Connect resources

Connect resources are files created with Connect's Designer or DataMapper. They are visible in the Configuration Components pane and are added by using the Send to Workflow option from the PReS Connect Designer's File menu.

The available resources are:

  • Data Mapping Configurations: Data mapping configurations are used with the Execute Data Mapping task to extract data from the job file.
    For each data mapping configuration in the list, the following two items appear within them:
    • Data Model: Displays the data model used in the data mapping configuration. Double-click on the data model to view it in your default XML viewer (generally, Internet Explorer).
    • Sample Data File(s): Displays a list of sample files that are included in the data mapping configuration. (See also: Sample Data.)
    • Tip: Double-click on a sample data file to use it as a sample data file for the active process.

  • Document Templates: Templates can be used in content creation tasks: Create Email Content, Create Web Content and Create Print Content.
  • Print Presets:
    • Job Presets: Job Presets can be used in the Create Job task to filter and rearrange print content items.
    • Output Presets: Output Presets contain settings for Print output. They can be used in the Create Output task.

Tip: Drag-and-drop a resource on a process to add the appropriate task.

For more information about the different file types, see Connect's Online Help:

Importing Connect resource files

Connect resource files are added by using the Send to Workflow option from the PReS Connect Designer's File menu; see Sending files to Workflow in Connect's Online Help.

They can also be imported into Connect Workflow as follows:

  1. Click the Connect Workflow button.
  2. Choose Import, then Import Connect Content. The Import dialog box appears.
  3. In the File type box, select the desired file type.
  4. Navigate to the document you want to import, select it and click Open.

When you select a package file, the individual resources contained within that package will be imported.

Tip: You can import multiple files at once.

Resource Save location

Any resource sent to Connect Workflow from PReS Connect is saved locally at the following location: %PROGRAMDATA%\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\PlanetPress Watch\OLConnect

Resources are saved in their appropriate folder:

  • DataMapper contains the data mapping configurations (.OL-datamapper)
  • JobCreation contains the Job Creation Presets (.OL-jobpreset)
  • OutputCreation contains the Output Creation Presets (.OL-outputpreset)
  • Template contains the templates (.OL-template)

Note: Package files are not saved anywhere. The individual resources contained within the package are extracted and placed in the folders noted above.

Tip: To navigate quickly to the Workflow working folders, press the keyboard shortcut CTRL+ALT+Shift+F4 from within the Workflow configuration tool.

Resource archives

From version 8.2, Connect Workflow maintains an archive of previous versions of resources, in the following location: %PROGRAMDATA%\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\PlanetPress Watch\OLConnect\Archive , each in their own folder:

  • datamapper contains archives of the data mapping configurations (.OL-datamapper)
  • jobcreation contains archives of the Job Presets (.OL-jobpreset)
  • outputcreation contains archives of the Output Presets (.OL-outputpreset)
  • template contains archives of the templates (.OL-template)
  • workflow contains archives of Workflow configurations received by the server.

The archives are saved using the template named followed by a timestamp. A maximum of 30 of each instance of a resource is kept (meaning if you have 10 different templates, a maximum of 300 files will be present in the archive\template folder). Older archives are deleted automatically as new archives are created.

Using Connect Resources in tasks

A number of OL Connect tasks (see OL Connect tasks) let you select a Connect resource file to be used with the task. The selection list will appear on one or more of the tabs in the Task Properties dialog that appears when you add a task to a process (see Adding tasks).
For information about the options in the selection list, see Selecting a resource file in task properties.

You can drag-and-drop a resource on a process to add the appropriate task.
When dropped on a process:

  • A data mapping configuration adds an Execute Data Mapping task. If you agree to use the first sample file in the data mapping configuration as the process's sample data file, the process's emulation will be changed accordingly.
  • A Job Creation Preset creates a Create Job task.
  • An Output Creation Preset creates a Create Output task.

When a template is dropped on a process, you can choose whether it adds a Create Email Content task, a Create Preview PDF task, a Create Print Content task, or a Create Web Content task (as an Action or Output task).

Using attached data files

When sending a Connect data mapping configuration from the Designer to Connect Workflow, all data files used in the document are automatically sent to Connect Workflow along with the data mapping configuration. These data files appear under the data mapping configuration in the Connect section of the Configuration Components.

Setting an attached data file as a sample data file in a process

The attached data file can be used as a sample data file in a process. This sets the emulation of the process (About data emulation) and makes it possible to debug it (see Debugging your Connect Workflow process).

  1. Make sure the Connect Resources section is visible by clicking the button if it appears.
  2. Expand the data mapping configuration (name.OL-datamapper) by clicking the button.
  3. Right-click on the data file, then click Set as sample data file.

Viewing an attached data file

  1. Make sure the Connect Resources section is visible by clicking the button if it appears.
  2. Expand the data mapping configuration (name.OL-datamapper) by clicking the button.
  3. Double-click on the data file to open the data selector (see The Data Selector).

Note: Double-clicking on the data file does the same thing as right-clicking on it an then selecting Set as sample data file. Clicking Cancel instead of OK after viewing will prevent this action from being taken.

Saving an attached data file to disk

  1. Make sure the Connect Resources section is visible by clicking the button if it appears.
  2. Expand the document by clicking the button.
  3. Right-click on the data file, then click Save sample data file.