In this chapter…

…you will learn how to create watch directories and use them to process multiple documents.

• About watch directories provides an overview of watch directories.
• Command-line options describes the command syntax and the options you can use on the command line to create and use watch directories.
• Creating watch directories explains how to set up watch directories on the server.
• Processing documents with watch directories explains how to use watch directories on the client GUI (graphical user interface) for document processing.

The examples in this chapter use the sample files contained in the samples subdirectory where Redax Enterprise Server was installed. In Windows, the default installation directory is C:\Appligent\RedaxServer\. In UNIX, it is wherever you installed it.

About watch directories

A watch directory is a special directory, or folder, that resides on the server and is associated with a Redax Enterprise Server command. When a document is placed in a watch directory, it is processed according to the options on the command.

You can create as many watch directories as you like. Typically, you would create one for each Redax Enterprise Server function that is routinely performed at your organization. For example, you might want to create one watch directory to convert Acrobat-selected text to Redax markup, and another watch directory to redact the Redax-marked documents. Or, you might want to create different watch directories for different preferences files.

Once a watch directory is set up and running, users can use it to process multiple documents simultaneously without opening a terminal window or entering a single command. They simply place files into the watch directory for processing and retrieve the output.

Command-line options

This section describes the command-line option for creating watch directories. Subsequent sections of this chapter explain how to create and use watch directories.

Command syntax

$redaxserver -watch <watch directory> [watch options]

Option description

-watch — watch directory for input

Activates the watch directory and executes the specified processing options when a document is dropped into the directory. All of the options described in this manual can be used with the -watch option except the following: -sumfile, -expfile, -h, -help, and -v.

Creating watch directories

To create a watch directory:

1. Make a new directory on the server and give it a meaningful name. For example, if you are creating a watch directory for redacting documents, you could create a directory named Redact.
2. Open an instance of the server.
3. Change your working directory to the Redax Enterprise Server directory. The default location for Redax Enterprise Server on Windows is C:\Appligent\RedaxServer\. On other platforms, it will be wherever you installed it.
4. Enter the following command:

    $redaxserver [options] -watch <watch directory>

The command activates the watch directory and runs continuously in the background, processing whatever options are specified. It also creates three subdirectories—in, original, and out—which are used during document processing (see Processing documents with watch directories below).

Example: Create a subdirectory called Redact in the Redax Enterprise Server samples directory. Then enter the following command to activate it as a watch directory for redacting documents.

In Windows:

>redaxserver -redact -watch samples\Redact

In UNIX:

$redaxserver -redact -watch ./samples/Redact

Following activation of the watch directory:

1. Give users access to the server so that they can use the watch directory
2. If you want to create multiple watch directories, repeat the steps using a new directory name and new server instance for each watch directory.

Processing documents with watch directories

To process documents using a watch directory:

1. Open the file management application in your GUI (graphical user interface).
2. Access the server where the watch directory is located.
3. Place the documents to be processed in the watch directory’s “in” subdirectory.
4. Retrieve the processed files from the watch directory’s “out” subdirectory.

Example: If a watch directory named Redact has been set up for redacting documents, drag, copy, or FTP your PDF documents to its “in” subdirectory.

When the documents have been processed, the original files are moved to a subdirectory called “original” and the processed files are placed in a subdirectory called “out”.