Smart hot folders

A smart hot folder is a global hot folder that automatically performs a wide range of processes when you drop a source file into it, including creating new jobs and moving files.

Smart hot folders can perform the following tasks:

•   Create a new job based on an existing job based on a template job and name the new job according to the name of the source file (see Diagram: create jobs using smart hot folders)
•  Move the source file to the following locations:
  • An existing job's hot folder for processing (see Diagram: process files using smart hot folders)
  • A job-relative location (such as UserDefinedFolders)
  • Any location on a mounted server or volume (see Diagram: move files using smart hot folders)
•  Rename the source file—at the same time as moving it—for any of the following reasons (see Diagram: rename files using smart hot folders):
  • To change a customer's file names to conform to your file-naming conventions
  • To conform to another smart hot folder's file naming patterns
  • To move a file to more than one job hot folder
•  Move a source file to one or more locations on any mounted volume (see Diagram: move files using smart hot folders)

You can also combine any—or all—of these actions within one smart hot folder. For example, you can create smart hot folders that will do the following combined actions:

• Create a job based on the source file name and process the file immediately within the new job's hot folders (see Diagram: create jobs and process files using smart hot folders)
• Create a job based on the source file name, process the file, and move it to another location (see Diagram: create jobs, process, and move files using smart hot folders)
• Create a job based on the source file name, process the file, rename the file, and move it to another location (see Diagram: create jobs and process, move, and rename files using smart hot folders)

For more background, see the About the hot folder type options topic.
Smart hot folders are job-independent, so you can use them for any job.

Supported file formats

Smart hot folders can accept and process any of the following source files:

• Input files (.ps, .pdf, .eps, .tif, and so on)
• Non-incremental Prinergy exported job files (.zip)
• Imposition plans (.pjtf and .jdf from Preps 4.2.3 and later) and marks files (.ps and .pdf)
• Preps .job files
• JDF-MIS stripping parameters

Note: While you can import impositions that were created in earlier versions of Preps, you can only edit them in Preps 7. The Preps DLL on the Prinergy server (which is used to convert Preps jobs, JDFs, and so on to impositions) only works in Preps 7 mode. This means that sites with Preps 5 clients must migrate these clients to Preps 7 in order to edit Prinergy impositions. Preps version 5 and earlier are no longer tested or supported. 
Preps 5 templates can be migrated by opening and saving them in the Preps 7 software. The Preps7 software and DLL translate Preps 5 templates to Preps 7 mode at the moment they're opened. No translation is required for Preps 6 as Preps 6 and Preps 7 share template formats.

How smart hot folders work

A smart hot folder matches the source file name with the naming patterns configured in the smart hot folder. See the About naming patterns in smart hot folders topic.
For more information about how smart hot folders work, see the Case study: smart hot folder topic.
Note: Smart hot folders are not the same as job-specific hot folders. For information about job-specific hot folders, see the Hot folders topic.