Barcode Scanners Customer Displays Public Product List Product Requesting Scales
Email Accounts eCommerce Websites In Store Website
Pre Install Planning Creating a Franchise
Automatic File Loading
The utility FieldpineLoader.exe can be used to automate loading of data into Fieldpine. This is done on a constant automated basis. If you would rather automate loads so that you click an icon to upload at that point in time, see Uploading via CURL / WGET
Pre-Reqs- Windows 64 bit Operating System
- At least Windows Server 2016 or Windows 10
- Cannot send individual files larger than 4Gb
- All files being uploaded are malware scanned on the source machine before being uploaded. If your local PC reports malware in the file, it will not be uploaded
- Large individual files may not work reliably. While there is no specific limit, this might not be the tool to use if individual files are greater than 2 or 4 Gb
- Detection of files being changed is not 100% reliable, per Microsoft documentation. Very rarely you might see a change not updated to the server. If you simply save the file again it should be detected. This rate of non-detection is very low, unless your computer has high volume changes to the directories being watched. See configuration tips below
Configuration
- Open a windows command prompt (as administrator) and type
fieldpineloader -install
This will install the program as a service. - The service will be installed as a "NetworkService". This grants it access to network resources but is not highly privileged. You may need to run the service under a different login if you have security issues. Use the Windows services control panel to change the account it runs under.
- In the same folder as fieldpineloader.exe, create a file "fieldpineloader.txt" and put your commands inside (see below)
Configuration Files
The configuration file provides instructions on which folders shoud be monitored and what should be done with files found.
system log c:\Fieldpine\fieldpineloader.log -------------------------------------------------- server address http://127.0.0.1:8310 header x-api-key: ASJDJDJDJDJDJDDAAAABBBBCCCCC -------------------------------------------------- windows file c:\PosDocuments\Products.xlsx dati <products> delay 10 -------------------------------------------------- windows path c:\PosDocuments\ProductPhotos filter <image> delay 12 dati <product image> control pattern(f*%PID%*.*) orientation(front) control pattern(s*%PID%*.*) orientation(side) control pattern(p*%PID%*.*) orientation(portrait)
Network Drives
You can monitor network drives by using the UNC Path name rather than the mapped drive letter
--------------------- windows file \\CompanyShare\PosDocuments\ProductPhotos ...
Configuration Tips
Put files and directories to be watched in an area with few changes and minimal sub directories. Rather than using \MyDocuments\Products.xlsx put the file in a sub folder instead. \MyDocuments\PosFiles\Products.xlsx
Fieldpine Loader monitors the entire directory and sub directories, and if these directories are frequently changing there is a greater risk of changes being missed. Do not use the root folder of a drive such as c:\ as this results in massive amounts of changes to wade through - every temporary file from any program, internet cache files and tons of other irrelevant stuff.
Fieldpine Online as the Target Server
Fieldpine Online, and secure self hosted controllers, require authentication information. This means you need three additional parameters in order to upload
-------------------------------------------------- server address https://AX.fieldpine.com header x-api-key: AAABBBCCCCDDDEEE rmsystem 7,123,918,223
The value Ax.fieldpine.com is the Fieldpine server you typically connect too, such as a1.fieldpine.com If you are using a custom domain such as sydney.myretailchain.xyz then use that value
An API key can be created under the "API" menu option within Fieldpine. Be careful with API keys, the holder of an API key is allowed technical access to your system.
The RmSystem value is your unique "retailer id" within Fieldpine.
Monitoring Product Definition Spreadsheets
A common pattern with Fieldpine retailers is to maintain a spreadsheet with all current product definitions and load that periodically into Fieldpine. With Fieldpine Loader this loading can be automated so that simply editing the Excel spreadsheet causes Fieldpine to be updated shortly after the change is detected.
- Install Fieldpine Loader as outlined above
- Create a FieldpineLoader with these sections, changing the parts in bold to suit your environment
-------------------------------------------------- server address http://127.0.0.1:8310 -------------------------------------------------- windows file c:\SomePathToFile\ActiveProducts.xlsx dati <products> delay 0
When loading Excel files, the Loader waits until the file is closed before loading. If you simply "save" the file within Excel and do not close the spreadsheet it will not update Fieldpine immediately. This is because Excel holds a write lock over the file and while we can bypass this, doing so means there is a slight chance we could read and apply a partially editted spreadsheet.
If you want to read the Excel document and override the write lock add the line "lock none" below the "delay 0" line in the example above