Fip News

AP Atom feed ....

FingerPost working with AP to help integrate the new AP Atom feed into FingerPost systems. For help, please contact us.

TWiki reinstalled ....

16th July 2008: The TWiki and its associated apache server has been updated and reinstalled. We hope for less spam.

Minor but nice enhancements to ipformat

With ipformat 53t there are a few nice enhancements :

• you can use lookups, so you can refer to an external file to map data. For instance if you have a table of country code->country name and were to receive a file with with just country codes you could readily map them to country names. This leads to cleaner format files.
• You can ask for a number of records or a number of fields, so that you can make conditional records based on that number.

See ipformat

Fip live at Archant London

After an abysmal first week's production the system from MediaSystem limited incorporating mediaplanner from AgeFame ltd and Fingerpost PostScript Pagination is being used successfully to produce the Archant London publications.

It has already reduced production times, and the number of publications using the sytem has grown from 50ish publication to nearly 70 in a matter of four weeks.

Flow system

The FingerPost web based "flow" system live at Associated Newspapers for managing 'mini-copy flows'. In this case for checking, editing and validating newspaper classified advertisements before delivery to the web. It has also been configured at another newspaper as a mini-editing and transmission tool for the syndication desk. Stories are fetched from a web based list into a PC editor (such as TextPad) - edited and then filed back into the system ready for transmission.

ipftp

• can set a primary and a secondary machine for fetching, so that ipftp can be left running redundantly on two machines - with the secondary machine only fetching if the primary is down.
• can connect to Secure ftp sites for fetching files
• can connect to sites where passive mode is required
• can fetch files
• can maintain a skiplist where you are unable to delete files from a remote site once fetched.
• ipftp loops around a queue and sends or gets files to/from a remote server via FTP. Logging on, changing directory, deleting files and so on are all accomplished with the usual FIP-style parameter file. Includes FipSeq for variables and FIP header fields.
• Can be run by iptimer and its web interface.... to schedule "gets".

Internet Delivery Module goes live at AFX.

HTML based system management

• now available: run all your normal IP style FIP system checking via a Browser interface - check all logs, resend files etc

Production Pipeline

• The P3 production pipeline system hits 5000 pages a week at Associated Newspapers. This system is being used for managing all page output to the print sites via the various opi systems. See Seybold Report vol1 v1

W4 - web based wire browsing

• used for Soccer and Financial Publication Databases Database Interfaces - Fip uploader and extracter Free MYSQL interfaces Oracle versions now for 815 and 816 Proper MicroSoft Sql Server 7 as well as 6.2 Sybase 11

• W4 wire browser being used at both the Daily and the Sunday Telegraph as their main wire browsing application, delivering styled and tabulated copy into their DTI production system. It has already been in use at Guardian Newspapers - journalists fetch styled and tabulated copy into Quark InCopy.

• the web based wire browser, has had some small changes to make the product more flexible. New features include:

• • Ability to fetch into Quark CopyDesk and Adobe Incopy as well as to deliver to third party editorial systems such as CCI, DTI and Atex. Also a Lotus Notes interface for fetching copy into a notes database. Fetching leaves an audit trail visible in both the story and all story lists.

• • use of cascading style sheets so making it easier to build a site definable look

• • we now support a variety of search mechanisms: the standard flat file search for low throughput sites, and for those with more data files can be indexed using either glimpse or

• • Verity Topic search engine (depending on your budget!) to enable more sophisticated searching, and storage of far more searchable data.

• • user definable preferences for size and length of wire lists and tickers.

• • Users may also change their own passwords, and the frameset they use for displaying the wires.

• • data stored in raw fip format rather than HTML, so that different file types (pictures for instance) can be readily integrated

• • buttons used for fetching files now a logon preference

• • Send file for submitting remote copy now a logon preference

• • ability to have different logon files when on-site and off-site.

• • better handling of email

• • Lotus Notes Interface for fetching copy into a notes database

• • Legacy web interface into Atex J11 System (very satisfactory to run an Atex directory from the Web!)

• • W4 interface used for statistical databases - Soccer, and Financial figures

New File Formats

• NewsML support available.

• FingerPost can receive and generate NITF, the new SGML-based wire standard from IPTC, on all platforms.

• NNTP

Financial Feed Handler modifications

• we now additionally handle: ICV Page data; Comstock; RNS form LMIL

Webwire

• Webwire being used successfully at several customers for scavenging web sites for information. The information can then be delivered to the w4 web browser via xchg and data formatting in th enormal Fip fashion or to a third party editorial system.

Please Email dot@fingerpost.co.uk if you are interested in more information on any of these topics

OS support

FingerPost are now supporting Sun Solaris, AIX, Linux, Mac OSX and Windows NT (on Intel and Alpha) and Windows 2000/3.

Database support

Fip is now supporting uploads and downloads into Sybase, Oracle and MySql.

Mailbox

Mimic mailbox now available with the option of a menu driven interface, as well as being able to mimic an existing mailbox system such as ATEX AAI.

Statistics database

• running at several sites for football and financial statistics. It uses Solaris and Sybase outputing to both Quark and directly in PostScript.

Miscellaneous

• Iptrigger - Do you need to watch directory trees for files that are added, change or are deleted ? Try iptrigger.

• SNDSND - Sndsnd used to pretend you are a remote Atex J11 when really you have a PC-based editorial system.

• IPPSC used to replace legacy system Facits and Oki line printers. It is being used to generate PostScript - complete with HNJ line enders and Modes (translated to different fonts/point sizes) - and printed on networked HP LaserJets.

Please Email dot@fingerpost.co.uk if you are interested in more information on any of these topics