Strange workflow behaviour

[LasseThid]

I have created a flow for one of our customers and I've ran into a very strange problem.

The flow downloads pdf-files and xml-files from our ftp and then impose the pdf for our Indigo machines. As the customer has both saddle stitched and perfect bound products I have to handle the files differently depending on the binding style.

The flow looks like this:



and the xml-file looks like this:

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<order>
<pof>P55673</pof>
<system>jarocka</system>
	<product>
		<filename>697_Vit_A4L.pdf</filename>
		<artno>JAR-7601</artno>
		<binding>perfectbound</binding>
		<quantity>1</quantity>
		<color>4+4</color>
		<width>210</width>
		<height>297</height>
		<paper>MultiArt Gloss (170g)</paper>
	</product>
</order>

This will work perfectly in the flow, however if I do nothing other then change the value for the width and drag the pdf and the xml to the Incoming files the job will fail at the XML pickup and I get this message in Messages: Job '_0PIUX_704_Vit_A5L.pdf' was moved from folder '/Users/enfocus/Library/Application Support/Enfocus/Switch Server/backing/JaRocka/automanaged/Sort' to the problem jobs folder. Reason: No outgoing connection accepts this job

This happens even though there is a Hold right after the Sort folder. If I change the width back to 210 and drag the pdf and xml to Incoming files there is no problem.

If I change the value for the height there is no problem, only when I change the value for the width...

Any ideas as to why this might happen?
All I do is to add the XML as Metadata...

[3f8h.net]

Do you create a valid XML after changing the value?
Is Switch able to pickup the XML in general (try a pickup in another dev flow please).

Seb

[loicaigon]

Hi,

Let's take a look at the message : No outgoing connection accepts this job

This kind of messages normally appears when a job cannot proceed any connection (I probably don't learn anything to you here). So as the error comes from when you change the width, it's possible that you applied a sort in a connection that is ok for the first value and not the new one. If no connection is ok with the new value, then the job fails.

I would first look at the problematic element and see what kind of sorting is applied to the connection and see if the value might not be the reason why.

HTH somehow,

Loic
www.ozalto.com

[LasseThid]

The XML-file is just a simple text file that I edit with TextEdit on the Mac and since the problem goes away if I edit the value back I fail to see how using TextEdit to edit the file would cause the problem.

Once the file is passed on from Sort to PitStop Server the only metadata used in PitStop Server is the artno which I use to decide which Action List to use. artno ending with 01 is A4 size and 02 is A5 size.

The width and height values are only used to pick the correct imposition in SmartStream Designer.

DOH!!!!!!

When I first built this flow I didn't know I could use Multi-line text with variables defined to pick an action list, so I had two PitStop Server configurators put in and I used the width parameter to send the pdf to the correct PitStop Server configurator. But since I managed to figure out how to use the Multi-line text with variables defined to pick the correct action list I only needed one PitStop Server configurator, which makes the flow look much nicer. Only problem is I forgot to reset to connection to pass all jobs through.

Thanks Loic!

This one goes on the Wall of Shame... Hahahaha...

[loicaigon]

No problem. Glad I could help.

It's always best to solve user bugs first before looking at software's ones

As for the shame, I have a few ones in my closet too