7.1

Links in the Image Generation Process
Since PlanetPress Image lets you create image files via output tasks as well action tasks, and since it can also be used to gen-
erate files using proprietary formats, various software may be involved in the process.
l PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools: This is where the process is initiated either via a PlanetPress Image output task or
via Digital Action actions tasks. When you add a PlanetPress Image output task or a Digital Action action task to a proc-
ess, you configure the task’s properties, which include for instance, the address of the computer running PlanetPress
Image and the name of the PlanetPress Design document to use. As you may remember, there are few differences
between PlanetPress Image output tasks and Digital Action action tasks. Only PlanetPress Image output tasks provide
emailing options. Digital Action action tasks cannot be placed at the end of a process and are only considered com-
pleted when the actual image generation process is finished.
l PlanetPress Image service: This is where the image file is actually prepared and sent to the archive folder or message
recipient. You can configure the PlanetPress Image service either via the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools Con-
figuration program.
l PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools Imaging plugins: These optional plugins are used to create files that use proprietary
formats, such as AutoStore from Notable Solutions.
XML Index File Structure
PlanetPress Image generates a standard UTF-8 encoded XML file that has the following structure and content
Name: Value:
<Pdi>
</Pdi>
Each generated XML file has Pdi tags wrapped around its content. This indicates the source of the enclosed
XML content is the PlanetPress Suite.
<Header>
</Header>
These tags wrap around the header information of the XML file. The header information contains the name of
the variable content document used, the name of the archived XML file, the date and time the file was proc-
essed, as well as the output type called the archive method.
<FormName>
</FormName>
The name of the converted document (in the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools Documents folder) the Digital
Action action executed to generate this XML file and its associated PDF, or other type of image output.
<ArchiveFile>
</ArchiveFile>
The name, minus the file name extension, of this XML file (and its corresponding Digital Action output file).
You set this name in PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools when you configure the Digital Action action task.
<Time>
</Time>
The time the Digital Action action task created this XML file, expressed as hours:minutes:seconds.
<Date>
</Date>
The day the Digital Action action task created this XML file, expressed as year/month/day.
<ArchiveMethod>
</ArchiveMethod>
The format you selected for Output type in the Digital Action action properties dialog box (PDF, JPEG, dif-
ferent flavours of TIFF).
<Fields>
</Fields>
These tags wrap around all fields used in the document. Each field is a single index item as defined for a data
selection object in PlanetPress Design.
<Field>
</Field>
These tags wrap around each field used in the document. Each field contains tags for its name, and size—cor-
responding to the number of cells comprising the data selection as made in PlanetPress Design.
<Name>
</Name>
The name of an index term as defined for a variable content document created in PlanetPress Design.
<Size>
</Size>
The length of the data selection you created for this index in PlanetPress Design. If you used a multiple-line
selection, the number of all selected cells appears here.
<Number>
</Number>
The page number of the PDF, TIFF, or JPEG file created from a single job. JPEG and TIFF files are separated
into individual files if they are multiple-page jobs; each job is still contained in a single XML index file, sep-
arated into pages.
<Page>
</Page>
These tags wrap around all the information for a single page resulting from a job. Contained in the page tags
will be fields, page number, and other tagged information such as text.
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