Metadata Level Creation

The Metadata Level Creation task conditionally creates new Metadata groups or documents. This task is only functional if Metadata already exists for the current job.

For more information about Metadata see Metadata.

The task enables users to merge data pages into Documents and/or merge Documents into Groups, based on conditions. Unselected Data pages are ignored, but are moved with other Data pages if the action is applied to the current parent node.

Using the wildcard parameter "?"

Since all metadata data pages, and possibly all physical data pages, are treated by the task at run-time in order to evaluate the condition at each level, it is necessary to dynamically define metadata as well as data selections to check all occurrences instead of a fixed one.
This is done using the wildcard parameter "?". When a question mark is used as a parameter in a data or metadata function, the function operates on all nodes (not just one) of a given level. Used in a rule, it indicates that a dynamic update of the current data page or level is required before evaluating the condition.
For examples of how to use the wildcard parameter, see Data selections.

Example of a process with the Metadata Level Creation task

Given a document input (created with Metadata), this task can be used to regroup the PDF pages of the received print stream in logical (Metadata) documents, based on the keyword “Page 1 of” printed on the pages, and then treat each newly created document individually in the rest of the process

The process begins with the following tasks:

  1. WinQueue Input: Intercepts a printed data file sent to a Windows printer queue.
  2. Metadata Level Creation: Begins a new document node when “Page 1 of” is found on a data page.
    • Action: Document
    • Delimiter: Begins when
    • Rule: (@(?,1,1,1,9,KeepCase,NoTrim) IS EQUAL TO Page 1 of)
  3. Metadata Sequencer: Splits the data file on each Metadata document node level.

With this example, before the Metadata Level Creation task, the Metadata structure contains one group containing one document (containing multiple data pages). After the Metadata Level Creation task, the Metadata structure contains one group containing multiple documents.

Input

Any data file with accompanying Metadata.

Processing

The Metadata file is split on the selected level.

Output

The original data file is output, along with the modified Metadata.

Task properties

General Tab
  • Document: Create a new Document level. Note: Attributes and Fields are deleted for all new Document levels created as well as existing Groups.
  • Group: Create a new Group level.
    • Attributes and Fields are deleted for all new Group levels created.
  • Delimiter defines if the Condition parameter is triggering the beginning or the end of a Group or Document. If the delimiter option is set to None, the action is not performed.
  • Rules enable the user to define on which criteria the action must to be performed. The condition must be TRUE to execute the action. If the condition is not met at least once, the rule is not applied. To set up conditions, the Rule Interface is displayed, allowing to edit the condition for the given action. See the Rule Interface page for more details.

On Error Tab

For a description of the options on the On Error tab see Using the On Error tab.

Miscellaneous Tab

The Miscellaneous tab is common to all tasks.

It contains a 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.

Check the option Use as step description to display the text next to the icon of the plugin in the Process area.

The tab also provides an option to highlight the task in The Process area with the default color, set in the Preferences (see Colors), or the color selected or defined under Highlight color on this tab.
To revert the selected highlight color to the default color, open this tab, turn the Highlight option off and close the dialog with the OK button; then turn highlighting back on.
Highlighting can also be turned on and off via the task's contextual menu and with the Highlight button on the View ribbon.