Beyond FTP Script Examples

Overview

Distributions are scripted movements of files between different servers in your enterprise. You might ask, can�t I do that with my existing tools? Probably, in the same sense as you COULD build a castle with hand tools. But to do so can be tedious and time consuming � and you wouldn�t get many castles built.

Script files can increase the speed, accuracy, and consistency of repetitive tasks that require the movement of files. New applications, impractical with existing tools, become easy to implement.

What is a Script?

Distribution scripts are structured text files containing special words, or key words that perform functions to complete file transfer tasks. These scripts can be scheduled to automatically be run on a periodic basis, or on an ad hoc basis as needed.

Distributing from a Central Site

Suppose you are the network administrator for a chain of retail stores. Normally your stores access a central database for pricing information. However, if your network goes down, the stores will revert to accessing a local database for this information. It is important to keep this local information current. Beyond FTP offers a straightforward and easy way to implement a solution. The following script will do it.

:Comment:#

# Comments follow a pound sign

:Repeat_Time: Daily
:Time: 2300

# Automatically run this script nightly at 11 p.m.

:ServerList: Stores
Troy
Novi
Toledo
Brighton
:EndList:

# The list Stores is defined to be the four Beyond FTP Servers named
# The TCP/IP addresses of these are maintained separately

:Instructions: Freshen

# If the file in the target location is older, then copy updated file.

:From: C:\database\Price.mdb
:To: {!stores}C:\localdb\Price.mdb

# Copy the Price database from the central location to the four store locations
# using Freshen instruction

Collecting from Remote Sites

If your chain of retail stores maintain local inventories on their in-store system, you can use Beyond FTP to nightly collect this inventory information to your headquarters, so you can consolidate the data and make decisions about reallocating stock between stores. You could add the following statements to the end of the script shown above to accomplish this collection.

:From: {!Stores}C:\localdb\inv.mdb
:To: C:\storeinv\%RN\inv%M2%DM.mdb

# Copy the inv database from each store and store centrally using
# wildcard file naming

Using this wildcard file / directory naming allows you to collect files with a common name from multiple locations, and store the resulting files centrally in an organized fashion. In this example, the April 21st copy of the inventory file from the Troy store would be stored centrally as c:\storeinv\troy\inv0421.mdb.

Advanced Capabilities of Beyond FTP Scripting

The examples shown above illustrate a few of the basic features of scripting including:

Automatic execution of scripts on a specified schedule.
Performing like tasks to multiple locations with a single specification.
Using wildcard file and directory naming to organize files collected from multiple remote locations.
Using "intelligence" in the transfer of files as shown by the Freshen instruction. Allows you to not waste bandwidth with redundant copies.
Beyond FTP scripting provides additional advanced features to allow you to address more complex requirements, including:
Automatically retrying failed transfers based on predetermined criteria.
Synchronizing transfer tasks. This synchronization mechanism allows scripts to be automatically halted upon specified failure conditions. If your requirement is to have all locations using the same version of a file, Synchronization allows you to design a script to insure this consistency.
Control of the level of concurrency in the movement of files with Beyond FTP. This lets you optimize use of processing power and bandwidth.
Automatic archiving allows you to save existing copies of files before they are replaced. If the new versions of the file are unsatisfactory, the prior versions of the file can be automatically reinstated.
To learn more about Beyond FTP scripts and the scripting language click here.

Painless Script Writing

Beyond FTP scripts are written using the Beyond FTP Script Designer. This tool quickly steps you through the process of creating scripts � without lengthy training. If you understand your business application, Beyond FTP scripting allows you to put straightforward solutions in place today.