Skipping Files with the Passthrough Converter

The PEERNET Passthrough converter is a by-pass mechanism that allows files to be sent through the Document Conversion Service without actually being converted. This type of behavior is useful when dealing with a group of files where some of the input files sent may already be in the desired output format, but you still need them moved to your final destination for further processing.

The PEERNET Passthrough converter will work with any file type as it uses the file's extension to recognize which file types to skip.

For example, if you have the Watch Folder Service configured to convert any files dropped into a specific folder into TIFF files, you can configure the Watch Folder Service to send any files with the ".tif" or ".tiff" extension to the PEERNET Passthrough converter where they are moved directly to the final destination without being converted.

Using the Passthrough Converter with the Watch Folder Service

The steps below show how to take an existing Watch Folder Service folder definition that creates TIFF images and modify it so that the Passthrough converter is used to skip converting any TIFF images. Any TIFF images are moved to the output folder without being converted. This same technique can be used on any file extension.

1.Open the configuration file in the DCS Editor by going to Start - All Programs - PEERNET Document Conversion Service 3.0 - Watch Folder - Configure Watch Folder Settings.

2.In the configuration file, look for the desired the <WatchFolder> section; there can be more than one.  To have only this <WatchFolder> section use the Passthrough converter for TIFF images, add the PEERNET Passthrough converter to the beginning of the list of converters to use for TIFF images.

Code Sample - Skip TIFF images on a single watch folder

 
<WatchFolders>
  <WatchFolder Name="Folder Watch Create TIFF Images">
    <Settings>
      <!-- Folder options -->
      <add Name="InputFolder" Value="C:\PEERNET\Test\Input"/>
      <add Name="SearchFilter" Value="*.*"/>
      ...
      <add Name ="Devmode settings;Resolution" Value="200"/>
     <add Name ="Save;Output File Format" Value="TIFF Multipaged" />
     <add Name ="Save;Append" Value ="0"/>
      ...
      <!-- Skip tiff images in this folder, move them to output. -->
      <add Name=".tif"

           Value="PEERNET Passthrough;PEERNET Image Converter;Outside-In AX" />
      <add Name=".tiff"

           Value="PEERNET Passthrough;PEERNET Image Converter;Outside-In AX" />
      ...
     </Settings>
  </WatchFolder>
</WatchFolders>

 

3.To have all <WatchFolders> use the Passthrough converter for TIFF images, the change needs to be done in the <Settings> section at the bottom of the configuration file.

Code Sample - Skip TIFF images on all WatchFolders

<WatchFoldersSection>
  <WatchFolders>
    ...
    <!-- This Watch folder watches a folder on your local machine -->
    <WatchFolder Name="Folder Watch Local Drive">
      <Settings>
        <!-- Folder options -->
        <add Name="InputFolder" Value="C:\PEERNET\Test\Input"/>
        ...
      </Settings>
    </WatchFolder>
  </WatchFolders>
 
  <Settings>
    <!-- File Extension to Converter Mapping -->
    <!-- These can be added to the Settings section for each WatchFolder -->
    <!-- to tailor each WatchFolder to use different converters for its -->
    <!-- documents. The individual settings take precedence over the -->
    <!-- global WatchFolderSection settings section -->
    <add Name=".doc" Value="Microsoft Word;Outside-In AX" />
    <add Name=".docx" Value="Microsoft Word;Outside-In AX" />
     ...
    <!-- Skip tiff images in this folder, move them to output. -->
    <add Name=".tif"

         Value="PEERNET Passthrough;PEERNET Image Converter;Outside-In AX" />
    <add Name=".tiff"

         Value="PEERNET Passthrough;PEERNET Image Converter;Outside-In AX" />

 
    <add Name=".bmp" Value="PEERNET Image Converter;Outside-In AX" />
    <add Name=".jpg" Value="PEERNET Image Converter;Outside-In AX" />
    <add Name=".jpeg" Value="PEERNET Image Converter;Outside-In AX" />
  </Settings>
</WatchFoldersSection>

 

4.Save the configuration file; the DCS Editor will validate the file when saving and prompt to resolve any syntax errors.

5.Restart the Watch Folder Service to have your new changes applied.