You can add documents to a Prinect job in two ways:
•by assigning it manually in "Jobs" or
•by assigning it automatically by filing the documents to a "hot folder". A hot folder is a folder in the file system that is monitored for incoming documents. Whenever suitable documents are detected, they are processed automatically by the Qualify sequence in which this hot folder was defined.
A workflow with automated assignment of documents is preferable, for example, if the documents you wish to process are created locally in the network environment of the Prinect server. You can then, for example, set the output in the DTP application so that the created documents are filed directly to a suitable Prinect hot folder and, as a result, processed automatically with the Prinect Manager. You can assign the documents manually to a job in "Jobs" if you are going to process documents that were created externally or that come from archives. It is also possible to send documents manually to a hot folder in the file system.
Note: Take care when you add documents manually: Processing of the documents must be finished and the documents must no longer be accessed by another application.
With the Prinect Manager you can set up a print job in such a way that new print jobs are automatically created when documents are filed in a folder that is set up as a "hotfolder". The "Create new job and process document there" option must be enabled for this (see "Create new job and process document there" option). Such print jobs act as "master jobs" or "hotfolder jobs", from which new print jobs are created by filing PDF files to the "Hotfolder".
The "Hotfolder" section is located in "Administration" in the Cockpit to avoid these master jobs from being mixed up with "normal" print jobs and perhaps deleted inadvertently (see Hotfolder). Administration of these master jobs is done in this section and the master jobs do not display in the standard job list. A Qualify sequence or a group sequence (always including a Qualify sequence) with an enabled and setup hotfolder option is assigned to each of these jobs.
If you enabled "Hotfolder", a folder that will be used as the hot folder will be created whenever you start a print job to which this sequence is assigned. By default, the hot folder is created in the folder of the job concerned (> [jobname]) in "PTJobs > Jobs > [customerfolder] > [jobname] > Hotfolders > [hotfoldername]". "PTJobs" is the default location for job-specific data and is normally located on the Prinect server. "PTJobs" plus all its subfolders is always shared. If necessary, you can also create the hotfolder at a different place in the file system (see the "Hotfolder" Input Box) or use an external hotfolder location (see "in ... External Hotfolders Location" option). The following file types are detected as valid document types in a hot folder: PostScript, PDF, TIFF/IT-P1 and EPS files.
"on" list box
This is where you can select which process will work with the hot folder created. Generally, you can use the default setting "AllHotfolders". You can select a server that will poll the hot folder if there are several Prinect servers in your Prinect system environment.
This is where you define the name of the hot folder. The default "$Template" is a placeholder for the sequence name. This means that the sequence name is used as the "hotfoldername" in "PTJobs > Jobs > [customerfolder] > [jobname] > Hotfolders > [hotfoldername]" when you create the hot folder. If necessary, you can change the name, but the path ("PTJobs > Jobs > [customerfolder] > [jobname] > Hotfolders") is still kept.
Note: If you enter a custom name for the hot folder (e.g. "Tom") and you schedule this Qualify sequence more than once to a job, then the hot folder of only one of these Qualify sequences is active. An error message is issued for the other hot folders.
"in ... Job Location" option
The hot folder is created in what is known as the "Job Location" if this option is enabled. This is the path for the job data below the "PTJobs" folder on the Prinect server.
Note: "Files" in an open job gives you an overview of all the folders used in that job (see "Files" Section).
"in ... External Hotfolders Location" option
Prerequisite: To be able to enable this option, you must have defined an "External Hotfolders Location" beforehand in "Administration > Settings > System" (see also External Hotfolders Location:). You can go to this option by selecting "System", the top item in the tree structure (you may have to click the "Hide Clusters" button). Then click "Browse..." on the right in "External Hotfolders Location" and select this folder or create a new one. Confirm afterwards with "Save". You can also define the "External Hotfolders Location" on another computer than the Prinect server.
When you enable this option, the external hotfolders location defined in "System" is used as the directory for new hotfolders instead of the job location in the "PTJobs" structure.
"Delete Document After Processing Finished" option
During processing, the documents are moved from the hot folder to the "target" subfolder. If this parameter is enabled, the documents will be deleted after processing; if not, they will be kept in this subfolder.
Note: "Queues" Workspace: If the "ContentHotfolder" engine is set to "Paused", all documents in any new job created subsequently that are filed in the hot folder are collected there and not submitted to the next sequence.
All the hot folders are always active and the jobs are processed if the "ContentHotfolder" engine is set to "Started".
"Arrange groups of at most ... files" option
Files are processed separately one after the other if you transfer (copy or move) a large number of document files manually to a hot folder in Windows Explorer. In the course of this, an internal communication process (creating JDF and JMF files) is triggered each time. Each of these processes needs quite a lot of time. You can speed up processing if you use "Arrange groups of at most ... files" by entering a number greater than 1 and selecting the files as a "block" for transfer in Windows Explorer. The documents are then grouped in the size you set. The processes run only once for the files of one group when processing starts. This can save time noticeably. For example, if you set that at most 10 files will be grouped together and you have a job with 14 document files, you will then have two groups: one with 10 files and one with 4 files. The start procedures are now run only twice instead of 14 times.
Prerequisite: The files that you want must be selected together when they are sent to the hot folder.
Note: For large jobs with a great number of files, grouping files can speed up your work considerably. However, in this case, the system no longer shows the progress of each individual file.
"Create new job and process document there" option
When this option is selected, a copy of the current job with this "Qualify" sequence is created automatically as a new print job for each document (e.g. PostScript or PDF file) that is filed in the hot folder and the document is processed from this new job. This is a good idea, for example, for periodicals where you can use a sample job to work with the same defaults each time. By default, a new hot folder is created for each new job unless "Keep hotfolder in new job" is enabled. For that reason, "Arrange groups of at most ... files" is disabled.
Note: The new jobs created in this way will have the sequences of the current job. Exception: If a product code is determined from the file name (see Detection rules for generating new jobs from the file names of the PDF documents), the new job will have the sequences that are linked to this product code ("Smart Automation") and not the sequences of the current job.
Prerequisite: You can only use the following options if "Create new job and process document there" is enabled.
"Keep hotfolder in new job" option
Because you are using your current job as a copy for a new job, you can use this option to control whether the hot folder will also be used for the new job. In this case, a new hot folder will not be created for each job. The hot folder is called, for example, "Brochure-ABC" if your current job is called "Brochure-ABC" and the default "$Template" was used for the name of the hotfolder. This hot folder is also used for the new, copied job, however "Keep hotfolder in new job" is disabled for this job.
"Job group for new job" list box
You can set the job group of the new job in the "Create new job and process document there" mode. This parameter lets you define whether the new jobs will be created in the existing job group or in a new job group.
•Current job group
The job group containing the job with the hotfolder is used.
•Job group with current date
A new job group with the current date (YYYY-MM-DD) as the group name is generated for each job that is automatically generated with this Qualify sequence. The jobs are assigned to this job group.
•Job group with name
Choosing this option will enable the adjacent text box for input. A new job group with a set name is created with this option. Enter the name in the box to the right. It is also possible to specify a series of job groups, e.g. "Test/Benchmark" creates the "Benchmark" job group within the "Test" job group. You must separate the groups by a slash ('/').
A job group of this name is generated if new jobs are created automatically, and all the jobs created automatically with the Qualify sequence are filed to this job group.
"When job number already exists" list box
If you have an existing job number in the "Create new job and process document there" mode, you can set what will happen by defining a rule:
•Use existing job
New jobs are given the job number of the original job, i.e. they are allocated to the original job.
•Create and use job with a new job number
Based on the job number determined, a new job number is created by appending an index. After that, a new job is created with this job number.
•Cancel with error.