ftpXfer™ Program Documentation |
This document describes the CTI FTP Transfer utility (ftpxfer.exe) and its use with the FastSync Mailbox System. |
The FTP Transfer utility allows FTP put and get operations to be performed from single command line. The single command line capability makes it useful in performing automated file transfers in unattended environments such as CTI's FastSync® Mailbox System. The ftpxfer.exe file should be installed in the same directory as a FastSync Mailbox Client (c:\program files\mailbox by default).
The FTP Transfer utility is invoked from a DOS command line (within a Windows 95 or Windows NT session) or from the Windows 95 or Windows NT Run dialog box on the Start menu. The utility uses command line arguments to designate the type of transfer (put or get), the source and destination files, and the FTP server logon information. The command line syntax is shown below:
ftpxfer put|get; source file name; dest file name; server IP address; user logon name; [user logon password;] [ftp account]
All command line arguments are separated from each other with semicolons (;). Space characters can be inserted before or after the semicolons to improve readability. The command line arguments are described in detail below:
put|get
Specify "put" to send a file to the FTP server or "get" to receive a file from the FTP server. These arguments can be entered in upper or lower case.
source file name
The name of the file being sent. If this is a PUT operation, this file will reside on the local PC or network. If this is a GET operation, this file will reside on the FTP server. If the file does not reside in the default directory, the full path qualifier should be included. It is not necessary to enclose the file name in quotation marks, even if it includes space characters.
dest file name
The name of the file being written. If this is a PUT operation, the file will be written to the FTP server. If this is a GET operation, the file will be written to the local PC or network. The file will be written to the default directory unless a full path qualifier is included. It is not necessary to enclose the file name in quotation marks, even if it includes space characters.
server IP address
This is the IP address (in dotted decimal notation) or the host name (url address) of the FTP server host.
user logon name
This is the logon name on the FTP server.
user logon password
This is an optional parameter. If the user logon name is associated with a password, the password should be entered here. If no password or ftp account information (see below) is required, the command line can stop here. If ftp account information is required but a password is not, leave this position blank.
ftp account
This is an optional parameter. If the FTP server requires account information to connect, it must be entered here. Otherwise the command line can stop here.
Example command lines are shown below:
1. The following example sends the file c:\readme.txt from the local c drive to the home directory of the FTP server, where it is saved as readme.txt. The server's IP address is 192.1.2.3, the user logon name is Anonymous, and no password or FTP account information is required:
ftpxfer put; c:\readme.txt; readme.txt; 192.1.2.3; Anonymous
2. The following example receives the file dummy.svr from the /files subdirectory of the FTP server and saves it as "c:\program files\dummy file.svr" on the local PC. The server name is ftp.bigserver.com, the user logon name is IUSR_BIG and the password is SESAME. No FTP account information is required:
ftpxfer get; files/dummy.svr; c:\program files\dummy file.svr; ftp.bigserver.com; IUSR_BIG; SESAME
3. The following example repeats the first example, except this time the FTP account is USERS. Since a password is still not required, its position in the command line is left empty:
ftpxfer put; c:\readme.txt; readme.txt; 192.1.2.3; Anonymous; ; USERS
USING THE FTP TRANSFER UTILITY WITH THE FASTSYNC MAILBOX SYSTEM
The FTP Transfer utility can be used to automatically forward files received at a FastSync Post Office to an FTP server, or to automatically receive files on a local PC before sending them with a FastSync Mailbox Client.
To automatically forward files received at a FastSync Post Office, an Automated Mailbox must be configured in the Post Office Administrator (from the Lists, User Mailboxes menu). The Executable property should be set to the required command line. The "@FILE" parameter is used to represent the source file. The following example shows how a file received at the Post Office can be automatically forwarded to an FTP server and saved as "autofile.xxx". Note that the full path to the ftpxfer executable must be supplied, and since in this case it includes a space character, it is enclosed in quotation marks:
"c:\program files\mailbox\ftpxfer" put; @FILE; autofile.xxx; 192.1.2.3; Anonymous
To automatically retrieve a file from an FTP server before sending it with a FastSync Mailbox Client, a batch file must be created to first retrieve the file and second invoke the Mailbox Client. The CTI Event Scheduler can then be configured to run this batch file at the desired time. The example below shows the contents of a batch file that first retrieves a file called dummy.svr from ftp.bigserver.com and stores it in the local c:\temp directory, then invokes the Mailbox Client and instructs it to automatically begin a session called autoxfer.us (this session must be created in advance in the Mailbox Client and configured to automatically send/resend c:\temp\dummy.svr):
ftpxfer get; dummy.svr; c:\temp\dummy.svr; ftp.bigserver.com; IUSR_BIG; SESAME mailbox Autosession=c:\program files\mailbox\user\autoxfer.us
Assuming that this batch file is named "auto.bat" and stored in the "c:\program files\mailbox" directory, the Event Scheduler can be configured to automatically launch it by creating an event with an application command line of "auto.bat" and a working directory of "c:\program files\mailbox" (note that setting the working directory to the mailbox directory eliminates the need to provide path information to ftpxfer.exe and mailbox.exe in the batch file).
| Question. I have downloaded ONLY the ftpxfer utility tool. When I tried to execute it, I got an error "A required .DLL, VB40032.DLL, was not found." From where do I get this .DLL file? Also in addition to this .DLL file do I need to have any more support file(s)? Looking forward to your reply. Sincerely, Manesh Rao, IINDIA |
| Answer: The ftpxfer utility was designed to work with the FastSync Post Office. If you have the Post Office installed on your computer and install ftpxfer.exe in the same directory you will have the right DLLs in place. If you don’t, you won’t. |