Managing Actions
Define actions and trigger them to perform a configured task or set of tasks.
Define actions and trigger them to perform a configured task or set of tasks.
There are two types of actions in IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer:
Post-Processing actions.
These actions allow IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer to execute specific tasks or a series of tasks when a user uploads, downloads, or deletes a file. When configuring post-processing actions, any changes made, apply to all active user sessions.
Scheduled actions.
With scheduled actions, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer performs a defined set of tasks at a specified date and time. This feature enables automated execution of tasks based on predetermined schedules.
Define a post-processing action for execution when a user uploads, downloads, or deletes a file.
To add a post-processing action
Go to Actions > Post-Processing and do one of the following:
To define the conditions that trigger the action, specify the following details:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Action name | Type a unique name for the post-processing action. |
Description | Type a brief description of the post-processing action. |
Active | Click the toggle button to activate or deactivate the action. |
Click and configure the following criteria based on which IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer will execute tasks, and click Ok.
Field | Description |
---|---|
Execute the tasks below when a user performs the file operation | Select the file operation from the list. Note
|
Virtual folder | To specify a folder, select Any folder. To specify a specific folder, select Specific folder. For Specific folder, type a specific folder name in the box. Use wildcard characters in the folder name box (for example, *baseName ). By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers file activity in any folder structure when evaluating action criteria. |
File transfer status | To specify a file transfer status, select Success or Failure, Success, or Failure. |
Task execution by | To execute the action for file operations performed by particular users, groups, or roles, select Any user or Specific users and click , then select the users, and click OK. |
Execute tasks | To specify whether to execute the tasks immediately, after the user exits all sessions, or after the user is idle for a few seconds, select Immediately, After the user exists all sessions, or After the user is idle for and type the number of seconds to wait before executing the action in the box. |
Select one or more of the following tasks, and define configurations for each of the tasks in the Properties section accordingly:
Specify the following details for Parallel processing:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Enable parallel processing | Select this option if you want to enable parallel processing of files in multiple threads. |
Start parallel processing for files after | Select the task after which IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer must start parallel processing of files in multiple threads from the list. IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer first executes the task you select here, and any other tasks before it, sequentially. |
Maximum number of parallel processes | Type the maximum number (between one and 999) of parallel threads that IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer can create to simultaneously process the files. |
Click Add. The new post-processing action appears in the post-processing actions list.
Define a scheduled action for execution at a specific date and time.
To add a scheduled action
Go to Actions > Scheduled and do one of the following:
To define the conditions that trigger the action, specify the following details:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Action name | Type a unique name for the scheduled action. |
Description | Type a brief description for the scheduled action. |
Active | Click the toggle button to activate or deactivate the action. |
Schedule settings | Click . In the Configure criteria dialog box, select one of the following options from the list to specify how often IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer should execute the tasks associated with an action, and click OK:
|
Tasks | Select one or more of the following tasks, and define configurations for each of the tasks in the Properties section:
For descriptions of fields for task configurations, see Task Configuration Definitions. Tip
|
Enable parallel processing | Select this option if you want to enable parallel processing of files in multiple threads. |
Start parallel processing for files after | Select the task after which IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer must start parallel processing of files in multiple threads from the list. IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer first executes the task you select here, and any other tasks before it, sequentially. |
Maximum number of parallel processes | Type the maximum number (between one and 999) of parallel threads that IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer can create to simultaneously process the files. |
Click Add. The new scheduled action appears in the scheduled actions list.
Once you have added an action and defined the triggering conditions, specify one or more tasks to be executed when the action is triggered. To activate a post-processing or scheduled action after defining the tasks, see Activating or Deactivating Actions.
A post-processing action is triggered individually for each file based on the configured criteria within the action. This action is triggered when a file is uploaded, downloaded, or deleted. It processes one file at a time and in case an error occurs during the action, the file processing is stopped after processing the files in the current task.
For a scheduled action, the initial task you need to define is the Find task, which is set as the default. Failure to define this task will result in the scheduled action failing. The files listed by the find task serve as the input source for the action. If the Find task returns multiple files, subsequent tasks will operate on all of them. Each task configured within the action will perform operations on the entire file list and pass the set of files to the next task.
If an Error task is configured within the action, one Error task will be executed for each file transaction that encounters an error. If the Find task returns an empty list, subsequent tasks will be executed with 0
files as input.
Configure the following properties for the Find file operation task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
Source location | Select one of the following options to configure the location where the file will be searched:
Note
The virtual folder that you select should be configured on the same IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer instance on which the action is configured.
Tip
If you want to connect to a remote server using a secure protocol (FTPES, FTPS, HTTPS or SFTP) and want to configure authentication using secure key exchange, create a folder for the remote server and configure the certificate alias parameters. Use the folder that you configured in the Virtual folder option of the Source location in the task.
|
Any file name | Select this option if you want to find files with any name. |
Specific file name | Select this option if you want to filter files with specific names (for example, *.xml ) and type the file name in the text box. This option is disabled if you select Any file name. |
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
Advanced | |
Exclude folders | Select this option if you want IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer to ignore folders and their contents in the find task. |
Folder depth | Specify the folder depth if you want to include subfolders in the search criteria for the find task. The default value is 1 which restricts the search to the root folder. |
Maximum items to find | Specify the number of records to restrict in the find task results. The default is 0 which includes all the records that match the search criteria for the find task. |
Last file modification | Provide one of the following criteria to narrow the search based on the last file modification timestamp:
Note
You must specify at least one time criteria if you select a time variable.
In the Days, Hours, Minutes boxes respectively, type the days, hours, and minutes to apply the selected time variable. For example: If you select before with 2 days and 6 hours as the time variable, a IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer find task run on 30 April 12 PM, searches for all files modified before 27 April 4 PM. If you select within with 2 days and 6 hours as the time variable, a IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer find task run on 30 April 12 PM, searches for all files modified between 30 April 12 PM and 28 April 4 PM. |
Fail if no files are found | Select this option if you want the find operation to fail if no files are found. |
File stability and scanning | Select one of the following options:
|
Scan for files and check for stability | Select one of the following options:
|
Retry [ ] times at an interval of [ ] seconds | Select this option if you want IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer to retry a failed find task. Type the number of retries and the retry interval in seconds. |
Sort files | Select this option to enable IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer to search for files in a particular order. Sort files based on the last modified date, file size, and file name under the Sort field, and in ascending or descending order under Sort order. Note
If you configure Maximum items to find with a specific value (for example, 4) and select this option, then IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer reads every file within the folder and finds files based on the Sort files criteria. This might decrease the performance of the Find task.
|
Assign Partner | Select this option if you want to assign a partner for the action and do one of the following:
Note
For virtual folders, use this option only if you want to override the partners configured for the folders.
|
A find task retrieves a list of files from a specified location. The files listed by a find task are passed on to the subsequent task for processing. If there are multiple find tasks for an action, the files found by each “find” task are added to the list passed on to it from the previous task.
For example, consider the following sequence of tasks and the IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer behavior for each task:
Sequence Number | What does IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer do? |
---|---|
1 | Finds files in the given source location A. Let us call these files list 1. |
2 | Executes the Integration Service on file list 1. |
3 | Finds files in the given source location B. Let us call these files list 2. |
4 | Executes the Integration Server service on both list 1 and list 2 files. |
5 | Encrypts the files in list 1 and list 2. |
Configure the following properties for the Copy file operation task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression options. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
Destination location | Select one of the following options to configure the location where the file will be copied to:
Note
If you want to find and copy files from remote third-party HTTP(S) servers, ensure that you provide the appropriate certificate alias here.
Tip
If you want to connect to a remote server using a secure protocol (FTPES, FTPS, HTTPS, or SFTP) and want to configure authentication using secure key exchange, create a folder for the remote server and configure the certificate alias parameters. Use the folder that you configured in the Virtual folder option of the Destination location in the task.
Note
The folder that you select should be configured on the same instance on which the action is configured.
|
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
Advanced | |
Create directory | Select this option to create the destination folder if the folder specified in the Destination location is not present. If the Destination location path does not include a folder, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer copies the file directly to the specified directory path. |
Rename file to | Select this option to rename the file to the specified name in the box. |
Check if the file exists at destination | Select this option to check if the file already exists at the destination and perform one of the following options:
Note
If you rename a particular file using the Rename file to option, then the Fail the action if file exists option checks for the renamed filename at the destination. The renamed file is added to the destination only if it does not match the rest of the filename.
|
Use temporary file name | Select this option and type a temporary name for the file to use while copying the file. The file is renamed to its original name after the copy file operation is complete. |
Preserve file modification date | Select this option to retain the time stamp indicating when the file was last modified. |
Check for stability | If you want the file operation to check its progress at regular intervals, specify the time in seconds in the following format: Every [ ] seconds up to [ ] seconds, where, [ ] is the text box to type the value in seconds. |
Retry [ ] times at an interval of [ ] seconds | Select this option to retry a failed copy operation for the specified number of times at the interval specified in seconds. |
Resume transfer from the point of interruption | Select this option to resume an interrupted or failed copy operation from the point of interruption. |
Command before upload | If you want to execute a SITE command before the Copy task, then choose this option. For example, while working with Mainframe servers, values for record size and block size can be sent to the server before upload by setting the following value to this new configuration field: SITE LRECL=<record\_size\> BLKSIZE=<block\_size\> . |
Simple mode | Select this option to change the file transfer mode to simple mode if you are transferring files to AS/400 systems. This mode applies to FTP, FTPS, or FTPES protocols. |
ASCII mode | Select this option to change the file transfer mode to ASCII mode and select one of the following Convert line endings options to change the line endings of the file:
By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer uses the Binary file transfer mode for the copy operation. |
Assign partner | Select this option if you want to assign a partner for the action and perform one of the following:
Note
For virtual folders, use this option only if you want to override the partners configured for the folders.
|
A copy task copies all the files passed on from the previous task to the location specified in Destination location. However, the files copied to the specified destination will not be available to the subsequent task for processing. The list of files in the source location is passed on to the subsequent task.
Configure the following properties for the Move file operation task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
Destination location | Select one of the following options to configure the location where the file will be copied:
Note
The virtual folder that you select should be configured on the same IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer instance on which the action is configured.
Tip
If you want to connect to a remote server using a secure protocol (FTPES, FTPS, HTTPS or SFTP) and want to configure authentication using secure key exchange, create a folder for the remote server and configure the certificate alias parameters. Use the folder that you configured in the Virtual folder option of the Source location in the task.
|
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
Advanced | |
Create directory | Select this option to create the destination folder if the folder specified in Destination location is not present. If Destination location path does not include a folder, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer copies the file directly to the specified directory path. |
Rename file to | Select this option to rename the file to the specified name in the box. |
Check if the file exists at destination | Select this option to check if the file already exists at the destination location and perform one of the following options:
Note
If you rename a particular file using the Rename file to option, then the Fail the action if file exists option checks for the renamed filename at the destination. The renamed file will be added to the destination only if it does not match the rest of the filename.
|
Use temporary file name | Select this option and type a temporary name for the file to use while moving the file. The file is renamed to its original name after the move file operation is complete. Note
Temporary file name will not be used for a file being moved within an operating system or server.
|
Preserve file modification date | Select this option to retain the time stamp indicating when the file was last modified. |
Check for stability | If you want the file operation to check its progress at regular intervals, specify the time in seconds in the following format: Every [ ] seconds up to [ ] seconds, where, [ ] is the text box to type the value in seconds. |
Retry [ ] times at an interval of [ ] seconds | Select this option to retry a failed move operation for the specified number of times at the interval specified in seconds. |
Resume transfer from the point of interruption | Select this option to resume an interrupted or failed move operation from the point of interruption. |
Command before upload | If you want to execute a SITE command before the Move task, then choose this option. For example, while working with Mainframe servers, values for record size and block size can be sent to the server before upload by setting the following value to this new configuration field: SITE LRECL=<record\_size\> BLKSIZE=<block\_size\> . |
Simple mode | Select this option to change the file transfer mode to simple mode and if you are transferring files to AS/400 systems. This mode is applicable for FTP, FTPS, or FTPES protocols. |
ASCII mode | Select this option to change the file transfer mode to ASCII mode and choose one of the following Convert line endings options for IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer to change the line endings of the file:
By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer uses the Binary file transfer mode for the Move operation. |
Assign partner | Select this option if you want to assign a partner for the action and do one of the following:
Note
For virtual folders, use this option only if you want to override the partners configured for the folders.
|
A move task moves all the files passed on from the previous task to the location specified in Destination location. The files are removed from the source folder. The list of files in the destination location is passed on to the subsequent task.
For example, an action configured with the following tasks:
The action results in the following:
Configure the following properties for the Delete file operation task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
Retry [ ] times at an interval of [ ] seconds | Select this option to retry a failed delete operation for the specified number of times at the interval specified in seconds. |
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
A Delete task deletes the files that are passed on from the previous task. The deleted files are not passed on to the subsequent task. If a file filter is configured in the task, then the files that do not match the file filter are passed on to the next task.
Configure the following properties for the Rename file operation task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
New file name | Type a new file name for the file. |
Retry [ ] times at an interval of [ ] seconds | Select this option to retry a failed rename operation for the specified number of times at the interval specified in seconds. |
Skip renaming subfolders if parent folder is renamed | Select this option to rename a parent folder but not the folder beneath the folder. |
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
A rename task renames the files passed on from the previous task. The files that are renamed are not passed on to the next task.
See Date/Time Variables.
Configure the following properties for the Encrypt file operation task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use a regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
Encrypt with Public PGP Key alias | Type the certificate alias for the public key file. |
Add signature | Type the certificate alias for the private key file. |
ASCII-Armor | Select this option to wrap PGP files in BASE64-encoded format to make them more secure when emailing them. |
Encrypt with integrity check | Select this option to configure the Modification Detection Code (MDC) to decrypt files that are encrypted. |
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
An encrypt task encrypts files passed on from the previous task configured. IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer supports only PGP-based file encryption. The encrypted file is saved with the name Original-filename.PGP
. After the successful execution of an encrypt task, the source folder location contains both, the original files and the corresponding encrypted files, but only the encrypted files are passed on to the subsequent task for processing. If you select Delete original file, the original files are deleted. If you configure a move task after an encrypt task, the move task moves the encrypted file and not the original file.
Configure the following properties for the Decrypt file operation task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use a regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
Decrypt with Private PGP key alias | Type the certificate alias for the private key file. Note
IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer decrypts the file only if the file is encrypted with the corresponding public key.
|
Verify signature | Type the certificate alias for the public key file. Note
IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer verifies the signature only if the file was signed during encryption.
|
Derive file name from input file | Select this option to retain the original filename of the encrypted file. |
Delete original file | Select this option to delete the original file and retain only the decrypted files. |
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
A decrypt task decrypts files passed on from the previous task and creates decrypted files without the .PGP
extension. The source folder location contains both, the original files and the corresponding decrypted files. If you select Delete original file, the original files are deleted. For example, you have configured a post-processing action which is triggered by a file uploaded to a folder (for example, a folder named incoming) that points to a physical location. You have also configured the following tasks in the action:
After the action is executed successfully, the decrypted file (without the PGP extension) is available in the working folder, and deletes the original encrypted file. If you want to make the files from the incoming folder available to a task that is configured to execute after the decrypt task, ensure that you do the following:
Configure the following properties for the Zip file operation task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use a regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
Destination location | Select one of the following options to configure the location where the file will be zipped:
Note
The virtual folder that you select should be configured on the same instance on which the action is configured.
|
Create directory | Select this option to create the destination folder if the folder specified in the Destination location is not present. |
ZIP file name | Type a name for the ZIP file. Alternatively, provide a variable name such as {stem}.zip as the ZIP file name. {stem}.zip is the default file name. |
Assign partner | Select this option if you want to assign a partner for the action and do one of the following:
Note
For virtual folders, use this option only if you want to override the partners configured for the folders.
|
The zip task compresses a specified file or a set of files and copies the compressed file to the location specified in Destination location. After the successful execution of the zip task, the source files and the target zip file are available for the subsequent task. If the input path is that of a folder, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer does not compress the files/contents of the specified folder.
In single-thread, sequential processing, each action results in a single zip file. However, if the zip task occurs after parallel processing starts, each thread results in a separate zip file.
Configure the following properties for the Unzip file operation task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use a regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
^abc(.*)123$ : Includes anything that starts with abc and ends with 123 . Matches abc123 , abcxyz123 , but not abcxyz123def . |
Delete original ZIP file | Select this option to delete the original ZIP file after it is unzipped. |
Destination location | Select one of the following options to configure the location to which the contents of the file will be extracted:
Tip
If you want to connect to a remote server using a secure protocol (FTPES, FTPS, HTTPS, or SFTP) and want to configure authentication using secure key exchange, create a folder for the remote server and configure the certificate alias parameters. Use the folder that you configured in the Virtual folder option of the Source location in the task.
Note
The virtual folder that you select should be configured on the same instance on which the action is configured.
|
Assign partner | Select this option if you want to assign a partner for the action and do one of the following:
Note
For virtual folders, use this option only if you want to override the partners configured for the folders.
|
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
The unzip task decompresses the specified zip file. After a successful unzip task, both the original zip file and the extracted files are passed on to the subsequent task. If the unzip task occurs after parallel processing starts, all the files resulting from the unzip task are treated as part of a single thread. Therefore, in the Activities section of the Action Log page, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer maintains the File Seq No of the original zip file for the particular thread until the action execution is completed.
Configure the following properties for the Send email task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use a regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
From | The value you specify in From overrides the value specified in the mft.user.email.from parameter for this task. |
To | Type the email address of the recipient. |
Cc | Type the email addresses of additional recipients. |
Bcc | Type the email addresses of recipients that must be hidden. |
Subject | Type text to appear in the subject line of the email (for example, Disconnect:?User %user_name%). The value you specify in Subject overrides the value specified in the mft.user.email.subject parameter for this task. |
Variables/Templates | Modify server variables in the body of the email as per your business needs. For more information, see Server Variables. |
Body | Modify the following example templates as per your requirements: |
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
Based on the name of files specified in the source filter, the send email task sends emails to the recipients configured in a file task. Transfer of the specified files triggers the send email task.
In single-thread, sequential processing, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer runs the send email task only once for all the files of an action and includes the information for all the files in a single, consolidated email. Therefore, each action results in one email. However, if the send email task occurs after parallel processing of files starts in an action, the number of emails sent depends on the number of threads in the action. Consider the example of an action having three parallel threads for processing. When the action execution is completed, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer sends one email for each thread, resulting in a total of three emails for the action.
Define a Jump task in IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer that makes it skip one or more tasks and executes a designated task in the action. By default, a Jump task is unconditional. Also, define a jump condition that determines which Jump task is executed. IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer executes the tasks defined in an action sequentially until it comes across a Jump task. If any file in the list meets the jump condition, the Jump task is triggered.
Configure the following properties for the Jump task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a different name for the task or retain the name that is automatically assigned by IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer. Note
Each task in an action must have a unique name. IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer assigns a default name for a task which is the task type itself. For example,
Jump for a Jump task. When you add a task that already exists in the action with its default name, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer appends the default name with a numeral starting at 1 . For example, Jump1 . |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use a regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
Jump condition | Select a condition you want to execute for a jump task from the list, select the Qualifier from the list, and type a Value for the server variable. For example, {ext} Equals xml triggers a jump task for all XML files. |
Jump to task | Select a task to jump to from the list. |
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. For more details, see Error Task Configuration. |
The Jump task changes the sequence in which the tasks are executed. The task specified in the “Jump” task is executed instead of the next task in the sequence. The “Jump” task however does not modify the list of files that are passed on from the task before the Jump task to the task that is triggered by the Jump task.
Exclude files from a task or a set of tasks by defining an Exclude task before these tasks. The Exclude task uses a File filter to exclude files from all the tasks in the action that follow the Exclude task. The files that match the exclude criteria are not passed on to the next task.
Configure the following properties for the Exclude task:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Task name | Type a different name for the task or retain the name that is automatically assigned by IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer. Note
Each task in an action must have a unique name. IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer assigns a default name for a task which is the task type itself. For example,
Jump for a Jump task. When you add a task that already exists in the action with its default name, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer appends the default name with a numeral starting at 1 . For example, Jump1 . |
File filter | Type the name of the file if you want to filter files with specific names. By default, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer considers all files. If you want to use a regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names. For example, type
*.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. If you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out.A few examples of regular expressions are:
|
Execute error task | Select this option to execute an error task if the file operation fails. |
Configure an Error task in IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer to execute if any of the configured tasks for a post-processing, scheduled, or monitor folder action fail. Choose any of the tasks offered by IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer as the error task. For example, if a file copy task fails, you can use the send email task to notify an administrator of the failure.
The following conditions apply to the error task:
Configure the following properties for the IBM webMethods Integration Flow service task:
Prerequisite: You need IBM webMethods Integration 10.15 to execute this task on IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer.
Field | Description | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Task name | Type a unique name for the task. | ||||||
File filter | When you define a File filter for a task, the task acts only on files that are filtered out. For example, type *.zip to trigger the action only when ZIP files are uploaded or downloaded. To trigger an action based on a name string in the ZIP files, use the name string in the File filter box, preceded and followed by wildcard characters. For example, type *invoice*.zip to trigger the action based on the file URLs, when ZIP files containing the character string invoice in their file names are uploaded or downloaded. Note
Use wildcard characters to filter the file names.
If you want to use a regular expression, specify a valid regular expression in the File filter and select the Use regular expression option. Example:
|
||||||
Flow service | Click Browse to select the Flow service you want to execute from the list. Note
|
||||||
Include file content as stream | Select the option to pass the contents of the file to a Flow service on IBM webMethods Integration. When importing the actions containing the Flow service tasks to another environment, ensure that you import the actions to the connected instance of IBM webMethods Integration as well. If a failure occurs during the import, the output parameters are not passed on to the next task. The errors in the input and output pipelines appear in the event log. Note
|
||||||
Flow service input | Only ‘String’ values can be applied to the service. | ||||||
Extract flow service output | Click to add the variables with Variable name that you want to assign to the output parameters of the service and the Variable path of the output parameter. Example: You invoke a Flow service by having two output fields, output1 and output2. Configure the following variables in the Extract flow service output section.
|
||||||
Execute task even if there are no files | Select this option if you want the operation to be executed if no files are found. | ||||||
Execute task only once | Select this option, if you want the operation to be executed once. |
By default, a newly created post-processing or scheduled action is inactive. This enables you to work on configuring an action without any concern that the partially configured action is running. After you fully configure the action, activate it to associate it with a service. Also, activate or deactivate more than one action at a time.
To activate or deactivate an action
TipEach page of the actions list displays a maximum of 50 actions. Only select the actions visible on a single page.
The selected actions are activated or deactivated based on your selection.
If you have more actions to select in the additional pages of the actions list, click Next or the required page number, and repeat the process.
Edit the configuration settings of an existing post-processing, scheduled, or monitor folder action.
To modify an action
Go to Actions, and on the Post-Processing actions or Scheduled actions page, click on an action that you want to edit.
Modify the required configuration settings for the action and click Save.
The action is updated with the modified settings.
Search the post-processing or scheduled actions list to locate an action based on the action name and status.
To search for an action
Go to Actions, and on the Post-Processing actions or Scheduled actions page, specify all or one of the following search criteria:
Field | Description |
---|---|
Action name | Type the name of the action you want to view. |
Status | Select either Active or Inactive to filter the actions based on active or inactive actions respectively. |
Click Apply for the changes to take effect or Reset to reset values.
The actions list is populated with the actions matching your search criteria.
With server variables, pass values to post-processing and scheduled actions dynamically at run time. For example, when you configure a copy action for a post-processing event, specify the destination URL as {parent_path}
and the “rename file to” parameter as {name}_processed
. When the event is triggered, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer copies the file to the parent directory and appends “_processed” to the end of the file name.
IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer supports the following:
Variable | Description | Supported Event Type |
---|---|---|
{r} |
Return character. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{n} |
New line character. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{task_error} |
Returns the last error that occurred in an event. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{task_errors} |
Returns the list of all the errors in an event. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{error_trace} |
Used to get the stack trace in case of any exception. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{event_execution_id} |
Returns the event execution ID which is unique for each event. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{task_error_types} |
Returns the type of actions where the error occurred. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{host name} |
Host name of IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{outbound_proxy_alias } |
Proxy server name that is defined for use with an event. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{task_error_names} |
Name of the event that results in an error. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{parent_url} |
Actual URL that points to the parent folder in which the file resides. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{parent_url_decoded} |
Decoded value of the variable {parent_url} . |
Post-processing and scheduled events |
{event_name} |
Name of the action. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{ssl_protocol} |
SSL/TLS version used for the HTTPS or FTPS protocol for a session. | Post-processing event |
{ssl_cipher} |
Cipher algorithm used for the HTTPS or FTPS protocol for a session. | Post-processing event |
{random_string} |
Generates a random string. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{tenant_name} |
Used to obtain the name of the tenant. For example, when you have multiple tenants, use this variable in an email task to find the tenant from which the email originated. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{pod_name} |
Used to obtain the name of the pod. This variable returns the value mft-0 for a single pod development or test tenant, and returns the value mft-0 or mft-1 for a production tenant. |
Post-processing and scheduled events |
In event actions such as Send Email which process multiple files, use the variables as per the following example:
<LINE>{stem}{ext}
</LINE>
This syntax ensures that all the files in the list are processed by these actions instead of just the first file.
Variable | Description | Supported Event Type |
---|---|---|
{command} |
Command forwarded to remote FTP servers to list files. | N/A |
{end} |
End time for the file transfer. | Post-processing event |
{error} |
Error messages related to the file transfer. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{ext} |
Last part of the file name, including the period. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{file_metadata} |
Applicable only to FTP remote servers. Raw response from the remote server for each file while performing MLST, MLSD, LIST, or NLST commands. Example:Type=file;Modify=20151006091701;Perm=r,w,a,d,f;Size=584;UNIX.owner=user;UNIX.group=group;properties_4.cnf. |
Scheduled event |
{group} |
Applicable only to FTP remote servers. Retrieves information from the UNIX ownership class group , os-depend-fact in MLST RFC 3659. |
Scheduled event |
{md5} |
MD5 hash of the uploaded file. | N/A |
{modified} |
Applicable only to FTP remote servers. Date when the file was last modified in UNIX epoch time (milliseconds). | Scheduled event |
{name} |
Name of the file. | Post-processing and scheduled events. |
{owner} |
Applicable only to FTP remote servers. Retrieves information from the UNIX ownership class owner , os-depend-fact in MLST RFC 3659. |
Scheduled event |
{parent_path} |
Path to the parent folder. | Scheduled event |
{path} |
Path of the file. Relative path of the file in a file system with respect to the current folder. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{permissions} |
Applicable only to FTP remote servers. Permission for the file on the remote server to which IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer is connected. The format is -rw-r--r-- . For MLST, this format is maintained only when unix.mode is available. If unix.mode is not available, the format is r,w,a,d,f , and is retrieved from perm . |
Scheduled event |
{real_parent_path} |
Path of the parent folder for the file on the disk. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{real_parent_path_decoded} |
Decoded value of the variable. {real_parent_path} |
Post-processing and scheduled events |
{real_path} |
Complete path to the file in the file system. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{real_path_decoded} |
Decoded value of the variable. {real_path} |
Post-processing and scheduled events |
{resume_loc} |
Location in the file where the transfer should resume if interrupted. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{size} |
Size of the file. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{speed} |
Speed of the file transfer. Note
When the actual speed is
0 , this variable value might be inaccurate. |
Post-processing event |
{start} |
Start time for the file transfer. | Post-processing event |
{stem} |
First part of the file name, before the period. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{the_file_error } |
Any error during file transfer. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{the_file_name} |
Name of the file. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{the_file_size_formatted} |
Size of the file. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{the_file_speed} |
Speed of the file transfer (upload/download) for post-processing events. | Post-processing event |
{the_file_path} |
Path of the file. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{url} |
Actual URL that points to the file. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{url_decoded} |
Decoded value of the variable. {url} |
Post-processing and scheduled events |
{user_dir} |
Folder that the user sees when uploading the file. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{user_session_download_count} |
Total download count per user session for post-processing events. | Post-processing event |
{user_session_upload_count} |
Total upload count per user session for post-processing events. | Post-processing event |
{user_time} |
User upload/download time for post-processing events. | Post-processing event |
{items_count} or {item_count} |
The count of files within an event. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
Precede any of the date/time variables with the following symbols:
Report_{EEE}
provided for the new file name, IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer renames the downloaded file to Report_Mon.Variable | Description | Supported Event Type |
---|---|---|
{MM} |
Month. (for example, 06 to represent June) | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{dd} |
Date. (for example, 05 to represent the fifth day of the month) | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{yy} or {yyyy} |
Year, represented in two digits. (for example, 13 to represent 2013) or four digits (for example, 2013) | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{HH} |
Hours, using the 24-hour time format. (for example, 14 to represent the hour of 2 o’clock PM) | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{hh} |
Hours, using the 12-hour clock format. (for example, 02 to represent the hour of 2 o’clock PM) | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{mm} |
Minutes. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{aa} |
AM or PM | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{ss} |
Seconds. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{S} |
Milliseconds. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{EEE} |
Weekday abbreviation. (for example, Mon to represent Monday) | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{MMM} |
Month. (for example, 12 to represent the month when the action is executed by IBM webMethods Managed File Transfer | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{d} |
Date of the month. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{k} |
Hour in 24-hour format. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{K} |
Hour in 12-hour format. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{z} |
Time zone. (for example, IST) | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{Z} |
Time zone. (for example, +5:30 in case of IST) | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{dd+n} or{d+n} |
Current date of the month plus “n” number of days. The final value is calculated based on the calendar days. Example |
Post-processing and scheduled events |
{dd-n} or{d-n} |
Current date of the month minus “n” number of days. The final value is calculated based on the calendar days. Example |
Post-processing and scheduled events |
Post-process actions triggered as a result of file operations can make use of these variables.
Variable | Description | Supported Event Type |
---|---|---|
{firstName} |
First name of the user. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{lastName} |
Last name of the user. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{user_name} |
User ID of the user. | Post-processing and scheduled events |
{username} |
Name of the user who triggers the file operation. (upload, download, or delete) | Post-processing events |
{email} |
Email of the user who triggers the file operation. (upload, download, or delete) | Post-processing events |
{last_name} |
Last name of the user who triggers the file operation. (upload, download, or delete) | Post-processing events |
{first_name} |
First name of the user who triggers the file operation. (upload, download, or delete) | Post-processing events |