This article provides a full description of the requirements for providing a Job Folder as input to a Switch Flow. A Job Folder is a folder containing all of the files necessary to run the VDP merge, including the InDesign document, Data File, Static and Variable Graphics, and fonts.

JOB FOLDER INPUT

Any Flow that utilizes a AccurioPro Configurator must provide an InDesign Document and a Data File (or a reference to these files) as the primary input. The preferred method for delivering these files is to provide them together in a single folder (known as the Job Folder). Ideally, the Job Folder should contain all assets required to produce the VDP Job. A Job Folder can be created using the VDP Packager feature of AccurioPro VDP, or by using the Create VDP Package Action available for the AccurioPro VDP Configurator.

When a Job Folder is submitted to the AccurioPro Configurator as input, the Configurator will search the Job Folder and attempt to locate the InDesign document and data file to process. Following are the guidelines utilized by the Configurator when attempting to locate these files.

Selecting the InDesign Document

For InDesign documents, the Configurator first examines the InDesign Document property, which is a Common Property for all AccurioPro Configurator Commands. This property is expected to hold the full path to an InDesign document to process. Please note that InDesign template files (.indt filename extension) are not supported as input documents. The files must be InDesign documents (.indd filename extension). The only exception to this is for Multi-Up Imposition templates, which can be in either .indd or .indt format, and are covered in the Build Multi-Up Document Properties section.

If the InDesign Document property of the Configurator is set to Automatic (the default), the Configurator will next search at the root level of the Job Folder for any files that have a .indd filename extension. If a file matching this criteria is found, this file will be selected as the InDesign document to process.

If a file with a .indd filename extension is not located at the root level of the Job Folder, the Configurator will then search any sub-folders within the folder. The search for InDesign documents is limited to any sub-folders that contain the name template (e.g. template, Templates, my Template documents, etc). The first document located within such folder that has a .indd filename extension will be chosen as the InDesign document to be processed.

If more than one InDesign document is located within a given folder location, precedence is given to any file whose name begins with the string entered for the Configurator Property called Multi-up Filename Prefix. This property is available for the Build Multi-Up Document Action, and is used to name the InDesign document after it has gone through the Multi-Up Imposition process. As such, it is assumed that any document filename that begins with this prefix had been previously processed and prepared as a multi-up layout and therefore should be selected as the InDesign document to be processed by subsequent Flow elements.

If there are multiple documents available, and none of them contain the Multi-up Filename Prefix, then the qualifying document that is first located will be selected for processing.

Selecting the Data File

For data files, the Configurator first examines the Data File property, which is a Common property for all AccurioPro Configurator actions. This property is expected to hold the full path to a data file to process.

If the Data File property of the Configurator is set to Automatic (the default), the Configurator will next search at the root level of the Job Folder for any files that have a .csv or a .txt filename extension. If a file matching this criteria is found, this file will be selected as the input data file to process.

If a file with a .csv or .txt filename extension is not located at the root level of the Job Folder, the Configurator will then search any sub-folders within the folder. The search for data files is limited to any sub-folder that contains the word "data" (e.g. Data File, data file, Database, databases, my Database files, the data, etc). The first file located within the sub-folder that has a .csv or a .txt filename extension will be chosen as the data file to be processed.

If more than one data file is located within a given folder location, precedence is first given to files with .csv filename extensions. If there are multiple files available, then the file that is first located will be selected for input.