JobMaster User Manual
Version 4.00 / 12/08/2008
Copyright © 2002 – 2008 Mindleads Technology
Contents
Text to Excel Conversion (txt to xls)
Show recent messages (LogViewer)
Copyright © 2008 Mindleads Technology. All rights
reserved.
No part of this documentation may be stored in a
retrieval system, transmitted or reproduced it in any way, except in accordance
with the terms of the applicable software license agreement. This documentation
contains proprietary information of Mindleads Technology and / or its
suppliers.
Software products of Mindleads Technology or its sales
companies may contain software components of other software producers.
Microsoft®, Windows®, NT®, EXCEL®, Word® and
PowerPoint® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Adobe®, Acrobat®, Acrobat PDFWriter®, Acrobat Distiller®
and Postscript® are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
IBM® and Lotus® are registered trademarks of International Business
Machines Corporation.
Intel® and Pentium® are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
WordPerfect® is a registered trademark of Corel Corporation.
UNIX® is a registered trademark of Open Group.
Mac OS®, Macintosh® are registered trademarks of Apple Computer
Incorporated.
SAP is a registered trademark of SAP AG.
HTML, XML and XHTML are registered trademarks of W3C®, World Wide Web
Consortium, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Icon Meaning
|
Note |
|
Caution |
|
Tip |
Type Style Represents
Example text |
Characters or
words cited according to the user interface. |
Example text |
Symbolizes an
exact user input, for example file names, folder names, variable names or
parameter names. |
<Example text> |
Characterizes a
variable user input. Pointed brackets indicate that you replace these words
or characters with appropriate entries. |
JobMaster is a powerful task
scheduler with built-in conversion and file replication functions. It
automatically converts files or documents through entire directory structures
into numerous file-formats. JobMaster can manage over 250 different file
conversions.
JobMaster is also used to
schedule operations such as directory replication, moving of directories, and
converting files into different file formats. Jobs can be configured to start
automatically after a defined period of time, or daily at any chosen time.
JobMaster does not only support local- and network drives but also serves
FTP-Servers with its built in FTP-Client.
JobMaster makes it easy to keep your website
up-to-date, replicates your directories and
converts your business documents or directory structures to more than 40
different file formats. Not only does JobMaster replicate and convert, but also
delete files and directories.
Moreover, JobMaster is able to start files
automatically. Besides regular executable files such as .exe or .bat, JobMaster
is able to start any file type that is registered in the Windows operating
system.
Internally, JobMaster offers an open and modularly constructed
architecture. Through Smart Queue Technology, jobs are embedded in a so-called Job Engine circle, which ensures the
maintenance of the sequential processing of the job queue, even if a job takes
more time than initially planned. The internal file buffer Internal File Storage guarantees highest stability, even with slow
network connections. The monitoring interface Watchdog provides job integrity, even in case of failing file
conversions.
The following hardware equipment is necessary for
installation and use of JobMaster software:
Minimum:
Recommended:
JobMaster runs on following operating systems:
Additional software:
Windows 2000 / 2003 / XP / Vista require computer administrator
rights to do the installation.
Normally, the installation process
runs without interruption. Depending on the version of your operating system,
it may be necessary to update some system components. The installation program
automatically detects the required system components and downloads them from
the internet if necessary. If you do not have access to the internet, please
contact the support-team of Mindleads Technology.
The installation-software
detects already installed versions. If JobMaster is already installed, the
version will be updated.
Make sure to quit any running
instances of JobMaster before starting the installation process. To do so, click the icon in the taskbar
with the right mouse button and select Exit from the appearing menu.
1. The window below appears. Click Next to start the installation.
2. Carefully read the license agreement and select I accept the terms in the license agreement if you agree to the license conditions.
Click Next to continue.
3. Enter your full name and organization in the text
boxes User Name and Organization.
Normally, JobMaster is installed for all users. Choose
Only for me if you want to install JobMaster only for the currently logged-in user.
This provides that the program-icon in the start menu is not visible for other
users.
Click Next to continue.
4. Select the language for program documentation and
online help. You can choose either English or German. This setting does not
affect the language of the program; it refers only to the documentation.
Click Next to continue.
5. You can change the directory in which JobMaster will
be installed. The setup program suggests to install JobMaster in your standard
program files folder.
In order to install JobMaster in a different
directory, select Custom and enter
the path you prefer in the appearing window.
The installation software creates a program icon on
your desktop. Deactivate Create program
icon on desktop, if you don’t want a program icon on the desktop.
Click Next
to continue.
6. Click Install
to start copying the files. If the installation program indicates any running
program, try to close them.
7. Wait until the installation has completed and click Finish.
In order to start JobMaster immediately, enable the
check box Launch the program and
click Finish.
8. JobMaster is now installed. To complete the
installation, it may be necessary to restart your system. The installation
program will notify you if a system restart is required.
Before you start using JobMaster, we
highly recommend to familiarize with the functions of the toolbar. It enables
you to navigate and handle JobMaster very easily.
Icons Meaning
|
Starts a job for
automatic operation (Start) |
|
Deactivates a job
(Stop) |
|
Runs a job (Run) |
|
Cancels the
current job (Cancel) |
|
Job properties (Properties) |
|
Deletes a job (Delete) |
|
Views (Tiles, Small Icons, Details) |
|
Show recent
messages (LogViewer) |
|
JobMaster
Configuration (Options) |
Before you can use JobMaster, you have to create at least one job. To start JobMaster, click the icon which has been automatically installed on your desktop
or select it from the start menu [START / Programs / JobMaster / JobMaster].
The JobMaster console appears. Double-click Add Job or select Add Job in the File menu
to add a job.
Enter any name in the text box Job name. It is recommended to use a descriptive name.
Example: <Publish Documents>
Use the General tab
to set an automatic or manual execution for the jobs. Choose any of the
following options:
·
Manual start:
The user manually starts the job.
·
Run at program
start: The job starts as soon as the JobMaster Software will be started.
·
Automatic start
by interval: The job starts according to the entered interval. You can vary the
length of the interval from 1 minute up to 3 weeks. Choose any of the following
intervals:
1 – 59 minutes
1 – 24 hours
1 – 21 days
1 – 3 weeks
·
Daily start by
time: This starts the job daily at a defined time.
If two or more jobs are overlapping in time, the next
job starts automatically after the current job has finished operating.
With Job Chain Option you can daisy chain one or more
jobs. In order to enable Job Chain, click the checkbox Job chain and then click Set.
The job
displayed in blue color is the current job, represented by sequence no. 1. All
following jobs in list will be executed automatically.
Use the Action
tab to select an action for the current job. Choose any of the following
options:
·
Copy / Copy and convert
Copies files from the specified source drive to a
destination directory. If you choose any conversion for this action, JobMaster
will first convert the corresponding files, and then copy them in the
destination drive.
·
Move / Move and convert
This action moves files from the specified source
drive to a destination directory. The files will be copied to a temporary
directory first, and will be deleted later in the source directory, if the copy
process was successful. If you choose any conversions for this action,
JobMaster will first convert the matching files, then copy them to the destination
drive and delete them in the source drive after successful copying.
·
Convert only
This action only converts files that correspond to the
file extensions you have selected under Conversion. For example, if you
have selected the conversion for .doc and .xls, the matching files of the
source drive will be converted rather than copied. To use this action you must
select at least one conversion.
·
Run program, folder or
internet resource
Run any program, file, folder or internet resource.
Not only can you run any executable file like .exe, .bat or .cmd, it also
possible to run any file that has a valid shell association. For example, you
can set JobMaster to run a word file (.doc). JobMaster then starts the
application associated with the file extension .doc (Winword) and opens the
file in it.
You can also enter any valid internet address. For
example:
JobMaster will start then the default internet browser
and displays the selected internet address in it.
·
Delete
This action deletes a file or directory. Use the Recursive Mode in order to configure the
action to delete all files and subfolders of the source directory. If you enter
a specific file extension, then only matching files will be deleted. Use All Files to delete all files in the
source directory. If the selected directory contains any subfolders, and the Recursive Mode is disabled, then only the
contents of the directory will be deleted.
There are additional options for the actions copy /
move / convert. Choose the Options
button under the Action tab to select
any of the following options:
·
Overwrite existing file(s)
Overwrite files that already exist in the destination
directory.
·
Only process newer file(s)
Copies only files that either do not exist in the
destination directory yet or have a newer modification date in the source
directory. When JobMaster converts files, it checks the file name given by the
conversion rather than the original file name.
Example: Copy the source file C:\File1.doc to D:\ and convert it
into pdf format. In this example JobMaster checks, if File1.pdf already exists in the destination directory, and if
the file has a newer modification date than the file in the source directory.
·
Recursive Mode (include
subfolders)
This option will include any subfolders in the source
directory. For the actions copy / move / convert, the folder structure will be
completely imitated in the destination directory. If the job is configured to
use the delete action, then all files and subfolders will be deleted in the
source directory.
·
Process hidden file(s)
Include also hidden files (files with hidden
attribute).
·
Exclude file(s)
You have the possibility to exclude files from processing.
Excluded files will not be considered during future actions. In order to
exclude files, enter a character or a character string which is part of the
file name in the text box. When any of the string matches any part of the
filename to be processed, that file will be excluded from being processed.
Example 1:
Entered value: Data
All files which contain the character string Data
will be excluded from future actions. For example:
Business
data.doc
DATA1.xls
Data-sampling.txt
You
are also able to enter a single character.
Example
2:
Entered
value: -
All
files containing the character - will be excluded. For example:
Business-data.doc
-Business.xls
Data
sampling - 1.txt
-template-.doc
·
Process any source file
that is
Use this option to process only older or newer source
files. Maximum days are limited to 999.
Example:
Process any
source file that is older than 60 Days
Only files older than 60 days will be processed.
You can use different date attributes:
Files modified: date of the last modification
Files created: creation date of the file
Files last
accessed: Last read or
write access to file
There are additional options for the action run program or registered file. In the Action tab, click the Options button to select any of the
following additional options:
·
Restore original size and position, give focus
The window of the started program will be restored to
its most recent size and position. The program will be activated (has focus).
·
Minimize window, give focus
The program will be started with minimized window with
focus.
·
Maximize window, give focus
The program will be started with maximized window with
focus.
·
Restore original size and position, no focus
The window of the started program will be restored to
its most recent size and position, the currently active window remains active
(no focus).
·
Minimize window, no focus
The program will be started with minimized window, the
currently active window remains active (no focus).
·
Hide program
The window of the started program will be hidden. It
is not visible for the user, that means you are not able perform any
interaction with it. This option is recommended, for example, if you plan to
start a batch file in the background, whose execution should not be visible on
the screen.
·
Asynchronous execution
Asynchronous
execution of files is the default setting. In this mode JobMaster does not wait
for the completion of the file at runtime.
·
Synchronous execution
In synchronous mode JobMaster waits for the completion
of the program. This may be helpful for batch files.
If you run a program in
synchronous mode, make sure that the program does not ‘hung’ at runtime. After
execution of a program in synchronous mode, JobMaster does not have any control
over it. In error case it would wait for ever.
Use the Source
tab to define information for the source directory / source file. You are able
to define a single file, the content of a directory or a single file from an
internet resource (URL) as source.
·
Directory on
disk- or network drive. Example: C:\My Documents
·
Single file on
disk- or network drive. Example: C:\My Documents\File1.doc
·
Single file
from internet resource (URL).
Example: http://www.domain.com/data/file1.xls
Use the Browse
button for easier navigation, or directly enter the path / file name in the
text box. Always enter a fully qualified path. JobMaster also accepts UNC path
(Universal Naming Convention) as source. Look at the following example for a
UNC path / file:
UNC-directory: <\\server\share\documents>
UNC-file: <\\server\share\documents\My File.doc>
If you define a directory as source, there are further
options available. Select All files
to include all files of the defined path in the execution. Select specific filetype to restrict the file
search to a specific file extension. When you choose the file extension doc for
example, then only doc-files are considered during the current job. Make sure to enter only alphanumeric characters and
avoid additional symbols like . or *. You can enter multiple file extensions. Separate
them with blanks.
Example: doc xls txt rtf pdf exe
Use the Destination
tab to define the destination of the copied or moved (converted) files. You can
either choose a logical directory or an FTP server as destination.
A logical directory is any path constructed according
to Windows 32 conventions. Either local or network drives are supported. UNC
path are also supported by JobMaster. Always enter a fully qualified path.
Example:
Network drive: <X:\Inetpub\wwwroot\docs>
UNC path: <\\server\share\wwwroot\docs>
JobMaster is checking whether a valid drive has been
entered. JobMaster does not check the path behind the drive, because it
automatically creates any entered path which does not exist yet.
Delete destination directory
This option deletes the whole content of the
destination directory before the process starts.
This option deletes ALL FILES AND SUBFOLDERS in the
destination path without further warning.
If you define an FTP server as destination, files will
be copied directly via FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
Hostname / Address
Enter the FTP server’s fully qualified hostname in the
text box. Make sure not to use any forward slash /. Example:
Port
Enter the
corresponding FTP server port. In case you do not enter any port in the text
box, JobMaster will use the FTP standard port (21).
Path
Enter the
path of the destination directory in the text box, but avoid entering a forward
slash / at the beginning. Example:
<pub/wwwroot/docs>
Username / Password / Anonymous Login
If a user
account is needed for access to the FTP server, enter a valid FTP user account
with write access. Use Anonymous login
in case the FTP server is configured to accept it, but generally an anonymous
user does not have write access on an FTP server. To guarantee the highest
possible security, it is recommended to create your own FTP user account with
write access on the FTP server.
Use the Options
button to choose any of the following extended configurations for the entered
FTP server:
Binary Transfer
The Binary transfer mode will successfully transfer
all types of files, including ASCII text files. In contrast to ASCII transfer,
this mode does not alter files.
ASCII Transfer
Use ASCII transfer to transfer ASCII text files
much faster than in the binary mode. It also adjusts invisible characters (such
as the line-feed character) which appear at the end of a line and are different
on Windows, MacOS and UNIX computers. Only use this mode for transferring ASCII
files.
Use Proxy
If this option is selected, JobMaster will establish
the connection to the FTP server via a proxy server.
Hostname / Address
Enter the fully qualified name of the proxy server, but
avoid entering any forward slash / in the text
box. Example:
<proxyserver.mindleads.com>
Port
There is no default value for the port of the proxy
server. Ask your system administrator, if you are unsure.
In
general binary transfer is sufficient, so if you are not sure, set it as
default.
Use the Conversion
tab to set file conversions. In order to use this function, Office 2000 or
higher has to be installed on your system. You may define up to 650 different
file conversions. JobMaster can convert any of the following file types as
source format:
·
Word Document Format (.doc;.docx)
·
Excel File
Format (.xls;.xlsx)
·
PowerPoint
Presentation Format (.ppt;.pptx)
·
Web Page (.htm;.html)
·
ASCII Text File (.txt)
·
XML File Format (.xml)
·
Rich Text
Format File (.rtf)
·
WebArchive File (.mht;.mhtml)
·
Comma Separated
Values File (.csv)
·
Data
Interchange Format File (.dif)
·
dBASE File (.dbf)
·
Works 2.0 File
/ Lotus Worksheet (.wks)
·
Symbolic Link
Format File (.slk)
·
PowerPoint SlideShow File (.pps)
·
Word Template (.dot)
·
Excel Template (.xlt)
·
PowerPoint Template (.pot)
·
Text with
Layout Format (.ans)
·
WordPerfect 5.0 File (.doc)
·
WordPerfect 6.x File (.wpd)
·
Lotus 1-2-3
File (.wk1;.wk3;.wk4)
·
Outlook Address
Book File (.olk)
·
Personal
Address Book File (.pab)
·
Schedule+ Contacts File (.scd)
·
Windows Write File (.wri)
·
Works 4.0 File (.wps)
·
Word for
Macintosh Format (.mcw)
·
Excel Text File (.prn)
·
Query File Format (.iqy)
·
Quattro Pro/DOS
File (.wq1;.wb1)
·
Excel 4.0 Macro
File (.xlm;.xla)
·
Excel Workbook File (.xlw)
·
SAP Report
Writer File (.rpw)
·
Harvard
Graphics Show File (.sh3)
·
Harvard
Graphics Chart File (.ch3)
·
Freelance 1.0 - 2.1 Files (.pre)
·
Visio Drawing (.vsd;.vdx)
·
Visio Shapes
File (.vss;.vsx)
·
Visio Template (.vst;.vtx)
·
Visio Workspace File (.vsw)
·
Scalable Vector
Graphics File (.svg;.svgz)
·
AutoCAD Drawing (.dwg;.dxf)
·
Compressed Enhanced Metafile (.emz)
·
Enhanced Metafile (.emf)
·
GIF Format (.gif)
·
JPG Format (.jpg)
·
PNG Format (.png)
·
TIF Format (.tif)
·
Windows Bitmap (.bmp;.dib)
·
Windows Metafile (.wmf)
The conversions will be applied to all files with a
corresponding file extension.
Set file
conversions rules:
In order to add
a conversion rule, select first the source format. Then select the desired
target format that should be used for conversion rule. Then click ‘Add Rule’.
You can add up to 40 different conversion rules per job.
To remove a
conversion rule, select the conversion rule with the left mouse button then
click the ‘Remove’ Button. To remove all rules, click ‘Remove All’.
For best conversion results it is recommended that Office 2007 and
Acrobat 8 or higher is installed on your system.
The following table shows an overview of all possible
file conversions.
Source format |
Adobe Acrobat Format (.pdf) |
Web Page (.htm;.html) |
ASCII Text File (.txt) |
Word Document Format (.doc) |
Rich Text Format File (.rtf) |
Word Template (.dot) |
Text with Layout Format (.ans) |
WordPerfect 5.0 File (.doc) |
WebArchive File (.mht;.mhtml) |
Works 4.0 File (.wps) |
XML File Format (.xml) |
Web Page, filtered (.htm) |
Comma Separated Values File (.csv) |
Data Interchange Format File (.dif) |
Excel 2.1 (.xls) |
Excel 3.0 (.xls) |
Excel 4.0 (.xls) |
Excel 5.0 / 95 (.xls) |
Excel 97-02 & 5.0/95 (.xls) |
dBASE II (.dbf) |
dBASE III (.dbf) |
dBASE IV (.dbf) |
Works 2.0 File / Lotus Worksheet
(.wks) |
Excel Template (.xlt) |
Symbolic Link Format File (.slk) |
Windows Bitmap (.bmp) |
GIF Format (.gif) |
JPG Format (.jpg) |
PNG Format (.png) |
Web Page, dual (.htm; .html) |
Web Page, V3 (.htm; .html) |
PowerPoint Presentation Format
(.ppt) |
Powerpoint 7 (.ppt) |
Powerpoint Template (.pot) |
PowerPoint SlideShow File (.pps) |
TIF Format (.tif) |
||
Word
Document (.doc) |
a |
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Excel
File (.xls) |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
a |
|
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
PowerPoint Presentation (.ppt) |
a |
a |
|
|
a |
|
|
|
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
aa |
a |
a |
a |
||
Web
Page (.htm;.html) |
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
||
ASCII
Text File (.txt) |
a |
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
||
XML
File (.xml) |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Rich
Text File (.rtf) |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
||
Web Archive File (.mht;.mhtml) |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
||
CSV
File (.csv) |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
a |
|
a |
|
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
DIF
File (.dif) |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
a |
|
a |
|
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
dBASE
File (.dbf) |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
a |
|
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Works 2.0 File / Lotus Worksheet (.wks) |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
a |
|
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Symbolic
Link File (.slk) |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
a |
|
a |
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
PowerPoint Slideshow(.pps) |
a |
a |
a |
|
|
|
|
|
a |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
||
Word
Template (.dot) |
a |
a |
a |
a |
a |
|
a |
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Excel
Template (.xlt) |
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PowerPoint Template (.pot) |
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Text with Layout File (.ans) |
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WordPerfect 5.0 File (.doc) |
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WordPerfect 6.x File (.wpd) |
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Lotus 1-2-3 File (.wk1;.wk3;.wk4) |
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Outlook Address Book File (.olk) |
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Personal Address Book File (.pab) |
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