2022.2

External Program
External Program action tasks are used to launch and execute other programs, which can be useful
when you wish to process your job file in a way that is not possible with the standard PReS Workflow
tasks.
Note: As with any task that can refer to network resources, it is important to understand the con-
siderations involved with paths and permissions of these resources. Please refer to the "Network
considerations" on page25 page.
There are some important things to consider when using the External Program task:
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The executable file must accept so-called "command-line options" and be able to run without any
sort of user interaction. Only certain programs are able to do this and may refer to it as "com-
mand-line" or "automation" features.
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The process will always wait for the executable file to finish before it continues to the next task,
and does not have any timeout setting. This mean that if your program fails to exit for any reason,
your process will hang.
Input
Any active data file, in any format.
Processing
The external program is executed using the parameters provided. Note that the current data file is not
"sent" to the executable file, however you can refer to the full path of the data file using %F.
Output
If the external program modifies the job file using the full path, the modified file is the output of this soft-
ware. Otherwise, the output is the same as the input. Metadata is not modified in any way. Job Infos
may be modified, depending on the options set in the task's properties.
Task properties
General Tab
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Program group
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Executable file: Enter the name and path of an executable file (exe or com extension),
batch file (bat extension), or command script (cmd extension) that can run in command
mode. Note that the program will be run without user interaction. Although it may display
progress information, it is better if the application has no user interface.
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