
        <file>
            <filename>test1.pdf</filename>
            <path>C:\Samples\</path>
            <time>2013/01/17 09:13:50</time>
            <size>20197</size>
        </file>
    </folder>
    <folder>C:\Samples\manuals\<file>
            <filename>usermanual.pdf</filename>
            <path>C:\Samples\manuals\</path>
            <time>1999/10/06 09:52:04</time>
            <size>644037</size>
        </file>
    </folder>
</files>

Note that the <time> tag is independent of the OS locale, language or settings. The format is always YYYY/MM/DD 23:59:59.

Directory Listing input task property is as follows:

General Tab

Input folder: Enter the path of the folder that contains the files you want listed.
Sorted by: Select either Name or Modified date, depending on how you want the list top be sorted.
File mask: Edit the default filename mask (*.*) if you want only some of the files present in the folder to appear in the list.
List files in sub-directories also: Select this option if you want the task to list any files present in subfolders of the selected input folder.

"Other" Tab

Job Information group
- Information elements: indicates what job infos are automatically created by the input task.
- Add lines before first data page: Using the arrows keys you can add any job information directly at the beginning of your data file.
Backup input files: Check this to save a copy of each data file that is captured by your input. These files are saved in the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools working folders under the "Backup" folder.
Backup filename: Enter the filename that you wish the input data file backup to be saved under.
Delete Existing Metadata: Check to remove any metadata from memory. This option is disabled on initial input tasks, and is checked by default on secondary input tasks.

Job Information definitions

%1 - Folder: Contains the full path of the base folder from which the files are listed.

On Error Tab

By default, any action task, branch, splitter or condition that generates an error will simply be ignored, and the task just under it (not within a branch) will be given control of the job file without any modification. Any initial input task that generates an error will stop the process from running as a whole, and output tasks will not generate output. The On Error tab can be used to overwrite the default behaviors.

Send to Process: Check this option to send the job file to an error management process.
Error Process drop-down: Enabled only when the Send to Process option is checked. Lists any process of which the initial input task is the Input Error Bin task.
Action Group: This group is disabled in the initial input tasks and defaults to Stop Process. In all other tasks where the On Error tab is present, the following options are available:
- Ignore: The task is ignored as if it did not exist, and the job file is passed on to the next task in the process.
- Stop Branch: If the task is in a branch of the process, the branch is stopped and the job file is returned to the process after the branch. The branch will not produce any output.
- Stop Process: The process is stopped and no more processing is done. No further output is produced.
Log Message: Check this option to enable logging a custom error message in the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools' log file.
Message: Enabled only when the Log Message option is checked. Enter a message that will be logged in the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools' log file. You can use any variables available in PlanetPress Workflow to customize the message.
Store the message in variable: Select in which jobinfo, local or global variable you want to store the message content.
ID: Enter an error ID. This ID will be visible in the Windows Event Viewer. However, the ID is not visible in the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools' log file.
Store the ID in variable: Select in which jobinfo, local or global variable you want to store the error ID.
Reset to defaults: Resets all options in this tab to their default values.

If storing the message or ID, if they are store in a jobinfo they will be available in any error handling process where errors are being forwarded. In all cases, if your process continues after the error, the contents of the variables selected in this window will be available for the rest of your process, or whenever they are overwritten.

Common Errors

Though some error messages are specific to a task in particular, others may apply to any and all tasks because they are related more to the system than to PlanetPress itself. Some examples would be W3813, W3830, W3991, W4005. These correspond to issues such as not having any space to write files, permission errors on folders or files, etc.

Comments Tab

The Comments tab, added in PlanetPress Suite 7.5, is common to all tasks. It contains a single text area (Task comments) that lets you write comments about the task. These comments are saved when the dialog is closed with the OK button, and are displayed in The Task Comments Pane.