The Hotfolder function enables automated processing of print data for recurring processes. It can be flexibly configured to determine whether the import should only create a Production Job or send the job directly to the printer. Using Production Configurations, you can define the required Operations that a Hotfolder should perform.

In principle, three processing methods are available:

• Processing Files [2] – various files stored in a shared folder are processed according to the selected Production Configuration. Depending on the selected Production Configuration, a Production Job is created or the processed file is sent directly to the printer.
• Processing Job Ticket [4] – Job tickets – JSON or XML files – stored in a shared folder are processed based on the selected Production Configuration defined within the job ticket.
• Processing ZIP [5] – various ZIP files placed in a shared folder are processed according to the selected Production Configuration.

All currently available Hotfolders can be viewed under Automation > Hotfolder. The active or paused status of each Hotfolder is indicated by the enabled or disabled slider [3].

To start or pause a Hotfolder, simply toggle the slider [3].

Figure 1: Menu item Automation > Hotfolder with a list of all configured Hotfolders

Before setting up a Hotfolder, certain prerequisites must be met. These include:

• Set up the Shares for the Input Folder (source directory where the data to be processed is copied) and the Output Folder (target directory at the printer) under Administration > File Management.
• Create the desired Production Configuration and define with the required Operations and Parameters.

Once these prerequisites are in place, you can set up a Hotfolder. To do so, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to the menu Automation > Hotfolder.
2. Click + Add [1] (Figure 1) in the function bar to open the dialog Add Hotfolder.
3. In this dialog, enter the following values:
   • Name [6] – assign a name to the Hotfolder.
   • Processing Mode [7] – select the type of data to process from the dropdown menu. The three available methods are described as above – Processing Files, Processing Job Ticket, and Processing ZIP.
   • Source [8] – select the path to a shared folder. All folders defined under Administration > File Management are available for selection.
   • Polling Interval [9] – define the interval at which the application should access the Hotfolder and check for new files. Files that have already been processed are deleted from the source folder.
   • Production Configuration [10] – select the desired Production Configuration here, which contains all desired Operations for processing the incoming files.
   • Process Print Item as a Bundle [11] – when this option is enabled, all Print Items are first transferred to an Imposition or Production Job only after all previous Operations for all Print Items have been completed.
   • Template for extracting metadata [12] – select a template for extracting metadata. For example, the number of copies or expected size can be derived from the file name.
   • File Types to be processed [13] – choose which file types from the dropdown menu should be processed through this Hotfolder.
   • Comment [14] – optionally, enter a comment for the Hotfolder.

Figure 2: The dialog Add Hotfolder

A configured Hotfolder can now start its service and automatically process files copied to the input folder according to the defined rules. To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Select the menu item Automation > Hotfolder. The list of already configured Hotfolders will be displayed (Figure 1).
2. Select the paused Hotfolder in the list and click on the slider [3] (Figure 1) for the respective Hotfolder. This will start the Hotfolder, which begins monitoring the input directory and processing incoming files.
3. Monitor the processing progress by clicking on the name of the Hotfolder. This opens the detailed view of the selected Hotfolder.
4. The detailed view is divided into different functional areas. The following functional areas are available:
   • Header area [15] – this area displays information and available options related to the Hotfolder – Name, Edit Hotfolder, Start/Stop Hotfolder, Comment, Source and Production Configuration.
   • Files (blue area) – this function area displays all new files processed through the Hotfolder. The section is divided into two tabs:
     • Processing [17] – this tab displays all files that have not yet been fully checked in. Once the check-in Operation is completed successfully, the files appear in the second tab.
     • Error [16] – this tab displays print data that cannot be uploaded to the Workflow due to an error, e.g., files that cannot be read or copied.
   • List of all Print Items (purple area) – the second function area provides an overview of all files processed through this Hotfolder. For a better overview, several Quick Filters [18] are available:
     • Processing – list of all files that are currently being processed.
     • User Interaction required – list of all files that require manual intervention to complete. Selecting a file allows you to jump directly to the corresponding operation to adjust the file accordingly.
     • Success – list of all files that have been fully processed and completed.
     • Error – list of all files in where an error occurred. If you hover the mouse over the affected Operation where the error occurred, the error message will be displayed in the tooltip.

Figure 3: Detailed view of a Hotfolder