Support News

September 2003 Edition

Feature Spotlight: MetaScript Additions
Smart Tip of the Month: Associator Example
Q&A with Technical Support: Stored Files
Third Party Software: Disk Imaging Software
Support Bookshelf: Workflow Resource


Feature Spotlight

MetaScript Additions

The newly released Virtual Ticket 5.5 has added to its already powerful set of MetaScript functions. New functions include: OpenURI(), GetDigitalResourcePaths(), Application(), ScriptApplication(), and CompiledScript(). Examples are listed below in italics.

OpenURI() – This can be used to open an Internet address or another Virtual Ticket browser. For example, OpenURI() can be helpful in situations where additional Virtual Ticket browsers are needed to view information from different parts of Virtual Ticket or a jump to an online resource is necessary.

Syntax OpenURI( uri )

The following script opens a Virtual Ticket browser to the Digital Resource ID 1.

OpenURI( "vt://browser?type=Digital Resources&id=1" );

The following script opens a web browser to a specified web address.

OpenURI( "http://www.meta-comm.com" );

GetDigitalResourcePaths() – This function returns an OS specific path of a digital resource based on the Digital Resource ID in the Virtual Ticket database. This allows users to retrieve a file path for a digital resource without having to perform any secondary searching.

Syntax
GetDigitalResourcePaths( ListOfIDs )
GetDigitalResourcePaths( ArrayOfIDs )

The following script gets the paths for a specified list of Digital Resource ID numbers.

paths = GetDigitalResourcePaths( [1, 2, 10, 15, 23, 70] );

This script gets the paths for a list of Digital Resources contained in an array, which in this case is from a File Collector field.

fcPaths = GetDigitalResourcePaths( Field( "MyFileCollector" ));

Application() – This function allows MetaScript to open files with Macintosh applications directly from the file system or stored in the Stored Files area of the Virtual Ticket database. For example, suppose you want to open all of the Adobe Photoshop files referenced to a job regardless of the file collector they are referenced to. By using a query to return a list of these files, this function can be used to open all of the files at once.

Syntax Application( app ).Open

The following script makes use of the GetDigitalResourcePaths() function listed above and opens some Photoshop files

fcpaths = GetDigitalResourcePaths( Field(“MyFileCollector”));
Application( "file:Adobe Photoshop" ).Open( fcpaths )

The next two items make use of AppleScript directly from within MetaScript and Virtual Ticket:

CompiledScript() – This function allows for compiled AppleScripts stored in the Stored Files area of the Virtual Ticket database to be executed from within MetaScript. This eliminates distributing AppleScripts to all of your Macintosh users. The complied script is stored in the database and can be called from MetaScript.

Syntax CompiledScript( script )

Suppose the following compiled script has been saved as a file and added to the Stored Files area in the Virtual Ticket database.

on open_online_proofing( job_number )
tell "Internet Explorer" to open url "http://127.0.0.1/proof.asp?job" & job_number
end

The following script calls the stored file and passes the necessary parameter to use the AppleScript displayed above:

CompiledScript( "database:OpenOnlineProofing" ).open_online_proofing( [ Field( "Job_Number" ) ] )

ScriptApplication() – This function is identical in nature to the CompliedScript() function but as the name implies it makes use of Script Applications.

Syntax ScriptApplication( app )

Suppose the following script application “ConvertJPEGTo150DPI” has been added to the Stored Files area in the Virtual Ticket database.

on convert( job_number, files )
-- conversion of files ...
end

The following script uses the included variable and passes the parameters required by the script application.

var jpg_to_150dpi = ScriptApplication( "database:ConvertJPEGTo150DPI" )
jpg_to_150dpi.convert( Field( "Job_Number" ) , GetDigitalResourcePaths( Field("JobFileCollector") )) ;

Detailed descriptions of these new functions can be found in the MetaScript reference guide located at:
http://www.meta-comm.com/customers/docs


Smart Tip of the Month

Associator Example

Setting up your Associator to automatically associate files with file collectors in Virtual Ticket is simple if you have consistent naming conventions to build your association rules with. The following example will help Associator users to build a successful Association rules.

Suppose in Virtual Ticket you have a file collector field on a Jobs form. On your file server, you have folders for each job which are named in a similar convention (job number – job name). Creating a rule which specifies this naming convention will allow you to associate these job folders with the appropriated job and file collector in Virtual Ticket

When files are added to the system by InterSync, metadata about the files and folders being added to the database is captured. In this rule, a Job_Number field has been added to the Digital Resource file cabinet so that when this metadata is recorded in the database, additional information for this Job_Number field is recorded too. When it is time for the associator to reference the files to the appropriate job, this additional data provides the link. If you do not have a field named Job_Number of type Integer in your Digital Resources File cabinet, you should create it before continuing.

  1. Open the MetaCommunications Management Console and expand MetaCommuncations Services. Expand Management Console (from the list) and click on the desired database.
  2. Choose the Associator tab on the right half of the window. On the General tab, click the Enable Associator check box. In the window below the check box, a diagram of the digital resource structure in the database is visible. From here, you must select the volumes and folders you would like the associator to process. The rules you create later will apply only to the items selected here. Click Save.
  3. On the Digital Resource Classification tab, click the New button. Enter “Jobs” into the name field. Click the modify button to begin configuring your naming conventions. Check the appropriate boxes and make the necessary changes so that your naming convention looks like the following:

       Is of type Folder
       And Name matches Job_Number – Any String

  4. Click the Association Rules tab. Choose the file collector you want to associate files with. Click the Modify button. Enter your Association Rule so that it matches the following:

       DR has roles Jobs and Job Number = Job_Number

More information about the Associator can be found at:
http://www.meta-comm.com/customers/docs


Q&A with Technical Support

What are Stored Files?

Stored Files, which can be found in the Setup menu of Virtual Ticket Administrator, is a database repository for MetaScript files and solutions. Using Stored Files has several benefits including: faster debugging of MetaScript, easy replacement of modified scripts, utilization of the same script file on multiple forms in Virtual Ticket, and quick installation of solutions. The Stored Files area is separated into two distinct uses: scripts and solutions. Stored scripts are MetaScript files which can be executed from any Virtual Ticket form. This is helpful in situations where the same MetaScript needs to be used on multiple forms. Stored solutions is an installation area for solutions that have been created by MetaCommunications or an integrator. Files can be added to these areas by dragging and dropping the file into the appropriate window.

For more information about using Stored Files, visit:
http://www.meta-comm.com/customers/docs


Third Party Software

Disk Imaging Software

Disk imaging software can add an important piece to your system backup and recovery plans. Products such as Acronis TrueImage and PowerQuest Drive Image can allow you to create an image (copy) of your hard drive, allowing for quick recovery in a system failure situation. Simply restore the disk image to place your computer back to its original configuration. Disk images can also be helpful when creating a test environment. Creating a disk image of your production environment and restoring that image on the hard drive of a test server (with a very similar hardware configuration) can insure that your environments are closely matched. For the Macintosh, backup software such as Dantz’s Retrospect can be purchased for individual Macintosh computers to perform backups. While technically not a disk image, it does allow you to make full backups of you Macintosh and perform point-in-time restores of your files and system. This software can be helpful to reset a computer to a previous working environment.

For more information about Acronis TrueImage visit:
http://www.acronis.com

For more information about PowerQuest Drive Image, visit:
http://www.powerquest.com

For more information about using backing up your Macintosh, visit:
http://www.dantz.com


Support Bookshelf

Workflow Resource

Trying to gain more understanding on the concept of workflow? The Workflow Management Coalition is a group consisting of professionals from business and education which provide information for those interested in managing their workflow. Job Manager and Virtual Ticket users may find the information provided on the coalition web site useful when building their workflows and expanding in to other third-party products. The site provides links to information about standards, books on the subject of building workflows and recognizes those who have made an impact on workflow management.

Visit the Workflow Management Coalition at:
http://www.wfmc.org



Miss an issue of the MetaCommunications Support News? All back issues are available at:
http://www.meta-comm.com/support/support_news.htm.

Have an idea or topic you would like covered in the MetaCommunications Support News? Send your ideas, topics and comments to:
support@meta-comm.com

  Download this newsletter



THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE METACOMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT NEWS IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. METACOMMUNICATIONS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL METACOMMUNICATIONS OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF METACOMMUNICATIONS OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCHDAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.