How to generate multiple html files from generate button

Background:
We have a DCR that has to generate 3 different HTML files. We will use the data in DCR to name the html pages and we know the directory path where each of these 3 files will be generated. To sum up we have the data, file paths and file names all in the DCR.

Issue:
If we click on generate button it asks for a single file name to be generated. We dont want users to provide filename as the structure of our site and naming convention is set.

Can someone help us to understand how can we click generate button and do not pop up a window to ask for filename -- instead on click of generate button we just use the data (as explained in background) and generate the pages?

Regards,
ASHARMA

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Comments

chetansethi

First thing, you would need to have 3 different TPLs for the Data Type in question. I guess you have that set already.
Coming to your problem, the best solution is to have one generic TPL which would in turn generate all the three pages. To achieve this you would need to use the CLT iwgen. It takes the TPL path, DCR Path and the generated file path as parameters.
Check the help of iwgen for more information.

Background:
We have a DCR that has to generate 3 different HTML files. We will use the data in DCR to name the html pages and we know the directory path where each of these 3 files will be generated. To sum up we have the data, file paths and file names all in the DCR.

Issue:
If we click on generate button it asks for a single file name to be generated. We dont want users to provide filename as the structure of our site and naming convention is set.

Can someone help us to understand how can we click generate button and do not pop up a window to ask for filename -- instead on click of generate button we just use the data (as explained in background) and generate the pages?

Regards,
ASHARMA

Adam Stoller

First thing, you would need to have 3 different TPLs for the Data Type in question. I guess you have that set already.
Coming to your problem, the best solution is to have one generic TPL which would in turn generate all the three pages. To achieve this you would need to use the CLT iwgen. It takes the TPL path, DCR Path and the generated file path as parameters.
Check the help of iwgen for more information.

An interesting answer? You say one thing, then say the opposite, then throw in partial information about available CLTs - none of which actually answers the question.

Background:
We have a DCR that has to generate 3 different HTML files. We will use the data in DCR to name the html pages and we know the directory path where each of these 3 files will be generated. To sum up we have the data, file paths and file names all in the DCR.

Issue:
If we click on generate button it asks for a single file name to be generated. We dont want users to provide filename as the structure of our site and naming convention is set.

Can someone help us to understand how can we click generate button and do not pop up a window to ask for filename -- instead on click of generate button we just use the data (as explained in background) and generate the pages?

You need to override the Generate button (and menu option) to call your own script that will parse the DCR to get

Alternatively, somewhat, you use a workflow-driven process and remove the Generate button completely from the UI and let the workflow perform the process of generating the 3 files - pretty much as described above.

chetansethi

Interesting Answer!!! yeah sure as it is simple..
You dont need to overwrite the generate button or do it through workflow.

Clicking on generate button shows the list of all TPLs available to that data category and the user chooses the generic TPL which subseqeuently calls iwgen with the other TPLs to generate multiple files..

An interesting answer? You say one thing, then say the opposite, then throw in partial information about available CLTs - none of which actually answers the question.
You need to override the Generate button (and menu option) to call your own script that will parse the DCR to get
all three of the names to be generated and then (as initially suggested by chetansethi) use one of the CLTs (iwgen or iwpt_compile.ipl), three times, to generate the output for each name;
or (as subsequently suggested by chetansethi) you extract the primary name from the DCR and run the page generation process once, where the PT in question knows how to derive the second and third names from the initial name and does so using either iw_ostream tags or basic Perl I/O
[indent]Note: In you use iwpt_compile.ipl, or if you use iw_ostream or Perl I/O - you will need to explicitly set the extended attributes on the generated files to associate them with the DCR and PT[/indent]Alternatively, somewhat, you use a workflow-driven process and remove the Generate button completely from the UI and let the workflow perform the process of generating the 3 files - pretty much as described above.

Adam Stoller

Interesting Answer!!! yeah sure as it is simple..
You dont need to overwrite the generate button or do it through workflow.

Clicking on generate button shows the list of all TPLs available to that data category and the user chooses the generic TPL which subseqeuently calls iwgen with the other TPLs to generate multiple files..

Maybe it's been too long since I have gone through the generation process - but after you select the PT to use - don't you get prompted for the name of the output file to generate? And isn't that what was trying to be avoided?

Or perhaps there was an assumption that they would be using the FormAPI function: IWPageGeneration.setOutputFile(filename, create_directories), and possibly IWPageGeneration.setPresentationTemplate(template) ... which, now that I think about it would greatly simplify things (I haven't had the opportunity to use these yet which is why I hadn't thought of it before)

Any time you call iwgen, or iwpt_compile.ipl - there is a requirement to provide an output filename (either on the command line, via prompt, or - apparently - via FormAPI directive) so using a wrapper PT (as you seemed to be suggesting) doesn't remove that issue.

If the PT is written to use iw_ostream tags or Perl I/O - you don't need a wrapper.

If there are three PTs to be called, the first - or primary - PT should do its job and also invoke the other two.

fred_sanford

my $0.02: we had something similar where a newly created html page needed to also create a new navigation file to be #included in other parts of the site. What I did was to set up the html tpl just like any other but call iw_ostream at the end of it (if necessary... there is an iw_if check) to create the file (asp in this case) and dcr for the new navigation file. After attaching the templating tags via iwextattr (still in within the original tpl) we called iwregen (though I can't remember why).

May be a long way to do things but it solved our case.

gzevin

just remove the generate button and run thru the workflow... my $.01

chetansethi

Here is the usage of iwgen

You define the presentation template path, DCR path and the output file path
Usage: ./iwgen -t templatevpath -r recordvpath [-e encoding] vpath
where templatevpath specifies a path to a
presentation template
where recordvpath specifies a path to a
form entry
where encoding is the encoding to use for the generated file.
Supported encodings:
ISO-8859-1
UTF-8 (default)
where vpath specifies a path to write the
generated file

Something like this would work

iwgen -t templatedata/internet/auction/presentation/auction.tpl
-r templatedata/internet/auction/data/june_items june_display.html

kaalraa

Greg,

Just curious as how to remove those specific buttons from the DCT?

just remove the generate button and run thru the workflow... my $.01

Adam Stoller

Greg,

Just curious as how to remove those specific buttons from the DCT?

For 6.5 (perhaps 6.x) there is a viewoptions directive in the templating.cfg file (read the FormsPublisher Developers' Guide for more info) that allows you to determine what buttons appear in the upper-right portion of the Edit DCR window.

You would also need to read the TeamSite UserInterface Customization Guide (UICG) to understand how to remove menu items from the drop-down menus in the TeamSite UI.

jbonifaci

For 6.5 (perhaps 6.x) there is a viewoptions directive in the templating.cfg file (read the FormsPublisher Developers' Guide for more info) that allows you to determine what buttons appear in the upper-right portion of the Edit DCR window.

It is there in 6.1 as well...

~Jeff

kaalraa

Ok... will check that in manuals. Thanks for your inputs.

It is there in 6.1 as well...

~Jeff

garima

Hi asharma,

let me know if you got the solution.I have a similar requirement

John742

just remove the generate button and run thru the workflow... my $.01

I agree!! The easiest on the user seems to be to remove all options in the DCT(generate,etc..) except finish and cancel and run it through a worfklow, which generates the files needed, attachs them to the workflow, submits and deploys. User's are more likely to adopt this and they are less likely to break something in the process.