HTTP BIC Automatic Activity - EnterWorks_Process_Exchange_(EPX) - 11.0

The HTTP BIC provides the capability to send HTTP request to a web server and capture the response in a work item property.

Settings

For new HTTP BIC activities, the default Settings tab contains the Download and Upload options; the Transfer Type list; and the Remote Host, Local Directory, Local File, and Interval fields.

The Download option is selected by default. When the Upload option is selected, the Settings tab also contains the Remote Directory and Remote File fields, while the Interval field is disabled.

1. Select the action you want to implement by clicking the corresponding radio button.
   Note: If the activity will be used as a starting point in the process flow, then you must select the Download option. HTTP BIC starting point activities can only be used to download files. You can select either of the two options for non-starting point HTTP BIC activities.
2. In the Remote Host field, type the URL address to which the HTTP BIC activity should connect. Note that the URL address depends on how the activity will be used. If the HTTP BIC activity will be used to upload files, type the address of either the CGI script or the Java servlet that the Web server uses for accepting file uploads. For example: http://www.some-company.com/servlet/uploadServlet.
3. If the activity will be used to download files, type the URL address of the file to be downloaded. There are two ways in which to specify download addresses with the HTTP BIC:
   • If the HTTP BIC activity will download a file with a fixed filename in a fixed location, type the complete URL filepath for that file. For example:

   http://www.some-company.com/products/dailyupdate.html

   • If the HTTP BIC activity will not be used as a starting point, you can also use keys from the work item hash table to define part or all of the URL filepath. Keys must be enclosed in percent signs (%) in order to be recognized by the BIC. For example, to download a file specified in the value of a work item hash table key called filename, you might type:

   http://www.some-company.com/downloads/%filename%

   Likewise, if the entire URL filepath were specified in a work item hash table key called url_filepath, you would enter in the Remote Host field the following:

   %url_filepath%

   Note: Rather than specifying the remote Web server by typing its domain name, the server has a static IP address, which you can use instead (e.g., http://123.123.123.123) followed by any additional filepath text. Doing this prevents any DNS-related errors from inhibiting the execution of the HTTP BIC activity.

   The Description field on the General tab can be used for noting the domain name of the IP address entered. You can connect to a secure server by typing an HTTPS URL in the Remote Host field, provided that the security settings have been configured for the EPX installation that contains the BIC Manager of the HTTP BIC being used. Security configuration is normally performed during installation, but if this was not done, you can manually configure security by following the instructions outlined in the Administration guide.

4. If user authentication is needed, type in a valid username in the in the User ID field. The specified username is used to connect to the remote Web Server.
5. Click Password. Type in the necessary information in the Password and Confirmation fields. Note that the remote Web Server will first verify the given user id and password. If the information supplied is valid, connection will push through. The values in the User ID and Password fields will not matter if user authentication is not needed.
   Note: Contact the Systems Administrator of the remote Web Server to obtain a valid user ID and password.
6. Select the type of file to be transferred from the Transfer Type dropdown list (e.g., ASCII or Binary).
7. If the HTTP BIC activity will be used to upload files, you must specify the remote directory for the upload. Providing a new name for the transferred file is optional.
   • In the Remote Directory field, type the directory path where uploaded files will be saved on the remote Web server. Each directory in the path should have the format "/<directory>". For example:

   /uploads/product_news 

   In cases where using a static directory path is not sufficient, work item hash table keys enclosed in percent signs (%) can be used to specify part or all of the remote directory path (provided that the HTTP BIC activity is not a starting point).

   • If files transferred by the HTTP BIC activity must be saved on the remote Web server under a filename different from the local filename, then type the new filename in the Remote File field. If the Remote File field is left empty, then the local filename will be used by default when saving files remotely. If the HTTP BIC activity is not a starting point, work item hash table keys enclosed in percent signs (%) can be used to specify part or all of the filename.
8. In the Local Directory field, type the path of the directory that the HTTP BIC activity should access on the local host or click Browse... and select the directory. If the activity will be used to upload files, the local directory is the location of the file or files that will be uploaded. For download file activity, the local directory is the destination directory for the file download.
   Note: Make sure that the local directory you have specified does not exist to prevent encountering an error during the execution of the HTTP BIC activity. When using this BIC in a clustered environment, make sure the folders and/or files that will be indicated are existing in and pointing to where the BIC Manager server is installed. As with the Remote Directory field, for non-starting point activities, work item hash table keys enclosed in percent signs (%) can be used to specify part or all of the local directory name, if necessary.
9. In the Local File field, specify the name of the file to be uploaded. This step is optional for download file action and is only necessary if files need to be saved locally under different filenames than they had remotely. If a new filename is not specified, the original filename is preserved. As with the Remote File field, the filename entered can contain the following types of name elements:
   • Standard legal filename characters.
   • For non-starting point activities, one or more work item hash table keys, enclosed in percent signs (%).
10. If the HTTP BIC activity is a starting point in the process flow, type the polling interval in the Interval box. The polling interval is the frequency, measured in seconds, with which the HTTP BIC activity will attempt to download the file specified in the Remote Host field.
11. Save the data entered and proceed to another tab by clicking Apply. Clicking OK will also save the data entered but will exit the HTTP BIC editor. To cancel saving the data entered, click Cancel.