Administrator Guide 2017
Output to XML file

Output to XML file is used to output form data in a format, XML, that can be processed by another application, such as a back office system.  If you wish to link magic5 with another system then XML is likely to be the best format to chose.  The XML files are output on the server each time this action is triggered.  Full details on how to use XML files can be found in .

Main

 Main screen for this action

*Description

A descriptive text to identify this action
*Output directory Enter the folder name relative to the root output directory of your system as defined in the configuration file.  Typically this folder will be named according to the files to be stored here, for instance ‘XML files’, 'CSV files' or 'PDF files', and each form will be saved under a date and time stamp in this folder.  For more information see the document .

Although report processing variables can be used here, it doesn't make sense as the XML files generated by this action are usually named according to the requirements of the external application receiving it and does not need to be interpreted by humans.
Output 'lookup' information (lists, users, customers, locations etc.)

If customer location list and user information has been supplied to magic5 from your back office system then magic5 will output this data in the XML files with the same references with which it was input.  

For example, if the external system sent data to magic5 with an internal reference of 1122, magic5 would output that data with the reference 1122 to synchronise back again. 

If the data was not provided by the external system, then magic5 will output its own record identifiers in which case you must tick this box to ensure that the values of these are output.

To put it simply: IF YOUR CUSTOMERS (and other lists) ARE SET UP IN magic5 (rather than an external system) THEN TICK THIS BOX.
Suppress output of extended information for photos (eg. GPS)

Tick this box if you do not wish photo exif information to be included within the XML files.
Transform file

Select a file type from the drop-down list whose contents must be populated by magic5 support.  By default magic5 outputs XML files in the standard magic5 XML format.  However it is possible to have an XSLT transformation applied to these files automatically so that the XML files meet the requirements of your external application.  Consult magic5 support if you wish to look into doing this.

Conditions

This action will only be triggered if the conditions below are met. Leave blank if it is always to be executed.

Condition (1)-(4) If you wish to only run an action in a particular situation then you can use these conditions to specify them. The action will only occur if both conditions are satisfied. Typical uses are to only run an action or display an item if a particular answer has been given to one of the answers on the template.
For more help on using Display Conditions view the how-to guide.
Disable action

Tick this box to unconditionally disable this action.  This is the same as inserting a display condition that will never be fulfilled (eg. resultValue;xxx;equals;999 where there is no unique name of xxx).
Custom condition using 'and/or'

The text box under “Conditions (advanced)” allows custom conditions. These are tested in addition to any simpler conditions above.

If simple and complex conditions are both added then it will “AND” them together but each can be used on their own.

 

  • Each individual condition is the same as before (see above and how-to guide), but must be enclosed in square brackets.
    [condition type;unique name;test type;value to test] for example [resultValue;Priority;equals;High]
  • or and and test two or more conditions. NB. These are case-sensitive, OR and AND will not work
    • parentheses (curved brackets) give precedence to conditions. For example, to make A and B or C less ambiguous, use either:
      • (A and B) or C
      • A and (B or C)
  •  nesting can be used:
    • Surround each condition with [ and ]
    • Use lower-case or and and
    • Explicitly set precedence using ( and )
    • for example
      • ([resultValue;Priority;equals;High] and [resultValue;City;equals;London]) or (([resultValue;City;equals;Manchester] or [resultValue;City;equals;Leeds]) and [resultValue;Priority;equals;Medium])

Post-action processing (advanced)

After an action has finished running a file can be executed on the server. This could be, for instance, a .exe or a .bat file. Typically this would be used to insert data into another system.

File name to run Enter the full path and filename here.  Ensure that it is correctly spelt and that the file extension (such as .exe or .bat) is also correct.
Command line to run If the file specified above requires additional information on its command line, please enter it here. Contact your magic5 expert for further help.
Folder to run from Enter the full path and folder name that the executable programme needs to be launched from.
URL Instead of running an executable file locally, an http request can be sent to the URL specified here. It can contain standard variables.
HTTP verb Choose the http verb to be sent with the request to the URL specified above.  If you do not know what this is, ask your magic5 expert.
HTTP request body This will be very different in different circumstances and probably needs to defined at the implementation stage. It can contain standard variables and may contain the data entered on the form.
See Also
Output to management reports package
Output to CSV file

Templates

Template
Template action