Posted by Richard Lynch on 05/09/05 09:48

On Sun, May 8, 2005 9:22 pm, Murray @ PlanetThoughtful said:
> As others have suggested, using an ftp client application is one way to
> handle it, however, users being users, the feedback has been "Why do we
> need
> to upload the files via an ftp client, *then* go to the web application
> and
> attach the filename to a job entry? Why can't we do it all at once?"

Some alternatives to consider:

If you can get them to name their files in some consistent manner, perhaps
you could determine the "job entry" from their filenames.

So they upload a file names 'job4732.zip' and they are done. Your PHP
script checks their FTP space for the file, examines the filename, and
"knows" what job entry to tie it to.

Another possibility is that the content within the file may somehow
indicate what job the file belongs with.

You may even be able to check *both* their filename and the contents, and
have the program cross-check for consistency, and only auto-process the
ones that pass both tests.

If the filenames would be "too long" perhaps you could have them use some
kind of pre-built directory structure on their desktop where they "drop"
their files into the right "job entry"

Then you have a .bat file that runs through the directories and compares
date/time stamps and uploads "new" files.

There are a lot of possible solutionns, really, but it depends on the work
flow and actual data what's "best"

Certainly if you can make life easier for them *AND* maintain, or even
improve, accuracy of the data upload and data entry, it's worth some
development time.

Hey, maybe you even install php.exe on their desktops, and write the
synchronization script in PHP :-)

--
Like Music?
http://l-i-e.com/artists.htm

[Back to original message]