This is really a TM Specific Copy Flow

TM - iptimer to PT copy flow.

This was initially a very straightforward project. Files were to be fetched from a number fo Group sites at scheduled times, and delivered by ftp to a third party.

Iptimer was chosen to trigger ipftp as

• very few parameter files are needed - one or two ftp parameter files are needed, and all the variables they need are fed to them from the Iptimer parameter file.
• we can control when files are fetched from each site very finely.

At its simplest, Iptimer triggers a series of ftps, fetches files, adds a fixed destination to the header, fiels are sent into an outgoing ftp queue, and delivered.

As with any good copy flow, various wrinkles were added to the path along the way.

The ability to send to a secondary server during setup ...

• this was easily achieved by varying the destination for the fetched files in the Timer setup file, so that files went to a secondary ftp queue, and were delivered to a secondary machine.

Basic Setup

The ability to delay the delivery of certain groups files by 24 hours.

This was achieved by again changing the destination in the timer file so that files were sent to a queue called /fip/spool/delay, and adding a CE:86400 header field to the files header (again in the timer setup file) so that the files are held by ipdelay for 24 hours. A program, ipdelay, was added to the system file, to monitor this queue, and release the files are required.

Geographic editions :

• Duplication: The ability to take the files of certain groups and duplicate them across a number of editions to emulate the effect of a platemaker just picking up the plates of a main edition, and reusing them as pages in related editions. This involves taking theincoming filename, and replicating it a variable number of times, changing the edition code in the file name each time.

• Renaming: Then for following live pages for those editions, to add a revision code to the filename, and then put it in a delay queue.

In general the files have the same naming conventions and can be fairly readily manipulated.

• Of course there are further wrinkles:
  • MU - duplication, renaming and staggered delays.
  • Liverpool - non-standard filenames.

Ad list generation

to extract structured information from the pdf files, save it and and convert it into a publication ad list, concatenating the information for each page into a single publication file.

• Simple Overview?
• More detail?
• TM More complex routing?

-- DotFingerPost - 11 Oct 2005

Notes and Comments