Scripted XML import

[Plucky]

I have a solution that imports xml files throughout the day .

The way its set up is when a xml file gets dropped into a networked folder titled with its Job No ( 90001.xml, 90002.xml, 90003.xml ) an AppleScript is triggered and moves the XML file to a new folder and renames it to ImportXML.xml. The AppleScript then triggers a FM script  that imports the xml into a solution and then then AppleScript deletes the .xml file.

What I would like is Filemaker to be able to import using the original job number ( ****.xml ) and loop through everything that’s in the folder and to delete once imported.

Any ideas if this is possible in Filemaker or maybe a 3rd party plugin.

[comment]

Filemaker cannot see what files are in a folder if the folder isn't in the Documents folder. I believe that alone rules out a 100% native solution in your case. Filemaker will also not "watch" a folder for added files (though it can run on a schedule).

What is the problem you are trying to solve here? You seem to have a working solution using AppleScript; what advantage would be gained by using a plugin instead? 

--
P.S Please update your profile to reflect your version and OS so that we know what you can use.
 

[Plucky]

Hi comment

I've noticed that my current solution doesn't always run and errors out every now and then. I have hundreds of files being moved and renamed daily and this part gets done on a windows shared volume.

I was hoping that I could just have the files saved in one folder that triggers a script that imports the current contents of a folder no matter of its name.

 

[Matt.C]

Hey there,

This is a bit of a crude solution that was provided to me from a friend, but it might be able to be adapted for what you're trying to do. It requires the (free) Base Elements plugin, and is currently used on a Windows file - I imagine you could alter it accordingly to work on Mac.

• The script gets a list of the files in the Import directory
• If there are no files, the script exits
• If there are any files, it loops through each file
  • It attempts to import the file using the specified XSLT file
  • If successful: It moves/renames the file to the completed directory (renames file to: (Original Filename).xml.(date & time) -- e.g.  PO-262439.xml.20210511_134926
  • If an error is encountered: It moves/renames the file to the failed directory (with the same date/time format as above)
• The loop continues until all of the files in the directory have been processed

 

I haven't checked, but I believe you could set this up to PSOS, or do a scheduled script to run on a regular basis (e.g. every 5 or 10 minutes).

 

 

 

XML Import Sample.fmp12

[ggt667]

On 5/7/2021 at 4:24 PM, Plucky said:

I was hoping that I could just have the files saved in one folder that triggers a script that imports the current contents of a folder no matter of its name.

Personally I prefer to load this type of files with XSLTPROC and CWP using cURL on the command line. For me one such line may look like

xsltproc /opt/local/integration/integrationnumber/pendingstock2cURLpayloadForCWP.xslt \
| curl -XPOST http://filemaker.server.lan:80/-new -d - && mv {} done

triggered by crontab or chokidar( https://www.npmjs.com/package/chokidar ) using BASh's && to mv file upon success.

Some basic BASh:

    "A ; B" Run A and then B, regardless of success of A
    "A && B" Run B if A succeeded
    "A || B" Run B if A failed
    "A &" Run A in background.

It's also possible to use chokidar to trigger a script in FileMaker Server using CWP based on changes in the folder.

curl -XPOST -kL http://filemaker.server.lan?-script=loadFileFromFolderUsingXMLImport

In order to have some sort of validation it could be desirable to do a `-new` with the filename to produce some logic on what to do next `mv {} done/` or `mv {} error/` as pr example, depending on the success rate of the parser.

Edited May 13, 2021 by ggt667