Special workflow types

OL Connect Workflow supports multiple input and output types, in so many different combinations that it would be hard to give example processes for each possibility. However, some types of processes like PDF and HTTP processes, and processes related to another product, are important enough to pay some attention to them.

This chapter will describe each of these special workflow types and give at least one example of an implementation that uses them.

OL Connect workflows

Typical OL Connect workflows are described in OL Connect's Online Help; see Workflow processes in OL Connect projects.

Capture OnTheGo workflows are detailed in the respective user guide.

OL Connect Send processes

Connect Send allows for PostScript files to be received over the internet from any Windows Desktop application. It is in fact an application with two components. The first is a Windows printer driver while the other is a group of Workflow plugins (Job Processor, Get Job Data and Get Data). These two components work together indiscriminately, each needing the other to function.

OL Connect Send (see OL Connect Send) needs one Workflow process to handle the job transfer, and in licensed mode it needs at least one other process to interact with the user. Reports about the use of OL Connect Send might be produced in yet another Workflow process. For examples of these processes see Workflow processes in a Connect Send solution.

HTTP Server workflow

An HTTP workflow receives requests from a client via a GET or POST request, sometimes only with information, sometimes with attached files. An HTTP workflow is basically an XML workflow since that is the type of file created by the HTTP Server Input task. See the HTTP Server workflow page for more details.

'Stamping' workflow

“Stamping” refers to a method of layering one PDF over another PDF, via a script in Workflow. With OL Connect you normally layer PDFs by using a PDF as the background of a template. (See the OL Connect Help: Using a PDF file or other image as background.)
In rare cases, extracting text from the PDF that is the output of a Print section with a PDF background doesn't work. Then it is recommended to use this method. See 'Stamping' one PDF file on another PDF file.

PDF job file and Metadata workflow

A PDF job file and Metadata workflow uses a PDF as its job file and manipulations are generally made in the Metadata instead of the PDF itself, since PDF files are much larger than most other data files compatible with OL Connect Workflow. The Metadata Tools are extensively used in the example presented, which is a weekly sales report sent to all the sales associates of a particular company branch. See the PDF and Metadata workflow for more details.