Rules files for inserter control files

The rules file defines the fields in each record (except for the header record) of the inserter control file and specifies the value to put in each field of the record. This file is required. RICOH ProcessDirector uses the rules file to write the inserter control file records. RICOH ProcessDirector writes one record for each document in the document properties file. The records follow the header record (if any). Typically, this process creates one record for each document in a job.

Purpose

RICOH ProcessDirector uses the rules file to write the inserter control file records. It writes one record for each document in the job.

RICOH ProcessDirector provides these sample rules files in the inserter directory:

  • /aiw/aiw1/samples/control_files/inserter (AIX and Linux)

  • C:\aiw\aiw1\samples\control_files\inserter (Windows)

Inserter manufacturer Rules file
Bowe BOWE.icf.halFile.dsc
Bowe with JetVision camera systems JET.icf.dsc
Bowe Bell & Howell BBH.icf.idFile.dsc
Gunther None (no control file used)
Inserters with Ironsides camera systems
IRON.icf.kicFile.dsc
IRON.icf.jdfFile.dsc
Kern KERN.icf.kicFile.dsc
Pitney Bowes PB.icf.inputFile.dsc
Quadient quadient.jaf.inputfile.dsc

In each field, RICOH ProcessDirector can put a fixed value (such as blanks or zeroes) or the value of any of these RICOH ProcessDirector properties:

  • Job properties: Inserter job name (Job.Inserter.JobID), Job name (Job.Name), and Load plan comment (Job.Insert.LoadPlan.Comment)
  • Any document property (document properties start with Doc)
    Note:
  • If you need to put the value of another job property in the inserter control file, add a line for the job property in file /aiw/aiw1/config/fbi/icf_job_del_properties.cfg.

RICOH ProcessDirector properties for rules files lists some of the properties that you might want to put in the inserter control file. You specify properties by their database property names.

RICOH ProcessDirector properties for rules files

Property (field name) Property (database name) Description Type Length (characters)
Inserter job name Job.Inserter.JobID The job name that the inserter uses for the job. The default value is the Job number (Job.ID) property. character 255
Job name Job.Name The job name. character 128
Load plan comment Job.Insert.LoadPlan.Comment The names of the materials (or inserts) that the operator should load into each inserter bin. character 128
Document number Doc.ID A unique number that identifies the document in the system. RICOH ProcessDirector assigns this number. bigint 16
Insert sequence Doc.Insert.Sequence A number that indicates the position of the document in the job. RICOH ProcessDirector assigns this number. integer 8
Original sheets Doc.OriginalSheets The number of sheets in the document. RICOH ProcessDirector assigns this number. integer 4
Bin Triggers Doc.Insert.BinTriggers The inserter bins that should deliver inserts for the document. Y or 1 in a bin position can mean that the bin should deliver an insert. N or 0 can mean that the bin should not deliver an insert. To use this property, you must use Document Property Designer to link it to an index tag in the document that identifies which bins should deliver inserts. character 64

Format

Comment lines start with a pound sign (#).

Each line in the rules file defines a field in a record in the body of the control file. Each line has this format:

field_name,field_type,field_length,[expr=content_language_expression]
field_name
Specifies a descriptive name for the field. The name must not contain blank characters. You can specify any name in this field. The name does not need to match the field name in the inserter specifications.
field_type
Specifies the type of data in the field. Allowed values: character, varchar, integer, bigint, smallint, timestamp, time, date, double, float, real.
field_length
Specifies the length (in characters) of the field. This field is required for control files with fixed-length records. It is optional for control files with comma-delimited records and files that are in XML format.
[expr=content_language_expression]
Specifies an expression in the RICOH ProcessDirector Content Expression Language (CEL). RICOH ProcessDirector evaluates the CEL expression to determine what value to place in the field. In the expression, you can specify a fixed value (such as blanks or zeroes), or you can specify the value of a RICOH ProcessDirector property. You can also use CEL functions. For information about the CEL language and functions, see the related Reference topic.

This parameter is optional. If you omit it, the field in the control file contains zeroes or blanks, depending on the data type of the field.

Example

This example defines the first two fields of each record:
#The first 8 characters contain the value of the Job.Inserter.JobID property.JobID,character,8,[expr=Job.Inserter.JobID]#The next 6 characters contain the value of the Doc.Insert.Sequence property.PieceID,integer,6,[expr=Doc.Insert.Sequence]
Assume that the value or the Job.Inserter.JobID property is 10000034 and the job contains 5 documents. If the inserter control file format is fixed-length records, the first five records look like this:
1000003400000110000034000002100000340000031000003400000410000034000005