IntegrationsFile Drop Integration

File Drop integration extends the functionality of other applications so users can print labels generated with data provided by those applications. A print job is initiated by placing a print job file into a folder that Loftware Enterprise SP monitors. Loftware Enterprise SP responds by running a process to print the label or labels. You can configure as many File Drop integrations as your Loftware Enterprise SP license allows.

Initiating a print job by using file drop can be a useful approach if you need to print from third-party software other than Oracle or SAP (for which other integration options exist), to print many labels without having to use Print Print, or to print multiple labels to multiple devices.

Note: Loftware Enterprise SP supports print job files that use the following file formats: PAS, CSV, and XML (LPS).

File Structure of a Scan Folder

When you create a File Drop integration, you specify a Scan Folder. This is a folder outside of the Loftware Enterprise SP library to which print job files can be copied so that they can be processed by Loftware Enterprise SP. When you specify a Scan Folder, Loftware Enterprise SP automatically creates several subfolders in it.

WARNING: Files should not be edited in the Scan Folder. Editing a file in this folder may strand the associated print job. If FIFO is selected and a job file in the Scan Folder is being edited, then when Loftware Enterprise SP encounters that job file in the queue Loftware Enterprise SP is blocked from continuing to process any job files using the same integration.

After you start the integration, Loftware Enterprise SP monitors the Scan Folder for incoming print jobs. When Loftware Enterprise SP is ready to begin processing a print job, Loftware Enterprise SP moves the job from the Scan Folder to a subfolder named processing.

  • If Loftware Enterprise SP processes a job successfully and if you have configured the File Drop integration not to archive the job file, then the job file is deleted.
  • If Loftware Enterprise SP processes a job successfully and if you have configured the File Drop integration to archive the original job file and the XML file for the job, then these files are moved to the processed folder. Preserving these files can be useful for troubleshooting, but otherwise it is suggested that you do not archive the original job file or the XML file to reduce the disk space needed.
  • If Loftware Enterprise SP encounters a problem while processing a job, the job is moved to the error subfolder and an error file may be created in that folder with additional information.

    Tip: An error file is created only if the error occurs before processing begins. Otherwise, the error is listed in StatusStatus instead.

If a file with a file extension other than one of these that you have configured the integration to recognize is copied to the Scan Folder, it remains in the Scan Folder and is not processed.

WARNING: Files should never be edited in the Scan Folder. Editing a file in this folder may strand the associated print job.